Tag: shelters

Shaped tarps can be exceptionally light weight while providing excellent storm protection. The downside of many shaped tarps is that they way you pitch them is limited compared to a classic flat tarp. Shaped tarps come in a variety of sizes and shapes. I have a separate post about “flat” tarps. There are also a number of ultralight tarp-tents which are very similar to  shaped tarps. The cost of shaped tarps will vary significantly depending on what fabric is used. While expensive, I really love dyneema, especially if I am expecting extreme conditions because it doesn’t sag / stretch when wet and is extremely strong for it’s weight.

Impact of Shape

The most classic shaped tarp is a pyramid, sometimes called a miner’s tarp,  which have a square footprint. Pyramids are quick and easy to set up, and shed snow and wind well.  The taller the pyramid the better it sheds snow, but a higher profile makes it more susceptible to wind.  A nice variance is a pyramid which rectangular footprint which works well for solo shelters. Some pyramids use two peaks which provide significantly more usable space because the walls are more vertical. These pyramids have a profile that looks a bit like a traditional A-frame tent. Ryan wrote a short piece on the versatility of the pyramid shelter. There was an interesting thread discussing the relative merits of shaped tarps in harsh conditions.

Hex-shaped or conical structures / tipi / teepee however you spell it are superior to pyramids in terms of shedding wind and snow, but more complex to set up.  One downside of  a conical structure is that while they have more floor space, it’s not as useful.

Solo Shaped Shelter

The case could be made that the Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape is the more weight efficient, full protection shelter in the market. It provides triple duty of rain gear, pack cover and shelter. It’s design provides full coverage with an easy to use zipper entrance while weighting a mere 10 ounces. The only complains I have heard are that the Gatewood Cape is a bit short for taller folks and is slightly tricky to pitch taut. You can combine the Gatewood cape with the SMD Serenity NetTent  for a 21oz double walled shelter.

The Zpacks  Hexamid Pocket Tarp at 3.3oz might be the lightest shaped tarp on the market. This tarp can work well in moderate three season conditions, I would want something with more protection in locations that are known for their strong winds, and especially side-blown rain. Oware used to make a half pyramid called the Alphamini and a variant the  BPL Alphamid Nano which were the lightest full protection shelters at just over 7oz.  I found this The Alphamid Nano sets up very quickly, did well in wind, and can handle some snow. Unfortunately, when staked to the ground for maximum protection the space would be tight for anyone over  5’8″.

The MLD SoloMid XL in Dyneema (Cuben) is a 12oz, $465 solo shelter which is amazingly versatile when combined with 8oz, $245 optional bug insert. Note: there are less expensive but heavier versions of this tarp. The MLD DuoMid XL provides luxury solo accommodations during harsh weather and can be shared with another person. The only downside I found was when using the original Inner Net bug shelter I regularly bumped into the netting was couldn’t use my normal reading position which is laying out, up on my elbows. I didn’t have this problem with the tarp itself because the footprint was larger.

Multi-person Shaped Shelters

There are a number of companies that make pyramid style multi-person tarps. My favorite are Mountain Laurel Designs, due to their high quality materials and attention to detail. MLD quality comes at a cost, especially for the lightest weight options due to the cost of Dyneema. I think the MLD DuoMid XL, a two person, slightly smushed pyramid is as closest thing to a do-everything 1&2 person shelter. I have heard that Locus Gear, might now exceed MLD excellent quality and is adding some interesting twists such as using waterproof breathable eVENT in one model.  Hyperlite Mountain Gear also makes very well regarded, hyper-expensive shelters. At a more reasonable cost are some of the earliest ultralight pyramids from Oware and the double peak pyramid Black Diamond Beta Light. MyTrailCo is bring back a couple of the more popular GoLite Shangri-La tarps. There are also a number of Scandinavian made tipi style shelters that I have no experience with.

Six Moon Designs and Tarptent makes a number of shaped tarps with matching nests which are not pyramids. While these shelters won’t stand up to extreme weather as well as a classic pyramid, their space is much more usable.

There are a number of companies which are making less expensive shaped tarps. I don’t have personal experience with these companies. One of the price leaders is Appy Trails. While I would preference slightly different geometries, I can’t argue with the ~$100 price point which is significantly cheaper than many of the other options. Bearpawtents also makes some reasonably priced tarps. Liteway in the UK seems to make some reasonably price polySil tarps.

There are the two pole “pyramids” which have remind me of the traditional A-frame tents with a small integrated vestibule. The MSR Twin Sisters and BD Beta Light are two examples of this. My favorite was the MLD SuperFly which is no longer made. The SuperFly provides ~40sq ft of space, and weighs 10.8oz made from spinntex, w/ netting around the perimeter weights 17oz, costs $240. The Superfly has the same footprint as the DuoMid, but the second pole makes it feel much larger on the inside. A DuoMid feels small when I am sharing it with someone else while the SuperFly feels roomy. The cost of this extra internal space is a larger surface area which will be more effected by wind and snow that a center pole pyramid. Ron Bell recommends not using the Superfly when expecting heavy snowfall. The worse conditions I have personally faced was 45 mph winds, heavy rainfall, and light snow… it did great. There is a forum thread about using the superfly in high wind.

An innovative design is the five sided MLD Trailstar which has gotten a lot of good reviews but I have no personal experience with it.

Chad did a nice diagram showing several 4 season tarps. 

Heated Multi-Person Shelters

The companies Titanium Goat, Kifaru, and Seek Outside, offer pyramid or tipi shaped tarps that are specifically designed to be used with wood burning stoves. They have a heat resistant port that accepts the stove pipe. These shelters are wonderful in extremely cold locations, especially for base camps.

Poles for Tarps

Many of the multi-person shaped tarps need a pole which is longer than a typical trekking pole. It is possible to supplement a hiking poles height by using a boot jack (or a nearby rock). Black Diamond and several other companies used to make pole couplers, but are no longer sold. There was a nice thread at BPL about connecting trekking poles together. Ruta Locura makes very nice carbon fiber tent/tarp poles if you don’t using hiking poles.

Tarps are often the lightest shelter to provide protection from the environment, provides more space / weight than other options, and let you stay connected to your environment when pitched open. Tarps can often be set up in a number of ways so they can provide protection for a group of people cooking and eating and then can be pitched for maximum protection for sleeping. Tarps are particularly nice in extreme raining locations with low winds because you can create a larger space to dry out. Using a tarp can provide a sense of joy not just from having shelter, but perfecting the art of the perfect pitch.

In extremely windy conditions tarps (except shaped tarps pitched to the ground) aren’t as protective as high quality tents. Tarps also have no protection from bugs. Tarps can require more skill and time to set-up than traditional tents. In some environments such alpine destination with nothing but rocks below you, it can be difficult to find tie downs or staking points… a free standing tent or bivy might be preferable.

Some people considering using a tarp for the first time are often concerned about protection from animals: bugs, snakes, bear, etc.  In the USA, most of these fear are driven by fear rather than any real danger.  One way to compensate for the lack of bug & snakes protect is to use a bivy sack or bug shelter. The nice thing about a bivy is when there is little likelihood of rain it’s possible to sleep under the stars while still being protected from from the bugs.

I recommend tarps which uses sewn tie loops rather than grommets because ties are more durable. It’s best to have multiple tie loops so you can use the tarp in multiple configurations. It’s possible to add additional points to attach guy lines using  gripclips or you can improvise something similar using a smooth stone which you cover with the tarp and tie off using guylines. 

My Choice

Over the years I have used a variety of flat tarps including a poncho/tarp, 6x8ft, 8x10ft, 10x10ft, 10x12ft. I love using tarps… except when there is bug pressure. Then I really want a well ventilated, bug free space. As a result, I don’t use a tarp. I used original Zpacks Hexamid tarptent which is a small sharped tarp with bug netting attached for many years and now use a Gossamer Gear Whisper or a Durston X-Mid Pro2.

Flat Tarps

Flat tarps are typically rectangular in shape. They can be pitched in a variety of ways. For ideas about pitching tarps check out SGT Rock’s Tarps page and BPL’s Tarps in Inclement Conditions. If this isn’t a large enough options check out David Macpherson’s tarp structures that has a large number of designs, many of which are more complex than what would be used in the field.

Flat tarps come in a variety of sizes:  5×7 or 5×8 “solo” tarps, 8×10 or 10×10 “couples”, and even larger. I like 8×10 for solo, and 10×10 for two people. With a larger tarp you have more room to move and manage camp life, more pitching options, and the weight can often be as light, or lighter than the total weight of a small tarp + bivy that is often required.

Poncho/Tarps

Ponchos can provide triple duty: rain protection, pack cover, and shelter. In the right conditions, a poncho/tarp can save quite a bit of weight. The down side of the classic poncho / tarp is that in a serious storm there is little protection from blowing rain which leads many poncho/tarp users to bring an ultra light bivy which raises the weight of the system.  The MLD Pro Poncho is one of the nicest poncho/tarps on the market with a correspondingly high price tag. Sgt Rock described a hammock friendly poncho/tarp. There are numerous other companies that make good quality poncho/tarps listed in the section “Manufacturers” found below.

An issue when using a poncho as both rain gear and shelter is how to leave your shelter for chores or “the call of nature” when it’s raining.  Options are go naked and dry off when you get back, use a DWR windshirt which can provide adequate protection for a short time,  or bring a second rain item like those $1 plastic emergency poncho. 

For several years I used the first generation of Brawny’s Poncho Villa as rain gear and shelter. I found it works pretty well with practice. I could even set it up and take it down from the inside, keeping me dry in a on rain storm. The downside was that there were a number of nights in heavy storms where the combination of wind and rain requiring me to be super careful, re-stake my poncho, adjust my position, etc. I stayed dry, but had to stay awake. There is a good article by AYCE about the realities of Poncho Tarping and a good article about techniques when using ponchos in incidental conditions.

The Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape and the Liteway Pyraomm offer significantly more protection than typical flat poncho/tarps. I have a number of friends who have been using the Gatewood Cape since 2007 and still love it. I found the Gatewood Cape to be a bit too big as a poncho, and a bit too small as a shelter.

I think poncho tarps make sense if you don’t need insect protection and are in locations with moderate rain. In locations where there is extended rain / heavy storms I want more space to manage camp life than a poncho will provide. In locations where I need protection from bugs, there are tarptents + separate rain gear which offer more space that are the same (or lighter weight) than a poncho + bug protection.

Catenary Cuts and Beaks

Catenary cuts make it easier to get a taut pitch. If the ridgeline is catenary, you will be limited to a single optimal pitch. If the catenary curves are on the edges of the tarp, you will have more pitching options, but the tarp will have less coverage than a similar flat tarp.

Ray Jardine popularized adding  an overhang, or beak, to increase the storm worthiness while being easy to pitch. An extreme variant of this is adding “doors” to the ends of the tarp.

My primary solo shelter between 2004-2008 was a Gossamer Gear Spinnshelter (my review). The Spinnshelter was a 9oz tarp using a catenary cut for a taut pitch with doors which can be shut when facing severe conditions. Unfortunately this shelter is no longer made and several companies that made similar shelters have discontinued them. Yama Mountain Gear makes makes a tarp which is somewhat similar.

Bug Protection

Often bug protection is needed when using a tarp. One common method is to use some sort of bivy which I discuss in my Bivy post. The other approach is to use a bug shelter, sometimes call a nest, net-tent, or bug bivy which is pitched under the tarp. Many of these shelters can be used stand-alone in good weather. Many of the tarp manufacturers listed below make matching bug shelters.

Manufacturers

High quality tarps are made  by  Gossamer Gear, MacCat (no longer made?), Oware, Rab (acquired Integral Designs), Sea to Summit,  Yama Mountain Gear, and  Zpacks. All of these manufacturers make excellent products. Slightly less expensive are the Campmor / Equinox tarps and Bearpaw Gear. You will find prices will vary greatly depending on the materials used.

Ground Sheets

If you don’t use a bivy or bug tent, you will need a ground cloth to protect your gear and sleeping system. I am very fond the the Gossamer Gear Polycro ground cloths because they are light, surprisingly durable, water proof, and very compact. I believe the material used in these is very similar (the same?) to what used in the 3M door or window insulation kits.

Many people like Tyvek because it is light, durable, highly water resistant, slightly breathable, and cheap. You can often find it for free at construction sites. Since Tyvek is vapor permeable, you are less lightly to end up with condensation under your ground cloth, so it will tend to pick up less particulate matter then something that is damp in the morning, The downside of Tyvek is that it’s a little bit bulky and not completely waterproof, so if you kneel down on very wet ground you might get damp.

I tried the “emergency space blankets” but found that they would last one trip before they were ripped up beyond use. I found the 2 mil plastic drop cloths sold at hardware stores worn out pretty quickly.

Finally there are light weight nylon or polyester ground clothings. They are the most expensive, heavier, but often the most durable.