My loathing of tarps is coming to the fore again! What's the worst conditions you've pitched a tarp in and survived the night under?

the first night i tried my micro tarp (batwing shape) we had more rain than any other night for the entire year i think we had a barbecue that night too!!

we were sleeping in a pine forest, where there are kind of ploughed mounds where the trees are in a line. i was on top, in the morning the two furrows either side were full of water - like a personal moat!! my hunka kept my bag dry; tarp my face - was generally more comfortable in my bag then when i had to get out.

I learnt a few things about wet rides that night though. i never bother with spare gloves any more. leant me towards a larger tarp too; with space for gear, more flexable pitching when on non flat ground and gives you some where to sit/ change in the rain.

Why the tarp hate again did nowt? ... thought you were getting along nicely now?

I find it a pain to pitch! The pole has to hook one of the nylon loops, easy enough in still conditions in rain and wind like we've had this last few weeks, a piece of wet silnylon flapping is zero fun!

Just modified a rubber grommet, which fits around the pole and prevents the nylon loop slipping, fingers crossed

It just makes me question how much weather can a basic flat tarp take? I'm doing 9 days out bike packing the Scottish highlands in June, the choices are;

SilNylon Bivy
Bugabivy

SilTarp 1
SilShelter
Laser Comp with or without Fastpack

If the weather is good the bug bivvy is mandatory as the little buggers love to feast on me, so a tarp would be good companion. Silshelter, not overly impressed, going to modify the rear pole I have see what happens, but ultimately unless I can envisage great conditions the Laser wins again!

Get a hammock and stop yer whinging

Won't work everywhere :?

Why not?

Iceland and Alps won't have enough trees, need to get this setup working.

Who said you need trees?

Setting up a siltarp 1 as an A frame is going to give you problems in heavy winds. Setting it up with a pole in the centre of one long edge, then guying everything else down tight is going to handle conditions much better. You could add a couple of tarp clips too which will give you some mid-position guy points on the sides.

Doing it this way won't give you the same space as an A frame but will give you more protection if it's pitched in the right direction.

Not much evidence of tarps being used in crap weather my modifications are going to work on the pole.

But this make good reading
http://www.summitandvalley.com/2008/09/ ... again.html

Kinda confirming the direction I was thinking!

But this make good reading
http://www.summitandvalley.com/2008/09/ ... again.html

Made me smile when I saw the bloke uses a picture of a MLD tarp on his blog header

Just what kind of conditions are you expecting? IMO it would need to be pretty severe before I'd consider a WELL SET UP tarp to be a no go.

I'm expecting the worst; wind, rain, hail, it's the Scottish highlands they can be miserable. Iceland will be windy, Alps, well plans may be changing on that and a friend may now be tagging along so two man setup may be on the cards.

One rubber grommet and the setup is much easier to deal with




another night on the Chilterns testing is looming, and hopefully the latest gear order is delivered before Scotland

"lastest gear order"

Good grief, DNF - have you not got enough already?

Why don't you take the flysheet from your Laser and the cuben footprint you picked up for it?
If it's nice, pin the door open and bask in the evening alpine sunshine.
If it's raining, zip it up. Simples.

The search for the perfect setup continues, once WRT is done, I'm outta here for most of the summer :D

If thats all your taking you'll be eaten alive by the midges and be thoroughly miserable.
Take your laser comp and stop wasting your money.

Hell no, that is only part of the setup, have Bugabivy to go with that or silnylon bivvy bag. The tarp will probably be used at WRT, summer solo will be later comp or the SilShelter, as I'm having to plan around wet and wind.

No midges, you can squeeze 2 in, weighs 650g or just under 800g ready to pitch, you can sit up properly, you can cook properly and it's not made of cheese ... really, what's not to like?

May as well stay with Laser Comp with full inner though, i know exactly what weather I can survive in it

s8tannorm wrote:

No midges, you can squeeze 2 in, weighs 650g or just under 800g ready to pitch, you can sit up properly, you can cook properly and it's not made of cheese ... really, what's not to like?

To be fair Stu, he's a bit bigger than you so I doubt he'll squeeze two in.

didnothingfatal wrote:May as well stay with Laser Comp with full inner though, i know exactly what weather I can survive in it

And it'll cope with slopes.

All I know is summer off, tickets bought, new bike, pile of maps, should be fun

Like the look of that "tarp" s8tannorm, think you mentioned you were going to do a review of it?

I'm sticking with the Trailstar, mainly because I'm trying not to buy much more kit!

Stu.

No midges, you can squeeze 2 in, weighs 650g or just under 800g ready to pitch, you can sit up properly, you can cook properly and it's not made of cheese ... really, what's not to like?

The only thing not to like so far (yet to get my hands on it) is this has been in such high demand in the US that SMD are all sold out until mid-June.... but then the new, improved version should be coming once they are back in stock (currently on back order with a nice German chap!). Not too sure what the improvements will be ut if covers all the above the Stu mentions I'll be more than happy!