Tarp camping analyzed

[Paul Wagner]

OK–this is funny: https://www.backpacker.com/stories/essays/5-honest-reasons-to-tarp-camp/

[Monte Masterson]

In the intro the author doesn’t even mention the main advantage to tarps and that’s VERSATILITY. And then he goes on to say: “but that doesn’t mean there aren’t reasons to sleep under a cheap square of plastic on your next hiking trip”. What? What the hell are you talking about? Not even homeless people use plastic tarps these days. All of the serious  backpackers out there who own pricey ultralight tarps (especially DCF) have to be scratching their heads on that one.

Then one of the 5 headings reads: You are a bug enthusiast. Really? FYI there are an endless array of bug nets, bivies, net tents, innernets, etc available and virtually all of them keep out 100% of the insects.

Another heading reads; You want one piece of gear that does everything badly. Then the writer states: “Honestly it’s not even really that great at that shelter thing”. I’m sure that’s true for a green writer who doesn’t have the tarp skills of a cub scout. Yea, Backpacker magazine is really reaching for articles theses days. Circulation is way down. They should stick to what they do best and that’s promoting heavy, mainstream Chinese made gear.

I do however appreciate the thread post Paul. In colder temps or when big weather is predicted I like a tent to be sure.

[SIMULACRA]

Was gifted a non-ending supply of Backpacker magazine some Christmas ago..I sigh every time I see it in the mailbox

[JCH]

What?  Backpacker magazine still exists?

[BlackHatGuy]

The guy was just trying to be funny. It was, after all, a humor piece, not an opinion piece.

As far as Backpacker, I still find useful stuff in it. Not a lot, but some.

[obx hiker]

My fav part:

“You hate having to leave your tent to pee.
The midnight bathroom break is an awkward affair: You fumble around for your headlamp, squirm out of your sleeping bag, and hunt for the tent door’s zipper pull before stepping out into the chilly night. Add in tentmates to climb over, and you’ve got one more obstacle. Who wants to do that? Not you: With a floorless tarp setup, you don’t need to leave your cozy shelter to relieve yourself. On the chilliest of nights, you don’t even need to leave your sleeping bag: Just unzip and let rip. (Maybe check your bag’s DWR first though.)”

Hey this is worth some serious consider and has potential for ground-breaking (or trenching) innovation right here on BPL. Yes! Pee without leaving your shelter.

Ideas?

 

[Monte Masterson]

You’re right Doug, it was supposed to be humorous, but good comedy is usually based on keen observations about reality and I couldn’t glean anything real about tarp camping in the writer’s essay. Of course it could also be that I just don’t have a sense of humor (we’re not amused).

It’s a matter of taste and opinion so nobody can say what’s right or wrong, but IMO Backpacker magazine is for the traditional backpacker, you know, the ones you see on the trail lugging around the big heavy packs. The last time I thumbed through a (thin) issue of Backpacker it took about a minute and I asked myself how the publication even stays in print. Buy hey, People magazine is doing well and the cover of every other issue features glowing stories about Meghan and Prince Harry so what the heck do I know.

[Dan]

That definitely gave me a chuckle or two. Thanks for posting.

[BlackHatGuy]

“it was supposed to be humorous, but good comedy is usually based on keen observations about reality and I couldn’t glean anything real about tarp camping in the writer’s essay.”

I agree Monte. It wasn’t all that humorous to me either, I thought the author was trying far too hard to be funny and missed the mark by more than a little. But I can see where others would get a kick out of it, even if they’re just getting a kick out of the cluelessness of the author.

[JCH]

“…IMO Backpacker magazine is for the traditional backpacker, you know, the ones you see on the trail lugging around the big heavy packs…”

Which is why I’m willing to bet that dedicated Backpacker Magazine readers found it funny.

[obx hiker]

^^ “The last time I thumbed through a (thin) issue of Backpacker it took about a minute and I asked myself how the publication even stays in print.”

Ad revenues: for those big packs and big tents.  ;)

[Jeff McWilliams]

Re: peeing on the ground in your tarp.

People do this?  Like, you’re okay with your tarp smelling like piss for the rest of the night?  If I wanted my shelter to smell like a men’s bathroom, I’d go sleep in one.

[Chris R]

Re. Peeing. Why would it come into contact with your tarp? Regardless it doesn’t smell! If you are on organic or sandy soil it simply soaks away. By the next morning I’m gone anyway

[Erik G]

I think Jeff was just trolling us expert tarpers…I mean, who DOESN’T do this? Amateurs, that’s who…

;)

[Jeff McWilliams]

Fun urine facts you may not know:

Concentrated urine (like when you’re dehydrated) can smell strongly of ammonia.  Your pee can also smell strongly if you’ve recently eaten asparagus or you’re taking vitamin B-6 supplements.

Animals can be drawn to the smell of urine, and will dig into the ground to go after the minerals and salts left behind.  I’ve personally seen an area where I’ve peed at night dug up when I broke camp the following morning.  Leave No Trace actually recommends people do not pee on trees, because animals may chew all the bark off of the tree in an effort to get the salts, thus killing the tree.  LNT.org recommends peeing on rocks or on the ground instead.

In Red River Gorge, KY rock climbing areas (Miller Fork, Muir Valley), they have signs specifically telling people NOT to pee underneath rock overhangs.  The overhanging rock shelters those areas from rain, which means pee lingers and the rock climbing crags end up smelling like stale urine.

[Brad P]

If you have to pee, and you have the right, uh, equipment, you can fire out the door of the tent or the opening of a tarp if it’s raining or cold. Just check the wind direction first.

[obx hiker]

Where can I score some dehydrated asparagus?  Hmmmm L’eau d’asparrow grass.

[JCH]

The ability to “fire out the door of the tent” rapidly decreases with age.  Sad but true.

[Ryan Jordan]

ca. 2001.

I was tarp-camped at Rough Lake in the Beartooth Range. Middle of the night. Flipped my quilt off me and peed to the side. Went back to sleep.

A few hours later, two mountain goats were sniffing and pawing at the dirt UNDER MY TARP.

This is disconcerting but pretty rare. I still do it now and again.

I don’t eat asparagus or take B vit on backpacking trips.

My tarp home does not smell like ammonia in the morning, but then again, it’s not like I’m hanging out there for days on end.

Classic clickbait article, very shareable. Not super relevant to reality, I’m with Monte on this one.

[Author]

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