Why use tarp shelters? The biggest reason ultralight backpackers use them is to reduce pack weight. The lightest tent you can find will be close to three pounds. Some of the newest ultralight tarps weigh just seven ounces.
Weight isn’t the only advantage of tarp shelters, though. They also give you room to move, and you can easily look around. You can quickly take them down when you’re ready to go. If it’s wet, just shake it off and it will fit in an outside pocket of your backpack. Even if they were the same weight, I’d still prefer a tarp over a tent for most trips.
The lightest of my own tarp shelters weighs 16 ounces with all the strings. That seems heavy now, when I look at the new ultralight tarps out there. Integral Designs Sil Tarp 5′ x 8′, for example, weighs just 7 ounces.
The Bozeman Mountain Works Stealth 0 Catenary Ridgeline Ulralight Backpacking Tarp weighs an amazing 5.7 ounces. With a name like that, you know it has to be expensive. Of course, almost any backpacking tarp will be lighter – and cheaper – than the lightest tents out there.
How To Use Tarp...