View Full Version : tarptent techniques
Okay! I got my gear selected for the April hike. I am currently camping in the backyard. I set up each evening and break camp in the morning, packing each day for my training walk. This has led to some questions those more experienced than I might answer.
I have always hammocked. Setting up in the rain is easy. Tarp up first and high. Then the rest under the roof. I have a small bag I hang from the ridge line to store glasses, light and a book.
In the tarp tent, where do you put stuff?? You can barely sit up at the door(with a hiking pole in front . It's too low with the shires pole). I can put stuff in the drybag under the minimal beak. But there isn't room inside. I'm afraid to set a book at the edge on the netting because water running down the side will soak it.
I have a gearskin pack, which allows no waterproof storage in camp, since my pad is the body of the pack. My gear goes in three bags: Food,
Sleep and Clothing. These bags are waterproof (allegedly anyway. not downpour tested yet (the trash compactor bag is certainly water proof)
Tell me some clever secrets please.
optimator
03-17-2009, 13:33
Why did you quit hammocking?
My first question is which tarptent do you have? I have a squall 2, rainbow and double rainbow. All have room for me and my gear. Things are a little tight with the rainbow but it works, just cant stretch out completely.
i have found that a pole set at 125cm is as low as i can go and still sit up in comfort and have enough room to pack inside. kanga likes to put the poles on the outside or eliminate them all together and use trees to string it up, which provides more room on the inside. don't know if you can try that or not, just depends on what you have.
optimator: There's a lot of ways to do things. I just thought I'd try a new way.
Pootz: Sorry. I wasn't specific. It's older-- a Virga. I can see the newer designs are a bit taller. the Contrail has an improved vestibule too.
General: Thanks for the pole-less idea. I'll watch for a chance to try it out. I just checked my pole from last nights setup. it's at 135cm.
garlic08
03-17-2009, 17:35
Maybe you have too much stuff for a Tarptent. (When you mentioned the book, I frankly cringed a little.) Many tarptenters have pretty minimal gear and fitting it all in is normally not an issue.
gravityman
03-17-2009, 18:03
Plenty of people with books on the trail, even ultralighters. I'd go nuts without a book...
As for finding room, my wife and I had plenty of room in our squall 2. The packs went in the vestibule with the pack covers on to get them out of the way. Most of the stuff went at the feet that didn't go in the pack. There really isn't much left after you get all our sleeping gear out, clothings changed, food hung, and unneeded items in the pack.
Gravity
come on Garlic!! 28 lbs of gear doesn't make me a packrat. You apparently don't have a life long habit of reading for a few minutes before going to sleep. I do.
I'll bet you don't wear glasses either. They are a pain in the posterior, but beat not seeing.
I'm simply observing that space is tight in a tarp tent and looking for ideas. headlight and glasses. Where do they safely go??
garlic08
03-17-2009, 18:30
come on Garlic!! 28 lbs of gear doesn't make me a packrat.
Comparatively speaking, I believe it does--my pack weight is about a third of yours. I don't think I would want to try to fit 20+ pounds of extra stuff into a one-person Tarptent. And I do relate to the reading habit. But on the trail, I keep my journal paper and a crossword puzzle in a ziploc bag, along with my glasses, maps and compass.
I have a Contrail, and the "vestibule" really isn't large enough to keep anything larger than two shoes dry.
Maybe this is why I've heard several hikers on the forum really like the two-person shelters, like the SMD Lunar Duo.
Grinder
I have the Contrail and never seen a Virga but the floor area is the same except that there is more usable space at the end in the Contrail.
Typically I will have my pack outside resting against the corner between the mesh and the vestibule fabric. If it is really windy or raining heavily , than the pack will be inside layng down against the pole. I use this also when after setting up I find that the perfectly flat area I have chosen is in fact sloping towards the door. So my pack can stop my sliding as well as deflect the wind . If it is really windy from the other end , than I put the pack there taking care not to block the wind entirely, just to deflect it.
Keep in mind that if you fiddle a bit with your Virga you should be able to pitch it higher or lower to increase ventilation or protection from wind and rain.
I also use my clothing to deflect side wind when I cannot be bother to get up and batten the tent down (using the mid guyout point. If you do not have one there, saw one in or get something like this
http://shelter-systems.com/gripclips/ultra-light-silicon-tarps.html (http://shelter-systems.com/gripclips/ultra-light-silicon-tarps.html))
Franco
thanks Franco! I have the side tie outs. I will try the pole lean trick
And thanks to my light weight friend garlic for the zip lock bag suggestion. I'll add my glass case to protect the spectacles.
We're good to go!!
Report due in late April
A good alternate place for gear you don't need or want inside the tent is just inside a black plastic yardwaste bag, just outside the tent perhaps, and maybe with a rock or water bottle to hold in place in wind. I have a Contrail and sometimes keep everything inside, but sometimes put stuff I know I don't need during the night just outside my tent to make it even roomier inside, and easier to paw through the stuff that I do have inside.
Brian Le
Excellent suggestion. I am only 5'7" so I don't run out of room but it's hard to go past a garden trash type bag for rain protection as a pack liner as well as your put the not needed bits outside idea. (they can also be an emergency half bivvy). If you use the BrianLe idea then you can still use the pack frame to shield from wind or stop you from pushing against the mesh.
Franco
I would second or third the garbage bag. I hike with 2, one always inside my pack, and a spare. The spare is for my pack on rainy nights when it is outside the tent. Or take one and use for both purposes.
garlic08
03-18-2009, 10:09
Maybe this thread would have gotten more responses with a more generic title, like "solo tent" instead of "Tarptent". Tarptents are much roomier than the most common solo tent I saw last year on the AT, the MSR Hubba. Those tents look like a coffin by comparison. Hubba users could probably answer this question better than Tarptent users. And they tend to carry more stuff.
You'll see many campsites and different techniques and experience levels along the way, and you can observe and learn as you hike. That's one of the benefits of hiking the AT--a huge diversity.
Best of luck on your hike, Grinder!
Tell me some clever secrets please.
I like an extra wide blue foam pad, like 72"x28"x0.375".
It weighs 10oz, and is bulky, but the extra width is better than a ground sheet I think.
garlic, I don't entirely agree with the Hubba observation. It's true that the screened area is smaller and sort of coffin like., but the rain cover provides a huge vestibule. more than enough room for a pack and "stuff" out of the rain.
And, as I amended my question, I was really looking for some kind of tricky overhead storage for small stuff. I admit my first post was kind of fuzzy.
I have accepted, on a trial basis, waterproof and crush proof floor storage as an alternative.
I have completed a two week section with the tarp tent. I experienced a wide range of weather conditions, from 15 degrees and snow to heavy rain to beautiful dry weather.
True confessions. I slept in shelters about half the time due to extreme weather or lack of tent space around the shelters.
I am not a big fan of the open nature of the tarp tent. (Having a 24 deg bag in 15 degree weather plays a part in this response)
One night, set up on a high ridge, it stormed and the rain ran down the tarp and was blown along the netting instead of dripping to the ground, leaving a puddle on my mat under my feet. My Virga was tied down by the side ties, but not all the way. The DWR sleeping bag material resisted getting soaked quite well.
Packing up while crouched in a fetal position was doable, but not comfortable.
I'm thinking the hammock is preferable, since I can stand under the tarp while packing and can cocoon the hammock and tarp quite securely while sleeping.
I may try the tarptent again in summer, when the odds of severe weather are reduced.
Grinder,
Be prepared now for a barrage of criticism from the UL zealots claiming that the problems you discovered where not due to design flaws in Tarptents, but rather your lack of experience, poor site selection and so on... Pay no attention... Remember, these are the folks that cringe at the thought of carrying a book...
My experiences (limited) with a tarptent was similar to yours...
For a minimilist concerned about weight, it is a sufficient shelter. But for ease of use, guarnteed protection from heavy weather, and those that prefer comfort around camp, a tarptent would be my last choice.
Tipi Walter
04-29-2009, 14:20
Okay! I got my gear selected for the April hike. I am currently camping in the backyard. I set up each evening and break camp in the morning, packing each day for my training walk. This has led to some questions those more experienced than I might answer.
I have always hammocked. Setting up in the rain is easy. Tarp up first and high. Then the rest under the roof. I have a small bag I hang from the ridge line to store glasses, light and a book.
There's nothing better than setting up and camping in the back yard, unless of course it's out in some wilderness or on some long trail. You can't go wrong with yard camping to test out gear, especially in the winter. And I like your idea of carrying a book, heck, on my last trip I took four books and they all had a good weight to them.
Comparatively speaking, I believe it does--my pack weight is about a third of yours. I don't think I would want to try to fit 20+ pounds of extra stuff into a one-person Tarptent.
I hope this doesn't degenerate into an ultralight gram counting contest.
Grinder,
Be prepared now for a barrage of criticism from the UL zealots claiming that the problems you discovered where not due to design flaws in Tarptents, but rather your lack of experience, poor site selection and so on... Pay no attention... Remember, these are the folks that cringe at the thought of carrying a book...
My experiences (limited) with a tarptent was similar to yours...
For a minimilist concerned about weight, it is a sufficient shelter. But for ease of use, guarnteed protection from heavy weather, and those that prefer comfort around camp, a tarptent would be my last choice.
DAJA, you can say it w/o apparent reprisals, but if I wrote those words, I'd be blasted. I'd say the loyal Tarptent types are quick to react defensively because of some kind of emotional attachment to their tents. Can't quite figure it myself.
DAJA, you can say it w/o apparent reprisals, but if I wrote those words, I'd be blasted. I'd say the loyal Tarptent types are quick to react defensively because of some kind of emotional attachment to their tents. Can't quite figure it myself.
Don't yah know, ULers are elite hikers, and to knock a shelter as revered by these elite as a tarptent is blasphemy... Only an inexperienced newbie would walk into the woods with a pack comprised of supportive and adjustable suspension, double wall tent, full leather boots and luxury items like books, travel chess, and a camp chair, and be naive enough to believe they will survive... No no no, the elite have been there and done that. They are the few who lived to tell about it. So fortunately for the rest of us, their collective knowledge has become the gospel to which all future and present hikers must follow, for there is no other way!
to keep things simple, why not use any small bag and just use a couple of magnets (one outside/one inside) to hold it in place above your head. it would hold your glasses up out of the way, and a few light items.
I have the Squall, so I sympathize with you having to get into a push-up position and then do a snap forward roll to exit the tarptent.
I pack my sleeping bag in the bottom of my pack, so pretty much everything comes out of the pack at night and stays out until I'm up and, as you said, crouching in fetal position while repacking. I tend to "line" one side of the floor (yep, I splurged and mine has a floor) with my gear. Most of everything is either in stuff sacks or ziplock bags, so a line forms down an edge consisting of my stove and cooking gear, then my bag of medicines and whatnots, then a bag with my map and notepad, etc. If it's raining or looks like it'll flood, I put my pack inside and under my feet. My clothes bag acts as a pillow. My boots tend to go under the vestibule. The food goes outside on a convenient, low-hanging limb so as not to piss off any hungry bears.
When I'm trying to sleep, I keep my headlamp wrapped around my wrist so I won't have to fumble for it at night.
I'm not terribly sure what my base weight is -- last trip my pack weighed 27.5 lbs with 4 1/2 days food and a liter of water. For some, that would be like hauling a load of brick; for others it would be like counting grams. Personally I'd like to carry a more substantial tent -- something that doesn't mist in a hard rain or feel drafty -- but I don't know if my knees could handle much more than I already carry.
Littlest Hobo
04-29-2009, 15:52
Okay, I have a Tarptent Rainbow and on a four to five day hike, I'm usually carrying 22 to 25 pounds (food and water included). I find that there is more than enough room in my tent.
What do you keep in your tent? At the risk of being flamed by the anti-tree bagging crowd, hanging your food and related "smelly" items does more than keep it safe from bears and other critters. It allows you to have more space in your tent.
On any given night, the only things I'll have in my tent are my pack, bag, pad, glasses and headlamp. Everything else goes in my vestibule or up a tree.
I'm not terribly sure what my base weight is -- last trip my pack weighed 27.5 lbs with 4 1/2 days food and a liter of water. For some, that would be like hauling a load of brick; for others it would be like counting grams. Personally I'd like to carry a more substantial tent -- something that doesn't mist in a hard rain or feel drafty -- but I don't know if my knees could handle much more than I already carry.
There are many many 2 wall 3 season tents between 3-4lbs that would keep you under 30lbs, and shouldn't burden your knees beyond what you deal with now...
garlic08
04-29-2009, 16:46
Grinder, how about the original question? Did you have any problems fitting your stuff in the Virga?
My first Tarptent was a Virga--they're not made anymore. The Contrail has some much nicer features and it's better for cold weather. I just finished a trip on the Colorado Plateau with mine, temps down to low teens and light snow, with wind gusts to 50 mph. And no shelters. I was very happy with the Contrail in those winter conditions. I'm kind of glad I did not have my old Virga, though.
I hope this doesn't degenerate into an ultralight gram counting contest.
C'mon, Tipi, I made that comment a month and a half ago!
Another comment:
My tarptent is a virga. this design is 4 or 5 years old. The newer designs improve on many features, like head room at the door ( all the ads on the site now show people sitting erect at the door) and (for the Contrail) alternate weather configurations.
On the rainy night in question, 27 boy scouts were competing for tent spaces with me. and the optimum orientation wasn't an option. **** happens!
I did think of Franco's advice and I thank him for it. I need more adaptation time to get used to the breeze roaring through my house.
I'm only reporting my experiences to share them with others. No sense all of us inventing the wheel.
Re. Hammocking vs. tents: I do like sleeping flat on my back, rather than the various hammock positions that are attainable.
Oh dear!! Now I've offended everyone. <G>
Garlic08
No problem with storage. In fact, as Franco advised, I used several dry bags as windbreaks along the leeward side. The pack went in a trash compactor bag under the beak.
I never had a problem with overall storage, only with my book and glasses. The glass case protected them fine.
The book became an eBook reader (7 oz.) which I also loaded with the downloadable trail guide available on this site, (saving 4.5 oz for the official bound guide.)
The reader is supposed to be able to read 300 pages a day for a month and holds literally 100's of books (2GB). It did last a week with no problem. I read 3 or 4 books.
Grinder/ out
Bear Cables
05-07-2009, 23:20
I have a Contrail and seem to have plenty of space. I take into the tent, my pad,bag,clothes bag, book, headlamp and glasses. Boots and camp shoes stay in the vestibule and my pack is either in the vestibule with the pack cover on or leaning next to a nearby tree in the pack cover.