Storm Pitch for 8 x 10 HMG Flat Tarp

[Russ W]

First post:

[Russ W]

I have been using an HMG 8X10 flat tarp for my  last 2 excursions in the Sierras. Using trekking poles and a Borah bivy with a waterproof bottom, a chrome dome umbrella jammed against the lower end, I feel like I’ve got a fairly worthy pitch.  That said, the weather has been generally excellent and I haven’t been tested to a great extent. I have some single person tents that I’m tempted to take instead on my next trip…Tarptent Notch, Dan Durston’s X-Mid,  however, when I pick one up and it weighs 32 oz versus 12 oz plus 8 oz for the bivy,  I continue to go with the tarp. My question is this: There seems to be a lot of great storm tarp pitches for 10 x10 tarps but if  I bring another $300 piece of equipment into the house, I’m going to need something more substantial than a tarp when my wife kicks me out, so for this exercise let’s stick with the 8  x 10. Look at the pictures above and let me know what I’m doing wrong, or is there something that you’re doing that seems to be a better choice for a significant storm. Thanks for the insight – Russ

[Matthew / BPL]

Just my $.02 but I’d rather just spread the foot of the tarp very wide/low in a significant Sierra storm. I’m nervous about abrading the part of the tarp you have folded under and I think that you don’t have to worry much about splash with a really wide pitch. Lowering the foot end might allow you to move the umbrella up front rather than using it at the foot end. You won’t end up with much livable room using the setup I’m describing, of course.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/33486/

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/flat-tarp-pitches/

 

[David P]

Hi Russ, I added a stick on nylon loop on a DCF patch about 30” up the ridge line.to this loop i added a line loc. Not necessary but I like them. The wind shedding is pretty good on this and there is still room for your feet inside… like Matthew said then you could implement the umbrella on the head end if necessary with shifting winds. Otherwise if winds maintain prominently one direction this won’t allow much water entry.  I also tried a full pyramid pitch with all sides to the ground but there wasn’t much room inside for me at 6’2”

Good luck with your pitches, i love the open air feel of tarps this time of year!

[Russ W]

Thank you both for the advice….I’m going to try them both. Matthew, great  links…lots of really good stuff, including a picture of the low end pitch you described.

David, I looked on HMG’s and Zpacks sites for a stick-on loop. Zpacks looks the best but recommends underside reinforcement and the additional  step of sewing the loop on, with seam sealant I would presume. Is that what you did? I’m kind of surprised that there aren’t more tieouts on the HMG ridgeline.

 

[James Marco]

I would second the thought of pitching full out, just lower, with no folding under. Tarps are about controlling rain and water, not about sealing you up. The folds under the tarp, don’t really accomplish anything. If your drainage is poor, it won’t stop the water from running under you.

Set up on a high spot or mound wherever possible, keep water run-off in the front of your brain when searching for a spot to set the tent. I use a tarp all the time and actually find it dryer than a tent. A dip can be comfortable to sleep in, but really wet in a storm.

I attach all the loops on a 12″ cord to insure I can move around most obstacles. No, you do not need a perfect pitch every time, just solid and dry, excellent ventilation in wet weather My ground cloth is a piece of plastic, more to keep ground moisture under control. Setting up in the rain, means the ground is wet.

Wet ground can be difficult on tent floors, so, the 1.5oz piece of plastic works to give me a dry area. The larger 8×10 tarps are nice when set up as a low diamond, too. You still get plenty of ventilation, but shifting winds can sometimes drive rain in on you.  The extra loops on the ridge are nice, but I rarely use them. Instead, I set up a cloths line and sleep off to one side with my other gear on the other side. (Usually there isn’t much except my hat, filled with “pocket” gear, a couple water bottles and my stove & fuel.) Tent floors take a lot to dry out, a piece of plastic shakes off, mostly.

Generally, you can set up with 6 stakes (one for each corner and one for the guy lines.) I carry a 7th stake and place it on the windward side to help maintain tension. The guy lines and stakes all need a hair tie, pulled out solidly. In a 30mph wind, they will hold about 20 pounds each and supply tension against sagging as the fabric (I use nylon) stretches. If you see a big storm coming, a few minutes can let you whittle a few wooden stakes. One of the storm lashings, I have used in heavy 30mph winds and higher is to add a second stake to the corners with a length of line diagonal to the opposite peak. This prevents the “billowing” on the down wind side and flapping that can loosen a stake otherwise. All tents and tarps will flap around in a heavy wind. Usually the tent will lift on the downwind side, often pulling stakes loose. These are not really a doubled staked, just a second stake not in the same area. This is easy and another reason I use 12″ shorties on the tarp.

Worst case, I have rolled up in my tarp in a very bad storm (heavy 40mph winds and raining a LOT.) I lay on it and pull the tarp around me and down, sleeping on the flap. It works well enough but, like a bivy, is subject to a lot of condensation by morning.

 

 

 

[David P]

Russ when I bought the tarp from HMG I had to inquire with an email about their stick on loops. They included them for free when I purchased the tarp after I asked. Personally I just stuck mine on the outside making sure the tarp was super dry. I could see an extra patch underneath being helpful for stress on the tarp but I never sewed through the DCF material.  The stickiness of the sticker seems sufficiently stuck!

Another thought, you can turn the “storm mode” pitch (in pic) into the “tetra wedge” same pitch EXCEPT at the head end instead of staking the two corners stake the first 2 tie outs on the long side, then pull the two corners inward to meet in the middle and stake them together. This makes a sort of angled “door” and further blocks shifting winds and rain of it gets nasty.  This remains livable in there without having to lower the entire pitch which makes sitting up impossible for me at 6’2”

In A frame mode , like James said, orient the long edge into the wind & extra stake or two on that windward side. I usually use 8 total. In storm mode, like in pic, I orient the foot end into the wind.

like James I also use a  ground sheet even with the bivy. Nice for ground moisture and having a little extra space for gear. I use Mylar space blankets.

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