I'm a tarp camper and a bit of a storm chaser because I make an extra effort to get out if a storm is forecast. I really enjoy hunkering down under my tarp and watching the storm. I pitch my 7x9 tarp A-frame and I always stay dry. I solved the bug problem by sewing a mosquito net curtain around the edges of the tarp. Crawling bugs and the occasional mouse/mole can still get in but it is not a problem for me. My Zpacks DCF tarp, with the netting modification and generous lengths of guy lines, weighs 10.5 oz. Throw in a ground sheet and stakes and I am up to a pound. That is not too bad. I backpack primarily in the White Mountains which is dense forest with aggressive, rocky terrain. Sometimes my campsites are just a tiny space between trees and rocks. In those situations I just find a place to lie down and rig my tarp overhead. Try that with a tent.
I have Cowboy camped, I have slept in a bivy I have slept on the ground and covered up with just a poncho. I have probably slept the same way you have in many different times. But I guess my most favorite is a hammock and I set my tarp so that I can pull it over top of me if it starts to have bad weather otherwise I'm sleeping right under the stars or the trees. I prefer a hammock now it's a little hard on me to sleep on the ground now but I have. Have a great day and stay safe and keep your powder dry! PS you said you were going to show some cheaper ways besides that tent that you started out in. That really wasn't a cheaper way for the prices you gave. Although I guess they were cheaper than $500.
I haven't been able to be much of a hammock sleeper since I am a stomach sleeper. They don't go together well. As for the tent, the really fancy UL tarp is like $130, the bivy is about $200, and the cheap tarp is like $20. What else were you looking for?
@@BackpackingTV well like I said at the end of the comment you're right you did show cheaper ones and also you're right about stomach sleeping that's real hard to do in a hammock. Thanks for the response.
I consider myself a lucky person, got to live and work in Sequoia National Park for 12 years. I backpacked with just an outdoor resurch advanced bivy sack for most of my summer adventures. I love bivy's !
When I was active with Search and Rescue, we ONLY used bivy bags and tarp shelters. And, you're right, it opens up a whole new experience when you sleep under a tarp or in a bivy - well worth it! Thanks for the great video.
Hi. My wife and I have done both cowboy camping and tarp camping. We did the cowboy camping the two times we hiked the Grand Canyon in the summer. It is so hot that you generally don't even want clothes on, much less a shelter and the weather was clear both trips. We have done the tarp camping here in New Mexico mainly because it was light and we couldn't afford a tent. We enjoy the challenge and simplicity of it. You do have to increase your skills with ropes, knot tying, and tarp set up, but that is ok. Nice reward for the effort. Thanks for the video!
Do long-distance projects months in a row always with tarps: sometimes in the heat, sometimes harsh and cold weather conditions Combined with bivybag, hammock or Aframe mesh tent depends where I am. Here in Europe I use all the time DDhammocks gear for this purpose. Reliable and bombproof. The bivybag I use is the Carinthia observer plus, costly but worth the money if you use it a lot ...
That was a great video, and makes me want to experiment a little bit. I’ve always used a bug mesh with a tarp, but find it can be an extra hassle. Also, I never really considered cowboy camping as an option because I thought the boots and holster might get snagged inside the sleeping bag. 🤣😂
Fun video! There's something very freeing about a simple tarp setup. I think back over the past couple of hundred years and how common "cowboy camping" was when pioneers traveled. And the convenience and versatility of a bivy, the ability to lay down anywhere, is unprecedented. My favorite is probably a tarp and there are so many setup options. Plus, if you want to go a little bigger like 10'x10' to 12'x12', it can fit more people or provide much more protection from weather. I used a 10'x12' silnylon tarp, at just 32oz, for a 3-person, 10-day trip in the High Sierras years back and it was awesome!
I have & will continue to do all of these options. In the Midwest the weather can be very unpredictable so most times I hammock or tarp tent but your 100% correct nothing better
Try buying two Australian Hootchies and clipping them together to make the two man shelter, this will go right down to ground level, in summer i use an old one man issue mosquito net , in winter i use a Carinthia bivvy bag under the Hootchie or sometimes just the bivvy bag.
I started backpacking in Scouts during the Canvas tent days which are way too heavy to backpack with. Our solution was to use a big sheet of green plastic. String a rope between 2 trees Throw the plastic over. Weight the ends down with logs or rocks. Sleeps 4-5 people. Doesn’t get better than that.
I basically do the same thing with a cheap Home Depot tarp, and the tarp itself is strong enough to have two ridgelines pulling out toward the trees or anchors. Big tarps can sleep many people!
I started out tarp camping and love it but I now moved to the trekking pole tent from OV and is a great way to avoid bugs and keep a really light weight option like tarp shelters
I was the opposite, started with a heavy tent, got a lighter one, and am now really excited to try tarp shelters! I'd love a trekking pole tent but tarps are cheaper and more adventurous, so going to try that next :D Also bugs aren't too bad where I live (UK midlands.)
I haven't cowboy camped in decades. I admit I am a total pansy about the bugs! But I love to lay with my sleep system under the stars and just stare off literally into space for what feels like hours when it gets dark, especially when it gets dark nice and early.
I camp under a tarp but in a good , bug proof , Jungle Hammock. Bug proof as in they ( mosquitos ) can not bite any part of me , 360 degree protection. Double bottom material and full attached bug netting over the top. In south Florida I have seen mosquitos so think you could literally grab a handful. I can lay in the hammock and listen to the mosquitos buzzing. Or watch the rain , see lighting flashes and even watch the sun come up. I also have been in the hammock and had raccoons walk under the hammock , looked down one night and had 2 water moccasins ( Cotton Mouths ) crawling under the hammock. At times I also had puddles from hard rains form under the hammock and I stayed as dry as fresh potato chips. We do Cowboy Camp but only in the winter when the temperature is in the 40's or 30's ( No Bugs ) and those days are few and far in between.
Love this video for me getting out in nature is to not hide in a box / tent and enjoy the great out doors. Bugs are a part of life that's why I bring Tarp and a jungle bug net with me and I can rig / lay it over the opening of the bivy bag and it works nice not perfect but it's Natural camping so its ok. For me tents are for Arctic / snow camping only but I can set up my 10x13 tarp just like a tent in the Arctic about 80% as good as a tent it that extreme conditions. You're my Mileage very. Ps I have done the things above for many years in my life and am still here 😁
I have tried all of the methods you described. I prefer a tent. Currently using a Zpacks Altaplex. The hammock was the most comfortable sleep I have had, but too much fiddling around with finding the right trees and getting it all setup. The bivouac sack was fine, but no room to move around if weather is bad. I will still use the bivy if I am only overnight car camping at a trailhead before a hike or on route to a trailhead. Saves time. Every time I have tried cowboy camping or camping under just a tarp I have had a bad experience. I have been eaten by bugs, had heavy rain spash on everything or had wind-driven snow cover me. So a tent is for me.
That makes a lot of sense. Good assessment. Only thing on the rain and driving snow is that you can bring the tent walls down pretty close to the ground and it'll keep you fairly protected. But still not as protected as a tent.
Growing up in Boy Scouts if we kept the sides and doors rolled up so we were essentially under a tarp, the breeze kept the mosquitoes out. We only lowered the the sides and doors for a torrential downpour.
I enjoy the tarp camping but got aggravated after awhile always looking for the best spot with trees, bugs, and other critters poking around. I pretty much only use a tarp now on winter backpacks as it packs so small and light I have more room for clothing. I went back to tents for the other 3 seasons but a trekking pole tent. I have The One from Gossamer Gear and it awesome! 17 oz. which is an ounce more than my tarp and packs almost as small. In the future I will likely upgrade to DCF material but in the same style. Thanks for the video, I live out east but I look forward to future backpacks out west to do some cowboy camping, it is a great time falling asleep under the stars!
I like tarp camping, it's a bit difficult to set up in high winds though, that's the only downfall, and in rain and stormy weather I don't always like the wind flowing through it. But that are the only downsides for me. It's much more spacious as lightweight tents and I bring a bigger tarp because I always camp together and like that there's a lot of space, much more as in a cramped tent! Also once accustomed to setting it up, it's quicker to set up and break down. I went back to tent camping after tarp camping but all the zippers and the tiny space in a tent just made me want to go back to a tarp!
There's also the option of cave camping where a shallow 'cave' or rock overhang provides the shelter and if concerned about bugs the tent mesh can be attached to tent poles without the tent fly over the top obscuring the view. Of course, this 'cave camping' is only possible where these types of natural features exist.
here in the Canadian rockies would predators (mountain lions, grizzlies) be an issue when cowboy camping? Not sure what protection a tent provides but food for thought.
Thank you for the video! I am new to backpacking and would really like to have a bivy. I've been eyeing the Big Agnes but the MSR pro looks delightfully simple. Do they work well in rain - say if I were to use it with a down sleeping bag in Arizona in September? My understanding is they just end up soggy from condensation. Is there anything I could do to make it work for this type of weather?
In my area, I need a shelter to keep the banana slugs off my stuff and face. I forgot to zip up my tent once, had 5 banana slugs chilling in my sleeping bad when I returned.
I have two hammocks one with a bug net and one without. Sometimes I use a tarp sometimes I don't. All depends on bugs and weather LOL seems like we have the same message 🤣🥂🥰
Scorpions have not been an issue. They do sometimes crawl under my groundcloth, but they've never gotten into my sleeping bag or my boots. And they are completely harmless if they are under your ground cloth all night long.
I love hammocking. SO much more comfortable than tent camping. Built in bug net keeps the bugs away and if you lift your tarp higher (or do without it if the weather is good) you can see out really well.
@@Buffenmeyer you can actually get an air pad cheaper than a zlite, and not just uninsulated ones , there's a handful of them at about the same price or less. There are probably more available from stores and websites I haven't checked
Tarps make great covers for tents, but in my mind they are never a replacement for a tent. As you admitted, that shelter will not protect you from flying insects, or insects on the ground. Nor will it protect you from reptiles on the ground. Here in Tennessee, you could wake up with a snake on your chest. No, I will just pack along a 3 or 4 pound A frame, which HAS a sewn in bathtub floor, and mosquito netting doors and vents. To me, anything smaller than a 5 by 7 tent just feels like a casket. The 2 man A frame tents have enough room and are light enough to carry easily. Ditch the poles and cut your own poles from wood on the trails if you want. Even when buying a cheap A frame you can replace stakes, replace the guy lines with paracord, seam seal and spray it with Scotchguard. If you want MORE protection for it? Buy a very light tarp to go over it. That set up you're liking may be fine out West, but here in Dixie... bugs are enough bother to warrant the complete tent, with netting AND the floor sewn in.
I usually hammock, and usually around mountains and lakes in New England, but I can't imagine not having the bug net in summer? Am I a weenie or are there just fewer bugs around out west? Here, you always end up camping near a lake and an entire swarm can eat you alive in like two minutes. There's also those green biting flies everywhere, and a bunch of other little guys, not just mosquitos. Even with bug repellent and a bug net I come home covered in bites, even in places I would've said clothing was on me the entire time. It's wild! Do you just...put up with that? Do bugs like me better than they like you?
Hi Laura, no if bugs are particularly bad I definitely prefer a tent. I do a lot of camping in dry climates, that makes a huge difference on how many flying bugs there are. If I were to do tarp camping with lots of bugs I would use a bug net.
How convenient! I recently bough a 40$ 2x3m tarp from aliexpress and I have not tried it yet. Have you ever camped with the tarp in an alpine environment? I'm concerned by the wind.
It would certainly be trickier in an alpine environment and I'm not sure if I'd recommend it. If you're over treeline it would be tough to secure the tarp other than trekking poles. And inclement weather in alpine zones can get serious of course. If you have a really good sleeping bag then you'd be safer, even safer still with a bivy bag.
I never pull my tent out unless mosquitoes are intolerable or it's precipitating. Period. I want to be "out there" meaning I don't want to be walled in. That's what my house is for.
when he says bugs are overblown?, I laughed pretty hard....it's obviously area specific....if ya live in the northeast you would be a fool to go with out a bug net in summer....if I use my DD 3x3 I use my bug shelter under the tarp....let's get real sir....cover all the bases please
I actually say the FEAR of bugs is overrated, referring to spiders, scorpions, and things of that nature, not that bugs are not actually an issue worth considering.
I'm a tarp camper and a bit of a storm chaser because I make an extra effort to get out if a storm is forecast. I really enjoy hunkering down under my tarp and watching the storm. I pitch my 7x9 tarp A-frame and I always stay dry. I solved the bug problem by sewing a mosquito net curtain around the edges of the tarp. Crawling bugs and the occasional mouse/mole can still get in but it is not a problem for me. My Zpacks DCF tarp, with the netting modification and generous lengths of guy lines, weighs 10.5 oz. Throw in a ground sheet and stakes and I am up to a pound. That is not too bad. I backpack primarily in the White Mountains which is dense forest with aggressive, rocky terrain. Sometimes my campsites are just a tiny space between trees and rocks. In those situations I just find a place to lie down and rig my tarp overhead. Try that with a tent.
I have Cowboy camped, I have slept in a bivy I have slept on the ground and covered up with just a poncho. I have probably slept the same way you have in many different times. But I guess my most favorite is a hammock and I set my tarp so that I can pull it over top of me if it starts to have bad weather otherwise I'm sleeping right under the stars or the trees. I prefer a hammock now it's a little hard on me to sleep on the ground now but I have. Have a great day and stay safe and keep your powder dry! PS you said you were going to show some cheaper ways besides that tent that you started out in. That really wasn't a cheaper way for the prices you gave. Although I guess they were cheaper than $500.
I haven't been able to be much of a hammock sleeper since I am a stomach sleeper. They don't go together well.
As for the tent, the really fancy UL tarp is like $130, the bivy is about $200, and the cheap tarp is like $20. What else were you looking for?
@@BackpackingTV well like I said at the end of the comment you're right you did show cheaper ones and also you're right about stomach sleeping that's real hard to do in a hammock. Thanks for the response.
when i was your age we slept on hot coals and used snow as a blanket
@@BackpackingTV i can't stand it. i have to have a flat surface
Thank you for this video!! I’m a beginner backpacker and it’s good to know you don’t have to spend $1000 to go backpacking.
There are cheaper options! Welcome to backpacking!
I consider myself a lucky person, got to live and work in Sequoia National Park for 12 years. I backpacked with just an outdoor resurch advanced bivy sack for most of my summer adventures. I love bivy's !
When I was active with Search and Rescue, we ONLY used bivy bags and tarp shelters. And, you're right, it opens up a whole new experience when you sleep under a tarp or in a bivy - well worth it! Thanks for the great video.
Right on! Glad you liked it.
Living in Norway and have been backpacking since 1983. I use the cowboy method or tarp when in the forrest, but use a tent in the mountians.
Hi. My wife and I have done both cowboy camping and tarp camping. We did the cowboy camping the two times we hiked the Grand Canyon in the summer. It is so hot that you generally don't even want clothes on, much less a shelter and the weather was clear both trips. We have done the tarp camping here in New Mexico mainly because it was light and we couldn't afford a tent. We enjoy the challenge and simplicity of it. You do have to increase your skills with ropes, knot tying, and tarp set up, but that is ok. Nice reward for the effort. Thanks for the video!
Do long-distance projects months in a row always with tarps: sometimes in the heat, sometimes harsh and cold weather conditions Combined with bivybag, hammock or Aframe mesh tent depends where I am.
Here in Europe I use all the time DDhammocks gear for this purpose. Reliable and bombproof.
The bivybag I use is the Carinthia observer plus, costly but worth the money if you use it a lot ...
The bivy is great, I have the outdoor research one that has bug mesh. Staring at the stars is a total highlight
Best of all your vids. I am doing this on CDT this year.
That was a great video, and makes me want to experiment a little bit. I’ve always used a bug mesh with a tarp, but find it can be an extra hassle.
Also, I never really considered cowboy camping as an option because I thought the boots and holster might get snagged inside the sleeping bag. 🤣😂
heyo! Good one!
I would definitely try the bivy system
Fun video! There's something very freeing about a simple tarp setup. I think back over the past couple of hundred years and how common "cowboy camping" was when pioneers traveled. And the convenience and versatility of a bivy, the ability to lay down anywhere, is unprecedented. My favorite is probably a tarp and there are so many setup options. Plus, if you want to go a little bigger like 10'x10' to 12'x12', it can fit more people or provide much more protection from weather. I used a 10'x12' silnylon tarp, at just 32oz, for a 3-person, 10-day trip in the High Sierras years back and it was awesome!
Thanks Kevin! There's something extra fun about not using a tent. Sounds like you've had good experiences!
I have & will continue to do all of these options. In the Midwest the weather can be very unpredictable so most times I hammock or tarp tent but your 100% correct nothing better
The bivy also doubles nicely as a ground cloth or a little extra bit of insulation.
absolutely!
Try buying two Australian Hootchies and clipping them together to make the two man shelter, this will go right down to ground level, in summer i use an old one man issue mosquito net , in winter i use a Carinthia bivvy bag under the Hootchie or sometimes just the bivvy bag.
I started backpacking in Scouts during the Canvas tent days which are way too heavy to backpack with. Our solution was to use a big sheet of green plastic. String a rope between 2 trees Throw the plastic over. Weight the ends down with logs or rocks. Sleeps 4-5 people. Doesn’t get better than that.
I basically do the same thing with a cheap Home Depot tarp, and the tarp itself is strong enough to have two ridgelines pulling out toward the trees or anchors. Big tarps can sleep many people!
I started out tarp camping and love it but I now moved to the trekking pole tent from OV and is a great way to avoid bugs and keep a really light weight option like tarp shelters
I was the opposite, started with a heavy tent, got a lighter one, and am now really excited to try tarp shelters! I'd love a trekking pole tent but tarps are cheaper and more adventurous, so going to try that next :D
Also bugs aren't too bad where I live (UK midlands.)
I haven't cowboy camped in decades. I admit I am a total pansy about the bugs! But I love to lay with my sleep system under the stars and just stare off literally into space for what feels like hours when it gets dark, especially when it gets dark nice and early.
The best part of cowboy camping is the stargazing, hands down.
I camp under a tarp but in a good , bug proof , Jungle Hammock. Bug proof as in they ( mosquitos ) can not bite any part of me , 360 degree protection. Double bottom material and full attached bug netting over the top. In south Florida I have seen mosquitos so think you could literally grab a handful. I can lay in the hammock and listen to the mosquitos buzzing. Or watch the rain , see lighting flashes and even watch the sun come up. I also have been in the hammock and had raccoons walk under the hammock , looked down one night and had 2 water moccasins ( Cotton Mouths ) crawling under the hammock. At times I also had puddles from hard rains form under the hammock and I stayed as dry as fresh potato chips. We do Cowboy Camp but only in the winter when the temperature is in the 40's or 30's ( No Bugs ) and those days are few and far in between.
Sounds like your set up is pretty rad! Being even closer to nature is the name of the game.
Love this video for me getting out in nature is to not hide in a box / tent and enjoy the great out doors. Bugs are a part of life that's why I bring Tarp and a jungle bug net with me and I can rig / lay it over the opening of the bivy bag and it works nice not perfect but it's Natural camping so its ok. For me tents are for Arctic / snow camping only but I can set up my 10x13 tarp just like a tent in the Arctic about 80% as good as a tent it that extreme conditions. You're my Mileage very. Ps I have done the things above for many years in my life and am still here 😁
Have done all three options on various river trips. Like cowboy camping the best
It's the most satisfying when conditions allow.
Just spent 4 nights in a bivy and tarp hiking the fish river canyon last week and it worked great though my favorite is hammock camping.
I haven't gotten in to hammock camping. But bivy tarp combo is so clutch!
Tarp and bivvy camping is the best. And carry a good hammock. You can't go wrong.
It's super solid. Keep it rockin'!
I have tried all of the methods you described. I prefer a tent. Currently using a Zpacks Altaplex. The hammock was the most comfortable sleep I have had, but too much fiddling around with finding the right trees and getting it all setup. The bivouac sack was fine, but no room to move around if weather is bad. I will still use the bivy if I am only overnight car camping at a trailhead before a hike or on route to a trailhead. Saves time. Every time I have tried cowboy camping or camping under just a tarp I have had a bad experience. I have been eaten by bugs, had heavy rain spash on everything or had wind-driven snow cover me. So a tent is for me.
That makes a lot of sense. Good assessment. Only thing on the rain and driving snow is that you can bring the tent walls down pretty close to the ground and it'll keep you fairly protected. But still not as protected as a tent.
Growing up in Boy Scouts if we kept the sides and doors rolled up so we were essentially under a tarp, the breeze kept the mosquitoes out. We only lowered the the sides and doors for a torrential downpour.
That works too! Nice!
I enjoy the tarp camping but got aggravated after awhile always looking for the best spot with trees, bugs, and other critters poking around. I pretty much only use a tarp now on winter backpacks as it packs so small and light I have more room for clothing. I went back to tents for the other 3 seasons but a trekking pole tent. I have The One from Gossamer Gear and it awesome! 17 oz. which is an ounce more than my tarp and packs almost as small. In the future I will likely upgrade to DCF material but in the same style. Thanks for the video, I live out east but I look forward to future backpacks out west to do some cowboy camping, it is a great time falling asleep under the stars!
17 oz is pretty legit! And yeah, nothing better than cowboy camp stargazing.
I like tarp camping, it's a bit difficult to set up in high winds though, that's the only downfall, and in rain and stormy weather I don't always like the wind flowing through it. But that are the only downsides for me. It's much more spacious as lightweight tents and I bring a bigger tarp because I always camp together and like that there's a lot of space, much more as in a cramped tent! Also once accustomed to setting it up, it's quicker to set up and break down. I went back to tent camping after tarp camping but all the zippers and the tiny space in a tent just made me want to go back to a tarp!
There's a beauty to tarp camping that's for sure!
There's also the option of cave camping where a shallow 'cave' or rock overhang provides the shelter and if concerned about bugs the tent mesh can be attached to tent poles without the tent fly over the top obscuring the view. Of course, this 'cave camping' is only possible where these types of natural features exist.
Nice video Fonzi.
Can you provide a link to your tarp shelter making video? Would love to learn more about that!
Dude, lol when I go camping and hiking I'm not looking to be badass, I'm looking to enjoy nature and have a good time.
Great video!
I’d like to cowboy camp but I’m in the glacier national park area and it makes me really nervous 😆
here in the Canadian rockies would predators (mountain lions, grizzlies) be an issue when cowboy camping? Not sure what protection a tent provides but food for thought.
Thank you for the video! I am new to backpacking and would really like to have a bivy. I've been eyeing the Big Agnes but the MSR pro looks delightfully simple. Do they work well in rain - say if I were to use it with a down sleeping bag in Arizona in September? My understanding is they just end up soggy from condensation. Is there anything I could do to make it work for this type of weather?
You could use your backpack to hold up one end of the tarp and a chair or stool at the other end
That would end up very low to the ground, but I suppose you could if you were in a pinch.
@@BackpackingTV that is kinda what I was thinking
busted out my snugpak bivy last weekend.stasha tarp.
that's awesome!
This tempts me to try the tarp set up. bivy still seems ify for me... bear burrito!
haha, well, tents provide only psychological protection from bears. They can easily rip through a tent just as easily as a bivy.
Yeah, freezing to death is so badass!
I would like to try tarp shelter. Maybe take the inner of my tent n a tarp to get used to the exposure.
that would work. the inner tent would keep the bugs away. You got this Arnold!
And a mountain lion can't hide behind your tent!
Haha very true!
..cool video keep up the great content.. Thank you…
Thank you very much!
@@BackpackingTV Thank you very mutch... have a nice day.... see you….
Sometimes I just like to have a fire going,a sleeping bag and a camping chair to fall asleep in mother nature
Sounds like the good life.
What do you use for your backpack when using a bevy?
Good question. I'll use a pack cover and just leave it outside.
In my area, I need a shelter to keep the banana slugs off my stuff and face. I forgot to zip up my tent once, had 5 banana slugs chilling in my sleeping bad when I returned.
I have two hammocks one with a bug net and one without. Sometimes I use a tarp sometimes I don't. All depends on bugs and weather LOL seems like we have the same message 🤣🥂🥰
haha yeah Jessica!
I know you're up in Flag, but come on - the SCORPIONS!!! 🦂🦂🦂 I know it's mostly just in my head, maybe someday. 🤔
Scorpions have not been an issue. They do sometimes crawl under my groundcloth, but they've never gotten into my sleeping bag or my boots. And they are completely harmless if they are under your ground cloth all night long.
If you pee in a circle around your setup it usually keeps the ground bugs away
Im homeless and can't always set up a tent or find shelter..aiming for minimalism. Shelter ideas for rain and snow plz?
I love hammocking. SO much more comfortable than tent camping. Built in bug net keeps the bugs away and if you lift your tarp higher (or do without it if the weather is good) you can see out really well.
When sleeping just with a tarp, does your face freezes at night ??
The tent will hold in more heat of course. But it just matters if it's brutally cold, then your face will freeze slightly more than in a tent.
Wondering what mattress you are using. At almost 70 my thermarest foam is killing my boney hips.
Try an inflatable. A little more pricey, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised! 😊
@@Buffenmeyer you can actually get an air pad cheaper than a zlite, and not just uninsulated ones , there's a handful of them at about the same price or less. There are probably more available from stores and websites I haven't checked
Thanks for the heads up! I guess technology is always advancing! 😊
Thanks for the heads up! I guess technology is always advancing! 😊
Thanks for the heads up! I guess technology is always advancing! 😊
I tried bivy camping in the Florida summer. It is a horrible experience. It becomes a sweat bag in about 5 minutes.
Tarps make great covers for tents, but in my mind they are never a replacement for a tent. As you admitted, that shelter will not protect you from flying insects, or insects on the ground. Nor will it protect you from reptiles on the ground. Here in Tennessee, you could wake up with a snake on your chest. No, I will just pack along a 3 or 4 pound A frame, which HAS a sewn in bathtub floor, and mosquito netting doors and vents. To me, anything smaller than a 5 by 7 tent just feels like a casket. The 2 man A frame tents have enough room and are light enough to carry easily. Ditch the poles and cut your own poles from wood on the trails if you want. Even when buying a cheap A frame you can replace stakes, replace the guy lines with paracord, seam seal and spray it with Scotchguard. If you want MORE protection for it? Buy a very light tarp to go over it. That set up you're liking may be fine out West, but here in Dixie... bugs are enough bother to warrant the complete tent, with netting AND the floor sewn in.
i'm laying under a tarp on my thermarest and tyvek groundsheet as i watch this
Never heard of bicycle camping.
I usually hammock, and usually around mountains and lakes in New England, but I can't imagine not having the bug net in summer? Am I a weenie or are there just fewer bugs around out west? Here, you always end up camping near a lake and an entire swarm can eat you alive in like two minutes. There's also those green biting flies everywhere, and a bunch of other little guys, not just mosquitos. Even with bug repellent and a bug net I come home covered in bites, even in places I would've said clothing was on me the entire time. It's wild! Do you just...put up with that? Do bugs like me better than they like you?
I live near Seattle there is a lot less bugs
Hi Laura, no if bugs are particularly bad I definitely prefer a tent. I do a lot of camping in dry climates, that makes a huge difference on how many flying bugs there are. If I were to do tarp camping with lots of bugs I would use a bug net.
How convenient! I recently bough a 40$ 2x3m tarp from aliexpress and I have not tried it yet. Have you ever camped with the tarp in an alpine environment? I'm concerned by the wind.
It would certainly be trickier in an alpine environment and I'm not sure if I'd recommend it. If you're over treeline it would be tough to secure the tarp other than trekking poles. And inclement weather in alpine zones can get serious of course. If you have a really good sleeping bag then you'd be safer, even safer still with a bivy bag.
"Here" never appears in vid.
just s tip, but if youre gonna mention other videos then why not include a link? cheers
Living in Scotland it never seem like a good idea to go cowboy camping, pretty much always some nasty weather or terrible wind.
and midges!
@@BackpackingTV Oh yes and on some tents the mesh is large enough to let them in 😓
I have been bitten by a Brown Recluse. I’ll use a tent.
I pee around my set up, haven't had a issue with ground bugs.
I never pull my tent out unless mosquitoes are intolerable or it's precipitating. Period. I want to be "out there" meaning I don't want to be walled in. That's what my house is for.
I like your style Cynthia!
Actually, actually, actually, actually, actually…..
when he says bugs are overblown?, I laughed pretty hard....it's obviously area specific....if ya live in the northeast you would be a fool to go with out a bug net in summer....if I use my DD 3x3 I use my bug shelter under the tarp....let's get real sir....cover all the bases please
I actually say the FEAR of bugs is overrated, referring to spiders, scorpions, and things of that nature, not that bugs are not actually an issue worth considering.