Why aren't you TARP camping?! | 5 Reasons to DITCH the net!

[@noahgoldman9725]

Ive been hammock camping without a bug net in CO for a few seasons now, and even sometimes without setting up my tarp, and it is so freeing. One time I woke up face to face with a black bear (courtesy of some other hikers not hanging their food) but he just ran off. Such an awesome experience to just be truly in nature.

[@TheNypenfan]

You are not helping his arguments here with “woke up to a black bear in my face”. Lol

[@RegrettablyLongwinded]

Well shit, I'd have to wash my sleeping pad after that encounter.

[@Confidenta79]

Question: what kind of bear is best

[@3jay22]

@@Confidenta79 for killing you? probably grizzly.

[@johnhoye6584]

I really dont think a bug net would have kept the bear from sniffing you. I think this is correlation, not causation.

[@BryanDeLay]

Been using a tarp 12 months a year since 1998, over 1,500 nights in all types of weather, and never went back to a tent. Only once have I had an issue with any animals; a mice chewed a small hole in my quilt while i was sleeping. If I think mosquitoes will be bad I use a Sea to Summit bug net that weighs 3.72 ounces. Being stuck under a shelter for several hours because of rain is when a tarp excels IMO. Lots of room and you can still see out; you're not excluded from nature.

[@lenallon]

Currently dealing with the after effects of sleeping “liberated” under a tarp in black fly season. Had a mosquito hoodie, but am still covered in welts all over my body.

[@BryceNewbold]

Uggg.. been there...

[@MrNeTjockey]

try vicks vaper rub ... insects dont like it !

[@slate8881]

cover your gear (clothes, sleep pad, tarp, bag even) with permethrin (let it dry and don't put it directly your skin, once your gear dries it's fine to touch you) and cover you skin with 100% deet, the permethrin kills and the deet repells just be careful if you have cats, they react to permethrin dogs and stuff don't

[@michaellorenzen8200]

​@@MrNeTjockeytrue they don't like potassium at least in me try it

[@Yance_000]

I camped for years with just a tarp just because I couldn't afford a tent. I just wanted to get out while I was in college and I don't regret it at all. That being said, I would never do that in Florida (where I spent a good deal of my childhood) because of how terrible the bugs would be.

[@Dutcharmytent]

Just the video we all waited for. I can rest in peace now. The holy grail of tarp camping.

[@johnavery3372]

I’ve been hammock camping lately so therefore, I tarp camp. I love porch mode to get just what you’re describing. A view of the woodlands and landscape. The feeling of freedom to just swing my legs over and walk out to pee. Love it!!

[@coffeeneone]

It really is the best of both worlds. Open to nature, but off the ground so no creepy crawlers. And of course, the ease of the night time pee just can’t be beat ;)

[@larrydonna369]

I agree with you on the tarps. I've been tarp camping for a long time. This last year I used my stimulus check to treat myself to a Zpacks 7x9 flat tarp (5.1 oz), and Zpacks bathtub floor groundsheet (4 oz). I modify my tarps with mosquito netting sewn around the edges. I have rectangular pieces along the 9-ft sides and elongated triangular pieces on the 7-ft sides which I close with small clips for doors. I find that the net curtain stops the mosquito and seems to help with wind driven rain. However, bugs, and the occasional mouse / mole, can still get under the netting. This doesn't bother me. I usually have the bathtub groundsheet laying flat, but I can hook it up to form the bathtub if I am in a crappy campsite during a severe storm. I've never gotten wet under the tarp. I am a bit of a storm chaser because I make an extra effort to go out during a storm. I love hunkering down under the tarp listening to the pitter-patter of the rain. I always pitch it in some form of the A-Frame with the edges about 4-6 inches off the ground so I can see the rain dripping all around me. I absolutely love it. I chose the 7x9 because it can have a very small footprint and allows me to camp pretty much anywhere I can lay down. Come over to the White Mountains in New Hampshire on one of your trips and you can camp almost anywhere so long as you are 200-ft off the trail. The terrain in the Whites is very aggressive but you can find some nice spots if you bushwack off-trail, places that would be hard to go to with a tent.

[@mtadams2009]

I think you put the Zpacks single person tent pretty much anywhere and it's about 15 oz. I love Whites. I hike them about every other weekend.b

[@Papershields001]

I’ve gotta say, the first time I tried tarp camping it was super liberating. Just the ventilation, the lighter pack, I even tarp camp in the winter now

[@BryceNewbold]

liberating is a good word for it. love it

[@Derchlands]

Winter is a great time for it because the bugs go away, and you can close the ends or one end if you want more heat trapped it

[@RC-qf3mp]

Based on the comments, seems a lot of people don’t like bugs. Perhaps do a video on tarps that includes bug bite avoidance solutions. Nice video and informative.

[@MyLifeOutdoors]

When you said you slip your feet out of your bag and turn to the side. I thought you were going to say you pee right there while still on top of your pad. 😅 which begs the question. Why do you pitch your tarp THAT close to Dan Becker?

[@danielkutcher5704]

LOL!😆

[@scuba5k]

I’m guilty for something close to this. I use a Gatorade bottle. 🤦🏼‍♂️ Hey sometimes it’s too cold.

[@brycewalburn3926]

Great video and lots to think about! I guess I might be different than most people, but when I'm backpacking, I almost want my "nature experience" to be put on pause while I'm sleeping. I just want to sleep, and not be attacked by any bugs, not feel the wind, not see glowing eyes in the distance, not hear animals crunching on leaves, not worry about mice getting in. So I don't see myself trying this...at least not solo. Maybe if I get more comfortable sleeping in the woods in the future I'll give it a go. We'll see!

[@jasonb4738]

The thing with rectangle tarps is you do get more options for setups if you have the tie out points, the camping tarp. Do the square setup like you said but tuck the extra for a ground pad or that side up hill for the water runoff. Having the long end at the door and use it as wind flaps, either block or get more air. I used the 7x7 for years and it was great. But the 9x15 ultra light you can go from you fit with a deer in your face to I got room to cook, almost stand up, and no unwanted guest and wanted guest. You get what you pay for. $180 is well worth it and I’m a broke electrician. 🤣

[@BryceNewbold]

Good points. I'll check it out👍

[@kevincrozier8625]

I did a lot of hitch hiking around the country back in the 70's and early 80's. I tarp camped in just about every state. Never made it up to the upper east coast but pretty much everywhere else. I never did like being in a tent. I felt so claustrophobic in them. My cousin lives in Oklahoma and we used to cowboy camp a lot down there, mostly in the fall and winter times. Had me some great times. I used a tarp when camping now over my truck bed as I am 63 and can't handle sleeping on the ground anymore. I used a lounge lawn chair in the bed of my truck and am comfortable that way. I live in Illinois and usually can find some decent camping areas. I try to find spots away from where there are a lot of people. Still enjoy the outdoors, even though I am up in age.

[@eristicfreethinker2098]

A couple benefits of rectangular tarps are 1) they can be narrower but longer while still providing good coverage thus saving even more weight and bulk and 2) there is something to be said for a shelter than can “only” be set up one way. When I’ve hiked all day, possibly until after dark, the last thing I want to do is play with tarp configurations, especially if I’m cold and wet. With a rectangular tarp, you quickly learn about where to put the poles, how long the guys lines need to be and where the stakes will go. Set up becomes faster and easier through repetition. I sewed a beaked tarp (Ray Jardine - Ray Way) and the short beaks adds substantial protection from blowing rain for very little additional weight or bulk.

[@jepulis6674]

You can setup even a 2.8x1.5m tarp in multiple ways.

[@oldguyinthewoods]

Just started tarp camping this winter. I LOVE IT. I especially enjoy setting it up based on where I’m camping. As I was watching your video, Amazon dropped off a OneTigris bushwack tarp. Going out again this weekend here in Hoosier National Forest. Thanks Bryce for great advice.

[@mattpaul8173]

Hope to see ya in the forest this year! I am there all the time.

[@rossseymour3838]

For camping in the northern Rockies, I've gone totally with tarp camping. The main reason was to get out of a tent and be "in nature" more. I just felt cut off when I zipped up that tent at night and when I woke up in the morning. Went through many storms without issue. Also, love the modified cowboy camping option. Set up the tarp with a snake tube, then if it rains at night, I can slip off the snake easily (using a A frame set up). Otherwise, can watch the stars. While bugs are not such a problem, but mice/rodents can be. I have had mice chew on my shoulder straps for the salt.

[@donnydread7631]

Yea, there’s just something weird about being out in the woods, wrapped up in plastic. In a tarp, I feel like I’m hugging the earth when I sleep.

[@michaellorenzen8200]

bears

[@nedanother9382]

Smashing the like just for the Dan Becker comment - KZbin Wars RULE!! Critters don't give a bean whether your in a tent or a tarp - if there's food they're coming in. To me that is a never never never. When ever I leave my tent for a day trip like a whitney accent - the whole tent is wide open. I'd prefer they explore to their hearts content rather than chew through my tent and pack to find nothing. Do you remember what we paid for this gear...or are you like Dan Becker? Boom! I've been dying to tarp camp. I want to do the Sierra High Route and I have to get as light and small as I can. I go thru it and thru and thru it and it always comes down to weight with bug protection and weight without. At 19 ozs I have bug protection and a whole lot of room. The pro's you mention might be worth it but I believe it has to be done without any bug protection to get that experience and also be lighter or less bulky. Then theres the cost...a flat tarp worth its salt cost the same as my awesome Big Agnes double wall tent (that was replaced by the 19 OZ tent). You've solved the first problem though - which shape. That shape with the appropriate tie outs is 365.00. If I buy it can I move in with you? Can't imagine my wife would let me live here after the divorce. I really want that tarp though.

[@lisasdayoff503]

I did some cowboy camping this past summer. No tarp. I thought I would be scared going out there alone. But it's weird. I have no fear.

[@stevewright2241]

I'm old. The 1st thing I dumped in the big 3 was the tent. I predate most rain gear. Goretex was out but 450 bucks for a jacket was out of my price range, so ponchos were the rain gear of choice. If it rained the poncho went on the opening of the tarp where the rain is coming in. A 4 ft wide piece of plastic is the ground cloth. You can put 4-5 people in the tarp if it's big enough. If your tarp is big enough you can let the water pass through the tarp when it rains you just move all your stuff over. You can make a Daisy May tarp with mosquito netting.

[@karmaclanton5544]

I live in Arizona and I Tarp camp all the time. No issues with bugs or snakes and very little chance of rain!!!😍 Love it my girlfriend, not so much!!!😦I like the view, the diversity and the simplicity of tarp camping!!!

[@mbarr1029]

I treat everything with Permethrin and have never had much of a tick problem Tarping. I have used a head net over a baseball cap to keep it off my face, also treated with Permethrin. Pretty good for mosquitos.

[@devildogsbushcraft7898]

Permethrin works really good. It kills tics. But they can be a real problem. If you get what they carry, you'll be sorry. I've heard some stories from KZbinrs that have gotten really ill from tick bites. Vanessa from wild woman bushcraft got seriously ill from a tics bite.

[@slickwillie3376]

​@@devildogsbushcraft7898I know a guy who can no longer eat red meat because of a tick born illness that never goes away.

[@sandraparks5170]

Back in my youth I was watching Daniel Boone. One episode had daniel lying on the ground wrapped in a blanket. Mingo his friend shows up and tries to figure out why Daniel was not moving. Come to find out a rattler crawled up into his blanket for warmth and didn’t leave. Mingo saves the day but not before I was traumatized about the whole thing. Fifty years later I would have a hard time in a tarp just thinking about a visitor snuggling up to me in the night for some warmth.

[@nedanother9382]

Sandra...its 2022 now...first you have to tell the audience who Daniel Boone was (Fess Parker of course) and then explain that he was just a pioneer badass....and then explain pioneers. I totally forgot Mingo! It's kind of funny but in the mountains were I hike I don't think I'd mind a creature coming up to keep warm. It could be a marmot, a chipmunk, maybe a coyote, a big bear, I've never seen a snake in the Sierra's....as long as its not there for dinner I'm cool. I'm gonna trump your Daniel Boon with The Cisco Kid. Cheers

[@terryg.8187]

@@nedanother9382 I'm trumping Cisco with Davy Crockett (also Fess Parker). 🙂

[@danielkutcher5704]

I hammock and leave my bug net at home when there are no bugs. Easier in and out, better views, pee downhill at night (when you don't have a neighbor). I camped on the side of a steep hill on my spring AT section hike, and it was raining, but I didn't have to "go" out into the rain. 😊 No thanks to sleeping on the ground or in shelters. I have a huge DCF tarp with doors. I set that up, and then set up the rest of the camp underneath it. Even in the hardest rain, I can pack up everything nice and dry in the morning. Bryce, you were looking for "...ease of egress". 😊 Oh, yeah, a ground sheet is completely optional with a tarp (but I use one for daytime breaks. It's heavily sprayed with permethrin).

[@bullwinkle734]

Love tarp while backpacking here in central FL. Suggest a smaller, separate bug screen. I use one called 'Bug Bivy' that is exactly what you imagine, has a hoop over your head. Works for me. One tarp advantage I particularly love is headroom. I can stand up under my tarp if I want to!

[@johnschmalbach8243]

I assume you aren't in a place like Pennsylvania where studies show 60% of ticks have Lyme disease? I tarp solo 100% of the time, don't get me wrong but Lyme disease is no joke. A 1 person bug shelter from Yama Mountain Gear weighs only 10 ounces so worth the cost of preventing multiple trips to the hospital and specialists imo.

[@kickinrocks6055]

-Tent... bugs out. Free standing. Easy setup (pick a good one). 2 layers, no condensation inside. -Backpakers be like, too heavy! -Yeah. Well hammock camping... you need a tarp if rainy, sleeping pad if cold, ideally placed trees, bug net (just in case), doesn't sound any easier than a good tent. -6 one way, half a dozen the other.

[@mikeaustin3485]

Anyone using just a tarp in the jungles of Central and South America---where I spent 14 years of my life solo backpacking---would be dead in a month. Spiders, scorpions, a host of flies, mosquitoes, snakes, centipedes, army ants would love to find you in your tarp. Some of these creatures carry the most terrifying diseases known to man. I'll stick with a tent, thank you very much!

[@tonysmith1131]

Thank god those animals don’t exist once you exit your tent.

[@mikeaustin3485]

@@tonysmith1131 Please inform me how many times you have backpacked in the jungles of Central America. I would love to hear of your vast experience. And capitalize God, as it is a formal name of a Person. And if you sleep in a tarp in the jungle, you will be calling His name rather quickly.

[@appalachianflute2222]

Jupiter hikes would just use a tarp. He tarp camped in Florida

[@mikeaustin3485]

@@appalachianflute2222 Florida can be hot, humid and buggy, but it is not the tropical jungle. Please look up leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis, yellow fever, Dengue Fever, typhus and malaria. Consider please what a Fer-de-lance or a scorpion or a tarantula or army ants would think of a tarp. All camping in the US---whether using a tent or a tarp---is like camping in your grandmother's backyard. Camping in the jungles of Central America is a whole other ballgame. If Jupiter Hikes practiced his schtick there, he would be dead in a week. And if you followed his advice, so would you.

[@dylanthomas3140]

Good thing I have no desire to go there

[@applegateoutdoorsadventures]

I tarp camp with a bug net. Double plow point with 2 military bug nets covering the openings. I also prefer rectangular tarps for this because I get a nice ground sheet with the extra tarp folded under. Camp fire inside the shelter using dakota fire pit.

[@turtlewolfpack6061]

I have actually just recently started experimenting with tents. The tarp or poncho is my go to and always will be.

[@geauxherd762]

Tarp and Bug net is pretty ideal for hot summers. Way more air flow and less moisture. A good closed in tarp is also good for snow/winter without the bug net

[@theblindhiker6960]

I split the difference with tarp camping and got the SMD Deschutes Plus 🤣

[@BryceNewbold]

Nice! I like that one

[@jibslundemo3245]

I've had a skunk come on in under my outer fly. Fully in between my bug net and rainfly. That was fun. It didn't spray though, so all was good.

[@menjoo]

I love tarping! The versatility of a tarp is just great and I like the «closeness» to the environment and the possibilty to have a fire in front. And so much view!

[@PisgahGravelProject]

I have a lanshan 1 that I got for a friend wanting to try backpacking. They don't like to go, so what I've done is I have taken the bug liner/bathtub floor out of it and I'll use it when heading into the western NC mountains in search of back country trout. The fly itself weighs less than a pound, you can tighten it down and rain is nearly none existent. Still has a big enough vestibule that I can close if it starts pouring. The footprint is tiny compared to a duplex, or tigerwall 2, so I can set it up pretty much anywhere I want. The main draw back is like any silpoly/silnylon shelter- when it gets wet it takes forever to dry compared to dcf. Most of the time when I use it I leave both doors wide open until it rains. Mainly use that shelter set up when fishing backcountry spots. Many times I set up near a creek in a non established site, meaning there could be briars, sticks and stuff like that. With a small shelter like that I can fluff up the leaves when I leave and you can't ever tell I was there. Also to go along with what you said about snakes......a 10D-or 1.0dcf bathtub floor isn't not going to do much if a snake slithers under the floor and bites if disturbed. For mitigating ticks, it really simple..spray down the tyvek and shelter along with all your gear as normal. In spring when the ticks get really bad I'll go to the pet section at a store and buy 4medium sized flee and tick collars for dogs/cats. You can wear them during the day (2on you ankles) then at night take 1and throw it in the bottom of my quilt, one on each side by my pad (near the top) and loop the other one around the valve loop on my pillow. Does all that actually work? I would say yes bc over the last 2decades I haven't been bit by a tick.

[@petermentes63]

Tarps rock I rarely use a tent anymore. I use 10x10 or 10x12 to get the extra coverage if the weather gets bad. Its way smaller and lighter than a tent or hammock.

[@nobison6185]

Just got a yama tapered tarp, it's a "One trick Pony" but it does that one trick very well. Location is key part of the learning curve

[@ItsGoodintheWoods]

I love tarp camping! I think it just may be my favorite method of camping when conditions allow

[@bernardweaver2416]

My first couple times camping I tarp camped. These days I generally prefer a bivy and tarp, or a hammock and tarp. I did try cowboy camping for the first time recently. It was interesting, I definitely felt very exposed.

[@michaellorenzen8200]

nothing better than tarp camping information from a guy standing in his living room while drinking a beer ! Etowah thee best TNT fabric tarps look them up 😊

[@BryceNewbold]

Hey! ... its my dining room😆🍻

[@legoman07219]

I like having better vision around me when I'm in a tarp than most tents will offer. Makes me less afraid of the woods at night lol

[@hunteralbers1449]

I just now started buying camping gear now that I can afford it, but I've always just gone out with a wool blanket a wamart tarp and sometimes a walmart hammock but mostly I just used to sleep in the dirt always had a great time. I can afford a cot or a tent now but half the time they get left at home, I do always have a sleeping pad now though. Only bugs that ever bothered me was mosquitoes so I just carry a thermacell

[@elizabethtailor111]

Yes! Thermacell!

[@HerrFinsternis]

Cool video, definitely strokes me the right way. Where (and when) I usually it is not an option to go netless but I found a way around that in the form of the Nordisk mesh cabin. Which comes in at 2,3lbs which is an instant no go for many but hear me out. It's a true 2 person A- frame mesh tent with a strong tubfloor and about 30cm of nylon wind protection all around. On one of the long sides you can insert 30cm poles that go up and pull out the Aframe shape of the tent, drastically increasing the room you have inside. The long side opposite to that is one big door that opens up completely except for the tub part, which to me is the best feature of this inner. I use it same way you use that flap on your lean to tarp setup, ones the bugs start showing up I can close the door. You can combine this with any tarp that will cover it and this setup gives you all the advantages of tarping, while offering all the advantages of a double layer tent as well. I have 5 tents and a hammock and this is now my favourite way to camp in all weather except heavy storms (which has more to do with the limitations of tarps). But it comes with a weightpenalty. There are lighter similar mesh tents but they don't have the 30cm poles and windprotection which turns this thing into quite a luxurious piece of realestate. The weight is put to good use.

[@Bens963]

I used to tarp camp when I lived in Scotland, wouldn't do it now I live in Arizona. Skunks, javalina, tarantulas, snakes, mosquitos, general privacy. It's great for keeping the pack size down and multipurpose but I wouldn't do it as a lone shelter

[@martinhafner2201]

Southern Arizona has 3 or 4 kinds of rattlesnakes and nasty bark scorpions in the low altitude areas. Brown recluse spiders are a possibility too. I would not recommend desert level camping on the ground without proper enclosure or sealed bug netting. Hammocks would be okay, but there are no trees in the desert. Slinging a hammock between 2 saguaro cactus sounds suicidal and is almost certainly illegal. If you go up into the mountains around 6000-7000 feet, then those problems taper off, largely because it is colder and you're usually not in the desert anymore. You also start picking up real dirt and real trees in the mountains, so hammocks work better. You also start to get bears and such, so bring spray and a pew-pew. I've also camped at medium altitude north of Phoenix by the lake. Winter might be okay. You'll have to deal with mice that like the extra warmth. The burros are well behaved and don't run over stuff, but are sometimes beggars. The coyotes are unlikely to attack a person, but will sniff out any food smells so keep it real clean otherwise they will pester you all night. It's really hard to sleep with coyotes milling around and sniffing your gear.

[@memathews]

You are correct, tarp camping is the best. I grew up tarp camping, just a rectangular piece of plastic and I could camp anywhere. Now I use an SMD Gatewood Cape, pretty much the same thing you have except I wear it during the rainy days here in Oregon. If I get up above the timberline in snow, then I might drag along a shovel or switch to a mountaineering tent depending on the weather and companions, but a tarp is as good as any tent in most cases. But I'll admit a bug net is really nice in summer during the mosquito hatch.

[@Andyhikes3838]

I tarp camped my first overnight. Used a hammock and a tent on a few trips then i was convinced a tarp was the way to go. Used a 10x10 tarp and never considered looking back. Kept waking up with spiders on my face so i got a bivy and a net tent. The biggest advantage of 10x10 is you can pitch it anywhere and most of the time you don't need stakes. I use as many natural anchors as i can. I had a non freestanding tent like the duplex, and i found i could never get that thing really taught without throwing boulders on the stakes. With a larger tarp, the ability to reach out and grab anything around you is invaluable. I feel confident my tarp will handle a storm better than a "bomber" freestanding tent. The storm would have to blow down the boulders and the trees around me before it could blow down my tarp. Also, drying out a wet tarp is much easier than a wet tent.

[@WindsongSoundBath]

Good point about drying a tarp being easier than a tent. How do you prefer to go about doing that usually?

[@fuffydingo]

I feel like you trapped me at a party and just kept talking while I shaked my head up and down as I kept thinking where's the buffet. 😁 Cheers to our beers!!

[@BryceNewbold]

lol!!! i get that vibe hahaaa

[@erichobbs4042]

I bring a tarp with me here in Australia and in the US west. But mostly that's for protection from rain. If it's not raining Im just cowboy camping. There's nothing quite like laying out at night im the Outback and getting that view of the stars and the Milky Way. As far as bugs go, a head net works absolutely fine. Your body is wrapped up in your quilt, so you really only need to protect your head. I've never worried about spiders, and snakes really don't want anything to do with you. We have plenty of venemous examples here and I've never had any problems. Honestly it's the damm flies that are the main problem, and they only seem to be active during the day.

[@andrelaschet3957]

I’m more on the bushcraft end of the outdoor life. I use mostly heavy duty more natural stuff (oilskin tarp, a huge wool blanket, …) and I don’t have to keep an eye on the weight since I only drag my things into nature somewhere and make camp (mostly just over nighters) and don’t hike a lot. I think tarps are awesome because they are versatile and you can be more in the scenery than with a tent. In case i plan to stay in place where I have to assume I get eaten by moskitos I have a hammock with a bug net that I can use under the tarp (as a hammock or on the ground) - but until now I did not need it. If you need more inspiration on tarp setups: “Papa Hiker” has channel with a lot of pitches and you definitely look up my favourite setup which is the “Gunyah” by “Scotty’s gone walkabouts” in his Video “5 unique tarp shelters”.

[@darrellbesser3606]

I love my DD4X4 MC. Its all I use and packs down small.

[@Gamerhog2022]

I'm a tarp camper bro, but I bring a innard from a tipi tent. I'm in Texas lots of stingers on the ground.

[@contentgoddess7218]

I was happy to smash that subscribe button! I’ve been hesitant to tarp camp because I don’t want rodents or other animals in my pack or gear, I also prefer to camp/hike with my dog and I don’t need her sounding off every time she can see something. It might take some getting used to for both of us, but I’m more confident that I might like it now, thank you!

[@BryceNewbold]

thanks for subbing! you are awsome

[@kentuckyhiker7071]

Summer months here in KY, you definitely do not want to tarp camp here. Mosquitos, ticks, spiders, copperheads and timber rattlesnakes, and centipedes. Since I do not camp in the cold months, I do not tarp camp. However, if I did winter camp, I would definitely tarp camp!

[@elizabethtailor111]

With the bug control options available now, that's just not an issue. I love being immersed in nature, so why would I go through all the work, to cut myself off from it in a tent? A tent is not going to deter a bear attack, and deer, foxes, raccoons etc. are cool! Fun playing with different set ups, and I have a big rectangular kalinco with a zillion connectors that will do anything. Including a plow point if I want, I just have a flap of extra on the long side to have part of a floor, or just roll under. It's been great in VERY heavy storms too. Kept all my gear nice and dry. Beats getting holed up in a tent through a rain event that lasts a while. I have a great little 2 man tent, but I save that for when it's just too cold. I love my tarps!

[@KrizAkoni]

Never done the tarp thing…might experiment this year… 🤓

[@danielkutcher5704]

Do it. You owe it to your fan club! 👍

[@Doc_Watson]

I want to try tarp camping, but I just haven't done it yet. The simplicity of it attracks me to it. I've got a few tarps that I use for hammocking, I've got a trekking pole tent that can be set up with just the fly, I've got a nice cushy pad, and the ground sheet from the tent. I just need to do it. I also don't like sleeping on the ground. The hammock has spoiled me. The tent are for the outings that I know a hammock would not be a good option. However, that being said, tarp camping has got me interested and I've watched a few of your tarp camping videos in the past.

[@Wilderness-brothers604]

902 wolf tarp 14.6 x 14.6 hammock hot tent love it ever day

[@williampittman7055]

I was excited to hear that you were also an Ohioan, especially when you mentioned Mohican.

[@DanielOutdoors]

Well in my 30 years of experince, i have done it all. Inclunding alot of tarp camping (wich I mostly do on winter time). Here are 6 reasons why a bugnet/innertent is good: 1. One of the main reasons tent producers put in a inner tent also on winter is condensation. Condensation on a dobbel wall tent is way better that any other tents. All from very wet or humid weather, to very dry and cold weather (but specially when you are Hot Tent setup). 2. On very variable weather temperature or if you have alot of electronics, or if your ground is to cold (ice fishinsg).. Electronic worst friend is either getting cold, or humid eather. Inner tent elimitanated the change your electronics get wasted. 3. The floor print let you have more organization without loose things, for your things with out getting dirty, depending on where you set the tent. 4. The innertent has also, a bit of or taste warmth ratio. You best feel it specially on Hammocks. 5. Of course bugs. The best pause or break on long expeditions deep in the wild, is the break from mosquitos.

[@mikeghost7788]

Some day we need the have a winter tarp get together. Come on bro, you know it will be fun!! Tarp camp in the cold is the best.

[@Charsept]

My first tarp is in the mail as we speak. Just ordered a cheap chinese one to see how I like it. Pitches up with trekking poles and only weighs a pound. 👍

[@NelsonSherry]

Poncho tarps rock too, even lighter & dual purpose.

[@devildogsbushcraft7898]

Ok after watching the whole video I understand what you do for tics.

[@mobilewintercamp7515]

I think I’ve seen you use this tarp configuration before. Cool setup and great points you made about it in this video. Nice with a fire especially in cold weather . Nice view depending on the direction it faces, like a sunrise or sunset. Nice video

[@DavyRayVideo]

The bravery of sleeping on the ground with no protection from bugs or bears is liberating. I have slept cowboy style on a plastic sheet, knowing that any bugs approaching are likely to be crushed when I roll over, and deafen them when I snore.

[@BryceNewbold]

It really is!

[@kayakcobber524]

I do long-distance projects months in a row and always use tarp. From minus -20 till 35+ Celsius..so challenging conditions. Depending on the project with bivybag or hammock. Like it as I never know how I have to set it up and adjust it to the place unlike a tent. After trying many I go for the DDhammocks 3*3 meter. Coyote brown so I blend in easy from desert till snow. And in hot conditions you can put the tarp very high and in a aframe mesh tent it's cooler with the wind

[@ernieschatz3783]

I could do tarp camping where I'm at. That said, I hear all of this talk about positioning the opening away from the wind; however, wind changes direction quite a bit where I'm at and it's seldomly calm. I'll probably give it a try, but will mentally prepare to not get much sleep.

[@scottplumer3668]

Camping on North Manitou Island a few years ago, the mosquitos were absolutely brutal. Once they started going into my ear canal and up my nose, I retreated into my tent for the evening. I can't imagine being without a sealed tent in that situation. Maybe in the fall when the bugs are done. Although, the tents we had at summer camp when my kids were in scouts didn't have netting, and didn't seal off all that well, and we did OK. That was at Avery Hand in Mansfield, and the bugs were never that bad there.

[@BryceNewbold]

I can't imagine.

[@johnnyrussell8729]

Been thinking about trying the tarp camping for awhile. Don't really have a good excuse why I haven't. Yes I would like to see more tarp camping from you. Thanks I enjoyed this video.

[@cassandralesh8536]

I have backpacked with just a tarp for years.

[@NancyandMako]

Love this video, I am backpacking with my big black dog Mako love the ease of just our rainfly of my Dan Durston xmid 2 p!! This was a great video 😊😊thx

[@geraldhenrickson7472]

It all sounds good but a Spring Hike in the PNW will cure you pretty quick. At some times of the year, in certain areas of the world...sure. It can be wonderful if the mosquitos are not swarming. I hang, tarp and tent and choose the appropriate shelter just before packing my gear. Thx for the video.

[@PaulSchortemeyer]

1 Word: TICKS. I used to tarp camp until ticks became a common issue here in Ontario. Now its a bug net ALL THE WAY!

[@lizstrailsandtravels4624]

Done many poncho tarp setups in Sierra Nevada. Doing JMT very soon and ditching mesh tent to save weight mainly. I love how simple and close to nature it feels, no rain experience but I hope it works in diluge Sleeping with bug net over my head is good enough for me Wish me luck.

[@JayhooOutdoors]

Love tarp camping love ditching the tarp as well and just sleeping totally open looking at the stars ⭐️. The first times doing that definitely felt like I would wake up with a bear sniffing my face lol. I only use a tarp for rain a lot of the time. But found spring and summer the bugs got to be to much so now use a net over my sleeping bag but it dose hinder the experience a bit but the bugs can drive me mad. Even my hammock I usually don’t use my tarp in the summer

[@Teddy-fx6fx]

Ticks in north east. Need bug protection. Lyme disease is no joke.

[@TheyllNeverGetMe]

Location is the key. Cant do too much of that in Texas with the scorpions and rattle snakes.

[@seewaage]

I want to tarp tent to sort of half way cowboy camp. But I haven't had time to figure out how to set up the tarp. I guess I'm worried it will blow out of shape at 3 AM when there is a storm or something like that.

[@northernswedenstories1028]

Depends where you are camping. Up on the mountain in strong winds your flat tarp.might as well be a kite. A shaped tarp.can work of course (trailstar etc) but a flat tarp isn't going to help when it's blowing a hoolie.

[@user-mw6gn3dk7h]

I haven't tarp camped yet. I'm looking to maybe try soon. My biggest concern has been the critters. I can mitigate the bugs by using permethrin. Don't have anything to prevent the critters from getting to me. Still on the fence.

[@superten12]

Camp in Scotland between April to September and you will want a bug screen for the dreaded midges.

[@dakotaescher1]

Tetons, Death Canyon backpacking trip. All night I had porcupines coming in and out of my tent shelter, thankfully I had netting between me and them.

[@nedanother9382]

A year later I'm going out on my first trip with a tarp - Bishop Pass Dusy basin area

[@The5150owl]

4:49, Thanks for the laugh!😂

[@mikeghost7788]

The scent proof bags are something to look into. I swear by them bro!!! Garage Grown Gear has a variety pack even, lol.

[@alexwbanks70]

I've tarped camped a lot. I've even done it at Vesuvius when it was over 100 and at Wildcat when it was below freezing and I only took a wool blanket. Lean to and a wood wall behind the fire. It was great until that fire went out.

[@BackpackingwithBuckley]

Great points dude. Tarp tenting is a fun adventure for me once in a while! I've used my hammock tarp a few times

[@ohiovetoutdoors]

I love tarp camping! Been doing this for a while as I know you have too.

[@StevenS.lovetorun]

I’m fully planning to tarp camp in February at Uhwarrie National Forrest for two nights 34 miles. Gotta pack layers so I need to keep the weight down.

[@michaelnabbadventures]

I have that same tarp its not that bad , i've used it in back yard ..lol.. I've done a video on it too ,my wife used it at harrison forrest for her hammock .really nice because all the tie out .....thanks for sharing your ideas

[@miken7629]

I use a hammock with a tarp over me. I have a head net but have never used it. I do smear 40% Deet bug spray on me. Haven't had ticks or snakes since I got off the ground. Did have a snake move under my down jacket one night just trying to get warm. That is when I switched to hammock camping.

[@hilltacklerthebackpacker]

Great video …not convinced. More than know thy area …I know thy self and I Like to be enclosed in some bug netting. Lol. But great video!

[@BryceNewbold]

Haha. It's not for everyone. Camping is camping

[@JacksonWestfall]

A spider crawled into my ear and gotten stuck once while I was asleep on a backpack trip. It was scary to wake up to! It took another person with a pair of a tweezers to remove it from my ear. Be careful!

[@Hobomountainwander]

I have the Gosmer Gear Solo Tarp and a light wieght Bivy. I really enjoy the information and the ideas you have given me.

[@DoseofDirt]

Tarp camping sounds cool! It's something I've never done. But I know a few of my tents would work for 'fast fly' mode, so maybe I'll start with that and see how it goes.

[@BryceNewbold]

Go for it!

[@simonpettersson6788]

I often go to northernmost Sweden (Sarek) during summertime and the mosquitos are just insane. You literally have a black cloud hovering over your head constantly. Bug net required.

[@searcher2328]

Hey Bryce, Searcher Here, just subscribed, liked the input I'm a tarp guy, really like your gear list but you forgot something, The Yuengling Lager, couldn't help but notice that, I grew up and still live where it's made, Schuylkill Co. Pa. I will be checking out more of your videos.

[@BryceNewbold]

thanks for subbin! and yes i love the yuengling. my go to beer!

[@BackcountryPilgrim]

If I can pee on Becker's tent from my chair under a tarp, I'm in.

[@marktodhunter8397]

I have that kalinco tart tarp and love it. 1 question. How the hell did you get it back in its stuff sack.?

[@SinchuwusOutside]

Looking to do tarp camping this year. I just purchased a Dyneema tarp for my hammock and plan on using it when it comes in. I'm quite comfortable with Mohican, so It'll probably be there. Thanks for all the tips on tarp camping. -dave