Snakes and Tarps?

[BuckeyeBill]

^^^^ What he said.

[Venchka]

If snakes and tarps was a real thing few people would tarp.

Like my tarp a lot more than a tent. There's a learning curve but once you get relatively proficient pitching one you can't help but love the simplicity.

Folks have been sleeping on the ground without benefit of shelter in places like Big Bend NP since forever and living to tell about it.
I wish I could convince myself to do it. I'm working on it.
Wayne


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[jimmyjam]

I wouldn't worry about a snake under the tarp unless you've sleeping with a mouse.

[iAmKrzys]

While this may be quite unlikely to happen, I did find a snake under my tent floor once after a one night stay at a campground in New Hampshire. It was an Eastern Milk Snake, so nothing scary, but I was pretty surprised.
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[Miner]

Do some of you people not inspect the ground you are setting up camp on? If there is a hole there, something likely lives in it. Best to move over some. Actually, if I see holes or other signs of burrowing, or just ants crawling around, I usually move on and find another campsite. More likely to have a rodent living down a hole than something else, but I have no interest in having a rodent nibbling on my stuff at night. About 3 times in my life I've gotten up in the middle of the night, rolled my stuff up in my ground cloth like a burrito and moved to another campsite (once as far as 1/4 mile away) when I was awaken to a mouse chewing on my pack which I keep near my head. I guess I should be glad that I'm normally a light sleeper. And before you think a tent is better, I've had friends who had a mouse chew into their tent. Which can be funny to everyone else around them as you hear them freaking out and then trying to get it out of their tent.

[Reverse]

Would really like to know your set up. As my CF tarp, sleeping pad and guide lines comes in at 20oz

I go along with Dogwood. That is one of reasons I went from tent camping to hammock camping. My tarp with everything needed to hang it is still less then 10 ounces.

[saltysack]

Would really like to know your set up. As my CF tarp, sleeping pad and guide lines comes in at 20oz

Folks don't count pad in shelter weight...


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[Reverse]

Thanks everyone, for your stories. :0 Much more confident now. Slugs on pillows are gross we have them in NZ too so no worries there.

[Venchka]

Folks don't count pad in shelter weight...


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Right. My air mattress weighs 20 ounces. Never changing it. Good sleep is critical.
Wayne


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[BuckeyeBill]

Would really like to know your set up. As my CF tarp, sleeping pad and guide lines comes in at 20oz

HG Cuben Fiber Tarp with Doors 7.28oz, 6 Titanium Hook Stakes (.29 x 6) 1.75oz, 37.5 ft of Zing It ..68oz and 2 Dutch Tarp Flyz .10oz = 9.80oz Hope this helps.

[scope]

Oh my! Yet another reason to get off the ground. Compromise 8-14oz on a hammock and stop worrying about it.

[Reverse]

Thanks it does.

[blw2]

Folks have been sleeping on the ground without benefit of shelter in places like Big Bend NP since forever and living to tell about it.
I wish I could convince myself to do it. I'm working on it.
Wayne


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You summed up my thoughts very well. I want to tarp, but just can't.....where i live here in FL, there's just too many bugs and things to make it seem fun at all, except in the really cold spells mid winter. I know it is much more doable in the mountains and elsewhere, but I just have tegh whole keep the tent zipped up always so I have my little bubble of no biting and crawling things.... except myself...

[Venchka]

You summed up my thoughts very well. I want to tarp, but just can't.....where i live here in FL, there's just too many bugs and things to make it seem fun at all, except in the really cold spells mid winter. I know it is much more doable in the mountains and elsewhere, but I just have tegh whole keep the tent zipped up always so I have my little bubble of no biting and crawling things.... except myself...

I did it! The first week in the full tent. The second week without the full tent. I'm Alive!



I even survived the morning when the moose galloped past my feet.
Go for it!
Wayne


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[nsherry61]

I love just rolling out my ground sheet, pad, and bag or quilt and bedding down. It's much closer to being one with the world than when I'm hidden away inside a cloth chamber.

. . . that is, unless the bugs or the weather are really bad.

[Venchka]

I love just rolling out my ground sheet, pad, and bag or quilt and bedding down. It's much closer to being one with the world than when I'm hidden away inside a cloth chamber.

. . . that is, unless the bugs or the weather are really bad.

Very quickly habit forming.
No doubt I may change my mind just as quickly the first time I get rained on.
Wayne


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[nsherry61]

Very quickly habit forming.
No doubt I may change my mind just as quickly the first time I get rained on.

I can't count the number of times I've been sleeping in the open with "very little chance of rain" and been rained on for a few minutes to an hour or so. Make sure you have either have a bivy to crawl into or, more often in my case, your ground cloth is big enough to throw over your bag and head to keep you and your gear dry in a short bit of rain. It helps to have a couple baseball sized rocks near by to weight down the corners of your pulled over ground sheet so the wind doesn't blow it off you again. If you're being a tarp (or poncho) using minimalist choosing not to pitch your tarp for the night, you can also just keep your tarp near by so you can throw it over you and your bag for a few minutes if it starts to rain.

[Feral Bill]

I can't count the number of times I've been sleeping in the open with "very little chance of rain" and been rained on for a few minutes to an hour or so. Make sure you have either have a bivy to crawl into or, more often in my case, your ground cloth is big enough to throw over your bag and head to keep you and your gear dry in a short bit of rain. It helps to have a couple baseball sized rocks near by to weight down the corners of your pulled over ground sheet so the wind doesn't blow it off you again. If you're being a tarp (or poncho) using minimalist choosing not to pitch your tarp for the night, you can also just keep your tarp near by so you can throw it over you and your bag for a few minutes if it starts to rain.

Or, you can st up you tarp so you can duck under it if the weather turns. And do not forget the hazard of dew.

[Venchka]

Bill,
In my last photo, my Xtherm and bag are on top of the tent fly. Hopefully I could flop it over my bag before getting soaked.
Wayne


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[Tipi Walter]

While this may be quite unlikely to happen, I did find a snake under my tent floor once after a one night stay at a campground in New Hampshire. It was an Eastern Milk Snake, so nothing scary, but I was pretty surprised.
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If a person is outdoors long enough he/she will get all sorts of critters under their tarps or inside their tents or vestibules. My tent is like a giant tarp on occasion when I leave both big doors open and it's common to get wolf spiders and trap door spiders inside. One time I found a small scorpion on my pillow and another time found a scorpion hiking thru my vestibule.

Over the years I've had two snakes in my tent vestibule---and one a copperhead coiled up to sleep by the tent door. Another time I was relaxing on Bob Bald at night with my buddy Bryan and he was reclined on his ensolite pad. A garter snake got on the pad and slid around his body. He jumped up and I went looking for it.

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Here's Bryan right before the incident.

One time I had a skunk come into my tent vestibule to say hello.
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