Originally Posted by
Digger Goreman
Hi-jacking the thread a bit: I have been fascinated with tarp tenting. But which tarp? And how heavy do they get? One author cautions against the "blue budget tarps" as too noisy....
Any informed opinions?
Not everyone chooses to go as light as I do, but...
I have used a variety of tarps and I combine them with an ultralight bivy or bug bivy. I tried a bunch of different combinations starting with a heavier bivy and a little half tarp and ultimately graduated to a much lighter bivy and a bigger tarp. My current favorite is either a Ti Goat Ptramigan Bug Bivy (5.3 ounces) or a Borah side Zip bivy (7 ounces) with a Sea2Summit Escapist M 6'6" x 8'6" (12.3 ounces). I had been successfully using an Integral Designs (not RAB) Siltarp 1, 5'x8' (7 ounces), but decided that it was worth the extra ounces to have a bit more coverage. The coverage with the Siltarp 1 was just okay, but meant that it had to be pitched very low when there was rain with any breeze.
You need to add some stakes, cords, and maybe a pole. I carry 5 MSR needle stakes (1.6 ounces), sometimes an Easton .340" aluminum pole (1.6 ounces), and some light cords (170# dacron). I have sometimes eliminated the pole and used the bike or improvised whatever I could.
BTW, much of the time if the weather is good I just cowboy camp not bothering to pitch anything. I sleep on top of the bivy when I judge the weather and insects to allow it, and as needed I climb in, and then if necessary due to unexpected rain pull the tarp over myself and my gear. I guess in a real washout that could get dicey, but I have never had a problem with that approach. Good judgement on the weather and decent site selection has always served me well. When in doubt I pitch the tarp from the start.
On the original tent question...
I used a tent similar to the tent in the first post in this thread on my first tour. It was a coast to coast on the Trans America and three of us shared the tent. The space was generous for three, but I carried the tent and cursed the weight every day. I'd definitely splurge on a lighter 3 or 4 person tent for the three of us if doing it over, even if it was pretty expensive.
Even though the weight could be shared between the three of us by sharing other group gear 10 pounds is a lot and any time you can knock off 4 or 5 pounds by buying one piece of gear with no loss of comfort or convenience it is worth spending a good bit IMO. If you are talking about fewer than 3 people in a tent that size and weight it is definitely unsuitable IMO.