bivy/tarp

[brocka]

Tarp never leaves my pack ever

Wise piece of advice. Samsies

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[dilleytech]

I don’t have as much experience backpacking as other guys but this worked for me in high country in August with no big or mice invasions.

What size is that?

[Jonathan_S]

I don’t have as much experience backpacking as other guys but this worked for me in high country in August with no big or mice invasions.

What size is that?

Pretty sure that's a 10x10

[92xj]

18oz tarp
7oz bivy
hard to beat for 3 seasons

[cougforester]

18oz tarp
7oz bivy
hard to beat for 3 seasons

What’s that brand of bivy? 7 oz is nuts. Going tarp, pad and quilt this year and really don’t want to wake up with a face full of mosquitoes

[92xj]

18oz tarp
7oz bivy
hard to beat for 3 seasons

What’s that brand of bivy? 7 oz is nuts. Going tarp, pad and quilt this year and really don’t want to wake up with a face full of mosquitoes

Bearpaw wilderness design.
I sent him a sketch with dimensions of what I wanted, as his stock options are a little different than what I wanted.
I'm running the .74 Dyneema floor with the breathable upper and mesh overhead.
I run a xlite pad at 16oz and a EE quilt at 26oz.

tarp - 18
bivy - 7
pad - 16
quilt - 26
12 stakes - 6
ultralite pullouts and 1.8mm guy line - 7
total = 80oz = 5.0lbs

check me as my quick simple math could be wrong.
I am not an ounce counter (though my last two sentences below contradict that, haha), I just like really nice equipment that works with what I will be doing.  For 3 seasons, this is my setup which just happens to be fairly light which is a nice benefit.

I might be going to a dyneema tarp this summer which would shave 10oz
I also run a dyneema ground sheet that is 3oz when I am not worried about bugs and excessive moisture

[7mmfan]

Only issue is not being able to pitch to the ground on one end for wind protection. Can be closed off pretty tight though.

[dilleytech]

Only issue is not being able to pitch to the ground on one end for wind protection. Can be closed off pretty tight though.

That’s a sweet set up.

[Fl0und3rz]

[HikerHunter]

I did have a mouse run IN my bag one night Turkey hunting with @Jonathan_S . That was exciting and crazy enough I didn't die. Only other time I had a real mouse issue was in my camp trailer. He tried climbing up my face. It was quite the wakeup lol

I think my father-in-law has you beat, he woke up with a mouse IN his mouth (he is a big time snorer). He was scarred. You will never see him in anything floorless!

[Shawn Ryan]

Adam, I've had freezing and snow to 80 degrees in late August and September in that area.  My answer is "yes" to the tarp and bivy. Bivy out with a tarp, bivy, and quilt is a great option.  You using the same outfitter again?

[vandeman17]

Adam, I've had freezing and snow to 80 degrees in late August and September in that area.  My answer is "yes" to the tarp and bivy. Bivy out with a tarp, bivy, and quilt is a great option.  You using the same outfitter again?

Nope, different guy so slightly different area. I just want to be ready for all conditions just in case

[spin05]

Adam, I've had freezing and snow to 80 degrees in late August and September in that area.  My answer is "yes" to the tarp and bivy. Bivy out with a tarp, bivy, and quilt is a great option.  You using the same outfitter again?

Nope, different guy so slightly different area. I just want to be ready for all conditions just in case

Check Jimmys tarps. Also can i ask what outfitters taking you in??? We went about 15 years ago. If you find a green bugle up on the mountain can i have it back ? hahaha.  Also we almost had a skunk crawl in our sleeping bag way up on top. We were just sleeing on the ground thou

[BB90]

They make some ponchos that double as a tarp.  I always pack one with me and cover my hammock with it at night. I usually don't pack rain gear unless its raining so its nice to have the poncho in case a surprise rain storm comes up or I wind up walking through dewy brush.

[Okanagan]

A flat tarp has infinite options, adapts to almost any footprint, and can be pitched closed on three or more sides.  It is not limited to one shape, especially not limited to a symmetrical A that is open on both ends.    Find a partial shelter in nature and use the tarp to augment what is there rather than pitch it on ground as open as a golf course.

I like to pitch the tarp with one end or one side against a big log when I am below timberline.  Find a log and either lower one end of the tarp to the top of the log or use the log as a side wall, which allows us to use the tarp to cover a larger dry area.  A log with attached root wad already has two sides enclosed.  Just make sure that the tarp extends over the log enough to send runoff over the outside of the log rather than drain inside.

 There are infinite options in nature.   Pitch it under a spreading tree and let the tree form most of the roof.  Totally above timberline it helps to pitch a tarp against a boulder, a ledge or a tight thick clump of alpine heather or brush.  There are slots in the heavy alpine brush that you only need to roof over.  Don't sleep in a bathtub low spot however!

Below is a random pic of my homemade ripstop spinnaker cloth tarp on a solo backpack hunt.  It has two ridge lines made of parachute cord, that spread to about two feet apart at the high/head end but converge at the low end.  The low end reaches to the ground.  The spread makes for a hip-roof larger area under the tarp, yet still drains well without sagging into a bowl to hold water.  The open high end of the tarp is pitched tight against a wall of thick brush that stopped most wind and all but a few misty splinks of rain when it starting raining and blowing that night.  I could have merely covered my head and ignored it but I pulled out a plastic leaf bag and without leaving my bag rigged a “front wall“ to the tarp to keep out the annoying tiny spatters of water.



For way above timberline, take a tent.

Other options for a flat tarp that I have used include covering a slightly cutbank trail, covering the open side of a rock overhang, covering a picnic table and sleeping under it, roof between logs, and many variations of log, stump, brush or rock sidewalls.