Old timer on the PCT told me to ditch my tent and use a tarp instead. Hit a windstorm at 10,000 feet near Muir Pass and it worked way better than I thought.

2 comments

2 Comments

Yeah but one good storm doesn't mean a tarp is better every time. Bugs and rain are way more annoying with a tarp because you've got no walls to keep them out. Plus setting one up in the dark after a long day is a pain compared to just popping a tent pole in the ground. I've seen plenty of people on the CDT get soaked because their tarp pitch wasn't dialed in and a gust shifted everything.

harperb4611d ago

Just ask a thru hiker who used a tarp the whole way. They'll tell you they'd rather sleep under the stars than wrestle with a tent. It's lighter and that matters more than bugs most nights.