Tarp Camping

Our primary shelter for the CT was a secondhand Zpacks flat tarp made out of Dynema Cuben Fiber. We wanted something light (it’s only 9.5oz!) and with a lot of room, and it delivered on that front. Even when we had bad storms, the sheer size (8.5 x 10 feet) of it meant we stayed pretty dry underneath. Most of the time we’d pitch it in an A frame like this, which can offer great views. We learned a lot using the tarp, and developed some useful site selection and knot skills.

The downside is setting it up can be tedious. At the end of a twelve hours of hiking, having to think about site selection and configuration every day is a drag. It slept relatively cold too - even though we’d stay mostly dry, changing wind direction and the open ends meant it will never be in warm in there as in an enclosed shelter.