Am I Making a Mistake? - Tarp Tent w/ Down Bag

[TexAg09]

Howdy everyone, I'm just looking for some feedback on a possible Sept elk hunt set up. I have experience backpack hunting in late Oct with a standard three season backpack tent, but for my upcoming Sept WY elk hunt I am looking at going with a 10'x10' tarp in a tarp tent configuration with a 0F down sleeping bag, Exped Dura 5R sleeping pad and either tyvek or a heavy duty space blanket for a ground sheet. This is going to possibly be mid Sept in 7-10K' of elevation. I'm not wanting to use a bivy to keep weight down, but I'm concerned about the possibility of getting my down bag wet in a rain storm. I have a 15F synthetic bag, but the 0F bag is lighter and packs smaller so I'd prefer not to go the route if possible. Any feedback or tips for this set up? I appreciate any responses.

 

[seeth07]

Pack a hammock to get off the ground, tarp over the top. If there aren't trees, you can usually use some logs to set something up as you just need to get off the ground, nothing high.

 

[KB_]

why is it we spend so much money to live homeless. What advantage do you think you will gain sleeping under a tarp? Genuinely curious, because your standard backpack tent will work perfectly fine.

 

[TexAg09]

why is it we spend so much money to live homeless. What advantage do you think you will gain sleeping under a tarp? Genuinely curious, because your standard backpack tent will work perfectly fine.

I'll gain about 4lbs in weight savings. I'm working to cut my overall pack weight.

Edit: a $20 tarp is pretty thrifty in my mind LOL!

 

[2rocky]

This was a September snowstorm in Western Wyoming. We rode in under green aspens. Plan accordingly but be aware things can get extreme pretty quickly.

We had time to get the rest of the crew packed out before it hit.

 

[perma]

either tyvek or a heavy duty space blanket for a ground sheet.

Argali actually recommended that we use a tyvek for a footprint. Makes sense too, if it keeps a house fry during construction, it’ll keep you dry. I’d only question the packability of a tyvek.

I have used a cheap Amazon 2-ply tarp as my footprint when turkey hunting. I was perfectly dry with that and it packed nicely.

 

[TexAg09]

View attachment 284409

This was a September snowstorm in Western Wyoming. We rode in under green aspens. Plan accordingly but be aware things can get extreme pretty quickly.

We had time to get the rest of the crew packed out before it hit.

Ugh yeah, this is on my mind. I plan on having the tarp, backing tent and car camping tent in the truck to give us options, but this would definitely put us on "Plan C" if this were to happen. My Oct hunts have been in Utah, and we have been lucky enough to always dodge the big snow storms but it is always on my mind.

 

[rustednuts]

I'm running a borah tarp with their bivy this year. Being my first year using a tarp I wanted the bivvy for extra protection plus if if the weather is nice I can skip the tarp.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

Holy moly I think you need a lighter backpacking tent. Lunar Solo

Tarps work between fine and great when the rain is coming straight down. When it's blowing and slushing not so great. Some country affords you options of natural shelter, some does not. The difference between a wet down bag and wet synthetic bag is generally over-emphasized in my opinion. Unless it's truly saturated, down holds loft fairly well and dries pretty fast. If it's saturated you've either had a shelter failure or a plan failure. All bags are miserable as hell when wet.

My two cents. Have a great hunt!

 

[GrantK]

Holy moly I think you need a lighter backpacking tent. Lunar Solo

Tarps work between fine and great when the rain is coming straight down. When it's blowing and slushing not so great. Some country affords you options of natural shelter, some does not. The difference between a wet down bag and wet synthetic bag is generally over-emphasized in my opinion. Unless it's truly saturated, down holds loft fairly well and dries pretty fast. If it's saturated you've either had a shelter failure or a plan failure. All bags are miserable as hell when wet.

My two cents. Have a great hunt!

nailed it...

placement is key with tarps, keep the edges close to the ground and watch that you aren't going to get running water from outside.
if you are talking $20 tarps the tarp and tyvek is probably already heavier than an UL backpacking tent though, and way less comfortable...
I've lived in down bags in a wet snow cave for a week, it sucks but unless you are out there in some truly unhuntable bad weather you aren't in danger of anything more than shivering a little...

 

[TexAg09]

Holy moly I think you need a lighter backpacking tent. Lunar Solo

Tarps work between fine and great when the rain is coming straight down. When it's blowing and slushing not so great. Some country affords you options of natural shelter, some does not. The difference between a wet down bag and wet synthetic bag is generally over-emphasized in my opinion. Unless it's truly saturated, down holds loft fairly well and dries pretty fast. If it's saturated you've either had a shelter failure or a plan failure. All bags are miserable as hell when wet.

My two cents. Have a great hunt!

Haha yeah, it's a little over 5lbs. In my younger years I was broke and went cheap on stuff and used my fitness to overcome the weight penalties. Now I'm older and have kids, so not broke but the money goes to them. The fitness...well I can still manage, but I'd rather not pay the penalty if I have to.
I appreciate the input. Just trying not to have a plan failure if possible and do something stupid.

 

[SC Living Outdoors]

Holy moly I think you need a lighter backpacking tent. Lunar Solo

Tarps work between fine and great when the rain is coming straight down. When it's blowing and slushing not so great. Some country affords you options of natural shelter, some does not. The difference between a wet down bag and wet synthetic bag is generally over-emphasized in my opinion. Unless it's truly saturated, down holds loft fairly well and dries pretty fast. If it's saturated you've either had a shelter failure or a plan failure. All bags are miserable as hell when wet.

My two cents. Have a great hunt!

I agree. I've thought about the tarp thing, but its not worth it in my opinion. I have a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2. It weighs 2 lbs on the nose. In 2022 we went Idaho bear hunting. My buddy slept in a hammock under a tarp. I slept in my tent. I woke up at sunrise completely dry. I didn't even know it had stormed. My buddy was soaked and slept for about 2hrs the whole night.

 

[TexAg09]

Argali actually recommended that we use a tyvek for a footprint. Makes sense too, if it keeps a house fry during construction, it’ll keep you dry. I’d only question the packability of a tyvek.

I have used a cheap Amazon 2-ply tarp as my footprint when turkey hunting. I was perfectly dry with that and it packed nicely.

I've used tyvek for my tent footprint for years. No worries about packability. It's great stuff!

 

[brymoore]

I’d spent many a night just sleeping on the ground under the stars in September. In your situation, I’d carry a tent. Save weight elsewhere. A long trip that you traveled for would become miserable if you get soaked and/or can’t sleep.

You don’t need a 0 degree bag in September either. You can always add clothing if it gets colder. I run a 10 degree, 2 pound Westerly Mountaineering bag for everything.

I’ve spent hundreds of nights backpacking and never had my down bag get wet.

 

[trackerbacker]

There's a few ways to pitch a tarp right. I've used em "beaked", closed a frame, and folded a frame (that's what I call it at least)

Google shows my pitches similar to this:

And that folded in half for a floor.



I've used these setups in driving rain, blizzard, 80f - 0f.

Pitched right, they'll keep you dry, as dry as most anything.

That said, I like comfort. And I like a stove. These days it's usually the argali rincon and the stove over the tarp, but not always

My $0.02 with a tarp, practice practice practice. Practice to where you can move a few stakes and repitch a different pitch. You don't want to learn a pitch during a storm or at the worst moments.

 

[jlong17]

I know how you Texans eat.... I can think of many weighs to cut 5 lbs from the trip, and none of them are comfort/safety items like a tent. With all due respect, of course

 

[KB_]

I would take comfort over weight savings any day of the week. My backpacking tent has a bug screen and a water proof tarp. Keeps all the bugs out of my stuff and my nose. I would have to have a catastrophic failure to have water intrusion. That dang tent went thru 50mph sustained winds and downpours on the top of a mountain and I had no problem, other then regretting putting my tent where I did once the lightning strikes started. I remember some dude tellin me he likes to suffer when he hunts, makes him feel like he earned it. < STUPID

 

[TexAg09]

I know how you Texans eat.... I can think of many weighs to cut 5 lbs from the trip, and none of them are comfort/safety items like a tent. With all due respect, of course

That's also in the works! Haha! Down 9lbs as of Friday.

 

[Pucky Freak]

I tarped my Nov WY elk hunt and my May MT bear hunt. In May a wind/hail storm blew over my tarp. I just wrapped up in it like a burrito and went back to sleep. The next day I dried everything out while I glassed. Besides being a little inconvenient and a little uncomfortable I was fine. I was surprised how warm the wet down sleeping bag still was. There’s a huge difference between drenched down and slightly wet down.

 

[jlong17]

That's also in the works! Haha! Down 9lbs as of Friday.

Strong work, brother!