12 Reasons To Try Backpacking With A Tarp

[@xmetal280]

I am 100% a tent person and live in a place with aggressive and horrible pests, I will never ever get a tarp, but I still watched this whole video because you do a great job and present your content so well. 😄

[@timbschwartz]

Haha thanks so much, Paul! I really appreciate the kind words. Saw a video on your channel that you're in Florida - I've heard the bugs can be brutal!

[@xmetal280]

@@timbschwartz Ha, yes if it’s not mosquitoes it’s biting flies, or spiders, or giant cockroaches or maybe a snake. I ain’t got no time for that 😂

[@dad3562]

You must live in Arizona huh? LoL what’s your preferred tent for your location? I too have the same pests.

[@jeffjag2691]

Up here in MN the skitters sounded like a weed whip during bug season. Though that’s done as I’m posting this.

[@silverhammer7779]

When you live in the Deep South, with heavy rains that sometimes fall horizontally due to high winds, you appreciate the 100% coverage a tent provides. Even in fair weather, you still have mass quantities of biting insects to contend with as well as all manner of curious and hungry wildlife. Tarps still are useful, just not as a primary shelter. The main reason to have a tarp is to use it as a rainfly for your tent.

[@RAINSMAN79]

Southeast Texas here and I use a hammock with a tarp with doors.

[@carlpolen7437]

Yeah, tons of people tarp camp in extreme conditions and stay dry. Hammock campers are a great example.

[@marcoglara2012]

Outstanding reasoning, brother. As I get older, I’m getting more interested in backpacking. I’ve yet to get started, but videos like this really make me. Look forward to it.

[@timbschwartz]

Thanks for the kind words and I'm so glad that you enjoyed the video!

[@pedroclaro7822]

The last reason is the best. It is so fun to mess around with knots, and different configurations, learning about setup location etc. I feel much more prepared in a survival situation because of that. And the knots come in handy all the time in my rural life. They make me feel like a stud 😂 But mostly I do tarp camping just because I am a hammocker and thst doesn’t work so well in the winter - no easy way to get a winter tarp for my setup. So I go to the ground then. With a water resistant Bivvy for extra wind proofing. It’s daily light and I don’t have to get extra gear, so cheaper. And tbh there’s way less bugs or critters during winters. Plus I can make a campfire so the smoke and smell repels some

[@timbschwartz]

Agreed! I helped my brother put up a tarp over his RV recently and felt like the man ratcheting things prusik knots and truckers hitches lol. I'm a big fan of the colder months as well for the same reasons you mentioned. WPB bivy is on the list :)

[@jpriddle]

Yes! Other videos I’ve seen on tarp camping address a few of these, but not so many and all so eloquently sequenced. While a tarp may be something to work up to for those who may want to overcome other fears first, it really is the simplest and cheapest shelter to get started with. Especially in fair weather!

[@timbschwartz]

1000% agreed! Thanks for the kind words!

[@BillHimmel]

Again, very concrete, informative and well argued! Thx!

[@timbschwartz]

Thanks for watching, Bill!

[@ZoomTrainerGuard]

As always. Nice Production Quality 👊🏻

[@timbschwartz]

Thanks so much for the kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@jeffreycarman2185]

Thanks for the video!

[@cbarnes2160]

On a recent trip, I had a tarp with a bug net under and it was great. There was a significant wind down the valley and I was able to do a setup I had practiced that was tight to the ground with a sort of point into the wind and the corners folded under but relatively open downwind. I could look out easily in the morning but not have a cold breeze on my face all night. With my tents I can't get any side of the fly truly down to the ground. So they're much less good in that kind of wind!

[@timbschwartz]

Nicely done! Dealing with the wind is honestly the hardest part in my opinion - it'll easily go right through my 7D sleeping bag haha. Thanks for the comment!

[@ben.jamin921]

I am starting to consider tarp camping / backpacking. As I love my Nemo Hornet 2p, I agree I miss so much Oregon nature while I’m inside. Now to research backpacking tarps.

[@timbschwartz]

Oh, nice! Yeah, give it a shot - I recommend either Simply Light Designs or Zpacks. Thanks for the comment!

[@CordCrenshaw]

Ok Tim. You’re starting to warm me up to the whole idea of tarp camping. I bought a Parria Outdoors tarp for an upcoming trip. I was thinking of using it for just hangout space but maybe I should consider sleeping under it.

[@timbschwartz]

Ayo! Love that idea, assuming you've got a plan for bugs and poor weather and such (or that these are a non-issue where you'll be.) But yeah, I just sort of dove in with it one day and it really just like sleeping anywhere else haha.

[@andymytys]

You soooo need to get a Hummingbird Hammock Single+ hammock and a set of tree straps (2”, eat the extra weight, esp. if you might be hanging off cedars). No mud splash on the shelter, no matter how hard the rain. Packing in the morning allows you to toss everything in the hammock and use it as a big shelf, with everything visible right in front of you. Use it as a camp chair. It’s also way easier to change your pants and socks than when balancing on one foot or sitting on the ground / fallen tree. You won’t believe the muscle and joint recovery that you get laying in the hammock compared to on a sleeping pad. Best of all, you’re still tarp camping. They’re out of stock now but Hummingbird restocks frequently. For the PNW, you might want the longer, wider straps.

[@timbschwartz]

Hey! This is what I have: simplylightdesigns.com/collections/hammocks/products/streamliner I use it from time to time, but haven't been able to get myself to pull the trigger on an underquilt yet, so it limits what I can do with it. I do agree they're super comfy - perhaps I'm just a creature of habit haha

[@andymytys]

@@timbschwartz I have a “rigged” UQ that I use comfortably down to 45 F. I took a UQ for measurements and then cut a space blanket to size. I folded the edges of the space blanket over and secured them with 1/2 width Leukotape, making a channel. I placed shock cord in the channels and put cord locks at the ends. This allows me to adjust the tension of the space blanket just like a traditional UQ. It weighs 4 oz. I have “S-biners” at either end to clip it to my suspension. Between the outside of the hammock and my UQ I place one of those 2mm foam sleeping pads. That gets me down to 55 F. If I get cold at night, I carry four sections of z-rest, which also act as my pack padding and “frame” against my back when carrying my Nashville Cutaway or Alien Novum pack. This gets me down to 45 F. If it gets colder, I put my Therm-a-Rest NeoAir women’s pad in the hammock itself, inflated to around 40%. This will take me town into the 30s alone, but it weighs 12oz.

[@andymytys]

If you want to buy something like my rigged UQ, check out the 2QZQ Argon UQP. Really, these solutions form a wall that keeps the wind at bay, which goes a long way in itself to making the hammock a warmer sleep.

[@mathieutallard6328]

Yeah ! And vaccin is good against covid and no side effects!!

[@kayakcobber524]

Use tarps all the time...depends on the project i combine it with hammock, bivybag or Aframe meshtent. Always on the road for many months in all weather conditions. Tarp is the way to go....

[@timbschwartz]

Thanks for the comment! Absolutely - I try to use one as often as I can.

[@nedanother9382]

be clear....."inherently" type 2 fun....type 2. Practice makes it easier. Everything you said is true. I have a great kit with the "best" tent. I wanted a simpler and sometimes better experience. dealt with many challenges including the deadly mosquitos where and when they shouldn't have been on my first trip and it was still good. High altitude is a good candidate. At or above tree line.

[@timbschwartz]

Absolutely! Definitely a time and place for tents, as well. I may or may not have a new one arriving this week :)

[@TheTdwilson]

Great video, Tim! I have been really, really close to ditching my Duplex in favor of my dyneema tarp. Who offers the bathtub floor you show in the video? Thanks again for the great content!

[@timbschwartz]

Thanks so much for the kind words! That one is a solo Pyramid Floor from Mountain Laurel Designs - it's been great to me over the years. mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/pyramid-floors/ Personally, I'd keep the tent, though. There are certain situations, like intense bug pressure, where having a tent makes the most sense.

[@Four_Furry_Paws]

Really like your content Tim. Keep it coming. So, how do you keep the bugs at bay? I use an MLD cricket and mesh inner. I can leave the inner down before i sleep and raise up at bed time. Still the benefits of a tarp. Not sure I’d save much weight by going to a bivvy bag?

[@timbschwartz]

Thanks for the kind words, Sean! I use either a bug bivy or a floorless pyramid net, depending on my mood. Honestly, you'd be at about the same weight with a bivy, so not much of a reason to switch it up if you like what you have going on now.

[@garyo4456]

Zpacks, Hyperlight or Mountain Laurel Design DCF tarp?? Which???

[@timbschwartz]

If I could do it again, I'd probably go Hyperlite for the ridge tieouts.

[@philamongthehills501]

What do use for a floor and if needed bugnet

[@timbschwartz]

Thanks for the question! I use either a Borah Gear Bug Bivy (floor and net), Sea to Summit pyramid net (just net), or Mountain Laurel Designs pyramid floor (just the floor.)

[@dad3562]

What about scorpions and rattle snakes?

[@timbschwartz]

No scorpions in my area, thankfully. Ran into my fair share of rattlesnakes growing up in PA, although I wasn't cowboy camping or tarping much then. That said it was my experience that they don't really want to be bothered - the danger is more in stepping on one on trail. I'm no snake expert, though. Thanks for the comment!

[@gcvrsa]

Probably the biggest advantage of a plain rectangular or square tarp is the fact that you can use many different types of pitches to suit the particular conditions. The biggest disadvantage, of course, is the complete and total lack of barrier to bugs and small wildlife. Now, this is also a factor where the potential consequences are highly dependent on the local environment. Some places have very few problems with bugs, others will be completely intolerable without a full mesh bug tent to supplement the tarp. But, once you understand you to properly use a tarp, you will start to realize just exactly how overpriced and overweight most tents really are for the actual utility they offer, which in most cases is only a marginal advantage over a tarp. I have camped for an entire week on multiple occasions in the Michigan woods with nothing but two lightweight 9x12 woven poly tarps ($10 each), a groundsheet (a smaller 6x8 woven poly tarp), and no bug net, though I did use insect repellent, and been perfectly comfortable.

[@timbschwartz]

I'm with you on this! When the conditions are right, tarps are the way to go.

[@De_FlaY]

Nr 13 Bugs in summer :D

[@ryhtkj6681]

I live in Australia and my biggest fear is a snake coming in to join me.

[@yazoobee]

13 claustrophobia , you can set the tarp up so you don't feel enclosed in a coffin

[@timbschwartz]

That's a really good point! Officially #13!

[@ThePreparedNorseman]

Space? Laughing in MLD DCF Monk tarp

[@timbschwartz]

Haha! Yes I suppose some tarps don't offer much space.

[@Superduper666]

Bugs are the no-no for me

[@timbschwartz]

Totally understand! There are some options for bug netting and such if you wanted to go that route, but a tent is fine is well. Everyone enjoys the outdoors a little differently!

[@andyhood8654]

Reason 13 - insects...

[@SogriesBinoculars]

Hey Tim, high-quality video!! Is there any chance I can get in touch with you about collaboration? It would be greatly appreciated if you could provide an email address or upload it on the KZbin website, where I can reach you. Thanks and take care!!

[@timbschwartz]

Hi there! Feel free to drop me a line on Instagram. Happy to chat :)