Tarps & Tarp Tents

I am not a big fan of tarps for shelter. As a ranger, I "rescued" many hikers who just could not stay sheltered with their tarp. The wind would catch the edges, flapping around in loud snaps while opening spaces where the wind and rain could hit them with full force. And if there are any scorpions, mosquitoes, or rodents, you are certainly not very well protected! None of these things will help you get a good night's sleep!

Squall 2 Tarp Tent by Henry ShiresThat being said, there are some wonderful elaborate tarp hybrids which will comfortably shelter you—while being extremely lightweight and inexpensive. One such hybrid is a tarp tent designed by Henry Shires for his own Pacific Crest Trail hike. Hiking solo, he wanted shelter that was large enough for him and his equipment but would be as light as possible. The two person tarp tent to the right is called the Squall 2, and it weighs a mere 32 ounces, keeping the weight down by using your trekking poles. He now sells tarp tents online on his Tarptent Ultralight Shelter website.

Shires has also posted the pattern and detailed instructions for the tent he made and used on the trail on his Henry Shires' Pacific Crest Trail Hike website. His tarp tent for one weighed only 18 ounces and there was room for his gear as well! Now there's no excuse not to have good shelter on the trail. Take some time to look through his site where he has his journal and photos from the 2,658 mile trek posted.

Black Diamon BetamidAs people attempt to go lighter (maybe because so many of us are getting older...), there are more options for lightweight gear. Manufacturers are willing to supply that demand. One such tent is the Black Diamond Betamid to the left which uses two trekking poles for the center. The main problem I can see with this particular design is that the poles are placed in the middle of the tent floor, cutting your usable space inside and making it more likely that you'll roll over in your sleep and knock your shelter down. Another downside to this style of tent is that you will need to stakes many points to keep the fabric taut. In areas like a forest where you actually have dirt to stake into, this may not be a problem. But here in the Southwest, most of the ground is hard rock and very difficult to stake. And don't forget that those stakes weigh something and have to be added to the total weight of your shelter!

For resources that sell material and patterns for making your own gear and outdoor clothing, visit my Equipment or Clothing pages. You'll find the companies that offer the products near the bottom of each page. If you know of any other companies that you like and can recommend from experience, please feel free to send their information to me.

Copyright © 1998 - 2008 Denise Traver, Raven & Coyote and its licensors. All rights reserved. Except where noted otherwise, all printed material may be freely copied and distributed subject to the inclusion of this copyright notice. Photographs and artwork may not be copied in any form without the express permission of the copyright holder. Photographs #1 and 2 in the banner used on this site are courtesy photographer Mike Quinn of the National Park Service, Grand Canyon.