tl;dr: I scraped around 300 lighterpack posts from this sub and the subreddit's example lists in the wiki. In posts from the UL subreddit's members, only 19% used tarps as their primary shelter, and around 80% used tents. Even in the wiki's "optimized" reference pack lists, only ~25% used tarps. Median tent weight from the data was 24.2 oz, while the median tarp weighed 9.6 oz. That's almost a pound that people are leaving on the table because they're afraid(?) of tarps! Other than leaving electronics at home, this is likely the easiest, lowest-cost option to reduce weight while gaining numerous benefits for most people. It's also the budget solution for UL Backpacking compared to how expensive tents (and even backpacks) are.

A Call to Evangelize Tarps

I guess I kinda get it? Tarps aren't popular because they have a reputation of being kinda janky or extreme. Maybe on par with cutting a toothbrush handle?

Or maybe there's just not much glamour for capitalistic forces to push a basic rectangular sheet of waterproof material. A tarp is just so damn simple (and really hasn't evolved much in many, many decades). There's little opportunity for brand differentiation or innovation that's needed when you sell a tarp. I mean, I guess HMG has tried to push the "high tech, innovative solution" angle to folks swinging by their gear store, but that's pretty hard to do when all you have to show for it is something that largely amounts to a basic tent footprint.

Whatever the case, I think the UL community could really do a better job evangelizing tarp camping like we did for frameless backpacks and trail runners (which are effectively ubiquitous, although we sometimes still hear about the need for hiking boots for ankle support).

My first exposure to tarps as actual backpacking shelters (not just a skytarp) was on my first thru-hike of the Colorado Trail. I hiked with a guy using one that was trying to convince me to make the switch. Unfortunately for him, somewhere in the middle of the night he rolled right out from under his tarp and got pretty drenched in the rain. That's the kind of tarp story that sticks in your head, and because of that I was pretty convinced that #NeverTarp was the way to go, and I kept tent camping for several more seasons after that.

At some point, I ended up switching to a tarp because of the allure of the weight savings! With around 10,000 miles of tarp use since I've made the switch, tents just have so little appeal to me for solo trips. My tarp has kept me dry and comfortable through atmospheric rivers and snowstorms, which is more than I can say for a variety of tents I've used that hemorrhage water through seams that need to be seam sealed again and again.

Why I think people avoid tarps

The perception seems to be:

1. Harder to set up correctly
2. Less weather protection
3. More exposure to bugs/storms
4. Overall less comfortable

Yet, in my experience, none of these fearmongered concerns really hold up, and I think the reverse is true.

Are Tarps Harder to Setup?

The only pitch you're really ever going to use with a tarp is an A-frame. Anything else is unnecessary for meeting your basic shelter needs. Sure, you might learn some different pitches to add versatility, but that's just added utility and benefit compared to the single pitch option you get with a tent.

It's stupid easy and quick to set up an A-frame. You set it up a couple times in your backyard to get the guyouts pre-configured, and you then have a quick, ready-to-deploy, reliable shelter.

It's as simple as two trekking poles, 8 shepherd hook stakes, and 8 pre-cut guylines with defined, fixed point bowline knots. You just pull the tarp from your pack, stake it out, and you're done. My setup time is under five minutes from the time my pack hits the ground. No messing around with piecing freestanding rods together and threading them through grommets, let alone getting a rain fly oriented correctly if you're not using a single wall tent.

Tarp packup times are even quicker, and also more convenient for keeping the rest of your gear dry if it DID rain (you just store the tarp in an outside pocket, and dry it during a period of afternoon sun in a few minutes).

Weather protection is inadequate?

I've pitched my basic flat tarp in sideways rain with zero issues (apart from the trees wanting to come down around me), and I'm not running a large tarp. Just your standard Borah Tarp (6' x 9'). The A-frame sheds water and snow if it's tensioned correctly. Even poor pitches do fine! The main decision point is to pitch the A-frame a little lower to the ground if the rain and wind are fierce, and to chuck on as many large rocks as you can find to keep those stakes in the ground during hellish gusts.

Meanwhile, I've had wind snap rods on freestanding tents, and seam sealed rain flies fail. That's not to mention zipper failures on both the rain fly and inner sections of the tent, which definitely destroy the "bug proof" nature of a tent (I still have flashbacks to that zipper failure on the PCT in Oregon).

What about bugs?

I'm a magnet for mosquitoes, which is the only reason I run a bivy rather than cowbow camping. I think we all know the Borah Bivy is a seriously good piece of kit for exactly this reason.

If you're spending a full rest day in camp during mosquito season, a bivy is not the most pleasant place to hang out, and I guess that's the rare occasion a tent does better than a tarp+bivy option. But even then, you can rock a headnet plus rain layers if you want to spend some time in camp playing guitar and roasting smores around a fire without getting eaten alive by mosquitos. But with tent camping, I've also had zippers fail, throwing me into bug hell (the worst kind of bug hell, as mosquitoes tend to get trapped in inner sections of a tent and then freak out all night)

Tarps are less comfortable?

I've dealt with condensation dripping down on my face in numerous tents, but not often in a tarp. I've had to pitch my tents on weird slopey terrain (getting a terrible night's sleep) because the necessary footprint to pitch it was larger than the perfectly flat bivy-available space off to the side. I've had tents collapse on my face with large gusts of wind.

All in all, I think the tarp wins for comfort. If the weather is fine, you get to sleep outside the tarp, having a nice visible view of the stars! If the weather might turn shitty, you pitch the tarp, and hang out under it, on top of your ground sheet, where you can more easily do some cooking (if you're into that sort of thing) without ventilation concerns. If the weather is seriously shit, you pitch a low A-frame, and crawl in cozy to a sleeping bag with solid heat retention, knowing that in the morning you can pack everything up without getting your gear soaked in the process.

I'd say unless you're setting up a pretty long-lived basecamp where you want most of you gear to be stashed in a well-contained space, the tarp beats a tent every time (I do not hold these views for winter season camping).

The weight and cost case

From the scraped reddit posts, the median tent weight recorded was 24.2 oz. The median tarp weight was 9.6 oz. That 14-oz difference! Assuming you're actually running the Borah Tarp at 7.8 oz, you're realistically going to be over a pound of weight savings! And that's not even considering weight savings if you do a dyneema tarp...

Even when you add a bivy (42% of tarp users in the dataset listed one) you're still well under the median tent weight. The other 58% of tarp users didn't list a bivy at all, so plenty of people are cowboy camping out there!

The Borah system -- silpoly tarp ($68), cuben bivy ($192), Frost King polycryo sheet (~$3) -- is 13.4 oz and ~$263. Cheaper than any DCF tent on that list and lighter than most. If you want to go lighter, DCF tarps exist. The Zpacks Hexamid Solo with a polycryo sheet gets you to ~10.8 oz for ~$502, or 12.4 oz and $638 if you use the purpose-made hexamid ground sheet. You're paying roughly $100/oz to save weight over the silpoly system, and you lose tarp shade opportunities and some other utility. DCF also pinholes faster over time, and takes up more volume in your pack.

When a tent actually wins

• Extended time in camp during mosquito season (a bivy is miserable to hangout in if you want to do antything other than read a book on your phone)
• Basecamping, when you're leaving gear and want a zippered space that feels secure
• Two-person trips where shared shelter beats each person carrying a solo system (although a larger tarp and Sea to Summit Bug Net may be the better option)

Those are real tradeoffs. For most thru-hiking and solo trips though, they don't come up enough to justify an extra pound for a shelter system or the fear of tarps that folks seem to have.

I put together a full comprehensive guide for falling in love with tarps, which includes getting guylines setup and alternative pitches (although you'll rarely, if ever, use them). I also have a more detailed shelter comparisons and tarp cost comparison.

I’m heading on a 2 night backpacking trip with my 7yo son. It’ll be his first backpacking adventure (although he’s camped and done plenty of day hiking). So, I want to find the balance between having enough comfort but also reducing weight where I can since I’ll be the pack mule…

Here’s my list: https://lighterpack.com/r/mvf55e

The lighterpack includes both my bag and his bag.

Help me identify what I can leave at home, where I should optimise and what I might be missing. We’re going to Lassen NP at the weekend and temps are forecast with lows around 30, highs in the 60s and chance of light rain.

Howdy homies. Curious if anybody has recs for a bivy to handle 2-5hr of sleep in the Whites. I’m going to be doing another Direttissima albeit a bit faster this time around. Is it worth it to buy a waterproof one, or one that isn’t but pairs with a rain shell? I’m going to go for it in a couple of weeks, so temps could get to around 40s at night, and definitely high chance of rain. I figure I’ll forego a sleeping bag/ quilt, and just sleep in an alpha hoodie, puffy and rain shell. Interested to hear what you have to say! Thanks.

I'm looking for advice for a sleep situation for my dog when backpacking. He is a whippet, so he likes to be warm (often sleeps under the covers or a blanket even at home) and I often end up just dealing with him in my sleeping bag at some point when backpacking which will maybe always be the case but I think much less if I can find him a sleep situation he is ok with.

I have him on his own z-lite pad, and have tried his own sleeping bag (Whyld River) which he refused to stay in and would often end up trying to make a nest in unsuccessfully (meaning he just tries to paw the blanket into a pile that he can then burrow in) as it was just too small. I've seen the redpaw pack quilt that I could actually strap to him and the ruffwear sleep poncho that's similar that may work to keep him warm but he would still need a blanket to lie on. I think he'd probably do best with his own small human sized blanket but figured there may be someone out there who also has a princess dog who has dealt with this before.

TL;DR - I drag my princess dog backpacking and need to find him an ultralight sleeping blankie that will stand up to his pawing at it so he's not crowding me out of mine lol

Hey and thanks in advance…

I was eyeballing with the Sea to Summit Spark or the spark pro both -01*C for a year or so but was wondering wether you have any suggestions for alternatives, i have a bit of respect for quilts since i have never tried one but would be open for it… When doing my research I didn‘t really come across something that really beat the spark or the pro in terms of weight, packed size or better temperature rating with same weight or size. Prize is not that important, of course i don‘t want to spent two grand… So yeah hope that was at least a bit understandable and looking forward to your suggenstions

Edit: since im based in the EU, i would be interested in products that arent exclusively sold in the US

I'm interested to know other people's philosophies on what units of measurement they use for gear weights.

I'm in the U.S., but I despise ounces. At the same time, it seems counterintuitive to measure individual gear in grams if you'll be using pounds to measure total pack weight. My solution was to buy a scale that measures pounds to the thousandths place (0.000). This way my unit is the same throughout without needing to convert grams, ounces, etc. I find this is also more accurate than ounces. This is scientifically better as well since every additional conversion equation introduces a risk of error & decreases accuracy. I'm curious to know if anybody else is doing something like this.