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I've been meaning to start using a tarp more for camping, especially after this past fall it rained for a day and a half while camping early season.
Barely could have a fire and spent most of the time cooped up inside a tent.
So.... What are your favorite set ups and sizes? Advice, tips, hazards and stories welcomed.
This is my first time setting up in the back yard.
The title was supposed to be Tarp "Camp"
We have a couple of those fold up canopies. One nice one that has a mesh screen around it and one cheaper one. At 12ft by 12ft there is plenty of room underneath to hang out and still be outdoors. If we keep the fire low enough we can put the canopy over the fire to keep it from being rained out. Those Canopies are cheap and have saved us many times.
We also have a three bedroom tent so there is plenty of room if the weather does get too terrible to be out there.
Yeah....using a canopy like that is a bit much to carry into the woods. Agreed though, they sure are nice at a campground. My mom has one that she uses for dog shows.
I plan on using this, this autumn on my hike hunt. The tarp only weighs 3.5 pounds but is heavy duty and roomy which is nice in case the weather isn't nice I won't feel all claustrophobic.
I got this silly idea from seeing some 19th century hunter camps and decided to do the same. Did a little digging and it seems that there are more than a few that still use this system.
This morning was in the upper 30's but I felt plenty comfy in there by the fire.
The years I went elk hunting, we would have a 20'x20' tarp to cover the whole cooking, sitting and main camp area. The cooking table area had tarps on the back side and over the top. The hunt is better if you have a comfortable as possible area to take cover and move around when things got wet.
I plan on trying a few different set ups this week. I plan on camping at the trad shoot at Ojibwa with some friends this weekend and the following weekend do some scouting in Marinette.
Here are some of the photos where I got the idea from.
In the spring I would hang this tarp 40x30 and take it down in the Fall. Was great when raining and still wanted to grill out or just be outside. "Picture is from bear camp"
Wow MF that i a really long time. You weren't too concerned about the winds and rains of summer thunderstorms? Would you have to cinch it up from time to time?
You don't use cinch straps to hold the tarp in place, you use bungee cords connected to the trees, they act like shock absorbers. Before I hung the tarp up I strung a rope threw all the eyelets, this gave the eyelets & tarp more strength from tearing out. I did eventually have to replace some eyelets and had to adjust and fix a couple times because of storms. One tarp lasted 3 seasons.
Woodsy-agreed, that using stones will last longer but the eyelets sure are nice to have. I've used golf balls in the past. They're light and uniform.
I like the idea of using bungee cords for use in a ridge line set up.
I forgot to mention I eventually used eyelet clip on adaptors. They worked well with the combination of the rope threaded threw the eyelets.
Woodsy..... It's a jerk move to criticize, then say there's better without actually offering what is better...
Worked just fine when the rope was added, it had something to grip onto.
I always stuck a rock into the tarp and wrapped the rope around the rock and the tarp. Works slick. Clamps and such to me would be more apt to rip.
the rock trick, golf ball trick etc only if you want to have a very wrinkled tarp. In different situations it probably works great but the way I have mine suspended in the tree I like the tarp nice and flat.
Tweed - Check out Cooke's Custom Sewing. Their Tundra Tarps are light, compact and tough. They run tape around all of the edges so that it takes more abuse than a tarp with grommets. Also there's a reinforced area in the center with tie loops if you're inclined to use a paddle or trekking pole or cut a sapling or branch as a pole for a straight pitch... or if you're pitching it as a tarp shelter.
They are great tarps and come with cordage, but aren't the cheapest. However, if you watch, they do run deals from time to time and if you call, they sometimes have overages or "seconds" that they discount.
They also have a page with instructions for knots and different methods of tarp set up if you need.
So any of you guys actually ever use a tarp for primary shelter while camping, simile to the above photos?
I use my tarp mainly as a rain fly for outdoor cooking areas. Mosquitos, black flies, no-see-ums and ticks deter me from going floorless in Northern WI and Canada except for winter. And then, it's a Luna 6 with a pack stove to have a hot tent.
The tighter you pitch a tarp or floorless to the ground, the more likely you'll have increased condensate. The more you raise the tarp for airflow, the more insects you'll endure during warmer periods. I don't know your tolerance for being chewed on in your sleep, but if you're going with a tarp in WI, I'd bring a bivy or a nest and then you're adding weight and additional cost.
But if you run a cheaper tarp, you could look at a net tent from Bear Paw etc they aren't too expensive.
The only time I did was when the one guy snored so loud the rest of us had to sleep out under the tarp. As I said, comfort was the biggest thing on those long hunts. It was better to have frost and moisture gather on the tent than have it gather on you or the sleeping bag.
Boy I tell you woodsy..... I like RC and all but you are one heck of a fan if you can reference a 4 year old blog post.
Those are the type of set ups I'm going for. Not sure why he went through all that work. I'll ask him next time I chat with him. I need to get out that way anyways
I've spoken to him at length about the tipi. Big reason I decided to go the tarp route rather than tipi.
Tweed if the first picture is your backyard get rid of your suit . Your just a redneck hillbilly like me . HAha Or do you sit around your fire in your suit ? By the way this is a compliment .
Ha! Naw...I just enjoy coming home, getting into some "play clothes" and sitting in the backyard by the fire. My wife is always wondering what my fascination is with it. But as you can see from the little chairs my girls like hanging out there too.
That wood pile is slowly being moved out of site. I use it for my stove in the "shop".
Sorry Casey, I guess I'm more of a "glamper" than a real camper. We like to make sure we are comfortable. Hence the three bedroom tent!! Those tarps wouldn't do it for my wife... She'd be complaining the whole time.
Oh no....this definitely isn't a (most) wife friendly set up.
Tweed -
"...sitting in the backyard by the fire. My wife is always wondering what my fascination is with it."
Don't you know? Fire was the first television!
That's what I tell her Case!
Man..there were plenty of times as a kid, out by my dad's, that I would wake up in the morning and could just stare at the smoldering embers in the fire without any real flame.
I'll take a good fire and a nice breeze over any TV show anytime.
