Should I carry a ground cloth or bivy for tarp camping?

[PR Man]

Planning another section hike for this spring.

I really love tarp camping - but concerned about really rainy weather.

It seems that by the time I add a bivy or ground cloth the weight is almost as much as a tent with floor.

I would appreciate any thoughts or ideas on the issue.

Thanks to all.

[PR Man]

Looks like RafaelMatto already posed this question.

Just refer to that thread.

[Slo-go'en]

This subject has been beaten to death more then a few times.

You definitely need a ground cloth. You don't want your gear or sleeping bag to be sitting on wet or muddy ground and that goes for your butt too. More often then not you also want bug protection. So, by the time your all done with that, might as well get a nice ultra light tent and be done with it. I like to be fully enclosed when sleeping on the ground to keep all the creepy crawly things off me.

[daddytwosticks]

Get a net tent with bathtub floor. Something like the SMD Serenity and be done with it.

[bigcranky]

I feel like a ground cloth is a basic requirement for tarp camping. The ground can be pretty wet, and I don't want to just lay my pad down on the ground, since my sleeping bag will then have a lot of contact with wet ground.

A bug bivy, with lots of breathable mesh, is useful under a tarp. Plenty of UL hikers use that sort of system.

But, as you have noted, there are now several solo tents that don't weigh much more than a tarp and bivy system.

[RED-DOG]

I use a piece of Tyvek " 6.5' L by 3' W " with my Etowah designs tarp.

[LogHiking]

Obviously it depends on the tarp with regard to how comfortable you will be in really rain weather, but I really like tarp + bug bivy for maximum versatility and weight savigns. I like to sleep under the stars but live in a damp and buggy climate. So if there is no chance of rain at all I'll just sleep in the bivy and skip the tarp. That can be done in a tent as well. But the more common situation for me is there is always a chance of rain so on a lot of nights I'll set up my tarp but sleep in the bivy outside the tarp. If it does start to rain I just move the bivy under the tarp and go back to sleep. It works for me.

There is no right answer here, you just have to figure out what works best for you and your skill level. Experience is the only true way to figure that out. I suspect if you already love tarp camping that tarp and bivy will work well for you. But tents are very easy and more fool proof with regard to handling weather (good ones obviously).

[burger]

You definitely do NOT need a ground cloth. But you do need either a bivy or a ground cloth.

The first question is: how big is your tarp? If your tarp is big enough or can be pitched close enough to the ground to prevent any splashing from rain, then skip the bivy. If your tarp is small, you'll probably want a bivy because it will keep the splash off your bag.

If you're not using a bivy, I would just get a 1- or 2-ounce piece of polycryo and use that as a groundcloth. It looks like saran wrap but it's nearly indestructible.

If you are using a bivy, you don't need a ground cloth. There are 2 ways to go without a groundcloth. 1) Just use your sleeping pad as a ground cloth. I just lay my z-rest on the ground and put my bivy on top of that. 2) If you have an inflatable pad, you can seal the bottom of your bivy so that it's waterproof and just lay that on the ground with the pad inside. Get a bivy with a silnylon floor, and you can do this in about 20 minutes: http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/Silnylon1/index.html

[Toon]

A lot of people I know make a "canoe" it's a ground tarp that's tied up on both ends to wrap you up. You could sleep in 6 inches of water and stay dry.

[gcobb1990]

Personally I just try to find some outward sloping ground so I don't need a ground cloth. I have had it seep in anyway and it kind of sucks but its not the worst that could happen. With a full length inflatable pad, I'd say you'll be okay but with CCF or a 3/4 pad, my sleeping bag always has gotten a little mud on the outside. But hey, dirty and worn gear looks more badass

[PR Man]

This is a great idea that I've been thinking about - but never seen it done.

Could you explain how to do it?

[PR Man]

I was referring to the ground cloth canoe.

[Connie]

"Box" the corners, much like "hospital corners" I suppose.

I don't know how to describe it otherwise.

Look at "bathtub" floor net tents. The corners and the long length edges could be upheld with short carbon fiber pole inserts, or, tied up to the top of long tent stakes, for example.

Find a lightweight and low volume abrasion resistant material.

It could be used with a tarp or a floorless tent, or, as part of a bivy, or, alone.

[mark schofield]

I carry an old piece of Tyvek that's the same size as the floor of my Contrail. I sleep in shelters also and use it on the floor (splinters, nail heads) to protect the inflatable pad (Big Agnes) from punctures