Gear
Tarp tents and shelters
Minimalist overnight solutions: a tarp plus a mosquito net, or a pyramid shelter with a central pole. Low weight, demands skill — for the ultralight tradition and experienced summer trippers.
Tarp tents and shelters are the tent’s minimalist family. Instead of the poles, inner tent and carefully integrated system that a traditional tent makes up, you have a few parts: a piece of waterproof fabric, cords, pegs, and perhaps a pole or a trekking pole as the ridge support. The weight drops sharply. The skill demand rises.
What the category contains
Flat tarp. A rectangular piece of silnylon or Dyneema, typically 2.5 × 3 m for one person or 3 × 3.5 m for two. Pitched between two trees or with two poles. It protects against rain from above; no floor, no mosquito net. Weight 200–500 g.
Tarp with integrated mosquito net (tarp tent). Tarp and bivvy/mosquito net combined. The Tarptent Notch and Tarptent Stratospire are classics — two poles as ridge supports, light netting underneath, a waterproof base. Weight 600–1000 g for one-person versions.
Pyramid shelter (mid). A square of fabric in pyramid form with a single pole in the middle. The Black Diamond Mega Light, the Hyperlite Mountain Gear UltaMid. Very wind-stable for the weight, but no floor included. Weight 500–900 g for two-person models. Often used with a separate inner net (a mosquito-net pod) hung inside.
Bivvy bag. Extreme-minimal — a waterproof bag for the sleeping bag. Not a tent, but it belongs to the same tradition. It has its own uses (climbing, alpine emergency solution).
Why some people choose it
The weight. A complete tarp-tent system for one person — tarp, mosquito net, ground material — can weigh under 600 g. That is a third of a light dome tent. On trips where the pack weight makes the difference between managing 35 km/day and 25 km/day, 1–1.5 kg saved becomes a big deal.
It is also an expression of an attitude towards nature. The Pacific Crest Trail tradition, the Andrew Skurka tradition, classic Swedish allmoge friluftsliv: the camp is to be built from the terrain, not bought ready-made.
What it demands
Knot skill. You have to be able to tie a trucker’s hitch or a bowline in the dark and quickly. Adjustable cords help, but a knot is still the foundation.
Site assessment. You have to be able to look at a piece of forest or mountain and know where rain runs off, where the wind sits, and where you can drive pegs that will actually hold. A traditional tent works moderately on a poor site; a tarp does not work.
Acceptance of condensation, sand and small creatures. There is no sealed floor that stops insects; there is a limited floor area that stops rain splash. On a summer night in dry forest terrain this is no problem. In the mosquito season on the Vidda it is.
Example models
- Black Diamond Mega Light — four-person pyramid, about 1280 g without the inner net. A classic for ski touring.
- Hyperlite Mountain Gear UltaMid 2 — Dyneema, 540 g. Extremely light, expensive.
- Tarptent Notch Li — one-person, Dyneema, 510 g with mosquito net.
- MSR Thru-Hike 100 Wing — flat tarp, 230 g.
- Sea to Summit Escapist Tarp — a widely available flat tarp in silnylon, 400–700 g.
Who it suits
Experienced summer and autumn trippers in the lowlands and forest terrain. The Pacific Crest Trail mindset: long day stages, where the weight saving is concretely useful. Ski trips on the Hardangervidda in March–April with a pyramid mid (winter with a tarp is a speciality discipline). Climbers who want an emergency roof.
Where it falls short
A first purchase. A family holiday. Norwegian winter mountains in a near-gale (unless you have practised the pyramid mid with digging a snow wall). Mosquito-heavy summer nights on bog landscapes. Cramped pitches with hard, stony ground where the pegs will not go in.
For a broader overview of tent types, see the tent overview and tarpaulin and tarp for use scenarios.
Next steps
- Tents — the equipment guide that places the tarp and shelter against the heavier alternatives
- Tunnel tents — the next step up in weight and comfort when the skill demand becomes too high
- Hammock with mosquito net (tree tent) — a related minimalist solution for forest terrain
- Tarp (presenning) — how you actually pitch and live under a tarp
- Tent and lavvo — where you can make camp, the right to roam (allemannsretten) and leave-no-trace travel (sporløs ferdsel)