Trailstar or flat tarp?

Shaped tarps are usually a bit lighter than flat tarps. They tend to wrap around you a bit better and stop more spin drift, generally. Flat tarps are generally easier to set up. You can set them up in most locations fairly easily making them a bit more versatile.

The inner, net tents are fairly light but together they weigh (sil) about 18oz + 13oz. In Cuben (DCF)  12oz + 9oz. Or around 2 pounds in sil and around 1#5 in Cuben.

A bivvy is unneeded if you get an inner tent. The bivys weigh about 5oz(Cuben) or 6oz(Sil), lighter but smaller.

They Flat tarps/Shaped Tarps are more of matching conditions where you will be going. Do you use hiking poles or are sticks easily found? It takes a lot of time/stakes to set up a TrailStar. Setting up a quick crippled A-frame(single pole) only takes 3-5 stakes. Setting up an Inner Tent takes more fussing. Usually a bivy is less fussing.

From what I have read (and seen in pictures) about Scotland you need a shelter that can handle some serious wind and precipitation. The tarp that does this the best is the Trailstar, hands down.

The Trailstar has two downsides versus other mids… a larger foot print and is more difficult to get in and out of.

The Trailstar is more difficult to set up than a flat tarp or most other shaped tarps. However, after a few times, one should be able to set it up in a minute or so.

Originally I was going to buy a Cuben Trailstar, but after reading Chris Townsend’s comments on the difficulty of getting a taunt pitch due to the lack of stretch in the material, I opted for the silnylon version, which he highly recommended.

I have been using mids and flat tarps almost exclusively for over 40 years. Today, for serious weather or prolonged heavy rain I bring my Trailstar. Otherwise I am now using a Cuben Deschutes after several years of using a Hexamid.

That’s helpful thanks. Although I’m very drawn to the simplicity, lightness and versatility in pitching of flat tarps, I think for most of my UK trips the Trailstar is going to be more suited. When it comes to materials, I too have read Chris Townsend’s article and for that reason (plus cost) I’ll go for the silnylon. Another reason is that I may want to take the Trailstar or tarp on routes in hotter clomates – Ron at MLD tells me that silnylon provides better sun protection than cuben.

The Deschutes looks good Nick, do you use it alone or with an inner? How about the Trailstar – inner or bivi?

James – regarding inner vs bivi, the weight really starts to add up doesn’t it, once you add an inner to a Trailstar? Shelters like those from Tarptent start to look pretty good when you consider they come in at under 1kg including inner. However, what draws me to the Trailstar is the fact it can be pitched in a number of ways, albeit not as many as a flat tarp.

It seems from what you’re both saying is that for the kind of conditions I encounter in Scotland, a Trailstar is a good way to go, but that for versatility and ease of pitching (perhaps in gentler weather?) a flat tarp is great. I’m leaning towards the Trailstar, but may invest in a cheapish flat tarp to play with – I can always go cuben later!  Thanks again.

perhaps there is a reason why dem brits dont use open tarps? … high winds, constant rain, etc … if you read those UK blogs and forums, its full of stories of 50 MPH+ winds, windblown rain, and quite often tent failures … or maybe they just got too drunk at the pub

as to inners vs bivys … modern UL DWR bivies are more for protecting against spray than anything else … in a humid climate theres a very good chance youll get condensation with em, in fact they are built all wrong to minimize internal condensation and moisture

also i believe the scots have little buggers called “midges” … perhaps spending all the time inside the bivy avoiding them when yr not hiking is less pleasant than a proper inner tent

if you want to practice “tarping” … just spend a few dollars on cheap grometted tarps at the camping store … cheapest and best way to learn

your best bet is likely not BPL, but rather the brit forums and blogs …

;)

Myles,

As Eric mention, most bivies are for splash protection when using smaller tarps. When lightweight Cuben tarps became available, I stopped using a poncho/tarp and just got a larger tarp and quit using bivies.

I’ve never used an inner. Don’t own one. Flying insects just don’t seem to bother me, even in the Sierra. Occasionally I might bring a head need. If I were to hike in Alaska, I would probably get an inner. Sounds like I might need one in your midge infected areas :)

I like the silnylon Deschutes so much I am considering getting the cuben version, but my need is more for the very occasional storm. It has enough room to fit gear and another person if required. A sea to summit mesh can take care of insects at 3 oz; in my case I sewed in a perimeter and one wall net at 4 oz. But in a thrashy environment like Scotland or even the rainy Pacific Northwest I would definitely opt for something more rain resistant like Z-Packs Altaplex- no bugs, no splash. I know that you asked about tarps, but when you add a net and a groundcloth, they don’t pencil out. Depends on how much flexibility you demand, and your budget.

Anything you’ve heard about the Scottish midge cannot give a realistic impression of how awful they can be (probably why we Brits, as Eric says, run to the pub instead). Scandinavians, Canadians and Alaskans may have a similar experience with their bugs. Add a plethora of ticks when in Scottish deer country and a bug net becomes essential for the summer months. So I was thinking of an UL net, like the Sea to Summit Nano, which at 82g is worth packing even if I don’t need it – much lighter that a full inner – similar in fact to what you’re talking about Cameron. I was thinking of using polycro as a kind of bathtub too.

There are some fairly reasonably priced flat tarps here in the UK which might be good for starters. The weights of cuben flat tarps are amazing. I might post a thread to see what people recommend – probably a tired subject on this forum, but I’d be interested for travel hiking in the Pyrenees and Alps. Cameron – the cuben Deschutes looks great – a few here in the UK have them. I think for UK though it’s going to have to be a Trailstar for most of the year.

Thanks folks.

For exposed environments go with a mid shelter. A flat tarp is going to get battered with wind and you wont feel very sheltered, unless you pitch one side up and one side to the ground but then you won’t have much living room for the weight you are carrying, and still not that protected. I’m a huge fan of flat tarps but they are best for camping in forests.

This is one of those things where one piece of equipment does do it all. I wouldn’t bring my Trailstar to the Sierra in summer. In years past I would bring a flat tarp and nowadays just prefer a light Cuben mid tarp, since they don’t weigh much more than a flat tarp. There are advantages of shaped and flat, and none trumps the other, mostly personal preference.