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  1. #1
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    Default How to pitch a tarp (for those who know)

    On several threads, people have suggested that if you "really know" how to pitch a tarp, it's great for many conditions, but otherwise, a tent's a safer bet.

    I don't know how to pitch a tarp, much less really know. I did find this on the Internet:

    http://www.cloudwalkersbasecamp.com/tarp_camping.html

    That seems reasonable. But people also suggest that I might want to learn multiple ways to pitch a tarp. Are there other ways that are particularly useful? For what conditions? If there are N ways I should know how to pitch a tarp, I'd like to learn them, how do I do that?

    Should I care whether it has grommets or tie tabs or what?

    Several people have recommended this CampMor:
    http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...0226&langId=-1

    What about this Kelty?
    http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...0226&langId=-1

    Thanks!

    Jonathan

  2. #2
    Registered User SweetAss03's Avatar
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    Hey good question...no one "great answer".

    A lot is going to depend on your site, how much time you have to set it up, and the terrain.

    Those of us from the millitary would refer to it as METT-T.

    Grommets and/or taps will be important. Sometimes they will be more important then others.

    Remember that the pictures from the companies have the "Best conditions" in which to set up a tarp as does the guy in the backyard. There will be times that you will have to make it up as you go. BUT you have a genneral idea of what will keep you dry.

    If the wind is blowing hard, you will want to set up your tarp lower to the ground at least on the wind slide, if it is going to rain you need to watch your drain field and figure out the best place to set up....really not much different then setting up a tent well.

    Good luck, happy trails
    Sweetass

  3. #3
    Registered User Doughnut's Avatar
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    What Sweet Ass said,
    Are you picthing between 2 trees? One Tree? Or using your trekking poles as tent poles? Which Way is the wind? How level (truly) is your site? Bugs? Breeze? View?
    Basically, everything from a "dining Canopy" to a ground cloth, tipi, lean to, A-Frame, whatever you'd like, let your imagination ride!!

    Go to a patch of woods and try different settings, Good Luck, and have a great time.

    BTW< I used a tarp exclusively last summer on section hikes, one night I made a tube on the porch of a shelter to get off the ground (rain) and didn't want to sleep in the shelter (heat and mice)!

    Hope this helps.

    DoughNut

  4. #4
    Registered User shelterbuilder's Avatar
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    I carry 8 aluminum stakes, and a small zip-loc bag full of different lengths of cord. One cord is long enough to be used as a ridgeline between two trees; the rest of the cord is cut into various lengths from 4 feet to 8 feet. Most of my cords have a bowline tied in at least one end (two bowlines can be slipped together to join two lines easily).

    I'm far from a "tarping expert", but, in general, the way that you will pitch your tarp depends upon your site (level ground, drainage, trees, rocks, etc.), weather, and your tarp itself. Each tarp has grommets and/or tie-outs (some have both). The simplest pitch is to rig a ridgeline between two trees and lay the tarp over the ridgeline so that the ridgeline divides the tarp in half. Stake down the corners and you're done. A more airy approach would be to stake down the left side to the ground, but guy off the right side to some trees (to raise one side of the tarp for air and view). Only have one tree? Stake the other end of the ridgeline to the ground, and have the ridgeline run across opposite diagonal corners of the tarp and stake out the sides as needed. Stormy weather? Pitch tight to the ground. Hot weather? Raise the sides for a cooling breeze. The possibilities are endless - limited only by the grommet locations and your own imagination.

  5. #5
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    go out in your back yard with any type of tarp, cloth, cover etc and start setting it up. like sweetass , dough and shelter builder said the possibilities are endless.. you dont want to be in the field with a looming rain storm setting up your tarp for the 1st time. make sure you do some prefab work at home .if your really worriwed about geting wet under the tarp you could always get a bivy sac to cover up with..im sure the tarp and bivy combined will only weigh about 2.5 to 3.0lbs......good luck............peace out, nitewalker

  6. #6
    Registered User shelterbuilder's Avatar
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    I haven't used one in years, but lots of folks use a ground sheet under the tarp. If you decide to use one, pull it back from the edge of the tarp a few inches all around - that way, if it does rain hard, the chances of the water running in ON TOP of the groundsheet will be less. Use something puncture-resistant like Tyvek.

  7. #7

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    Site selection is as important as how to pitch a tarp. Flat ground is great if heavy rain is unlikely (always avoid dish shaped depressions). If rain is likely then drainage is very important. Slight slopes will prevent water from ponding under you. However, most ground cloths and sleeping bags are very slippery so staying in place all night may be a challenge if the slope is very noticeable.

    the link http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...0226&langId=-1 show 5 people under a 12 ft tarp. then it rains 5 people will be wet. You need to have some over hang!

  8. #8
    Registered User shelterbuilder's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by HIPOCKETS View Post
    Site selection is as important as how to pitch a tarp. Flat ground is great if heavy rain is unlikely (always avoid dish shaped depressions). If rain is likely then drainage is very important. Slight slopes will prevent water from ponding under you. However, most ground cloths and sleeping bags are very slippery so staying in place all night may be a challenge if the slope is very noticeable.

    the link http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...0226&langId=-1 show 5 people under a 12 ft tarp. then it rains 5 people will be wet. You need to have some over hang!
    A hammock/tarp combination is very useful when it rains, especially if the tarp is a bit larger than you really need. The tarp can be pitched a little low, but the hammock can get you off of the ground, so that even if the drainage is less than perfect, you will still stay dry. Again, if you go this way, play with the set-ups in your back yard before you use it on the trail, so that you can almost do it blindfolded.

    While I think of it, tie a single knot in your ridgeline outside (above) the tarp edge to make any rainwater drip off of the line before it can run under the tarp and drip onto YOU!

  9. #9
    Registered User Cannibal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by shelterbuilder View Post
    A hammock/tarp combination is very useful when it rains, especially if the tarp is a bit larger than you really need. The tarp can be pitched a little low, but the hammock can get you off of the ground, so that even if the drainage is less than perfect, you will still stay dry. Again, if you go this way, play with the set-ups in your back yard before you use it on the trail, so that you can almost do it blindfolded.

    Yes, come over to the dark side and you'll never have to sleep on the ground again.
    Tomorrow might just be too late and today is just beginning.

  10. #10
    Getting out as much as I can..which is never enough. :) Mags's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jonathan.robie View Post
    O
    That seems reasonable. But people also suggest that I might want to learn multiple ways to pitch a tarp. Are there other ways that are particularly useful? For what conditions? If there are N ways I should know how to pitch a tarp, I'd like to learn them, how do I do that?


    Jonathan

    I am sounding like a broken record concerning this link and tarps..but hey, it's an excellent link by one of our own.
    http://hikinghq.net/gear/tarp.html

    For a great tarp that is not expensive, I find the Campmor one to be a great "bread and butter" tarp. I used one for quite while (including the PCT in 2002).
    Paul "Mags" Magnanti
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  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by jonathan.robie View Post
    On several threads, people have suggested that if you "really know" how to pitch a tarp, it's great for many conditions, but otherwise, a tent's a safer bet.

    I don't know how to pitch a tarp, much less really know. I did find this on the Internet:

    http://www.cloudwalkersbasecamp.com/tarp_camping.html

    That seems reasonable. But people also suggest that I might want to learn multiple ways to pitch a tarp. Are there other ways that are particularly useful? For what conditions? If there are N ways I should know how to pitch a tarp, I'd like to learn them, how do I do that?

    Like many things, the only real way to learn is to practice. Pitching a tarp is practically an artform. Given a set of equipment (tarp, tie-outs/guy lines, & stakes), your pitch will be different depending on terrain, weather, and your imagination. Tarps are very flexible, but you have to be willing to experiment and confident in your ability to Figure It Out.

    That link above gives you a good idea of some of your options when pitching a basic rectangular tarp. There are three basic pitches shown (and a variation, the A-frame with the sides guyed out for wind stability). Each of these might be preferable to the others depending on your weather or terrain -- the only way to learn when to use them is to try them out.

    The flexibility in a tarp system is one of the main reasons I love my tarp. Every campsite becomes a little challenge where I have to think a little to find the best pitch. I love problem-solving so this suits me. If you don't enjoy the challenge of adapting your tarp to the site, maybe a tarp isn't for you.
    "when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." --HST
    Uncle Silly VA->VT '05, VT->ME '07, VA->GA ??

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by shelterbuilder View Post
    A hammock/tarp combination is very useful when it rains, especially if the tarp is a bit larger than you really need.
    I always worry about being able to find two trees the right distance from each other where I want to camp. Is this generally difficult? What's the range of distances that can work for a hammock/tarp combo? I've never slept in a hammock, I'd want to try one before buying one .... which is a bootstrapping problem.

    While I think of it, tie a single knot in your ridgeline outside (above) the tarp edge to make any rainwater drip off of the line before it can run under the tarp and drip onto YOU!

    Great tip!

    Jonathan

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mags View Post
    I am sounding like a broken record concerning this link and tarps..but hey, it's an excellent link by one of our own.
    http://hikinghq.net/gear/tarp.html
    Cool - I looked at that, then started browsing the rest of his site. Great info there!

    Jonathan

  14. #14
    Registered User shelterbuilder's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jonathan.robie View Post
    I always worry about being able to find two trees the right distance from each other where I want to camp. Is this generally difficult? What's the range of distances that can work for a hammock/tarp combo? I've never slept in a hammock, I'd want to try one before buying one .... which is a bootstrapping problem.
    Great tip!
    Jonathan
    Let me tell you a bit about my tarp set -up. My tarp is oversized (huge, by comparison to most of the tarps that many of the "hammock-hangers" use), but there's a reason for that. The tarp is 7 x 13 feet and has tie-outs at "odd" locations for special pitches. My ridgeline cord is about 25 feet long - and if I can't find two trees that are between 13 and 25 feet apart, then it's time to look for another site! If I'm using a hammock, I try to find two trees that are 15 - 18 feet apart to hang everything onto. If I'm on the ground, I don't even need a tree, because I can use my hiking staff to raise and anchor the front end, and the rear end of the tarp can slope to the ground. Pitched correctly, a tarp this size can shelter 2 adults comfortably, with sit-up room inside, even with a pitch that's "tight to the ground". It's all about being creative, and once you get used to it, it becomes second nature.

  15. #15
    Registered User Frolicking Dinosaurs's Avatar
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    This is a link to a 61 page PDF document that tells you more about pitching tarps than you ever wanted to know. It has helped me decide what sort of tarp I need to take and helped me work out design issues for homemade tarps, tents and poncho / capes.

  16. #16
    Registered User Cannibal's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bootstrap View Post
    I always worry about being able to find two trees the right distance from each other where I want to camp. Is this generally difficult? What's the range of distances that can work for a hammock/tarp combo?
    I've never had to spend more than 5 minutes looking for a site to hang from. Sometimes I spend more time if I want a 'unique' hang, like over a stream, but it's much easier to find a hanging site than a good ground site. The ridge on my tarp is just a hair under 11', so I look for a span somewhere between 12' and about 20' (depending on diameter of trees). I could go a little less or a little more, but 12-20 is my happy zone.
    Tomorrow might just be too late and today is just beginning.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bootstrap View Post
    I always worry about being able to find two trees the right distance from each other where I want to camp. Is this generally difficult? What's the range of distances that can work for a hammock/tarp combo? I've never slept in a hammock, I'd want to try one before buying one .... which is a bootstrapping problem.




    Great tip!

    Jonathan
    Come hiking around here sometime and I'll loan you a hammock. I've got enough of them.
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  18. #18
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    I've never slept in a hammock, I'd want to try one before buying one .... which is a bootstrapping problem.



    Once you use the hammock, you will be hooked.
    You will be on your way to becoming a made man. to the hammock hanging mafia

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by SGT Rock View Post
    Come hiking around here sometime and I'll loan you a hammock. I've got enough of them.
    SgtRock's dream home

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by SGT Rock View Post
    Come hiking around here sometime and I'll loan you a hammock. I've got enough of them.
    Hey, nice offer - I just might take you up on it some time!

    Jonathan

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