Using a 5.5 x 9 tarp with a bugnet in rain?

I’m only comfortable with a tarp that small in protected forest areas on short trips where I have confidence in the weather conditions. For just a few ounces more you get a lot more protection from a small mid like an SMD Deschutes.

Also, side question, would a GG Nightlight and/or a GG Thinlight be sufficient for a PCT thru (in combination with a 20 deg quilt)?

Not for me but maybe for you. The only way you will know for sure is to actually sleep (or try to) on one for a full night. And even if that test goes well, you still might change your mind about it after a week or 2. I can use a Klymit inertia Xlite (6.1oz) for a couple of nights, but for a longer trip I usually opt for my 47″x25″ Neoair (10.4oz).

A good night’s sleep is essential and I don’t consider a comfortable air mat a luxury. For a long trip, however, the potential for punctures is a significant concern.

Bob, do you backpack with other people? I have lots of different sitpads. I’m very generous loaning/gifting them to people I backpack with. I do this for two reasons: 1) I like sharing and 2) if my XLite gets an unrepairable hole I’m going to borrow those sitpads back and have a (hopefully) tolerable night.

:)

And back to Tristan’s Q: I am not comfortable on a thinlight pad however a section of it makes a nice extension to keep my feet off the ground when using a torso pad.

I’m about 90% solo, but I do carry a sit pad I could employ and I could also use forest duff etc and make a depression in the hip area, which makes a huge difference and is easy to do on snow.

lol, I like your idea of handing out sit pads as a form of insurance!

I have a patch kit, of course, but the hardest part of the repair process is finding the darn hole if it’s a small one… much easier when the thing that caused the puncture is the size of a 10-penny nail. Over the years I’ve only had a couple, thankfully. My rough impression is that this is a bigger problem out West than it is back East.

Tristan, I also should mention 3 things…

I’ve only seen (not used) the Nano net being used by someone else and is is pretty small. For the occasional buggy night it would be a godsend (as opposed to being eaten alive!) but I personally would not choose it to use on a regular basis.

If it’s really wet, a bathtub groundsheet is much better, and if you add mud to the mix it is great to carry a sheet of .7mil polycryo, which at 30″x72″ size would weigh about 1.2 oz.

It makes life a lot easier if you use some 1.5mm shock cords with mitten hooks on the corners of the ground sheet to help keep it in place under the tarp and to keep the edges of the bathtub raised.

Thanks for the info Bob,

I’ll probably buy the Thinlight and test it out while carrying a backup.

I was planning on buying this as a ground sheet

The .7mil polycryo is surprisingly durable.

Maybe consider the same stuff in 1.5mil if it is to be your primary ground sheet for many nights in a row on granite.

I’ve not done this so the quality of my advice here is suspect.

A 5.5′ X 9′ is pretty small. In prolonged rain, if you are able to pitch it well and stay dry, it is pretty miserable to do things such as sort gear, cook, etc. An 8′ X 10′ makes a world of difference!

The window film you linked to is .7 mil thick. Gossamer Gear Poycro is .75 mil thick and is pretty dang tough. So the window film, if it is similar thickness, should work well.

Regarding the GG pads. When I was young I didn’t use a pad at all. As I got older I used foam pads, and now I mostly use a NeoAir. On long hikes most people get trail-hardened, so with a good campsite you can probably get by with a GG pad — this is subjective and varies by individual. On snow or really cold ground, no the pads don’t offer enough insulation.

Ive used all the GG pads and really like the 1/4 thick thinlight hammock pad, comes in a long roll you can cut to your prefered size

Here is a crazy idea…

why don’t you get a double bed sheet out , fold it to that size and with some bits of string and some knots set it up so that you can see how it looks for size ?

(or for a few dollars you can get a painter’s drop sheet and do the same…)

Or you could make a tarp that size using polycryo (per above) and then just continue using it if the size proves adequate for your needs.    ;^)

With a bivy maybe. I would go 8×10

I agree with 8×10 being a better choice. I consider 5.5×9 to be more of an emergency tarp.

I just spent 4 rainy days on the CT with an 8×10 and used it in the afternoon as a refuge from hail/rain – I would not use anything smaller when there is any chance of rain.

And I would do a bivy instead of the nano net, the nets look finicky to set up under a tarp.

Thanks for all the good suggestions! I think I’ll either go for a etowah 8×10 with a bivy/net or a SMD Deschutes Plus

I used a tapered tarp similar in size for almost 8 years (MLD’s original sizing when 6×8 tarps were the UL rage). Actual dimensions were 4.5′(foot)x6.2′(head)x8′(length). Used it on the PCT and AT, along with numerous other hikes. However, I used it with a bivy sack, not just a net tent. I had a several times when rain was blown underneath and the bivy helped. Last year, I finally replaced it with a custom sized MLD Grace Solo tarp 4.8′(foot) x 6.5′(head) x 9′ as I though a litter more coverage would be nice. Still carry a bivy sack since I normally just cowboy camp. If I was going without a bivy sack, I think a 7’x10′ or larger would be more appropriate.