Tarp + bivy vs ultralight tent

[ttquattro]

If you were hiking with two poles, specifically, the BD z poles, you could make it work with the shelter assuming you have a pole jack. With a single pole, you've also limited your pitches with a tarp unless you fancy looking for a stick from time to time. From your profile, you're in the BK and I'm generally there on the weekends. If you want to take a gander at the borah gear cuben bivy, zpacks 6x9 tarp, hex twin, etc, shoot me a pm.

FYI, my favorite piece of gear if I expect the weather to turn really nasty is the Yama Mountain Gear Cirriform SW. It's bomber because you could nail it to the ground in bad storms or keep it higher for ventilation, light enough and has plenty of space inside. Here is the rub, you'd have to find one used since YMG isn't making any at the moment. I'll take the bivy and tarp if the weather is iffy.

[Lyle]

Six Moon Wild Oasis. 14 oz, pitches with one pole, includes some flying insect protection, been around for a while so has a proven track record. The Wild Oasis does not have the hood hole, so one less place for leaks (plus it's slightly larger than the Gatewood Cape I think, could be wrong on that). I've had one and used it for years.

That said, I have gone to the Zpacks Hexamid Solo Plus on my last trip. Saves 7 oz and packs pretty much dry, even after a night of rain, but I do give up the bug protection. As always there are always trade offs.

[raphaelmatto]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone! It's so helpful to have access to people who can guide ul-ish newcomers. I ordered another gg lt3C (pole) and the notch with the optional solid (b/c I'm expecting it to be cold in March & hope that adds a bit of warmth). Then if my knee is still grinding away in hot summer and hasn't fallen out of my leg, I'll order the pure net inner & switch it out. I'm not so sure about using the partial inner in shelters re Franco's visual aid (vs the pure netting inner), guess I'll find out ... it all kind of worked out b/c my pole length is 115cm (I'm short) and in the Notch guide it says "adjust pole length to 115cm" & I was like "woohooo!"


Thanks Dogwood re the CF advice. Luckily the Notch didn't come in CF so I wasn't tempted! Yes, I totally dig what you're saying about putting an emphasis on camping & the Notch seems like a cosy home that I'd want to spend time in vs some of the others. I'll definitely look to trim weight in my non-gear rig (food etc) & I'm really looking forward to that part b/c ul food stuffs is a total mystery to me atm. I figured I should order these specialty cottage mf items early, since I imagine production/shipping times are variable, & to give myself padding for returns/corrections. Again, I appreciate your advice! I'll try to let it guide me toward balanced decisions.


Awesome, thanks for the offer ttquatro! & the Yamma looks really nice! Too bad they don't make it anymore. Also, my poles aren't extendable so I'd have to use a stick for the end.


Thanks Lyle for the hexamid vote, that one looks *really* nice.

[July]

You made good solid purchases with the GG poles and TT. I have a pair of LT-4's that have couple thousand miles on them, had the tips replaced three times. Just keep them clean and wipe um down.

[1234]

I use the bearpawed lair, as it uses only one pole, I like the pyra net with the bathtub floor and I actually use a pole extender to raise the setup 12 inches. LOts of wet and dampness on the AT you can still get spray in high wind. I have a seedhouse 1 and it gets wet inside due to misting in heavy rain. I am not sure if all light silnylon tents do this but I also have a Nemo and it does the same thing. One thing I mostly like about the cuban fiber tarp tents are the do not sag overnight. It seems to me you can pull the dickens out of silnylon and by morning it is a saggy mess. The cuban stays taught as a drum. This also makes it much louder when it rains. I do not like to use the tent sights around most shelters as they are mud puddles when it rains, I prefer to pitch in the leaves even though I must deal with all the little plants there is no mud. (rain splatter up the mud and it will get inside or on any tent) With all the strings and tent stakes the lair with everything is just under 2#. The worst snow I ever had on the AT was the first week of April, It was gone in 1 day but it was a full 17 inch snowstorm. One more thing the cuban is green house like which is nice on the AT but awful on the PCT. It is about clear.

[Lyle]

Tons of GREAT, light shelter options today. Bad for some of us, cause we keep trying something new.

[10-K]

One of the pieces of gear I got hooked on hiking the PCT was the umbrella. Now I take it on every hike and since I've been using tarp/bivy it has come in very handy for blocking wind while I sleep.

If it's very windy I'll tie the front of my tarp to a big tree (which blocks wind) about 24" off the ground and then stake the rest of it close to the ground. When I get in the tarp I open the umbrella and put it by the tree to further block wind.

For the longest I thought I had a Catbird 1.5 but I have since found out it's a 2 person tarp.

About like a tent I'd say.. Anytime you see "2 person" that translates into "Perfect for 1 person, cramped for 2".

So far, so good - but I'm still on the beginner end of using a tarp/bivy in all conditions.

[LogHiking]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone! It's so helpful to have access to people who can guide ul-ish newcomers. I ordered another gg lt3C (pole) and the notch with the optional solid (b/c I'm expecting it to be cold in March & hope that adds a bit of warmth). Then if my knee is still grinding away in hot summer and hasn't fallen out of my leg, I'll order the pure net inner & switch it out. I'm not so sure about using the partial inner in shelters re Franco's visual aid (vs the pure netting inner), guess I'll find out ... it all kind of worked out b/c my pole length is 115cm (I'm short) and in the Notch guide it says "adjust pole length to 115cm" & I was like "woohooo!"


Thanks Dogwood re the CF advice. Luckily the Notch didn't come in CF so I wasn't tempted! Yes, I totally dig what you're saying about putting an emphasis on camping & the Notch seems like a cosy home that I'd want to spend time in vs some of the others. I'll definitely look to trim weight in my non-gear rig (food etc) & I'm really looking forward to that part b/c ul food stuffs is a total mystery to me atm. I figured I should order these specialty cottage mf items early, since I imagine production/shipping times are variable, & to give myself padding for returns/corrections. Again, I appreciate your advice! I'll try to let it guide me toward balanced decisions.


Awesome, thanks for the offer ttquatro! & the Yamma looks really nice! Too bad they don't make it anymore. Also, my poles aren't extendable so I'd have to use a stick for the end.


Thanks Lyle for the hexamid vote, that one looks *really* nice.

I feel like it is never ending but I'm making a decision similar to yours and would love to hear what you think of the notch when you get it. I too am a single pole user so I wrote it off mostly but I sometimes think how much easier shelter choices would be if I used two poles and have been tempted by the notch. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks and best of luck!