To setup: You can use paddles at each side for this setup or run the ridgelines to trees. One side can also be lifted for camping near a fire to radiate heat into the living space. When the trees are spaces at the right distance, this setup goes up quickly.

Disadvantages: Tight for two, must setup into the wind and rain or against a tree to stay rainproof.

Advantages: Very windproof, semi-built-in ground cloth, easy to set up, only three stakes required.

Stake out the other front corner and tuck any loose fabric under the tarp to use as a ground cloth. Wrap the center ridgeline around your paddle with a clove hitch or a simple wrap and stake out the line which will hold the paddle up and provide tension to all the points that have been staked out. To setup: Stake out the back center point, then stake out the front corner on one side. Instead of tucking the extra fabric inside, the fabric can be staked out and the pole pitched higher for more room on calmer nights or in protected areas. Three stakes, one pole, and a very quick setup gets the sleeping space out of the wind and is great for a solo camper. Note: I used trekking poles for demonstration purposes, but paddles and sticks work just as well. Some of these setups have many variations. These are three tarp setups that provide a good cross-section of features, weatherproofness.

This can make any tarp more comfortable and more secure in wind. To use a lifter line, attach the new guy line to a stick or paddle about a foot or two above the height of the new line, then run the extra line out and stake to the ground. This creates an extra lifter line or guy line. Hold the rock on the inside of the tarp and from the outside pinch the rock, wrap a line around the tarp, so the rock is secured into the tarp and tie a clove hitch to hold the rock. Find a small round rock about the size of a quarter. It’s easy to add extra guy points to any tarp. Increasing Space by Using Lifter lines or Extra Guy LinesĪ lifter line is simply a guy line that pulls upward to create headroom under the tarp. The Granite Gear Haven Tarp is a great option for two using a standard A-frame tarp pitch. If you’re expecting bugs, the most versatile bivy is an Outdoor Research Bug Bivy. Some of these setups work better than others for different types of bug bivies.

For the price, it’s the best on the market for making tarp guy lines. It holds up well and has a breaking strength of 188 pounds, and it’s tight weave is resistant to tangles, but holds knots tightly. Kelty Triptease Guyline is a highly reflective cord that weighs only 1 ounce for 50 feet. These lines can be attached using a simple knot like an overhand on a bight or a bowline. There are many different thoughts about lengths of the guy lines, but a good all-around setup uses a 10′ piece of line at each of the center ridgeline points (center of the short side), 5′ lines on each of the corner points, and 3.5 on the rest of the loops. Along the perimeter of the tarp, there will be a number of loops of fabric. Guy lines are the lines that secure the tarp to the ground, paddles, or trees. Follow the directions that came with the tarp. Pre-Trip setupīefore heading out on any trip with a tarp, there are a few steps that need to be completed. Each of these examples offer a slightly different pitch allowing the tarp’s features to best take advantage of the conditions. The following examples use a 14-ounce Integral Designs 8’x10′ Sil Tarp, which is one of the best tarps on the market. Tarps offer a variability that tents can’t match. With a little practice, tarps are easy and quick to set up, and depending on the setup, they can be roomy, weatherproof, or anything in-between. Besides saving weight, tarps provide more usable space, less parts to break, they’re easier to pack up, keep your sleeping area drier both in the morning when packing up and during the night with less condensation, and they take up considerably less space in your portage pack or hatches. Even using a tarp with a bug bivy will save over 2 pounds for the lightest tents and over 4 pounds for average weight tents. An easy way to drop weight out of your boat is to switch from a tent to a tarp.

Easyframe bug