[pct-l] Tarp v. Tent

[charliethorpe@att.net (Charlie Thorpe)]

Hello All -

I must have missed the tent-tarp super-thread...I LIKE to discuss tarps!

My son and I used a tarp for our PCT hike and I used one on the AT.  I am
now doing chunks of the CDT with a tarp.

I used a variety of tents for decades and finally decided that I just plain
didn't like to be closed off from that outdoor experience that I was paying
such heavy sweat to enjoy.  I decided to learn to use a tarp here in the
southeast (fair amount of rain, bugs, crawly critters, etc.) on the theory
that if it could be made to work here, it would work anywhere.

The AT wasn't a good test - there is PLENTY of shelter space for a
southbounder (especially after Labor Day!).  The tarp only got used when the
locals were having a beer bust (good beer, wrong music) or when a nice night
called for a ridge top.

The PCT worked very well for our tarp.

We used the vanilla Campmor 10 X 10 1.9 oz trail tarp with a slight
modification.  Our most common really-bad-weather pitch was to string a
ridge line (between trees, rocks, staves, etc.) and to hang the tarp over it
like a pup tent ("two shelter halves" for you old codgers).  We sewed 1/2"
Velcro at the ends of the resulting shelter to put in a triangle of (old)
tarp material to seal the end up completely (the point at the top can be
opened like a window at each end).  We did the hooks and loops of the Velcro
so that the two triangles we carried could be put one in each end (not very
common at all) or could be combined to make a large vestibule at the up-wind
end (most common pitch).

If the rain was light or if the wind wasn't blowing or if there was just a
hi-% chance of rain before morning, we would pitch the tarp high enough to
give us plenty of air flow in on the sides and ends. If things got breezy
and the rain started blowing in, one of us would drop the offending side and
pin it to the ground with a couple of tent stakes.

All this being said, we didn't bother to put the tarp up very often during
our PCT hike.  The VERY large majority of the time, we just put down a
ground cloth and watched the stars (for about two minutes, most evenings).
I remember having to put it up on the steep southern flanks of Baden Powel
(southern CA), a couple of times up in north CA and a couple of times in
both OR and WA. 

When there was a cold wind (above tree line, etc.), we would often spread
the tarp out over us (lay our packs on their sides to hold the tarp up away
from our sleeping bags) to keep the wind chill down.  We camped just below
Forrester Pass (to the south, not too far from the little lake) in mid-Oct
and used this technique to stay comfy in single-digit temps with a pretty
good wind (had to put rocks around the edges of the tarp).

The ground bugs didn't bother us (never got bitten or zapped), never had a
snake want to snuggle, and the mosquitoes didn't bother us most nights (too
cool after dark or not many around).  When they did bother us in the evening
(in OR, especially), it was plenty cool enough to mummy up and wear a
headnet (wore a bill cap to hold the net away from our face).

Campmor has gone to a heavier nylon for their trail tarp (3.9 oz), so I no
longer buy that one.  They now also make up an "ultralight" tarp out of 1.3
oz "balloon" nylon.  I now use the 8 X 10 (added more tie points and Velcro
at the ends) when I go out.

The only problem that I have had so far with this particular tarp was on the
CDT (in the very VERY nice Weminuche Wildnerness Area in southern CO).  One
late-Sep night I was camping above treeline inside the clouds of a
rain/sleet/hail storm.  The VERY heavy moisture in the near-freezing air
would condense on the inside of the tarp and then the hail would bounce it
loose as a mist...made an interesting rainstorm inside the tarp...  I had to
go out to raise the ridge line to pitch the sides much steeper to solve the
problem.  There was still plenty of room for a solo hiker, but two folks
would have been a tad too cozy.

I am of mixed opinion as to whether the above problem was caused by the
very-slimy silicon surface of the tarp or if it was just getting too late in
the season for good tarp camping at that altitude.  I will most likely keep
using the same tarp until I get a better idea of its limitations.  This tarp
is so slippery that it is a real pain for one person to roll up...am
experimenting with just stuffing it now.

My experience and opinions are similar to those of others on the list - a
tarp can be made to work well anywhere, it just boils down to a matter of
personal preference.  Some folks like to sleep zipped up in an airtight
enclosure with all the rehydration poots...some don't <g>.

- Charlie II    AT ME-GA'93
               PCT Mex@Can'95
           Chipping away at the CDT