Trying out tarp camping, will my stuff blow away?

[Chad S]

I am not new to tarps as I have spent many nights in a hammock but I am going to try it out on the ground this year. I have a question, and a very basic question at that. How do I keep my air pad and quilt from blowing away when the wind picks up when I am not in it? Admittedly I have only spent a couple nights so far on the ground and it has not happened to me but I can envision it happening. I will not be using a bivy but I could see how that could prevent it.

[John S.]

Don’t tarp above treeline, don’t keep the sleeping pad blown up if you are gone for any length of time, keep most of your things in your backpack and put that one top of sleeping pad if away for few minutes, be mindful of winds, etc.

[Jerry Adams]

my quilt/pad sometimes start blowing away so I put a couple rocks on them.  Or branches.

and yeah, you have to put light stuff in your backpack or other bag

[Chad S]

Thanks, so I am not just making it up in my head, it is a real thing that can happen that you have to prevent. Getting up in a storm in the middle of the night must take a little planning.

[dirtbag]

Don’t get up and out in the middle of the night in a storm!!  I use a pee bottle!!

[jscott]

Other than not being able to leave your bag out to dry and loft inside of a tent because it might blow away…and other than mosquitos and ants and mice and marmots prancing over you day and night…and all sorts of weird ass bugs coming after you at night as soon as you turn on your head lamp…oh and rain spray and winds that would have been blocked by panels on a nice double wall tent…other than that, a tarp is fine.

[Chad S]

“Don’t get up and out in the middle of the night in a storm!!  I use a pee bottle!!”

That’s fair advice for me Dirtbag, but my wife would argue about the feasibility of that for her.

jscott-I have the same thoughts but I just have to see for myself.

[JCH]

I tarped once…twice actually. That was enough.

[jscott]

“I tarped once…twice actually. That was enough.”

My third time I again had a mouse, or mice,  all over my face all night long, and bugs and mosquitos. Returning to the trailhead I saw a sign warning that mice in the area ‘may be’ infected with Hanta virus, if you remember that. End of tarp experiment.

Still, many folks really enjoy tarp camping, so finding out for yourself is a good idea. well, it’s a bad idea but I feel obliged to say that.

[Matthew / BPL]

I will not be using a bivy

YMMV but it’s the bivy that makes tarp camping make sense for me. It keeps much of my stuff together and keeps bugs/etc away. Bulk is minimal and weight can be in the 6 ounce range. I use the bivy by itself in nicer weather under a tree and can switch to a larger inner net if bugs are a concern and I want a larger defensible space.

Tangential but my tarp is a shaped tarp (YMG Cirriform Min) with closed ends so it’s basically a modular tent where I can leave parts at home.

[dirtbag]

Yes, i definitely use the bivy to sleep in, in the summer just the bug bivy. However,  I only pitch the tarp if its windy, raining/snowing,  or if the sun is beating down and I want to use it for shade. Otherwise I am content sleeping in the bivy..

[JCH]

Still, many folks really enjoy tarp camping, so finding out for yourself is a good idea. well, it’s a bad idea but I feel obliged to say that.

I’m fairly certain that tarp camping, like most things in life, depend on your circumstances.  In the SE US, there are simply too many critters (warm and cold blooded) that must be kept at bay. I have never experienced a location where there were no critters to avoid, so…tarps were quickly abandoned. As jscott says, everyone should try all the options and pick what is best for them. I’m happy camping solo with a 25oz 2 person tent.

[Monte Masterson]

It’s the VERSATILITY of a flat tarp and bivy/net tent which can make it a more attractive option over a tent. For example, let’s say it start’s raining on a hike and you want to set up cover to cook lunch and let the rain pass. A tarp is infinitely better than a tent in that scenario. And with a 7′ X 9′ or smaller tarp the footprint isn’t as big as a trekking pole tent, therefore opening up a lot more options for setting up camp. Also a 6 oz DCF tarp with a 6 oz bivy is considerably lighter than any tent.

 

[Thom]

Shape of tarp matters . Hexamid user.

thom

[Monte Masterson]

Yes, I too have a Solo Hexamid in .74 and the footprint is smaller than any trekking pole tent I know of (SD High Route is pretty small) and the weight with detachable bathtub floor is 15.7 oz (without stakes). However most backpackers nowadays want something larger than a Hexamid. Personally I can’t stand trying to find a 5′ plus wide level area in many of the places I go, it’s not easy, especially when much of the camping I do is stealth.

[dirtbag]

This is what makes tarp camping appealing.. a beautiful day and night, 360° views..

[dirtbag]

https://youtu.be/-hPYh9KpPRU

And..

https://youtu.be/6gQALn5u7fM

And..

https://youtu.be/OjWp9HP1C5Y

 

[JCH]

…let’s say it start’s raining on a hike and you want to set up cover to cook lunch and let the rain pass…

Yep. I have a small 5×7 DCF tarp that I use that that purpose and others, such as a “porch” over the tent entrance on trips when a fairly prolonged rain is expected.  6.5 oz total including suspension and makes entry/exit and hanging out much more enjoyable.  I’m not discounting tarps altogether, they simply are not for me as my main shelter.

Full disclosure.  10 years ago I got my base weight under 8 lbs and quickly discovered that not only had I eliminated a lot of weight/bulk, but also a lot of comfort.  I carefully and strategically added weight back focusing on comfort, e.g. a 2P tent, and am now perfectly happy with a 14lb base weight.  UL?  Yes.  SUL no longer interests me :)

[Chad S]

Monte- How do you keep your pad and quilt from blowing away when using the tarp? Let’s say worst case scenario. Middle of the night, raining, windy and you must go out of your tarp?

[Monte Masterson]

I always have a bivy, net tent or bathtub floor placed under a tarp Chad so I’ve never had my pad or quilt/bag blow away. Not an issue really but I could see where if I was camping in Patagonia with just a tarp and flat ground sheet it could be a problem. As others have stated though you could just place items such as a pack, water bottles, etc on pad and quilt to keep them in place.

John, you wrote “I carefully and strategically added back weight focusing on comfort, e.g., a 2P tent and am now perfectly happy with a 14 lb base weight. UL? Yes. SUL no longer interest me.”

I say whatever fits someone’s taste (HYOH) and I don’t want to sound like a wise guy, but I’m not sure I’d call 14 lb UL. I realize 10 lb or less being considered ultralight has fallen out of fashion a bit, and it might just be an arbitrary number or social construct. However, to me a 14 lb base weight (> 30 *F) is light but not ultralight. Makes my knees and back hurt just thinking about it.

And SUL used to be considered 5 lb or less but not many strive for that anymore. I do go SUL in temps above 50*F though. I despise weight and would rather not be quite as comfortable while camped out in order to keep from packing around an anvil all day. As Skurka used to say “there are hikers and there are campers.”  A good balance is probably best though.

I mostly use a 5′ 8″ X 9′ silpoly MYOG flat tarp that’s basically a Borahgear copy but with 12 reinforced perimeter tieouts and 3 panel tieouts. Allows for a lot more versatility. I also have a host of DIY bug bivys and net tents I use with it depending on the mission.

For heavy rain/wind mode I go with the A frame pitched low and utilize all 12 perimeter and both mid panel tieouts. Shock cord loops on panel tieouts (not deployed in pic). I can ride out pretty strong winds with the tieouts being so well reinforced. Tarp made with Dutchware Xenon Sil Wide…. good quality.

[Steve Thompson]

I’ve tarped or cowboy camped exclusively for the last 15 years.  To the original question yes, stuff can blow away and one needs to be thoughtful about “pinning” things down.  I’ll use a rock for my pad and sleeping bag, and keep small items in my pack or collected in a stuff sack tucked under my pack.  If my stove/cook kit won’t fit into my bear can it too stays with the pack.

All that said, I do get careless at times and have to give chase or go on a “hunting expedition” to collect wayward gear.

[HkNewman]

pee bottle!!

Just taking some time off my trip to relate the following quote as relates to tarps that aren’t using any sort of sewn inner net tent..

You don’t need a weather man; To know which way the wind blows ·

Bob Dylan in Subterranean Homesick Blues

In any sort of non-winter weather, find the pee bottle is 1 oz too much and knowing where the wind is hitting the tarp to be “ideal”.  Works mostly.

Back to medically proofing my system with IPAs.  Ciao..

[dirtbag]

The pee bottle was reference to getting up in the middle of the night in a storm.

[Chad S]

It sounds like wind blown quilts and pads are something that needs to be thought about but can can be overcome.

The pee bottle is simple for a man but is still a bad solution for a woman.

[Link .]

I use a women’s pee device and have had no problem peeing into a bottle, but she will need to practice at home! I was with someone that used it for the first time out in the woods with bad results,

[Author]

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