Transitioning to Tarp Camping
It sounds silly to say, but I’ve been ready to try tarp camping for a few years now. I’ve carried my super ultralight shelter with me on would-be overnight trips, but never actually put myself in a position to use this new setup. I’m not sure why, but I haven’t found the confidence to transition from the comforts of a bug net and fully enclosed shelter, to that of the freeing experience a tarp provides. I hope to make this transition, at least trying it out, in one of my next adventures, but this post will highlight some of the thoughts I’ve had related to tarp camping, and showcase the pitches that I feel most comfortable using if and when I decide to make this transition.
Both the tarp and duplex in my Pa’lante Packs V2 for reference/scale.
The shelter: Zpacks Duplex.
A thorough review of my thoughts on this shelter can be found here.
My current tent shelter is the ZPacks Duplex. This is a palace at 20oz. It is a bit bulkier in a super ultralight pack, than a tarp setup would be, but for the weight, it is roomy and offers me comfort that is hard to say goodbye to. I’ve got a bathtub floor that protects me from rain, the ability to zip away all bugs with my bug net doors, and finally a design that I don’t need to think about if I want to ensure I don’t get wet from the elements. I simply need to pitch this tent, cinch all of the rainfly doors, and I am pretty much guaranteed to not have any unwanted weather or visitors. To me, at 20oz, but a bigger compressed size, this is very hard to beat.
The challenger: Borah Gear 5.5x9ft tarp w/ Polycryo ground sheet.
This setup weighs in at about half the weight (10oz) and is substantially smaller when compressed down. This affords me the option to carry a smaller pack, and it saves me 10oz on my base weight. Those are the two major benefits I see to going with this setup, because while I understand the tarp enthusiasts points about connecting with nature, it is not something that I am actively seeking out. I guess I am still new enough to backpacking that I find enjoyment just being out in the backcountry.
The challenges to me are tarp configuration selection, bug exposure and rain exposure. For the weight and size savings, it seems like a lot of risk to take on. I need to make sure I set up my tarp correctly and that’s an extra decision I will need to make at the end of a potentially long day of hiking. Additionally, I will need to spend more time finding natural coverage in order to provide the best odds that the elements won’t be a factor. I think some of the tarp configurations I feel confident in setting up, would alleviate this concern, but it’s something to consider nonetheless.
Conclusion
Right now, I intend to try the tarp setup in an off season when rain and bugs are unlikely. It seems like this is a great time to introduce this change to my kit, with minimal likelihood of one of the challenges being realized. I also like to take this setup with me when I have a very long day hike planned. It’s a lightweight emergency shelter, that’s nice to have just in case we don’t make it back by the end of the day. Hopefully in the future, I can incorporate this setup into my experience and maybe then I will learn about the added benefit of further connecting with nature that many of the tarp campers mention!
Below are the three tarp configurations I feel most comfortable setting up:
I think you would call this an A frame setup. My dog Kona is included for scale! This was very easy to set up and offered me the best mix of exposure and protection.
I think you would call this a lean-to setup. This was pretty easy to setup, but I felt the most exposed.
This I think you would call a half pyramid or some form of a pyramid / teepee setup. It seemed to offer me the most protection and least visibility, but was harder to setup and I think a bit awkward.
