Anyone use a tarp for a tent??

[Dale]

wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to rig a tarp so that it is a waterproof tent? i just figured it would be a lot lighter and compact packing in a tarp than a tent. any ideas or experiences?

DALE

[Steeleco]

When camping in the fall, we usually run a rope between to good sized trees and then hang the tarp over that. Then tie off each cleat to a tent peg and then set up camp underneath. I suppose if you were to scale down this idea it might work, but I would think any wind would make things nippy??

[Sieg-MM]

If you experience bad weather, you will probably regret not bring a tent. I've heard of guys using a tarp and their experience was not great. Hey Goat Guy, did you and One-Shot-Wonder share a tent last year on opening day? Was it cozy :)

[300WM]

http://www.equipped.org/tarp-shelters.htm

[Fisher-Dude]

If you experience bad weather, you will probably regret not bring a tent. I've heard of guys using a tarp and their experience was not great. Hey Goat Guy, did you and One-Shot-Wonder share a tent last year on opening day? Was it cozy :)

Poor GG. One Shit is known to be a "cuddler" when the temperatures drop. :lol:

A good quality tent is worth the extra pound or two as soon as the wind and rain hits. The weight difference will quickly even out if everything you own gets soaked. A tarp in addition to a tent would be best.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

I've got friends that have done the bivy sac/ tarp thing for a 12 day sheep hunt. After most of that time was spent in the driving rain...they won't do it again. If the weather is great it would be fine for a few days but not for a full 2 week hunt IMHO.

For a light weight tarp you can't beat the Integral Design's Siltarp II.
http://www.integraldesigns.com/product.cfm?id=6&CFID=7378347&CFTOKEN=43005992&mainproducttypeid=1
We use is more for a cook fly/ gear storage area. After being stuck inside a tent for a couple of days it's nice just to get outside and into a dry area.
http://usera.imagecave.com/BrentT/stonehunt2005.jpg
I keep the tarp with me at all times in case I have to spend a night away from camp. I keep my insulating pad with me as well.

SSS

[GoatGuy]

If you experience bad weather, you will probably regret not bring a tent. I've heard of guys using a tarp and their experience was not great. Hey Goat Guy, did you and One-Shot-Wonder share a tent last year on opening day? Was it cozy :)

Under the stars for me - it was comfy, no rain though.


Stonesheepsteve and one-shot shared accomodations along with the packrats and mice. I can only fathom what happened; all kinds of giggling coming out of there.:frown:


Two years ago we were soaked with gale force winds, the tent stuck to our faces and woke up to a broken tent pole and a couple inches of snow.:evil:


Just taking a tarp ain't too bad but if you get socked in for a couple days it gets a little rough. I've done it up north in August and it ain't the best way to travel but so long as you can build a lean-to or find some boulders and get some boughs to lay down you'll survive.


Buddy of mine hunts stone's in October solo and spends half his nights sleeping under a poncho - course he's a bit of a nut.

Bivy sac's probably the way to go for a one man show.

[bigwhiteys]

Yep, Sil-Tarp II is a wicked little piece of gear... Definitely worth it to pack along but there isn't much chance you'd find me living underneath one for 10 days. Take a small tent or a bivy. (I would take a tent)

Carl

[Fisher-Dude]

I've heard that SSS sleeps in the canopy of his Furd most of the time. Word is, he even has a toilet area in there. Can't say he doesn't travel in style! 8-)

[boxhitch]

Sleeping under a tarp allows one to be closer to nature (mice, rats, porkys, mosquitoes, etc) 12 x 16 is a good starter size, sides can be dropped and buried for wind proofing, when needed. String it high/narrow or low/wide. Lots of flexibility. Everyone has a doorway, for those midnight walks.

But, a tent does have that feeling of security when closing the zipper, keeping all those things that go bump in the night on the outside........

[Fisher-Dude]

This is my idea of a good tent. :lol:

http://www.psndealer.com/dealersite/images/ec0355/0436-629_1.jpghttp://www.psndealer.com/dealersite/images/ec0355/0436-629.jpg

[boxhitch]

A bivy sack ?? Better have a tarp along, too.

[boxhitch]

This is my idea of a good tent. :lol:


Why am I not surprised ? Run the engine for heat, and cooking ?

[one-shot-wonder]

Stonesheepsteve and one-shot shared accomodations along with the packrats and mice. I can only fathom what happened; all kinds of giggling coming out of there.:frown:

The giggling was from us thinking about "The Dude" battling the rat race with all the other quad warriors on opening day!:biggrin:



Two years ago we were soaked with gale force winds, the tent stuck to our faces and woke up to a broken tent pole and a couple inches of snow.:evil:

Tent didn't work worth a damn, however it still withstood the weather better than a tarp would have that night.

[Dale]

tent it is, thanks

[Tarp Man]

Have you looked at the Tipitent designs? They look pretty sweet. And light.

[Gateholio]

I must have been tougher when I was a kid....

We always used a tarp, except winter camping, when we had a wall tent. I started using tents when I grew up, but tents still make me angry because of condensation.:lol:

[steveo32]

Dale, joel and i spent 9 days under a tarp on our own hunt up the muskwa, with a few of those days in white out conditions, if i remember right we were up there oct 14 to to the 24th when chris would run his small boat. It was not to bad as long as you kept a fire going close by for waking up and warming up:lol: But the again you would have to ask joel how he thought about the whole tarp idea, seeing as i seem to remember him sleeping in a depression and the snow melting down in to a pool:lol:


steve

[MattB]

Dale, joel and i spent 9 days under a tarp on our own hunt up the muskwa, with a few of those days in white out conditions, if i remember right we were up there oct 14 to to the 24th when chris would run his small boat. It was not to bad as long as you kept a fire going close by for waking up and warming up:lol: But the again you would have to ask joel how he thought about the whole tarp idea, seeing as i seem to remember him sleeping in a depression and the snow melting down in to a pool:lol:

steve
Oh come on, who are you kidding. We all know the whiskey and beer kept you guys warm on that trip...Wasnt that your excuse for not shooting anything?

The only advantage i could see a tarp having over a tent (besides the weight) would be if you were hunting with Scoot. Yes, a few people will know what i am referring to. That damn guy has like 50 zippers to do up / undo at night. I have no idea what he was doing in his tent but it was non-stop zippers for 5 minutes I SWEAR! Tent door zipper, pants zipper, sleeping bag zipper, probably had zippers on his extra pair of shoes that he packed on a BACKPACK hunt, hell he probably had zippers with extra zippers on them! LOL :) Good thing i didnt have to share a tent with him, i could barely handle listening to all them zippers from the other tent...a few times i had to burst out laughing and ask if everything was alright!

[MattB]

This is my idea of a good tent. :lol:

http://www.psndealer.com/dealersite/images/ec0355/0436-629_1.jpghttp://www.psndealer.com/dealersite/images/ec0355/0436-629.jpg

LOL, can you ride around with that blind set up? :) That would be pretty funny to see!

[GoatGuy]

This is my idea of a good tent. :lol:

http://www.psndealer.com/dealersite/images/ec0355/0436-629_1.jpghttp://www.psndealer.com/dealersite/images/ec0355/0436-629.jpg

Perfect for you - poke a hole in it and put on a camo hat and you'd probably be able to drive right up to the deer and they'd never see you.

[Pete]

If you go to google search and type in Tarp shelters click on the website by a chap named David Macpherson he has just about every configuration that you could do with a tarp. This is a very good website.
Cheers
Pete

[MattB]

I've been looking at www.tarptent.com (http://www.tarptent.com)