Bob's Reviews & Buyer's Guide

A Tarp Tent Takes Survival To Its Basic Elements

Survival in the wilderness can be very complex, or it can be as simple as 123. It all depends on how you look at it. Some people cannot go out in the wood unless they have an RV with all the modern conveniences. Others take Pop-Up Tents with portable AC. Still, others take a Hammock and a weather fly.

But, the mark of a self-reliant person is to take the minimalistic approach. This could just mean a frying pan, a bedroll, and a tarp along with a web belt with a knife, first aid kit, and fire-making tools in pouches. You might think this isn’t enough to stay out in the wild. However, in the C.A.P. they do just that as seconds count when someone is lost in the wild.

A tarp can be used to build you a number of shelters as you can see with the help of our friends Rolling Fox.com.

In this infographic, you see 25 designs that if you look at them, they are all based on a tarp, some rope, and pegs. They are all simple to do. Just by looking at them, you can figure out how to make any one of them.

However, we are going to do better than that and provide you with a variety of ways to go about creating your own Tarp Tent, and from there you can go into the outdoors and not worry about being loaded down with a mountain of gear.

There Are A Lot More Variations Of Tarp Tents You Can Construct

• Preppers have their favorite designs, which you can learn a lot from. Here at one Prepper site, alone they provide you with 15 of their favorites.
• Again, this is not rocket science, and you can learn to make any or all of them with some Paracord and a 10 X 10 polyethylene tarp. You can buy all of this at your local Walmart, camping supply outlet, and even Home Depot.
• Learn to make a few and see what their good points are and how you can use them for your outings.
• One trick this reviewer learned was not to tie the Paracord around a tree as it can damage the bark. A better way is to use a hammock support harness instead. You can see many of the designs use a primary cord as the main support.
• Other models require poles, which you can cut from a stand of saplings (Not the best way to go) or bring your own poles. This, of course, depends on the type of Tarp Tent design you decide to use. Always remember the keyword with a Tarp Tent is simplicity.

You Can Always Learn The Most From Someone Who Lives With Their Tarp

That does not mean you have to strip to a loincloth and swing from trees or eat grubs like Bear Grylls. However, there are some people that spend lots of time out in the wild. For example, Vancouver is a beautiful part of Canada, there is a man up there by the name of Bradford Angier, he gives a detailed description of one of his favorite, and here is a link to Mother Earth News where he gives you the lowdown on one of his favorites. He provides you with a way to make a Tarp that he carries on his saddle. You can do the same and substitute a motorcycle or even a bike for a horse.

He has gone so far as to write a book on the topic of Tarp Tents and other DIY survival/camping gear in his book, “Wilderness Gear You Can Make Yourself by Bradford Angier, published by Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Copyright 1973 by Bradford Angier.

So how do you go about learning the ropes (No pun intended) of building a Tarp Tent

Well, you should learn some basic sewing skills first and again with the help of Mother Earth News you can learn how to make your own field gear, this can save you a bundle as well as make you self-reliant and free to custom design the gear that suits where you are camping and your particular needs.

From There They Are Many Videos That Walk You Through The Whole Process

For example, here is a Tarp Tent set up by Dave Canterbury who teaches woodcraft and wilderness survival skills.

His Tarp Tent almost entirely encloses except near the front where it is open and where you can set up your fire pit where you could put heated rocks (not fire) to help keep you warm.

You never want to have an open flame that near to your tent. The chances of catching fire are too high, and we want to enjoy the forest and not make Smokey the Bear upset.

If you don’t want to DIY Tarp Tent, you can always… Commercially made Tarp Tents are out on the market. With this link, you can see what is out there with the people at Tarptent have to offer.

You can find almost any sized Tarp Tent that suits your needs from Singles, Two-Person, and something that can handle a crowd.

This reviewer prefers a 10 X 10 Tarp as it has enough room for a single person and gear as well. Remember less is better. A gentleman of this reviewer’s acquaintance by the name of Robert takes a bicycle, a frying pan, and a Tarp and Spends 6 months out of the year peddling across China and South East Asia. The other 6 months he is tied to a desk doing office work, an interesting lifestyle to say the least.

Some people like the idea of a Tarp Tent but they want to feel less exposed to the elements. Here is a variant that is small light and provides the same features as a tent with both a door and a floor.

Final Thoughts

Today, we’ve covered a lot of ground today. You’ve learned the design for a plethora of Tarp Tents that range from the basic survival shelter to ones that if set up correctly could become a base camp that lets you enjoy a long holiday by your favorite lake or stretch of woodlands.

The key to Tarp Tents is simplicity and not to encumber yourself with a lot of “stuff.” With a Tarp Tent and a few essentials, a hiker can cover more ground and see more sights than their brethren who need a U-Haul trailer to spend a weekend bringing what they consider the bare necessities. Camping is supposed to be fun, exciting, and the challenge of pitting yourself against Mother Nature.

A Tarp Tent can also be the doorway to a minimalist lifestyle, which could spill over into your day-to-day existence, as it has done with Robert and others like Bradford Angier, and others who embrace the Prepper, Survivalist, and the true outdoorsman way of life.

Give it a try and see how you like using a Tarp Tent.