View Full Version : Help with me Tarp!!
I purchased an 8 X 10 Silicone impregnated tarp. It has 4 hooks on the 10' side and 1 in the middle of the 8' side. It has one on top in the middle. I have used it 2 times with no problem by putting it up like a pup tent. Today on Frosty Mountain it was very windy though. I know I could have searched for a place that blocked the wind. I did not choose to do this. When I pitched it with the side to the wind and got in, it was good for lack of wind and rain blowing in, but the pressure on the tarp was unbelievable and during one gust two stakes were pulled out of the ground. I then pitched it to let the wind blow through it and the tension on the tarp was fine but it was, of course, like being in a wind tunnel with rain blowing through it. I do not know what to do in high wind with a tarp, except maybe get out of the wind. Maybe that is the answer, but maybe one of you folks can tell me how to pitch it. The wind seems to be pretty high most of the time where I hike on the A.T. HELP
I used a tarp on my thru-hike and had no problem with wind, and that's because I picked spots out of the wind.
I think one of the main reasons tarps are so popular on the AT is because it's almost always possible to find campspots in protected spots.
We once used plastic tarps exclusively when fighting fires in Alaska. They were great for rain protection, except in the open tundra where the wind can howl and it's hard to find a sheltered area. Then, about the best we could do is tie them off to blueberry bushes and keep them as low as possible.
Far better to find sheltered spots. All those nice trees along the AT are great for blocking the wind.
Streamweaver
02-14-2003, 23:14
Check out the tarp section 0n Sgt Rocks site
http://hikinghq.net/gear/tarp.html
he shows several ways to rig a tarp. The Flying diamond is an easy one to pitch and it works great in the wind because one corner is staked to the ground into the wind .The Trapezoid is also a good one. I use the flying diamond alot myself. Check it out and if you have any more questions just post em here. Streamweaver
I think it is good that you are experimenting with your tarp, and finding its limitations. As the others mentioned, it is always good to find a sheltered spot. You won't always want to or be able to do this. Even in exposed locations, some spots are better than others, so keep your eyes open.
When preparing for storm conditions, some extra work is required when setting up a tarp. I think using the a-frame pitch (pup tent pitch) with the side to the wind is a good one. I won't comment on the other pitches, as I haven't experimented with them (maybe I should). The problem appears to be that your anchors weren't solid, and perhaps your tarp wasn't low enough to the ground.
The number of ways you can anchor a tarp is only limited by your imagination. This is part of what makes using a tarp a lot of fun. The more practice you have, the easier this gets. Bushes, trees, and large rocks are the best anchors. Some extra cordage will help in making uses of these anchors. Placing rocks on the edge of the tarp also helps. When a thunderstorm is rolling in, I will line the edges of my tarp with as many rocks as I can find. (Let me mention I have only used plastic tarps to date, I wasn't to worried about damaging my tarp.) Sticks can make more effective stakes than the ones you carry in your pack. If you use a medium size stick, drive it deep into the ground, angle it away from the direction of pull, and attach the cord right at ground level, it can be quite effective. Keep experimenting, hope this helps.
Colter, Streamweaver and TedB thanks for your input. I am going to continue to use my tarp. After the other evening I told Happy I was going to put it up, but I got some ideas and encouragement, so thanks.
I can set my tarp up all the ways Sgt Rock shows, and a few more. I have never set up any way but the "Flying diamond" on the trail. I just like it that much: easy to set up. Great wind protection if set up right. etc.
My tarp is semi retired as I now have a Nomad. But I miss it.
Do as i did before my first trip: Find a place in your back yard or nearby park, print the pics & instructions from Sgt Rock's page, & go practice, practice, practice. Take a break, & practice, practice, practice some more. Try "weird" set ups. Set up with NO trees around. toss your sleeping bag in & crawl in yourself with each new configuration. Learn how to set up for any conditions while still at home, & be happy on the trail. Skip this step, and may it be on your head :bse
Doctari.
Take lots of spare guyline and as many stakes as you can. The newer spectra-core or pure spectra cordage is very light and strong. You can take quite a bit of this type of guyline without adding measurable weight to your pack. Stakes are another matter, since lightweight titanium stakes are fairly expensive. Aluminum gutter nails from a hardware store are very strong and weigh less than many aluminum stakes. Depending on the type of soil you're on, which can be very soft duff rather than hard soil on the AT, you might need a few longer stakes to go on the windward side while carrying shorter stakes for the rest of the tarp. I think they might even sell the gutter nails in different lengths, but I'm not sure. My real point with guyline and stakes is this: you're tarp shelter is more versatile and lightweight than any other type, so don't be afraid to splurge a little on the stakes and guyline. They are a key to a stormworthy shelter, since they allow you to spread the stress out and make the tarp a hummer rather than a flapper.
Sheltered sites are important, especially to preserve occupant sanity overnight :), but a tarp can handle a storm on an exposed ridge if it is pitched right. A tarp can be pitched according to the direction of the wind and has no poles to break. The straight-line tension of the tarp makes it extremely strong. For best comfort, a more sheltered location is going to provide better protection from windblown rain and windchill. I doubt that most tarp users really want to be in an exposed area most of the time and it isn't a safe choice to purposely expose your camp to extreme conditions, but I merely hope to point out that a tarp can handle wind better than even expedition-level tents. In such conditions, the tarp must be pitched low and taught, with the windward side attached directly to the ground. If you need to use rocks on your silnylon tarp, try putting them in a stuff sack or something similar. Otherwise, just put the stakes directly into the tie-outs and put the rocks onto the stakes to help hold them down. You might be able to place other gear to block places where wind intrudes.
More tie-out points is usually better. They allow you to spread the stress. Tie-outs in the middle of the tarp (not along an edge) can help create more headroom in certain pitches. As others have already mentioned, practice is a major factor in good tarp performance. With a tarp, you are accepting a trade-off. You trade the foolproof setup, sturdy shelter (hopefully), bugproof comfort, and warmth of a tent in exchange for the minimal weight and versatility of tarp. You must make up for any difficiencies with experience and other gear selection, such as an umbrella to block the doorway or a bivy to increase warmth, fend off insects, and keep windblown spray off your bag. An 8x10 tarp seldon requires these extra precautions (except for bug protection), but a smaller poncho/tarp might.
Basically, don't be too afraid to stress the tarp in the wind. Choose sheltered locations, but pitch the tarp to deflect the wind from you. Don't pitch it simply to avoid stress and let the wind tunnel through your tarp and make you miserable (and perhaps dangerously wet and/or chilled!). Keep the tarp pitched low when high winds are expected. Stake every loop you have on the windward side, perhaps even creating new tie-out loops if they seem necessary. With enough guyline, stakes, and pitching practice, your tarp will take a pounding that will break a tent and at a fraction of the weight. Yes, tarps are natually cooler than a tent, but you do not need to suffer discomfort in a tarp. If the tie-outs are strong and numerous and the pitch taught, even lightweight materials (silnylon) will handle very strong winds. Just don't let any tarp flap. Flapping creates dynamic stresses that are much higher than the wind stress alone and will cause failure even in very heavy materials. Good luck and happy tarping!
Any of you expert tarpers have advise for camping under conditions of gusty wind that keeps changing direction? I set up my tarp as a flying diamond when camped in a field behind the Long Trail Tavern (http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=1850&password=&sort=1&size=medium&cat=500&page=).
It was windy when I set up, and about 2 am started to rain hard, with gusts that changed direction. When the occassional gust came on the open side, rain spray hit my face and the tarp would billow upward. Then it would gust from the other direction and the tarp would get almost flattened. Finally added another guy line on the open side, and that helped prevent the upward billowing.
I set up my tarp in exposed areas several times along the John Muir Trail. Here is a picture (http://www.trailjournals.com/photos/1537/dscf0114.jpg) of it pitched beside the Guitar Lakes just below Mt. Whitney - the side touching the ground is facing extremely stong wind. It's set up asymetrically - the rear pole is in the centre of the side, and the front pole is at one corner. Guy lines kept the whole thing pretty tight, and I had no troubles at all.
Haiku.
I am bringing this thread forward, because I want to know if there is success with the silnylon tarps set up in diamond or trapezoid or any configuration in REAL winds.
I really love the forum, because there is so much great helpful information here. There is also so much development of stuff hikers want and need.
I HAVE TO ASK: do you get 50 mph winds, and 80 mph wind gusts, much on the AT ?
We get that on "The Rocky Mountain Front" with just about every weather front: we have trucks, travel trailers, campers ..and even semi-trucks and railroad trains ..blown over on their side here.
We have hikers blown right off the trail, here. This is why we always have "alternate routes" and alternate hike out in any trail hike here.
*This is why I use a bivy.*
I am considering purchase of the Tarptent Squall.
I have purchased a GoLight Cave1 I thought I might be able to pitch out close to the ground. I haven't had a chance to try it out, so far, in real wind.
I also know caternary cut is "a good thing". Apparently, First People "Eskimos" invented it. The Pole adventurer Admundson re-discovered it. Now, we have great tents, tarps, and high-fashion clothing.
I am also considering a caternary-cut tarp, but I can't decide which one to give a tryout. I don't have infinite $$$.
Any feedback ?
SGT Rock
06-30-2004, 19:07
Well you COULD get 30 MPH winds. But in that sort of weather, when I see it coming, I head for somewhere that is sheltered from it. I doubt a sane AT hiker would hang out on Hump Mountain in a 30 MPH wind with just a tarp when he could get down to Doll Flats or somwhere like that.
smokymtnsteve
06-30-2004, 19:09
good blow coming up on Hump I'd run to the barn myself. (overMtn shelter)
Kerosene
06-30-2004, 19:35
I endured 60 mph gusts in Shenendoah National Park several Octobers ago which kept things nice and nippy in my first night ever in a hammock:jump. Fortunately there was no real rain, so things were just noisy and not wet.
On the northern section of the Long Trail in August 1979 we endured an afternoon of steady 40 mph winds driving rain...then sleet...then snow showers...then snow into just about every body cavity.
Climbing Springer this past April we had steady 25 mph winds with 40 mph gusts which forced us off the summit after a quick pic. I've never had to endure 80 mph winds on the AT, but you do sometimes run across the results of "microbursts" associated with T-storms that can uproot a series of big trees in an area.
SGT Rock
06-30-2004, 20:10
Yes, the barn would be nice. Lots of shelters if the weather is too much for what you are carrying.
As to tarps, I did ride out a Tropical Storm in my Hennessy which is technically just a hamock under a tarp. We got wind enough to make me feel like I was flying. I dont know exactly how high the winds were, but I hear them Tropical Storm thingys get pretty windy ;)
gravityman
07-01-2004, 10:38
I am considering purchase of the Tarptent Squall.
We live here in Colorado. Our first "tarp"-like shelter was a Wanderlust 2-4-2 and it didn't cut it out here with the wind. We now have a squall. It has held up pretty well, but haven't had it out in major wind yet (just 10-20 mph). It's done fairly well, but you have to get the foot into the wind, and the wind will be blowing through the tent, so it gets a bit cool. But that helps keep the condensation down. With the weather lately (rain/sleet/hail/snow) we've been having problems with condensation. When it rains, then hails, then the temp drops below the dew point, then below freezing, I guess that is to be expected...
The Cloudburst is very interesting. The squall sides flopped down under the weight of the two hail storms it endured. The cloudburst wouldn't have that problem. But we like the lighter weight of the squall for now...
Gravity Man
This is how I pitched my 8 X 10 tarp. It kept me and my pack dry during several windy thunderstorms. I covered the front opening with my North Face parka.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/3295/size/big/password/0/sort/3/cat/500
Do you support it in the middle with a hiking pole? Since I don't carry hiking poles (yet) would a tie out work just as well?
tlbj6142
07-02-2004, 10:16
Have you folks considerd a Catenary cut tarp? Some thing like www.cattarp.com (http://www.cattarp.com/)? While they have fewer wacky setup options than your typical flat tarp, they are built to handle winds with a minimal number of tie-outs.
While I haven't experienced any strong winds in it yet, I'm amazed at how large the CatTarp 1.0 (currently on the "Special Deals" page) is even when pitched on the ground for full storm protection.