[pct-l] Tarps and rain (long)

[Sterling_Barlow@bigfoot.com (Sterling Barlow)]

Michael wrote:
>Will tarps keep all rain out?

No.  Neither will a tent (improper pitch, improper site, leaky seams, fly 
touching inner tent, pitching in middle of rain storm, entering-exiting 
when wet, etc.)

>Do I need anything more to make sure my bag doesn't get wet?

If you want to make sure your bag (or anything else) doesn't get wet...stay 
home.  I am not being facetious here.  When we go outdoors and forsake 
homes (some of which also leak in the rain) and hearths, part of the 
experience is leaving behind assurances and guarantees.

For me, anyway, a major reason to put foot on trail is to test my skill, 
equipment, luck, determination, and endurance, and to experience, if only 
so slightly, uncertainty a little closer to that faced by the inhabitants 
of this continent several hundred years ago.

One approach is to carry the most durable equipment made; things engineered 
with lots and lots of margin.....(read here, HEAVY).  Another way is 
redundancy, as in "larger than necessary tarp/tent", several extra changes 
of clothes so I can get out of the wet ones, large sponge to mop up 
interior condensation, bath towel (with fabric softener in the laundry kit) 
because that little 8"x14" thing I bought at REI makes it hard to reach 
some portions of my more-than-ample back. Another way is to horse-pack so I 
can carry all the above-mentioned equipment and a dutch oven as well.

Some prefer no stove (eat raw and cold food), no shelter (poncho MAYBE), 
and run/jog the entire trail.

Most of us are somewhere between these two extremes.  Jardine has 
accurately described the dilemma. The less stuff you pack, the 
farther/faster you can travel with less wear and tear on you.  The more 
stuff you pack, the more likely you will have the necessary and desirable 
widget when needed.

There are some tents that will provide better rain protection in severe 
storms than a tarp.  You could pack a bivy sack along with the tarp to 
further reduce the likelihood of a rain-dampened sleeping bag.  The real 
question is one of utility.  Given the number of severe, rain-driven storms 
you are likely to encounter, is it worth carrying the extra weight for so 
many days in which you never see such a frog-strangling downpour? Before 
you answer, remember that your sleeping bag will get wet from condensation 
in virtually every bivy sack made on many nights. Maybe not enough to wring 
out but increased weight from your body moisture that could not adequately 
vent.

A better approach might be this.  Pack a tarp (8'x10') and a Tyvek ground 
sheet (a little larger than the footprint of your bag) with corners taped 
up to make the ground sheet a little like a boat.  With the tarp pitched 
low on the upwind side, the bag inside the Tyvek "boat", and an 
intelligently chosen site, you are UNLIKELY to get VERY wet.  This 
arrangement should work ALMOST as well as any tent - for rain 
protection.  In the event of a really bad storm, have a plan "B" 
ready.  Such as....pitch the tarp on the ground on three sides, sit in the 
Tyvek "boat", dressed in a poncho or rainsuit.  You won't sleep as well, 
but how many nights like this do you anticipate?

When hiking Southern California, the tarp solution works well.  When hiking 
mosquito country, irritation and potential dementia may weigh more heavily 
in your selection criteria than a damp bag.  In Washington, in the storms 
of late Summer and early Fall, pack a tent instead of a tarp.

There is no single, guaranteed solution to getting wet.  You can't wet feet 
on a stream ford, you may welcome a full-body shower from time to time, 
damp bags can be air dried. Water is not a through-hike-busting 
experience.  A monster weight pack may be.  Compromise a little, risk a 
little, get wet a little, relax a lot. This same reasoning process must be 
applied to every choice in light weight backbacking.

Sterling
Who promises not to post these long-winded essays very often.