Light Hiking – Tarp Shelters
Filed under
Hiking & Backpacking, Wilderness
Light backpackers and hikers often run into a problem when trying to decide what to do about shelter. Many decide to bring nothing in favor of building shelters from natural materials. However, if you can’t find the appropriate building materials to construct a shelter, not having a tent can turn into a real problem.
Enter the tarp! A good tarp is both lighter and cheaper than the even the lightest of tents and has a number of advantages that make it much more attractive to a light backpacker.
Why Tarps make a good shelter for light hikers and backpackers.
- Tarps are great in the rain….. No one wants the hassle of setting up a tent in a rainstorm, and building a waterproof shelter out of natural materials can take hours. A good tarp can be put up in less than 60 seconds and will help you stay dry until the rain stops.
- A tarp is far lighter than any other type of backpacking shelter.
- Tarps are cheaper that tents.
- When combined with a hammock they make a great outdoor shelter.
- Tarps are a great backup plan for when you can’t find natural materials to build a shelter with.
When hiking in the past we would often use cheap clear plastic to make our shelter. The same piece could be used many times and if it started to get worn we would just cut another from one of those big rolls. At well under 20 bucks a roll (if I recall correctly) that is a lot of shelter.
In the Army I have been using a poncho in the same capacity.
A tarp with grommet holes could be used many times until it eventually wore out. I’ve got one in the closet at home and keep a spare in the car.
I alternate between a hammock/tarp setup in the summer and a ultralight tarp in the winter.
I’ve got a snazzy 5oz. Cuben fiber tarp that’s been fantastic!
I use a canvas tarp, its not as lightweight as the high tech ones but it is really tough and sturdy. One thing I’ve found is that it is better to keep it low to the ground. Pitching them up high like in the pictures is nice for a dining fly type of thing, but it gets mighty wet and cold when the wind and rain are blowing in on you underneath the tarp.
I agree with keeping it lower to the ground, it defiantly keeps you warmer, I probably should have found a better picture!
I love traveling really light, so I normally settle for shelters like caves or while hitchhiking, a bridge.
A hammock-tarp combination sounds great though.
Thanks for the suggestions Robert +_+
When I lived up in Alaska my bob had a light weight one man tent and I also carried a 10×10 light weight tarp and a mosquito shelter. In the summer I would just use the tarp and the mosquito shelter in the winter down to -70 F I would use the tent with its rain fly build a small brush wall around it to block the wind then hang the tarp over all of it. Some nights were colder then others but I survived. I still carry the same stuff down in the desert in my bob, (20 yrs newer) cause if TSHTF i’m heading north to some cooler place.
I also carry a A-frame tent and a 8×10 tarp in my pack a long with two good grade ponchos it makes the load heavy but it slows my pace and i can pick up on resorces others walk passed’my buddys often hike out 2 or 3 miles ahead of me . but I think a slower pace is safer my outfit has served me well for some 30 odd years…. as far as the others they’ve had to suffer some pretty bad outings.. so i tell them the same everytime ; you run a long a head i’ll catch up
That hammock will suck when it rains.. The water will travel down the suspension ropes and you’ll get a wet ass no matter what kind of tarp you use. But the light tarps are great for shelter. Cheap as hell too at Harbor Freight stores.