Need opinions on tarping with the kids

[G22inSC]

This is my inaugural post; however, I have followed the forum for a few years as a guest. I have always been in awe of those that are able to thru the entire AT. I wish I had known about it earlier in life and I would have attempted right out of college, but work and home life prohibits that venture now. My hope is to one day thru hike the Foothills Trail with my boys. The kids are six and nine and want to start backpacking like dad did years ago. They want to carry a little weight and dad wants to carry as little weight as possible. They have both camped numerous times with Cub Scouts and both enjoy "cowboy camping." I have found one possible lightweight solution is using individual bug bivies for the three of us under one tarp. The bug bivy would keep the mosquitos, ticks, spiders, etc. off them while sleeping and still allow an under the stars experience. They could each carry their 6 oz. bivy, quilt, clothes and water for warm weather packing. I would then carry everything else. I have found the following two tarp options:

1. Borah Gear "Borahgami" http://www.borahgear.com/borahgami.html

2. Warbonnet Outdoors Ground Tarp http://www.warbonnetoutdoors.com/gt-ground-tarp/

They both weigh basically 18 oz and seem to close up relatively tight for bad weather. The Ground Tarp is basically a Superbly tarp made for the ground and closes the same way as the Superfly. The Borahgami closes with velcro but may not close up as tight.

Does anyone have any first hand experience with either of these tarps or possibly a better solution I have not found yet (and no hammocks, I've tried and just prefer the ground)? Thanks so much for any help.

[G22inSC]

Sorry about the title. Should have been "tarping with the kids." The kids are running around screaming and didn't catch the typing error.

[nsherry61]

I'm sharing so much of my opinionated lack of experience today I'm just beyond myself in giddiness.

Backpacking with kids? Tarps are awesome! Multiple entrance and exit points. Lots of space for minimal extra weight. Skills to learn and share.

I have two specific comments:
1) Most tarps with brand and model names are shaped tarps which are more expensive than flat tarps and limit your creativity/versitility in pitching them. Flat tarps are great to learn to pitch well and fun as a kid because you can buy your own for literally a couple of bucks.
2) They're frigg'n kids. What's this bug bivy talk? About 80% of the year, I've got no use for a bug net because the bugs just aren't that much of a problem except when they are. I say, either travel after Aug 1st when the bugs are generally gone in most areas or take whatever bug net you want for yourself and just give each of the kids bug spray and a flat piece of bug net to throw over themselves if the bugs are bad. Way less fiddling in camp set-up. Way less $$. Way more control given to the kids' to create their experience.

[just dad]

One of the lightest options for three is the Tarptent Rainshadow 2 tent. Weighs about 2.5 pounds and sleeps three. My kids and I used this option for a couple years until my daughter was strong enough to carry her own tent.

[Halloween]

+1 on Rainshadow Tarptent. My kids and I have been using this tent during our AT section hikes. Originally interested in the weight saving but continued to use it since it was a solid tent.

[OCDave]

If looking at Tarptent, peek at the Stratospire 2. Without the insert, it provides all the space and joy of tarp camping. If bugs are an issue, adding the insert will accomodate 3 but, as the kids get bigger it will get tight.

[Studlintsean]

Do a google search for "FarmerChef Whiteblaze" and read some of his older posts. He doesn't post here much anymore but might chime in. He has hiked the majority (if not all by now) of the AT in section hikes with his young kids and his wife using a tarp. You should be able to find some good info from there.

[Dogwood]

6 and 9 yr old boys, their adult father, and the Foothills Tr I'd strongly be inclined to take along a UL /light wt 3 p shelter- A TENT. The FT goes through a temperate rain forest. Nice to have the square footage, bug netting, and headroom to move around sprawl a bit especially after a wet hiking day with two boys of their age.

Cowboy camping is great. I do it A LOT! I largely bivy/tarp when using a shelter. I've thrued the FT twice and completed it a third time in two sections. All this I've worked up to as my experience and trail wisdom has grown while being an adult. I did NOT start out cowboying, bivying, or tarping. Just a night or two of foul weather under a flat or catenary cut tarp pitched A frame style can quickly change your boys attitude on being confined to a bivy and under a low pitched tarp. This about getting your kids and you out having fun in nature and together happily. If that means sucking up an extra lb DO IT. Share the wt of shelter w/ the kids w/ you taking the majority of the wt burden. LOTS of ways and techniques to decrease wt carried that does not entail smaller confining shelter(s). At this stage balance your OVERALL kit wt lower by adding other wt saving ways and techniques into the wt saving mix.

[Dogwood]

BTW, the FT is NOT the AT. There are no AT shelters on the FT to retreat to in case of foul weather.

[HooKooDooKu]

My boys have always been required to carry their sleeping bag, sleeping pad, and clothes, while I carried the rest. They have been camping with me in the GSMNP without any issues with their part of the weight since they started camping with me at age 7. The only difficulty I ever had was ting to find packs that were small enough to fit their size but big enough to hold that much gear. That usually required sleeping bags and pads to be packed down so small that I had to do all the packing (I can get a regular size therm-a-rest prolite rolled up into polite size small bag). As they have gotten older I've been able to add more weight, like extra water or a cook stove as space and larger backpacks have allowed (always making sure their pack never weighed more than 20% of their body weight.

[Feral Bill]

A ten by twelve flat tarp should keep you dry, used properly. Try a cheap blue tarp on an overnighter and see how it goes. And yes, if it's not the worst of bug season, you can pass on the bug nets. Have fun.

[dmax]

The Borahgami is a great tarp. I used it on a FT thru hike last year. We had two nights of rain. The inside stayed completely dry. I like the way the doors are set up on this tarp. Plus, there's some good pitching options for non rainy weather.

[G22inSC]

Thanks so much for the info. guys. I backpacked for years back in my college days and then work got in the way. Trying to get back into the game. I always used tents before and hated my pack weight. It seemed to really take a lot of enjoyment out of the hike. Fast forward 15 - 20 years and everything is lighter. I know the area is a little wet, lived here all my life. That is the main reason for looking at the two listed tarp options instead of any standard 8x10 or 10x12 flat tarp. The two listed are somewhat specialized in that they are shaped and have doors to close it up like a floorless tent. I'm not really concerned with the bug bivy for myself, that is more for the boys. I know some people don't see a need for bug protection, but I'm fairly certain the wife will kill me if I bring them home late one Sunday with the proof of several "creepy crawly" encounters. I know things happen all the time in the woods, but I'm trying to minimize what happens while sleeping. I've considered the Tarptents and Big Agnes varieties but I really want to give the tarp a try for the weight, usefulness (food breaks in the rain, etc.) and cost. Not to mention, the boys really like the openness of the tarp if it's not raining.

dmax,
How does the Borahgami seal up? I have not been able to find any close up pics of the apex area where the door first closes at the trekking pole loop. Does it seal really well or is that a worry point in stormy weather? Are the few small pieces of velcro enough or does it need a continuos run of velcro? I would love to hear your opinion for rainy weather.

Thanks so much everyone.

[dmax]

I ca only tell you about my Borahgami. It's a prototype. .. It looks like the only changes he made was going from two tie downs on each side to one. One is the way to go.
the Velcro on the doors work great. I think mine has three small strip on each door. Before I encountered my first rain storm I figured it wouldn't work too well. But I was proven wrong. Happens all the time....

[Franco]

Don't know if you have spotted this on the Tarptent site, but you can buy the StratoSpire 2 as a fly only .
(25 oz)
You can later on buy the mesh or fabric inner if you find that bugs/wind/sand are a problem.
You can sleep 3/4 under the fly only and 3 inside the inner.
(a family of 4, two adults and two children, did the AT inside the inner...)
TT SS2 1.jpg
TT SS2.jpg
TTSS2for4.jpg
This is mine (with bug inner) opened up "tarp mode" :
SS2 tarp mode.jpg
franco@tarptent

[Feral Bill]

Um? if it has doors, it is not a tarp.

[Aaron l]

Don't know if you have spotted this on the Tarptent site, but you can buy the StratoSpire 2 as a fly only .
(25 oz)
You can later on buy the mesh or fabric inner if you find that bugs/wind/sand are a problem.
You can sleep 3/4 under the fly only and 3 inside the inner.
(a family of 4, two adults and two children, did the AT inside the inner...)
TT SS2 1.jpg
TT SS2.jpg
TTSS2for4.jpg
This is mine (with bug inner) opened up "tarp mode" :
SS2 tarp mode.jpg
franco@tarptent

Another great sales pitch Franco, but he said tarp not tent!

[Franco]

Feral Bill :
"Um? if it has doors, it is not a tarp."
The OP mentioned the Borahgami, the SS2 as a tarp is not all that different .