How To Setup An Ultralight Backpacking Tarp

[@beachbum3b]

Ahhh thanks for sharing the tarp love. I've had to sit out a few snowstorms under a tarp and with a steep A frame it did solid. I will say my favorite set up though with my 8'x10' is the late night burrito. I prefer to cowboy camp as much as possible, if it starts raining or hailing unexpectedly just burrito your self in the tarp and call it good. Another great video mate! :)

[@JupiterHikes]

Oh man the late night burrito!!! That's advanced next level tarp styles

[@386Clarke]

Ryen Cosgro Word to the late night burrito. Also works well when the wind rips a stake or two out

[@chrisz.9974]

What do you do about pooling/running rain water? O_O

[@csn583]

@@chrisz.9974 Don't setup in a low spot/water channel. If you mean when burritoing, if it's raining hard enough for that to be a concern, don't burrito.

[@techguy9023]

I have a pyramid. I love that it goes up quick-four stakes and a trekking pole. I have used eight stakes when windy and had them pull out in winter because the ground was saturated. Tied to big rocks helped

[@jaffcat]

I love the plough point shelter, super fast super easy and great protect.... The tarp is the best shelter...

[@easternadventures9978]

Love the frequency in which these are going up! Keep up the great work!

[@JupiterHikes]

I'm happy you enjoy them! It's been a lot of fun learning and playing with this new medium!!!

[@johnmathews3161]

I use a 10 x 10 tarp. My favorite setup is to tie a ridge line to a tree at about chest high. I take it down to the ground with a stake holding it there. I make sure the line from the tree to ground ends up being about 11 to 12 feet. By centering the tarp on the ridge line, I have 6 to 12 inches from the tree and the ground. I stake out the tarp corners to the ground on the back end. I stake out the tarp corners using guy lines up front. This setup gives a lot of room and a lot of protection.

[@386Clarke]

Right on. I like to think I invented this setup 10 years ago lol but I don’t use a ridgeline. I just tie the middle loop of short side of my tarp to the tree with pcord and complete like you describe. Tons of protection! Hike well mate.

[@drukqs12]

Dude, you've really got me considering a tarp and bivy set up.

[@sethbeiden1305]

Super helpful video, and makes testing the tarp set up much more approachable for me. Thanks for uploading genuinely helpful and to-the-point content!

[@jeffgilpin]

Thanks for your great content. I recently started using a tarp. I love the connection with nature and the lighter weight. I was out last week in a light rain. I stayed dry, but wondered about blowing rain and would I get wet from rain that can blow in from an open side. I lowered the tarp and strategically aligned to protect from any wind. I've heard some who use an umbrella or rain skirt on an open side but wanted to hear your thoughts on how to mitigate blowing rain. Thanks again.

[@20Hikecdt23]

Hey Jupiter, I took the plunge and got a REI Quarter Dome Tarp. I think it is significantly lighter and I think it will work. Thanks for the video and recommend!

[@ungerwhere.]

Nice dude! After spending 30 days on the SHR with 2 other guys in a tarp I was convinced of how great of a tool tarps are. Love it!

[@danflowers8584]

Great video, appreciate the time you take to do these. I have been a tarper only for the last 5 years and love it.

[@alexk1486]

1 tarp, 1 line, 3 stakes. tie off to a tree at your desired height, stake out the remaining 3 corners, and now you have a minimal plowpoint setup

[@dirktube5468]

Jup- stake a corner, fold the two adjacent corners under to meet, put your trek pole in the ground where they meet handle up, put the tarp over that. Tie a line around the handle from the outside over the tarp and pull taught away from the opposite corner you staked. Now pull the two side corners past/atop each other to the opposite edges along the ground and stake the outer edge, plus the new corners created where the edge meets the ground at the opening. Stake the last remaining corner at either of these edge-corners on the ground and the slack flap down to the middle and you have a totally enclosed shelter with 2 ground layers, with a triangular end, from one square tarp. ;)

[@TimoteoDelCielo]

Like the tarp too... you can be creative with it, and its extremely light. I need to up my game with it still but still my favorite option. If its gonna be cold, rain/snow, I bring a simple bivy bag also... maybe in part to insure my down doesn't get too wet. Maybe I need synthetic.

[@Theo_Caro]

THINK OF THE WAIT SAVINGS!

[@TedOfNod]

Weight a second. Are you sure you spelled that correctly?

[@cozmo3778]

Wait and weight saves time as well lol

[@csn583]

Wāt!

[@csn583]

W8!

[@jimizxztheorginal]

W8

[@billyegan213]

Just finally pulled the trigger on the MLD poncho tarp. Excited to play around with it, and would love to see how you pitch yours cause I know you carried that on your ECT hike. Keep it up with the videos, they're great!

[@JupiterHikes]

The poncho tarp I used almost always in a half pyramid or modified half pyramid!

[@willek1335]

Hi. I'm wondering if I should go for this one (silnylon). What's your experience so far?

[@brandonwilliams2431]

Dutch, could you make some recommendations for a sewing machine or what to look for in a diy machine .?

[@dunnoit83]

for bugs- tarp plus cuben bivy (125 g/4.4 oz)

[@DetraDearmas]

I can't believe more people don't tarp camp. Our fav in cold or foul weather for the night is to lay it flat peg down all four corners 1 pole in front one center or towards the back. It's a star variation that is more like a dome. We luv to experiment with different set ups.

[@evanbarrett2072]

Thanks for the video! My tent is 5 lbs and have been thinking about switching to a tarp.

[@JupiterHikes]

A tarp is definitely worth trying! I never ever thought I would like them, now it's all I want to use.

[@gardenstatehikes]

Awesome video! I saw zpacks just came out with a UL tarp with doors I have my eye on. Your tarp looks awesome too. Thanks for demonstrating the variations!

[@JupiterHikes]

thank you julie! learning as I go, i hope in the future i can make a more in depth video. there's so many crazy tarp configurations i dont even use! but its very fun, and very special to me to be so close to nature yet protected still

[@bretthikez6567]

Can't wait to try mine out with my bivy....great video dude..

[@liverpoolhikers]

Great video hope to see on the trail one day

[@greggibson6504]

Helpful info and clear presentation, as always 👍👍

[@iwazzabadboy1982]

Thanks for the tarp info👍🏻

[@MrDaddyFatSacks69]

Hey Jupiter, I know you predominantly camp under a tarp, but I could have sworn you had mentioned using the MLD Bivy. I’m currently deciding on taking it on the PCT this year but wanted to get your POV on it or tarp camping in general along the PCT seeing as you have so much experience with it. Glad to see you doing so well with your art and hiking videos btw! Keep up the great work!

[@JungleSkater]

Thanks for the knowledge

[@trailfleamlangdon2260]

I like your videos, do you have one with how you sleep under your tarp, like for bugs, mice? Thanks, Trail Flea,,,

[@wildaboutwatches]

Where I use mine is middle of dartmoor no trees and need tail to ground too Tony Hobbs

[@friarrodneyburnap4336]

Thank you for your information . .

[@jeffreycarman2185]

A 5 ft by 9 ft tarp! That’s very small. Great video.

[@GreencampRhodie]

Love my tarp (& hammock). Great to hear a trail veteran talking about tarps in the trail, 1st I've heard, all others been tenters (boooo, lol).

[@brianwhidden]

You have me interested in at least trying a tarp set up, i currently use a Duplex but really want to get my Palante pack even smaller and lighter. Thanks

[@elliott5045]

The most UL Dad

[@earlc5977]

Just wondering how many guidelines you have with your tarp and what lengths are best suited for your setups? Also what do you use for guidelines? That info would be much appreciated.

[@cozmo3778]

Awesome Thnx for sharing mite have to get a tarp

[@RC-qf3mp]

How did you learn how to use a tarp? If I’ve never even used a tent, should I start off with a tent and then progress to a tarp, or just dive straight into a tarp and learn as I go along?

[@JupiterHikes]

Definitely start with a tent if you haven't used one before. The tent in the end has more usefulness so you'll still want to own one for certain trails or times of year (heavy bug season for instance!) Then venture off into a cheap tarp in good weather and such and see how you like that later

[@TheLeedgelodge]

Is a tarp like that durable enough to be used as a ground sheet like in some set ups where half of the tarp is folded underneath as a dry place to lay? Thanks for the videos

[@Whamola]

When it's raining, how do you deal with water running through under the tarp? When you sleep do you pretty much just have to lay in it with your bivy or mat?

[@rachelrolltide3106]

I have this same question. I hammock and in heavy rain a lot of times I get water running underneath.

[@professorsogol5824]

It's called "ditching." Dig a ditch on the uphill side to defect the running water off to the sides. Be sure to fill it in when you leave the following day.

[@architennis]

@thickock45 It's part of the Leave No Trace (minimal impact for the next hiker) approach to the backcountry.

[@flashmanv3260]

What size tarp is that? Sorry if you said and I missed it. I mainly hammock, but have been using my tarp more over my tent when I don't bring my hammock. I'm in the north east, so a bit of the season a tarp is not the best choice because I'm in a high tick area. By the time I add a bug net to the tarp it's not much different over a tent. But later fall time a tarp works great in my area. And I have become so use to having a nice open view in my hammock under a tarp it hard to be in a tent now. Thanks for sharing.

[@JupiterHikes]

This one is a 9x10!

[@ErnieB573]

whats the trekking poles? didnt see them listed at the gear page

[@indijay9049]

True I guess they wouldn't be classified as backpacking gear since you would use them while walking

[@JupiterHikes]

I don't often use trekking poles and just use sticks!!! So not listed because I rarely carry them (other than to make the filming of a video slightly easier ;) ) They are the Leki corklite i think

[@brianwhidden]

Do you recommend a cuban fiber tarp?

[@JupiterHikes]

yeah definitely, a 7x9 flat tarp is great weighs like 6oz a beautiful thing

[@61shotbeehive]

For those who want to save two ounces and don't mind feeding their eyebrows to raccoons during sleep. LOL. Jk. Love you, Jupiter

[@jensfriedrich3269]

Hey Jupiter, thanks for your wonderful content and sorry for my poor English. What do you think of the combination of a lightweight tyvek bivy and a 3m x 1.5m silnylon poncho tarp? Is this sort of tarp too small for a longer hike? I'm 1.72m. Thanks for your answer, Jens

[@davesdinnerz9243]

Sounds pretty heavy, get a sil nylon bivy at least, DCF is the best material. It depends on your hike

[@jensfriedrich3269]

@@davesdinnerz9243 : Hey Broccoli The silnylon poncho tarp incl. lines and stakes is about 310gr. The tyvek bivy is 205gr. So how much can you save then going to DCF? Having a 515gr sleeping system is not too shabby.....

[@freeze1975]

Is the pole in the back shorter? :)

[@friarrodneyburnap4336]

I was camped in Oak Creek Canyon in Sedona Arizona...in a Black Diamond Mega Light pyramid tarp tent...and had a skunk come into my shelter that night ...I sat up looked at him and he at me and the skunk ran away without spraying the inside of my tarp...So you can get animals coming into your Tarp at night...

[@nickgerstenlauer4111]

I can't figure out how to sleep under a tarp in tick-living woods. Please tell me how you safely sleep under a tarp around ticks?

[@sethturnbull1503]

Would you say a tarp is a good idea for a shelter to take with me on my AT thru hike starting next January?

[@JupiterHikes]

January woah! That's a cold start. I'd say no. For two reasons. Since you're starting so early the extra 5 or so degrees of warmth a tent will give you is nice. And as soon as March pops around the flies will come. A fall hike starting August though is great for a tarp on the AT

[@seaotter52]

Might want to check out Evan's Backpacking videos on KZbin. He thru hiked the AT using a tarp and MLD bivy. I hammock camp year round and there's definitely a temp difference in a tarp but definitely doable but needs to be really dialed in. Data from thru hiker stats indicates a much higher drop out rate for early starters. Know that and be prepared for the mental side. Good luck. I'm retiring this year and plan 2020 for an AT thru also. Again, good luck and have a great hike

[@TS-eo9uf]

Doesn't the ground still get wet underneath you when it rains? Wouldn't it soak through your sleeping bag? I cannot figure out how you would stay dry with wet ground. I'm assuming you're doomed to be damp if the ground is already wet from rain before you set up your sleeping arrangement, right? Brand new to backpacking (let alone through hiking/long trips), so these are probably total newbie questions. I have used tents my whole life, but tarps are new to my brain.

[@JupiterHikes]

I carry I lightweight ground sheet, it weighs 1oz and is made of polycryo, keeps me dry off the ground, and is very easy to dry out through the day instead of with a tent where the whole inside would get wet if you were to put it away like that.

[@outroprojeto]

my doubt in this configuration is actually about the water that may come sliding on the floor when it is raining. How do you solve this? Thanks for the video!

[@JupiterHikes]

ya know ive been through a lot of storms and have never had a problem! I can't explain every situation but it absolutely helps to find a spot that isn't in a depression, or somewhere that's slightly elevated

[@elizabethingram9784]

Thanks for demystifying tarps somewhat. LOL

[@John-Adam]

How do you deal with tics?

[@haydensmith8576]

where did you get the tarp stand? did you get it with the tarp?

[@elifan2523]

He’s using trekking poles ;)

[@marilynrodger3570]

Hey Jupiter, I've got my 7X9 flat tarp coming in the mail. I am wondering which knots you use/recommend for the guy lines, ridge lines, and tying off to trees ect?

[@adrianherth9497]

I'm also super interested in that. Also about the length of the different lines.

[@zachwarres8847]

Do you use anything with the tarp for bug protection? Or do your switch to a tent when the bugs get bad? Thanks!

[@JupiterHikes]

Hey! I have another video regarding bugs and tarps, but I've tried it all! And continue to use a tarp despite bugs with either a bivy, umbrella net, or headnet depending on the conditions.

[@sethbeiden1305]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqnElZxqmd2be9U

[@niccolog2166]

Does it happen that you set up tent on wet ground? How the hell do you stay dry in that scenario? (Your backpack, your quilt)

[@coasternut3091]

Could a hammock specific tarp be used for this? I know it could do the A - frames, but what about others?

[@csn583]

What makes it hammock-specific?

[@alexroast]

How do you prevent water from collecting on the ground and rolling under your tarp? Or does that just come down to campsite selection?

[@chrisz.9974]

This is what I’m confused about.

[@csn583]

Campsite selection, and its interaction with your choice of tarp setup.

[@zacharycwebb5879]

Tarping!! Woohooo

[@mdefiel]

What’s the best size for two people but mostly one person?

[@JupiterHikes]

Probably 10x10 as that's what I've used for two(and just me) but if that other person isn't as comfortable under a tarp bigger can help

[@danielemilazzo432]

JupiterHikes what brands do you recommend?

[@SargentEdgedTools]

What do you do now being you don't use poles anymore?

[@JupiterHikes]

In the video I just used the trekking poles.... for ease of filming. I havent actually used poles in years and always find a stick towards the end of my day, a tree, or bush to tie up to

[@SargentEdgedTools]

@@JupiterHikes thanks for the reply my man!

[@garrettmain3712]

Those New Balance MT10v4's though......

[@SeanKimStyle]

This may be a silly question but I'm really curious. When you sleep under a tarp, isn't it easier for bigger animals/crazy people can attack you without any warning? Whereas if you had a proper tent, you aren't as exposed to sudden attack. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm very interested in backpacking with a Tarp.

[@20Hikecdt23]

No bivi, huh?

[@aubépine-coeur]

👍

[@papajeff5486]

“A “A 5-6 pound backpack”…on a long hike. I have a very light backpack, a very light tarp, a very light DWR down blanket, and they weigh more than 6 pounds. Shaking my head, by the time I include a Tyvek ground sheet, a sleeping pad, tiny air pump, ice spikes, water filter, pee bottle, minimal clothing, stakes, a cook kit, a whistle, a toilet kit, I’m over 20 pounds. Then add several days food and water…CRAP!!! Even with 5-6 lb back pack, SH!T, I still couldn’t possibly do several 40 mile days in a row. Son, you’re a genetic freak. I hope you can turn it into profit.

[@christopherch7307]

👍😎👍

[@justsmy5677]

I think I would want a tent with a floor in snake country (like southern part of PCT).

[@BenjTrogdon]

Just Smy Nah

[@RootsLion]

lanshan1 just using the footprint an fly good w a poncho roll