5 reasons why I switched from a tarp to a tent for ultralight backpacking

This week I want to run through why I made the switch from a Zpacks 8.5x10 flat tarp, to the Plex Solo, as my primary backpacking shelter. Enjoy!

00:00 Intro
01:15 Reason 1
02:17 Reason 2
04:22 Reason 3
06:06 Reason 4
07:27 Reason 5
08:03 Outro

BACKPACKING GEAR IN THIS VIDEO

VIDEOGRAPHY GEAR USED TO FILM THIS VIDEO

Feel free to follow along:

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[dulaneyp]

My conversion to tents was waking up with a skunk on my chest. He(visually verified) took a bit of sweet talking to convince his departure. Tent wall is now mandatory.

[chrisr]

A good sign of intelligence is the ability to change one's mind. Great video.

[slozim]

I appreciate the minimalistic yet stylistic video and the reasoning you provide for your change in equipment use. It's interesting to think about how we become attached to gear despite the logic of the context.

[durstongear]

Well said. A tent provides more protection and a simpler experience at a very comparable weight. With a sub 1 lbs tent it's not much weight saved by a tarp. Tarps are fun sometimes but as you say, a tent is just much more versatile.
- Dan

[hopesomeday]

I was spooked about using anything but a tent years ago. We pulled up to a trail head late one evening. I was warm, the stars were in full view we decided to cowboy camp. Just after dawn we started packing up and my buddy let out a “WTF”A baby rattle snake was under his backpack.
Yep, been in tents ever since (that was about 25 years ago).

[GearSkeptic]

To identify when we are clinging to something…

Love it! Thanks for this.

[andymytys]

A few thoughts.

First, I would never consider trekking poles as extra weight these days, as most backpackers are using them while hiking. They’re usually not carried on the pack and taken out only when pitching a shelter.

When talking tarps, we also need to add in the weight of a ground cloth. Modern lightweight gear is relatively expensive and delicate. The last thing I want to do is get a bunch of trail dust, pine needles, sap, etc. on my quilt, sleeping pad, and sleeping clothes. Tarp + ground cloth + mosquito netting + guy line definitely weighs more than the lightest Zpacks DCF tents.

Even if I’m not using a tarp as my primary shelter, I still often carry a large DCF tarp on hikes, especially group hikes. While, as a solo hiker, I’m fine doing a death march in the rain, only eating a solid breakfast and dinner and subsisting on snacks on the move all day, I find most backpackers still like a formal break for lunch, especially less seasoned or low-mileage backpackers. The DCF tarp doesn’t weigh much on its own, and I can quickly pitch it a-frame style between two trees and use it as a shelter from the weather for four hikers and gear. I’m already carrying the four stakes minimum that I’ll need for my primary shelter, and everyone has a sit pad.

As long as I’m carrying the tarp, when in camp I’ll just pitch it over my non-pyramid tent. If it rains at night, I can often protect the entire tent from any moisture at all. Even the floor stays dry, as long as the ground in camp around my tent doesn’t get over-saturated.

I’m not advocating carrying a tarp and tent as a solo hiker, but in group trips, particularly if you’re the leader with less experienced and less hardened people, the tarp can really enhance the experience for all.

Finally, until you’ve given hammock camping a serious go as a solo hiker I’d encourage you not to get rid of an 8x10 or larger DCF tarp. You’re probably going to be heavier, even with a modular hammock setup focused on minimizing weight, than you would with a Zpacks DCF shelter, but the hammock in areas with trees is usually a lot easier to find a place to pitch, as the slope of the ground underneath is less of a factor. Hammocks have zero condensation, and are cleaner camping options as none of your gear has to come into contact with wet ground.

Hammocks allow for a dry place to cook under in the rain as you have a large tarp overhead, and can pack everything up dry in rainy conditions, except for the tarp. There’s no splash on an inner tent or tent floor covered in wet dirt and pine needles to deal with. No issues with mice chewing holes into your shelter, either.

Since you are hanging below the edges of the tarp, when you wake up you can look all around camp. I see deer, fox, and other critters lounging around camp before they scurry away at the first sound of a vestibule zipper opening. I’ve tarped a lot, and feel that the animals are less spooked and more curious about the hanging burrito, and have thus had way more morning wildlife encounters in camp than I have with a tarp.

There’s definitely a learning curve with a hammock, and that I feel is its biggest negative. In the end, it’s a consistent pitch as you’re just using two trees as a base for an a-frame tarp pitch with 4-6 tie-outs and hanging a piece of fabric between the same two trees. Probably the biggest learning factor is in the tension and slope of the hammock between the two trees, so the fabric doesn’t have any tight ridges once you get inside, which can cause discomfort, limit space for movement, and impede a good night’s sleep. Sleeping in the hammock can also be a challenge, but with proper pitch techniques back and even side sleepers will be happy. Stomach sleepers not so much. As a stomach sleeper, I’m happy to report that in the hammock I can easily fall asleep on my back or side, which I can’t do on my mattress at home. The best part of hammocking is in its regenerative qualities. No matter how stiff my legs and hips are at the end of the prior day, I wake up fully restored. I think this is due to being cradled and suspended all night long. Conversely, in a tent I still feel stiff the next day.

[JessicaTPeterson]

I generally travel and camp off-trail and never near other people, so I haven't had problems with rodents. I'm highly allergic to them though, so I carry a small vial of strong-smelling essential oil (pine or balsam fir) as repellent. I rub a few drops into a bandana or whatever other clothing or gear the oil won't damage before I go to sleep. Peppermint oil will also work, but I prefer the scent of pine or fir. It reminds me how the forests smelled before all this beetle kill.
I use a single wall tent to keep bugs and rodents out, and because I'm usually above timber line. And of course, in good circumstances, the doors can be left wide open, giving that sense of freedom.
I always learn something from you, and I really appreciate the directness and quality of your videos. Never any annoying hype (or annoying anything for that matter). Thank you!

[AndrewSmith-rpee]

Hi, I am a die hard tarp guy, but last week I had the experience of a cougar lying in wait for me to come out of my shelter. I spotted it with my headlamp and it ran off, but it made me think. The tarp setup did cramp its style so maybe a tent is a little safer, because it gives the illusion of an enclosed structure.

[samueljlarson]

I'm learning about this all too - So far the tarp seems great as a backup shelter, something to take a nap under on a hike but quickly shows its limitations under repeated or difficult conditions (rain, snow, wind, bugs, etc). I will research and get a backpacking tent for dedicated use and keep experimenting with tarps. No wrong way to do things if you are enjoying your time doing it!

[RC-qfmp]

1) my 10x8 tarp is pretty spacious underneath and i love having more room to spread things out and stretch and roll around.
2) for site selection, tarps are way more flexible. I’m surprised you put site selection as a + for tents. Tents are more finicky, esp with uneven ground or if you have a nice spot but a branch is in the way or some other obstacle.
3) if the weather gets REALLY bad, like super strong wind, a tarp wins — you can pitch it really low and cut the wind out of the equation, whereas a tent will just blow over. Jardine discusses this. For just ‘normal’ bad weather, like if you know it will rain and want to hang out in camp with another person, a tent would be more convenient. But life-or-death — I’d rather have the tarp, esp strong wind.
4) a basic A-frame works at the end of a long day - so if you really don’t want to think about it. Seems like finding a sufficiently flat spot for a tent is more difficult. I love my Durston, but my tarp is easier for site selection. I just need to find an area for my actual body to sleep in and it’s ok if the surrounding area is uneven or otherwise problematic. for a tent, you have to be much more careful and need more floor space to consider. Uneven ground or just one obstacle can be a dealbreaker for a tent site.
5) weight — tarp + bug net doesn’t add much. Tarp + bivy is a little more, but the bivy also adds a bit more heat if you need it. So you need to count that as part of the pros of the added bivy weight.
6) as you get older, you’ll find that tarps are way better for getting in and out of, esp for midnight nature calls. After a long day of hiking, older guys can easily strain a muscle just having to make the awkward movements to get in and out of a tent or to change clothes or do other things.
7) ventilation and, therefore, warmth. Never had a condensation issue with a tarp.

I agree the great new tents out there are light enough that weight alone isn’t enough to justify a tarp, but there are other factors to consider. I think you use a smaller tarp than my 10x8 and that’s partly why a tent can be more convenient in many situations. But with a larger tarp, you don’t get much added weight, but you do get much more ease of use and comfort and margin of error.

[whistler]

You are my go-to guy for the more artisic and esoteric backpacking gear vidoes; so well done and thoughtfully informative.
I have three general modes of trail shelters: Nothing, when the conditions allow for it. This is how I grew up and is still my favorite; a tarp, when rain or snow threatens. Almost always have a mini-tarp and a few stakes with me; and full-on tent (Hilleberg Abisko) when the going is foreseeably rough, like Iceland or Finland.
That being said, the current development of the single-walled Dynema tents have really peaked my interest for all but the roughest conditions. It may change my whole stable of choices even at this stage of my life (I'm 67).
Please keep making your great videos!

[mtadams]

I backpack a lot and I honestly have never seen anyone use a tarp ever. I hike with my dog and my Duplex works very well and it’s very light. I live in New England and it rains a lot. I can’t imagine trying to stay dry in a tarp.

[toomanyhobbies]

It was time for bed, so I picked your video. I was interested in your view on this topic. The bonus was hearing you converse about your experiences. You put me into the space of being in a real forest, and all it's wonder. I began to relax and a smile appeared. Thank you for the peace.

[mobius]

Tarping is a fantastic skill to have, whether you use it or not. I hope to take along a small UL tarp WITH my tent this year, and learn some tarp skills going forward. Thank you for another GREAT video!

[edwardenglish]

Both. When I visited the BWCA it rained every day. Either a tent or tarp alone would have been miserable. The extra 2 lbs is well worth the added weight.

[trinhoutsides]

I enjoy both tarp and tent camping. The Plex Solo is amazing. It's crazy light and versatile and also provides protection. I enjoy the openness of tarp camping, so when the weather is good, I just sleep with the vestibule door open. Great choice!!

[DIYDad]

Good video man! Here in the Midwest I only find myself using a tarp for fun, and usually only in late October and in winter time when it's like 20-40 degrees out it's a very small window of opportunity. The bugs will carry you away around here otherwise. A tent is a necessity I find more than a luxury. It's all situation dependent. It's not so much the bugs even that creeps me out but if I wake up with a snake in my sleeping bag some day that's it I'm never going into the woods again 😂 game over lol.

[joeydutton]

Last month I moved from tarp to tent. Weight is almost the same and my comfort level has gone up significantly.
However, the condensation is more than i’d like.
Great video! 🎉

[billwiley]

I have always been a tent camper and am really contemplating going with a tarp instead of the tent for the versatility you do not have with the tent.
Now that there are "screen liners" with bathtub floors very reasonably priced designed to be used with a tarp to have good bug protection makes the idea much more attractive in my opinion.

Just the versatility in set up height, or using one part as a wind break and yes using a ridge line between two trees again is not so bad.
But a couple of adjustable trekking poles can still allow set up minus the trees.

Weight can be kept with the right gear choices not to be a deal breaker really and yes in cold weather I would still prefer the tent as long as its ventilation was well designed to control condensation build up.

All gear choices have their pro's and con's and each different camping scenario may change which is a better fit for that trip.
But if you have both options available you can then choose which one to pack for the next trip.

But the more I think about it the more I think if I could only have one or the other the tarp option gives me so much more versatility in the different ways it can be used or deployed I would go that route over a tent as my only option.