Hot take: That thru-hiker who told me to ditch my tent for a tarp was right

Met a guy on the PCT near Crater Lake last August. He said I was carrying 3 extra pounds for no reason. Switched to a flat tarp for the Sierras this spring. Saved weight but also learned how to actually read weather and pick good campsites. First night in the rain was rough. Anyone else make the switch and hate it at first?

2 comments

2 Comments

wade76724d ago

Yeah that first rain is brutal, isn't it? I made the same switch a few years back after the AT and my first night under a tarp I woke up with a puddle in my sleeping bag because I picked a terrible spot. You really do learn to read the sky and the ground way better though. It's a different skill set, not just lighter weight. I still carry a bivy on top of my tarp for bugs and splashback, so I'm not fully hardcore. But once you get the hang of it, it's hard to go back to a tent for solo trips.

wilson.emma24d ago

And it's funny you mention reading the ground better because that's a skill that translates to way more than just camping. Last spring I was out scouting some land for a client and ended up having to bail on a hike because I could tell from the way the moss was growing and the soil looked that the whole area was gonna be a mud pit after the next storm. My client thought I was nuts when I said we should call it early, but sure enough the next day that whole trail was a mess. You start noticing those little details like which way the water runs after a hard rain or where the wind always seems to funnel through, and before you know it you're reading the landscape like a book. Have you found that it changes how you see outdoor spaces even when you're not camping?