[pct-l] Tents vrs Tarps - Numbers do not make sense

[Brandon McGinnity]

*I'm a pretty strong advocate of tarps though. There is a simple reason I
prefer tarps. When I go to the backcountry, I don't want to close myself off
from it. Why would I leave the shelter of the city just to try and reproduce
it in the wilderness? Tarps allow me to feel more like I'm in nature. I want
to be able to still enjoy the view I worked so hard to get to. A tent
doesn't let me do that as well.*

Man, I am the exact same way. Hell, even when I do use a tent, most of the
time I leave the door unzipped, for just that reason. And, my shot in the
dark guess is that more people are using tents because they have become
lighter than they used to be. And maybe that the younger generations tend to
be far more urbanized, not used to bugs and such, having had no woods and
such to wander around in like our parents did before the development became
as complete as it is now.

On Fri, Feb 4, 2011 at 7:09 PM, Kevin Cook <hikelite at gmail.com> wrote:

> I use my hiking poles to pitch my tarp when there are no trees. Of course,
> I would ONLY be putting up the tarp if it was bad weather. I usually
> wouldn't camp above treeline in bad weather. Lower is warmer. If there are
> no trees and clear skies, I'm cowboy camping!
>
> You're right though, I see far more thru hikers talking about using tents
> these days. I don't understand why though.
>
> I'm a pretty strong advocate of tarps though. There is a simple reason I
> prefer tarps. When I go to the backcountry, I don't want to close myself off
> from it. Why would I leave the shelter of the city just to try and reproduce
> it in the wilderness? Tarps allow me to feel more like I'm in nature. I want
> to be able to still enjoy the view I worked so hard to get to. A tent
> doesn't let me do that as well.
>
> On Fri, Feb 4, 2011 at 4:16 PM, Jim & Jane Moody <moodyjj at comcast.net>
> wrote:
>
> Not everybody.  Most of the thrus I hiked with last year used tents.  A
> variety of tents to be sure, but tents none the less.  One consideration
> that might not have been mentioned with a tarp is the need for something (or
> somethings) high to tie off of.  With most tents, this is not the case.  And
> in the desert and above tree line in the Sierra, tie-off opportunities are
> scarce.
>
>
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-- 
~ Moccasin