 A
properly erected rain tarp can make all the difference in the
world if you are stuck camping during rainy weather. If you have
a tarp, you can sit, cook or relax in relative comfort in the
foulest of weather. If you don't, you're going to be spending a
lot of time in your tent.
We carry a lightweight 10' x 12' tarp. It is made of ripstop
nylon and has brass grommets around the perimeter. Although it
was expensive as compared to the woven "tarps"
available, it packs down to a very compact bundle and weighs
next to nothing. If we are travelling with a larger group, we
will occasionally carry two of these.
The most common method of erecting a rain tarp is either
"lean-to" style, sloping front to back; or a peaked
"tent" style as shown in the photo above.
There
is no magic formula for putting up a tarp. Nature doesn't always
cooperate by putting four perfectly located trees at the corners
where we require them. This means that we sometimes have to be
creative about putting up the tarp. That fourth corner may have
to be tied to a tree 50 ft. away, or to a small bush, or to an
exposed tree root. Believe me, if it means getting out of a
driving rain, you'll come up with some sort of system to get the
tarp overhead.
To erect a tarp "lean-to" style, orient the tarp so
that the low end is towards the prevailing weather (usually west
or northwest). The high end is tied to a rope stretched from
tree to tree. The low end is anchored at or close to the ground
to help deflect the wind. It is important to stretch the tarp as
tight as a drum. If it is not tight, we will have the pleasure
of listening to it flap in the breeze all night. I have been on
more than one trip where I heard someone get up in the middle of
the night with a flashlight to fasten down that flapping corner
so that they could sleep. A good idea is to make loops of
elastic or bungee cord for the tarp grommets so that ropes
automatically stay taut.
This type of arrangement can sometimes require a lot of rope.
Make sure you don't skimp on the quantity of rope you bring
along.
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