Camp Month: Floorless Phenomenon by Brock Akers

[MThuntr]

I had my hopes for a SL5 but when GoLite went out of business I opted for a SeekOutside BackCountry Shelter but their 4 man tipi would be ok for a taller person also. The BCS is a bit heavy at just over 3.5lbs but I think it will be ok when I'm only going for 3-4 days at a time.

 

[fastphin]

On the floorless front aside from the mountainsmith shelter at $130 what other tarps to keep rain off when blowing sideways are both under 2 lbs and under $200 for two people?

 

[Justin Crossley]

Kelty Noah's tarp. It's around $100 and weighs 1 lb for the 10x10

Edit:
Wow, I must be getting old.

I looked them up when I got home, and my memory isn't very good. Here is a link to the 12'x12' tarp I was thinking of. It's 2 lbs 1 oz, with plenty of room for two guys to sleep. We have actually used it for three guys before. Also the price is less than I remembered. Here is the link if anyone is interested.

http://www.rei.com/product/808940/k...id|52774014400|&lsft=cm_mmc:cse_PLA#tab-specs

 

[Brock A]

On the floorless front aside from the mountainsmith shelter at $130 what other tarps to keep rain off when blowing sideways are both under 2 lbs and under $200 for two people?

Thats the million dollar question ;-)

You could always add an anex to a super tarp. That should put you around 24oz. But you are well over the $200 budget.

 

[Colberjs]

I'm following this thread from an elevation of 6'3". I'm in the market for a shelter right now and am trying to decide between a tent and a floorless. The height consideration is of interest to me. The thought of having more headroom in a tipi style tent is VERY appealing to me as opposed to a 42-46" tent.

 

[7mag.]

Hey Brock - I ended up noticing that with a tarp (hilleberg UL Tarp) i just end up having to take a bigger, heavier, more bulky sleeping bag and I lose precious space because the heavier sleeping bags take up so much space. I end up almost exclusively using the Hilleberg Soulo tent, and I can use a 35 degree bag that compresses WAY down.... so even though the tent seems more minimalistic, for me it just ends up being a swap. Heavy tent, ultralight bag..... vs..... lightweight tarp, heavier/bulkier sleeping bag. The tarp setup is a little bit lighter.

Maybe I'm missing something, but why do you need a heavier/bulkier sleeping bag because of a tarp? I use the same quilt and pad, whether I'm in a full tent, floorless tent, or under a tarp. The only difference is I add a 7 oz bivy when not in a floored tent.

 

[mmw194287]

Kelty Noah's tarp. It's around $100 and weighs 1 lb for the 10x10

Edit:
Wow, I must be getting old.

I looked them up when I got home, and my memory isn't very good. Here is a link to the 12'x12' tarp I was thinking of. It's 2 lbs 1 oz, with plenty of room for two guys to sleep. We have actually used it for three guys before. Also the price is less than I remembered. Here is the link if anyone is interested.

http://www.rei.com/product/808940/k...id|52774014400|&lsft=cm_mmc:cse_PLA#tab-specs

I just picked one of these up for a steal. Taking it out tomorrow on an extended trip for spring bear--excited to test it out.

 

[Justin Crossley]

Should work well for you. My brother and I have used it through some horrible storms.

 

[G5Archer]

I've always wanted to try a floorless shelter and today I pickup a Kelty noah's tarp 12x12 from Cabela's for $56.. Gonna experiment with it in the backyard with my kids and see what configuration works best.

 

[5MilesBack]

I picked up a Seek Outside DST Tarp, which is 10'x10' and weighs 1lb 3oz, to throw in my pack to possibly use when I know it's going to stay warm and I don't want to hike back to camp.