Shelter (without a Tent)?

J

jaymeister99

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Sep 14, 2010
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I've gone out with a tarp and even slept in a survival shelter. But neither compares to the comfort of a tent.

Anybody tried something inbetween? Looking for a lightweight bugproof shelter for backpacking without breaking the bank (preferably 4 man).
 
4 man?! :confused:

Can't help you there, but a tarp with an inner net is a nice lightweight option, that is essentially a two wall tent.

You can get as light as 19oz. of a two person "tent", including guylines, stakes, and stuff sack, but that'll set you back ~$400.
You could however get a simple 8x10 silnylon tarp and a triangular inner net to clip underneath, for substantially less money, but more weight. Still only gonna be about a 2 man set up, unless you get a really BIG tarp and put two inner nets underneath. Not sure how the storm durability would be with that though...
 
kgd said:
He meant, 1 man and 3 ultra-fine foxy ladies :D :D :D

You can have a foursome under a tarp, but you can't in a hammock.....Thats a fact that you can take to Mr. Henessy himself!
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I don't know, those Yankees sure are crazy! :D

Seriously though, are you going to be with four other people all the time?

If the answer is no, go with a one or two person setup.

A tarp will give you the best bang for your buck.
Hammocks are also nice, though they tend to be more expensive
and generally are going to be "one man".
 
To me a tent is false security. I much prefer my hammock over any other option. With my large diamond fly, my hammock weighs in at under 4lbs and packs to the size of a football. I can set it up in under 5 minutes, and don't need to search for level ground.

However if you need room for 4 people, I am thinking a tent is your best bet..

My family car camping tent is like a mini apartment. I won't lie, when I car camp with my family I am most comfortable. My wife brings a big ass air mattress, pillows, table, chairs, grill, dutch oven, etc.. Hell the only thing we don't bring is an air conditioner... :p
 
I know 4 man was a stretch. But with a wife and two kids I needs us all under one "roof". If it was a few years ago I would be in my trusty Peak1 Cobra.

I was looking at a Shangri La 5, it weighs in around 4.5-5 lbs. total. I can split the weight about 1/2 and 1/2 with the wife. Nice, but will run around $450-500 between the shelter and net. At less than half that price I can hit a 4 man tent for around 7-7.5 lbs. May just stick with a tent.
 
jaymeister99 said:
I know 4 man was a stretch. But with a wife and two kids I needs us all under one "roof". If it was a few years ago I would be in my trusty Peak1 Cobra.


Totally understand that.:thumbup:

Are you guys hiking in or car camping? Just wondering weight is really an issue.
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jaymeister99 said:
I know 4 man was a stretch. But with a wife and two kids I needs us all under one "roof". If it was a few years ago I would be in my trusty Peak1 Cobra.


Totally understand that.:thumbup:

Are you guys hiking in or car camping? Just wondering weight is really an issue.
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Hiking in. Not my usual 10 mile trek, probably 2-3 miles in. So I don't mind lugging around a few pounds, but still want it light as possible.
 
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larger pyramid "tent" is what I'd look into for a family of four- you can use it w/ a inner if it's buggy, sans inner when it's not

try Golite, Black Diamond, Oware, others
 
mtwarden said:
larger pyramid "tent" is what I'd look into for a family of four- you can use it w/ a inner if it's buggy, sans inner when it's not

try Golite, Black Diamond, Oware, others
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I think I'm going to stick with a tent for now.

The Golite Shangri-La 5, looks like its in my future. :thumbup:
 
dougo83 said:
I don't know how bad you get tore up by skeeters, but a tent is the only way I have found to "effectively" keep them the eff off of me while I sleep.
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The skeeters like you cause your so sweet:p


Seriously though, my hammock is very effective against those nasty little bastards.
 
Yeah, my hammock does a fine job of keepin the bugs at bay, and its comfier then a tent IMO. I didnt understand the post at first. I was thinking, Why the heck does this guy want to lug around a big tent everywhere???? I totally get it now, and I commend you for wanting to get the family out with ya.

That said, Id check out REI. They carry some nice tents that are lightweight, and big enough for ya. Ive always heard nice things about the REI branded tents, but they carry a ton of brands. I think by needing a tent that big you are totally gonna have to go lightweight, even if it costs some durability. With a family trip like that you have enough to carry. LOL......

When my family head out we usually end up spread out in seperate shelters like gypsies. Tarps, Hammocks, Bivys, and tents....lol I have been around hammocks long enough now that I am hooked. My wife got her first Hennesey recently, and we are eventually gonna outfit the troops too. I think it could be a very effective way for a family to get out and backpack together.

Also of interest to me is a tipi from Kifaru, or of my own making. With a wood stove, I think it would be like a RV in the winter. Maybe not packable with the need for the poles, and the weight, but with some work it might be....Dont know really.
 
My usual shelter is a 7x9tarp with mosquito netting sewn into three sides and guy-outs attached all over. I imagine you could do the same on a larger scale with something like a Noah's tarp from Kelty. String it up and weigh down the net with a few rocks. That's a lot of sewing, but those things provide a lot of shelter for their size and weight. If bugs aren't a concern then just the tarp. IME its a lot easier to rig up several small shelters than to find an open spot large enough for 4.
HH
 
HeavyHanded said:
My usual shelter is a 7x9tarp with mosquito netting sewn into three sides and guy-outs attached all over. I imagine you could do the same on a larger scale with something like a Noah's tarp from Kelty. String it up and weigh down the net with a few rocks. That's a lot of sewing, but those things provide a lot of shelter for their size and weight. If bugs aren't a concern then just the tarp. IME its a lot easier to rig up several small shelters than to find an open spot large enough for 4.
HH
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Yup. When the kids get a little older then I'll do a couple of separate shelters. At 5 and 3 yrs old I don't want em in their own shelter now, got to wait a few years. Not to mention sleep walking runs in the family!

But a lightweight tarp with a netting sewn on is an awesome idea. Might have to try that!:thumbup:
 
Now why didn't ya say it was young'uns? Yeah, the tarp w/ netting has served me well for years. The extra guy-outs are a must. With a one-man shelter, I just use my walking stick for one end and can tie the other to anything, even my pack. With a bigger one, the trade off for light weight is that you need to be able to tie it up well from a few angles. Not very convenient. Best of luck, my twins are three now and I hope to start getting them out next year. I'm going to make the dog carry one of the tents or he can get the poles for a bigger one that'll fit the whole crew (in addition to his food).

HH
 
jaymeister99 said:
I think I'm going to stick with a tent for now.

The Golite Shangri-La 5, looks like its in my future. :thumbup:
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I think that will be a very good choice, the Golites pyra's are nice in their modularity- you have the option of adding/subtracting a "nest" or a floor

they are a true 4 season shelter too- if the winter camping bug ever gets ahold of you :)

keep an eye on sales, I've seen these discounted up to 40% many times
 
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