Tarping with out a bivy

I have used a 5×7, 9×7, and 8×10. I think that 10 feet is the ideal length for a tarp using no bivy. That extra foot or 2 makes a huge difference with wind blown rain and splatter. With a 8 foot long tarp, a typical 6 foot person has 1 feet of buffer at the feet and head, with a 10 foot long tarp you have 2 feet at the feet and head, so its like having twice the protection buffer. I find 8×10 the perfect size.

Tarps are not the best option for windy storms. They are best for camping in forests where the wind is cut down significantly. You can pitch a tarp nice and high with lots of living space while the rain pours down on you. It is possible to use a tarp successfully in a windy storm, but you need to pitch it very low to the ground – so low that you have to crawl to get under the tarp. That is a very uncomfortable and cramped shelter to deal with, but it will keep you safe. A pyramid shelter is a much more practical and effiecient design for windy rain.

A properly sized tarp is not much lighter than a one person pyramid shelter unless you are like me and don’t use trekking poles (i need to carry a separate pole for my pyramid shelter). The value of a tarp is in it’s adaptability and versatility, you can pitch it as a large canopy above you, a lean-to to block wind from one direction, or closer to the ground for bad weather.

The really arduous situation where it becomes awkward with such a small tarp is under a heavy rain shower or thunderstorm. Rain splash will inevitably jump under the tarp wetting everything as will be the case with hail stones. Moreover, thunderstorms in the mountains are often companied with severe wind gusts which can blow from any direction, making it even more difficult to stay dry under the tarp and augmenting the risk of pulling out the stakes blowing the tarp away. Until now, I’ve only experienced one thunderstorm with hail while on a trip with the Grace solo tarp. That was in the Vanoise area in the Frensh Alps. So for a longer summer trip in the mountains at mid latitudes where you cannot rule out the risk of a heavy shower, I wouldn’t trust on such a small tarp anymore unless you want to use a waterproof breathable bivy bag completely made from eVent or similar fabrics or if you have additional beaks to change the tarp into a fully enclosed shelter, this might work too. A shelter like the trailstar or a mid seems better to me than an open tarp in this case. Heavy rain showers rarely occur in the regions around the polar circle on the other hand. So it’s still possible to use a small solo tarp in those areas if you can deal with the afore mentioned minor drawbacks should you experience stormy weather.

https://dzjow.com/2011/06/08/tarping-with-the-grace-solo-spinntex-97/

there may perhaps be a reason as well why the brits (known for exceptionally wet and windy weather) dont generally use open tarps in the wet stormy seasons

;)

An 8×10 silnylon tarp weighs about 14 ounces. A one person pyramid shelter like the mld solomid weighs about 15 ounces.

A tarp is simply not an efficient shelter in windy rain. When pitched very close to the ground in an A-frame configuration, you have small peak area near the ridgeline to slide in. But you have a ton of extra fabric that is laying barely above the ground and unusable – that’s what I mean by it being inefficient. With a small pyramid shelter you have plenty of usable space for the amount of weight you are carrying, a more efficient design. When conditions allow pitching a tarp higher and more open, you end up with far more livable space for the weight than you get with a one person pyramid shelter.

I do think a tarp is the best option for use in forests with minimal wind. I have set up tarps above head height in ridiculous downpours (with minimal wind) and stayed totally dry. I don’t find the amount or intensity of precipitation to be a limiting factor for a tarp, the limiting factor is wind blowing the rain. You can easily sleep 3 people under a tarp (for the same weight as a one person pyramid) when its not pitched in a low storm mode. Combining two tarps together at head height creates a massive living space.

A tarp would be my first choice for heavily wooded environments like the pacific northwest and a pyramid shelter would be my first choice for an open environment like alpine or tundra.

Maybe consider the Borahgami?

Why does Borah gear not list the borahgami on their site anymore? You cannot find it on their products page.

Oops, sorry, I didn’t see the “currently unavailable” comment!

Seems as if it’d be worth it to contact them about future availability if somebody is interested in purchasing. Looks like a very nice sized shelter with a lot of pitching options.

I recently sold my 6×9  tarp becasue it just wasn’t big enough to hunker down in a storm in. I’d have to agree with the 8×10 someone suggested should give you a dry spot down the middle with a one side staked really low to the ground

My recent experience with an 8 x 10 tarp from Borah is that they can sew anything even if not listed, the price reasonable and the quality fantastic.

Another option is to add this as a ground cloth:

If weather gets nasty you can slip your bag into it (vs on top) for added protection.   This is what I do  but most of the time it’s only used as a ground cloth and usually lasts a few seasons.  It’s cheap, relatively light and can serve multiple purposes.

Note:  This is made of polyethylene–not mylar, and thus is much more robust.

I find a bivy works more as a savior of moisture build up in the sleeping conditions you may stay dry in, but then the moisture build up over 3-4 days adds a lot of weight to the bag.

With a bicycle, I don’t get any moisture.

Thanks for the replies. Lots of options to think about!

Russ