[pct-l] Tarp use

[Timothy Akin]

For rainy weather hikes, I like a little more room under the tarp to  
sort gear, cook, etc.  I would choose something the size of Mount  
Laurel's Duo Plus Grace tarp.

Tim A.
"Clockwise"
Placerville, CA
>
>
> What would be the best tent (or tarp) for the Washington Stae area in
> September and October ?
>
> PCT MOM
>
> On Sat, Dec 19, 2009 at 1:58 PM, Timothy Akin <timothyakin at mac.com>  
> wrote:
>
>>
>> Here's some info on my tarp camping experience on the PCT (or a  
>> very small
>> portion thereof) for anyone that may be interested.
>>
>> I hiked section A nobo with the herd after the 2009 Kickoff.  I  
>> used a very
>> nice little tarp (1.35 SilNylon) from Mount Laurel Designs:
>>
>>
>> http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=21&products_id=85&osCsid=021c170cec4961227267a2b8551d12e0
>>
>> I prefer to cowboy camp, but also like to stay dry.  The tarp worked
>> perfectly for me, fending off the morning dew.  It was no problem  
>> setting up
>> quickly even in a 20 knot wind.  With the foot end oriented into  
>> the wind,
>> the tarp was very stable and with Bernoulli's Principle working for  
>> me,
>> (opening at foot end much smaller than opening at head end) the  
>> wind is
>> reduced to just about nothing under the tarp.
>>
>> In July of '09, I hiked the JMT sobo with this same tarp.  I do not  
>> regret
>> my shelter choice, but there were some discomforts associated with  
>> the
>> mosquitoes.  Since I carried a head net, I found the mosquitoes  
>> usually to
>> be mildly entertaining as they tried to get to me in my sleeping  
>> bag. I
>> called them "my little friends".  I had to play this mental game  
>> with myself
>> to keep my sanity. The worst mosquitoes were at Tully Hole, where I  
>> had to
>> get into my too warm sleeping bag to escape them. My body was still  
>> hot from
>> hiking and my only escape was to get into my bag and tough it out  
>> with head
>> net and earplugs.
>>
>> It was a joy for me to pack light and maximize my comfort while  
>> hiking.  Of
>> course, I paid for it on occasion in camp, as I had only the bare
>> necessities to be comfortable overnight.  So my advice concerning  
>> shelter
>> selection would be to be honest with yourself.  Know the risks and  
>> rewards,
>> then make your selection.  Know your own comfort level.
>>
>> In 2008, I hiked the Tahoe Rim Trail with my Henry Shires "Contrail"
>> tarptent.  Weighing in at 20oz. or so was nice, but I discovered I  
>> did not
>> like being zipped into a completely closed environment.  I like to  
>> drift off
>> to sleep looking at the Outdoors, not a wall of fabric.   
>> Incidentally,
>> that's how I got my trail name... promoting the one true and proper
>> direction to hike the TRT.  Clockwise! (as viewed from above).
>>
>> A quick review of my 2009 gear choices can be found here:
>>
>>
>> http://postholer.com/journal/viewJournal.php?sid=3841fdec3041668819ce2ffbdb8f602c&entry_id=11108
>>
>> Tim A.
>> "Clockwise"
>> Placerville, CA