Solo backpacking tarp

[Flatlander5]

Is a tarp worth the added weight for going solo on a backpacking hunt? I'll be sleeping in a tent but was wondering for glassing/rain/setting meat on. Thanks.

 

[timberlinehunter]

It all depends on the person but for me it wasn’t worth it. I used to have a Kifaru Sheep tarp that was never even opened up for the 5 years I owned it. I use a piece of Tyvek for my ground footprint for my tent that serves dual purpose for setting meat on when I am processing an animal. If it is raining hard and long enough I just pitch my tent and wait it out. My tent is super simple and quick to set up.


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[Dave0317]

I like to use just a tarp as a shelter on occasion, but typically, no I wouldn’t carry it solely as a back up option or extra thing.

With that said, If there is not rain in the forecast, I normally don’t pack any kind of rain gear except a fairly light poncho/tarp. It’s not the greatest rain gear, but it helps keep from being completely soaked while I put up my tent as rain is moving in. If it didn’t have a double use aspect to it, I wouldn’t bring it.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

Is a tarp worth the added weight for going solo on a backpacking hunt? I'll be sleeping in a tent but was wondering for glassing/rain/setting meat on. Thanks.

For keeping meat and cape dry till you pack up and hike back out at the end of the hunt, a tarp is advisable. Otherwise no.

 

[RADunfee]

I always carry a tarp. So many uses even for my daypack. I just use the Klymit Roamer throw tarp. Light and compact.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I like having one in my day hunting kit if I am away from my tent for long stretches or big distance. I have been caught out unexpectedly with and without one and prefer with.

Small synylon one is fine. they are $$$ but dyneema ones way 3-5 oz and give a lot of coverage. Add some thin rope and a few light stakes and you can improvise a good shelter for under a half pound.

 

[FLATHEAD]

They make a great "porch" for outside the tent.
Great for putting stuff out there (rifle-pack), or a dry spot to hang out/cook/eat.

 

[bozeman]

Always in my pack. Lightweight bearpaw designs

 

[Drenalin]

Most of the time, the tarp in my pack is my primary shelter. But if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t carry it.

 

[TradArcher]

I carry an old but still in great shape US Army poncho for emergency shelter/tarp use/lay meat on/etc. It's handy for a bunch of stuff, maybe not the lightest but then I can be kinda cheap and willing to carry a tad more weight sometimes. It's camo too so can make a quick ground blind if need be.

Somebody's gonna tease me about the woobie - no, I don't carry that unless it's gonna be pretty cold...then I might.

 

[Bump79]

I always carry a tarp. So many uses even for my daypack. I just use the Klymit Roamer throw tarp. Light and compact.

I use the same on day hunts, always have it in my pack as a a meat tarp. I might ditch it if I was packing but haven't yet.

 

[b_doornenbal]

In the climate I hunt in it’s a must. Solo I suck up the 13 oz penalty for safety. Last year we hit - 27 C (-16 F) and snow … you were really happy to have a fire and your day tarp to stop the snow and wind.

There is times of the year I leave it at home but those are the early or short trips. Longer trips I’ve spend DAYS sitting under one glassing thinking how mad I’d be without it.

 

[Jimss]

I'm always searching of ways to rid myself of weight/bulk. I guess a lot depends upon where you are hunting? Here in Colo and Wyo I'd say forget it but maybe in wetter areas it may come in handy? A thin/light tarp would be nice during wet conditions in a place like Alaska but is it worth carrying the added bulk/wt? If you are in an area with trees it often is possible to huddle under a tree while glassing if it happens to be raining. I have awesome raingear so rain really doesn't matter a whole lot. A little rain likely won't hurt meat as long as it isn't over an extended period of time and not too hot.

With that said, 95% of the time where I hunt I would leave a tarp in the truck.

 

[Mykolaivka887]

I'm always searching of ways to rid myself of weight/bulk. I guess a lot depends upon where you are hunting? Here in Colo and Wyo I'd say forget it but maybe in wetter areas it may come in handy? A thin/light tarp would be nice during wet conditions in a place like Alaska but is it worth carrying the added bulk/wt? If you are in an area with trees it often is possible to huddle under a tree while glassing if it happens to be raining. I have awesome raingear so rain really doesn't matter a whole lot. A little rain likely won't hurt meat as long as it isn't over an extended period of time and not too hot.

With that said, 95% of the time where I hunt I would leave a tarp in the truck.

In places like Alaska, it is NOT worth carrying the added bulk/weight of a day tarp, just to keep your tootsies "dry" while hoping to see a big game animal moving around in that weather. Total waste of time, space and energy.

A tarp is handy back at camp though, to keep meat/cape dry for several days, till you can get it out of the field.

But for sitting under during bouts of wind, rain and snow, I don't think so. There's other ways and even better ways to stay "dry and comfortable", so to speak.

In fifty-nine years of roaming the Alaskan wilderness, a day tarp hasn't yet proven to be a necessary item, at all. Not to me, anyway.

 

[Anglo-American]

Is a tarp worth the added weight for going solo on a backpacking hunt? I'll be sleeping in a tent but was wondering for glassing/rain/setting meat on. Thanks.

For me yes, a tarp and bivvy are always in the pack.
The weight isn't much and the applications are massive ranging from dorking out for mildly more comfort to life saving.

They can work well for primary sleep systems as well of course.

Ounces make pounds and pounds make pain...but equally the amount of lighter weight gear now in comparison to 50-70 years ago is massive.