Tarp Tips -- Using a tarp instead of a tent.

Sherwood Botsford

As I mention in another article, I'm a fan of tarps for camping. For years I was the cook on trips. I tried to get people fed as fast as I could after arrival, but cooking for 30 on an open fire is not super fast at the best of times. Often it was 2-3 hours after stopping that I finally had time to make my camp.

(If I were to venture on a trip north of tree line during bug season, I would take a tent. Ferocious!)

Since I prefer

to distance myself from other staff members smelly socks and assorted snores, I've camped alone most trips. Thus I couldn't count on my partner to find a spot. By the time supper was made, the good spots, of course, were taken.

But one of the reasons I really like a tarp is that it will fit in spots that no one would dream of setting up a tent.

Example: A 3' wide patch of moss between a couple fallen trees. Find two standing trees nearby to tie two lines to. Two tent stakes, and I'm ready for the night.

Most of my setups use at least one tree for a corner. Few use even 4 pegs.

Bumpy terrain is no problem. But check with a quick lie down to select the spot where you will put your tender body. Many inviting spots have a root that lies in wait to savage the small of your back. Contrast this with a tent, where a bump or hollow will cause the whole thing to have slack spots and then not shed water properly.

A tarp can be set up in many ways....

Hot night tarp: Two adjacent corners high, the other two low. On a warm night, the upper ones will be 5 feet or so in the air, the lower ones 2 feet. This is enough that if there is a sprinkle during the night, it will shed off. It's also enough to block radiation to space, so you don't wake up with everything dew soaked. Does not do well in wind.

Just in case tarp: One corner high into a thick spruce. 3 corners low. This one even works when it snows, as the spruce blocks most of the drift.

In the rain tarp. Two adjacent ends low, opposite middle high. This leaves two large triangular flaps that drape down. If it's windy, peg down the corners, and adjust the height of the middle so that you have a narrow slit of an entrance.

Low rider: Two kitty corners about 2-3 feet high, one of these can be fairly low if you need extra protection. 2 kitty corners on the ground. This is a good one when you need to share your tarp with others. Try to keep it high enough that the tarp doesn't touch the bags. Keep the lines very tight. This is one of the best setups for windy locations. It can be done with a single tree, too, which can be handy near timberline.

Spruce tree wrap: Find a large spruce tree -- 10" to 2 foot diameter. tie one corner to a branch about 5 feet off the ground as far from the trunk as you can and get a stiff branch (at least 1 inch diameter) Manoever the edge of the tarp between the branches, and tie another corner to a branch. The midpoint of the edge should at least touch the trunk. If you can get the tarp to wrap around a quarter turn, that's better. The other corners are guyed out so that anything that falls off the tree is carried toward the edge. This setup will not look neat and tidy. Spruce duff is even drier than sphagnum moss. It's also quite pokey.

This is a great setup for really raunchy weather. I've tried it with pines. Doesn't work very well. Pines just aren't thick enough. You're counting on the shedding ability of the tree to keep stuff from blowing in the high edge.

"But the ground will be all wet!"

Maybe. I'm amazed at how much water sphagnum moss absorbs. I've set up my tarp during a rain, thrown my pack under, and then left to finish making supper. An hour later it's gone from being wet to being just damp.

Now-a-days my sleeping bag is encased in a goretex bivy, so unless it's a puddle, I'm unlikely to get wet. I've also just taken another tarp, or a light weight poncho, and put that between my bag and the ground.

In 33 years of doing this -- 3 week canoe trips, 1 week fall hikes, 5-15 days a year winter camping, I have slept in a wet sleeping bag once. (I dumped late in the afternoon, and my bag wasn't properly closed. )

Tip: Put you wet clothing between your bivy/poncho/tent floor and the moss. The moss will wick lots of the moisture out. In the morning you can put on warm damp socks instead of cold soggy ones.

Do NOT sandwich them between your bag and the tent floor. That gets your bag wet.

Tip. Collect and put away the tent pegs first. A lonely tent peg is hard to find.