Where Art Thou, Tarp? Goodbye Tent!

I went out into the backyard earlier this week on a quest to find my tarp. I have looked all over the house and in the shed and in my car and can't find my 10' x 10' silnylon guide tarp. I'm sure it is hiding somewhere that I haven't looked.


But when I stepped out into the backgarden, I surprised a Kite (or some kind of hawk) while it feasted upon a sparrow it had just caught.


It looked quite pleased with itself.


When I made a sudden movement, it flew away. I then poked around the shed, trying to find my tarp.


I've been thinking a lot about how I'll be using a tarp on my next camping trip, in lieu of using my 7 lb tent. I'll use a tarp as a groundsheet too, and seeing that I'm likely heading out in April or May, there won't be many bugs to worry about. The tarp will keep the rain and wind away from me, and a good wool blanket or two will keep me warm.




My last post - Tutorial: An Improved Tarp Tent Shelter Design for Bushcraft Camping and an earlier one, How to Make a Tarp Shelter - A Tutorial have information on how to put up a tarp in a couple of different configurations.

I figure that the latest version will be best for me - I am going to test it in my backyard using a cheap Canadian Tire tarpaulin just to get the configuration and measurements correct for the grommets etc...


SectionHiker.com reviews the Gossamer Gear Bug Canopy - perfect for setting up under a tarp in the event of mosquito or black flie swarms.

Have a look through some of the following tarp tent videos I found on YouTube and see if they give you any good ideas towards replacing your tent with a good tarp:

















Cheers,

Mungo