Tarp/quilt style shelter

[Jaker_cc]

I'm headed to Colorado in early archery season on a high country hunt. Late august-early sept type hunt. Instead of packing a tent I'm looking at running a tarp/quilt style shelter. We are trying to stay mobile and won't be pitching a base camp.

Can someone give me a few pros and cons from personal experience on running this type of shelter compared to a single man tent?

 

[Ruskin]

If weather is mostly good, it's a great option. I usually take a tipi/tent to the trail head to have the option to swap it out, just in case I'm in for a week of wet/bad weather.

 

[Jaker_cc]

Good deal, thanks for the feedback. I'm just worried about not finding a flat spot to pitch a tent. Honestly if the weather is good I'll probably just toss out my pad and bag and quilt and go to bed.

 

[Jaker_cc]

Would a supertarp work for what I'm trying to accomplish. I just listened to a podcast about it. I think that's going to be what I go with if so.

 

[Cindy]

Pros and cons?
Colorado in late August.

Bugs.

A tent with a floor, walls, and a zipper keeps bugs at a minimum. You can enclose yourself.
A tarp lets the bugs move freely around your head all night. At least one end is always open.
The other thing would be rain.
You run more risk of a saturation without a waterproof floor.
If you know which way the wind will come from, you drop one end to keep the wind from blowing through the shelter all night.

I have a Slumberjack satellite tarp in the Kryptek highlander camo that I have used.
I don't find it to be much lighter than many tent options. Its a good size tarp but it weighs almost 2 pounds and has no poles.

So, its not that much lighter or compact than many one man tents.
In fact, its not even close when you compare it to a hyperlite mountain gear echo 2 shelter, which has the tarp that is fully zipper enclosable to shut out wind or rain ,a bathtub floor, bug netting enclosure, and weighs the same. The big difference is price.

You might be better off just getting a good bivy. Get one with a bug netting option. Light, waterproof, keeps the bugs out.
Not ideal if you end up with multi days of wet weather. Its miserable to be stuck in a cocoon while the rain beats the tar out of you night after night.

Anything will work. Its just a matter of what you are willing to tolerate.
Tent is the most stable, with the most options.
Tarp is cheap, easy, fast.
Bivy is great if you don't get too much weather.

One nice thing about a tarp is its multi use.
Not just for sleeping under. Use it as a rain shelter, use it as a sun shade, use it as a ground cloth, whatever you can think of.

 

[Jaker_cc]

Pros and cons?
Colorado in late August.

Bugs.

A tent with a floor, walls, and a zipper keeps bugs at a minimum. You can enclose yourself.
A tarp lets the bugs move freely around your head all night. At least one end is always open.
The other thing would be rain.
You run more risk of a saturation without a waterproof floor.
If you know which way the wind will come from, you drop one end to keep the wind from blowing through the shelter all night.

I have a Slumberjack satellite tarp in the Kryptek highlander camo that I have used.
I don't find it to be much lighter than many tent options. Its a good size tarp but it weighs almost 2 pounds and has no poles.

So, its not that much lighter or compact than many one man tents.
In fact, its not even close when you compare it to a hyperlite mountain gear echo 2 shelter, which has the tarp that is fully zipper enclosable to shut out wind or rain ,a bathtub floor, bug netting enclosure, and weighs the same. The big difference is price.

You might be better off just getting a good bivy. Get one with a bug netting option. Light, waterproof, keeps the bugs out.
Not ideal if you end up with multi days of wet weather. Its miserable to be stuck in a cocoon while the rain beats the tar out of you night after night.

Anything will work. Its just a matter of what you are willing to tolerate.
Tent is the most stable, with the most options.
Tarp is cheap, easy, fast.
Bivy is great if you don't get too much weather.

One nice thing about a tarp is its multi use.
Not just for sleeping under. Use it as a rain shelter, use it as a sun shade, use it as a ground cloth, whatever you can think of.

Thank you very much for the information. This gives me more to think about.