getting into tarping

Tue, Apr 19, 2011

I’ve always wanted to tarp on the Cairngorm plateau before the midges come out, so I’ve taken the plunge and contacted a couple of superb UK outfits to get some lightweight gear. Ordered on Sunday, both sets turned up today. Not bad! Pacerpoles and a SilTarp1 from Backpackinglight. I really wanted a MicroTarp but they’re out of tarps at the moment other than the Integral Designs SilTarp1. I sat down and watched the Bob Cartwright “how to put up a tarp and tie the knots” DVD, which was good fun. I gave up on the figure of eight slip knot thingy and the taught line thingy as they’re just about impossible to follow but the others were fine. Bowline, clove hitch both normal and slippy. By the time I’d sorted that lot it was blowing a gale outside!

It’s pretty difficult learning to put up a tarp for the first time in 25mph winds but the above configuration was too confined for my liking, so I tried again.

Much more open and in keeping with the philosophy of the bivvy. Not sure about that vertical wall at the back though. Takes about 5mins to set it up even in a gale. It’s great fun working out which configuration to use and I’m sure out on the hill it’ll be even more fun!