View Full Version : light weight shelter without trekking poles
I am not a user of trekking poles and am struggling to get some sort of a lightweight shelter system in place and tested out before the summer arrives. I've been using a tarp from Dancing Light. It is supposed to pitch with one pole, or more optimally with two. It has a few downsides for a taller person (I'm 6'4"), but is about what I was looking for. The problem is in pitching it without using trekking poles. I have a 48" carbon fiber pole, but that is too high and isn't rigid enough to get the tarp pitched taughtly. In the Smokys this weekend I pitched the tarp using downed branches and got the tarp pretty well set up. But, this method has its limitations. I'm going to try a golf ball retrieved cut up (saw this on some website) for a tarp pole next. Since I am frequently camped where there are no trees, a hammock just isn't for me (besides the fact that I like to sleep on my side and stomach).
So, after all this rambling, has anyone out there been able to solve the lightweight shelter issue without carrying trekking poles?
The Weasel
11-05-2002, 10:37
Yes. It's called the "bivy sack". Some have hoop poles with them, but very light; a few do not even have poles.
The Weasel
ez-does-it
11-05-2002, 10:56
Chris,
Check out www.wanderlustgear.com
Kurt Russell is the owner and has the golf ball retrievers on his site. They look like they are easy to do.Good luck.:p
Thanks for the link. I remembered seeing it somewhere but could not remember where.
I have a bivy sack now, but it is more for winter use (warmth, extra weather protection, etc) and for long mountain trips (i.e, trying to get over a pass and having to spend a night up high). I'd like something over my head for when I have to cook/eat. It seems like the only way to go would be a tent or a tarp.
Christian
11-11-2002, 23:37
Currently I'm working on a one person shelter solution, I' ll use either 8 mm carbon- or 10 mm glass fiber poles (the first being the best (aka lightest), the second being the cheapest sulution. I haven't tried it jet, but I think that up to a length of about 120 cm these dimensions should be stiff enough.
At least in Germany the glass fiber poles are a lot cheaper than high quality alloy. Make sure you get poles with fibers wraped around the circumference, not only lengthwise. Then the poles are allmost impossible to sliver.
Good luck to your project,
Christian
There is no need to carry poles for a tarp on the AT. It only takes a couple of minutes to find pole-sized branches lying around, and it's easy to break them to the proper length (using two trees growing next to each other). It sounds primitive, but I've tried it on the AT and CDT and it works fine (of course, in a treeless area, it's no good). It's amazing how much stuff you can get away with NOT carrying.
www.tarptent.com has nice shelters that don't require poles.
The tarptent of Henry Shires design does require poles.
Right, it has poles, but does not require trekking poles to be set up. (you stated that you don't use them) It comes with a bach arch pole and a forward pole, all at a very low weight.
MedicineMan
12-05-2002, 04:29
but my silnyl tube tent at 12 oz. including netting inserts on one end is the ruler of all instant portable resiliant shelters...Jonathan McCue at Moonbowgear will make you one