Notes for my Tarp Pitching Workshop

These notes are to accompany the Tarp Pitching session at the 2024 Cycle Touring Festival, in Coniston. We did something similar in 2019 and people asked me to put together a document to help them remember what we covered. I never got around to it, so this time I decided to write it beforehand!

If you weren't at the workshop they might still be useful, and I hope you'll be able to follow along.

Also, it's important to note that I'm not an expert with tarps. I'm just sharing what I've learned so far, and what I've found useful when setting mine up.

Different ways to pitch them

We were using "flat" rectangular tarps, that allow for plenty of choice in how you put them up.

The size of your tarp has an impact on which pitches are likely to work best. I had two sizes with me; an Alpkit Rig 7 (2.4m x 2.8m) and a Rig 3.5 (2.4m x 1.4m).

If everything went according to plan, I should have showed you how to setup the Rig 7 as:

While working through these different setups I used guy lines with a sliding guy line hitch, instead of using a plastic "line lok". Using a knot allows you to make a very short guy out of a longer line, which can come in handy if you want to try a totally different setup, or adapt your pitch to suit bad conditions.

Post-workshop update: I pitched my Rig 7 using the Tetra Wedge at the festival for somebody (who shall remain nameless) who rendered themselves homeless by bringing the wrong poles for their tent. They hadn't tarp'ed before, but had such a comfortable night that they overslept! Here's a picture (courtesy of Simon Johnson):

Rig 7 tarp pitched as a Tetra Wedge

As I write these notes I can't be sure what we'll have done next, as we'll have tailored it to suit what people were most interested in. Were there any nearby trees where we could put up a ridge line? Or were people more interested in different ways to put them up with tarp poles?

I'll mention a few things that I think are worth checking out regardless of whether or not we went over them in the workshop.

  • We might have had a go with the smaller Rig 3.5, most likely using the "Half Pyramid" from the Bearbones guide to the Rig 3.5. You can comfortably cover the heads of two campers with that one. The "almost tent" also works well with the 3.5, particularly if you raise the front to give you a bit more headroom.
  • We might have found a couple of trees, and setup another A-frame, using a ridge line between the trees instead of poles. I'd have shown you Prusik knots for keeping the tarp taught, without over-tensioning it.
  • We might have tried some more pitches with the Rig 7, trying either this pitch (with a built-in groundsheet), or the Tarp Tent. The Tarp Tent works even better with a slightly larger square tarp.

These pitches will get you started, but if you search for "tarp pitches" on YouTube you'll find a lot more ideas.

Where to get stuff

Tarps

There are lots of options, both in shaped/sculptured designs, and flat tarps. The shaped ones are intended to be put up the same way every time, a bit like a tent's flysheet. A good place to go to see what kind of things are available is Ultralight Outdoor Gear's tarp page.

The main "flat" tarps I'm familiar with are from DD Hammocks, AlpKit, and RAB, but I'm sure there are others. When choosing one, take note of how many tie-out points there are, and where they're positioned. It makes a big difference to what you can do with them, and how well they can cope with a strong wind.

I showed you two rectangular tarps:

I've also got a Bearbones Bear Pit, that just covers your head.

There are plenty of good pitches that work great with square tarps too. I hear square ones work particularly well with hammocks. DD Hammocks make several square options, AlpKit make a couple.

Post-workshop update: Catherine brought along her DD Hammocks Superlight, which we pitched as a "Tarp Tent".

Poles

The first thing to consider is what length you need. And then there's the question of how you're going to pack them on the bike.

In general, the bigger your tarp the longer the pole.

I use carbon poles from Bearbones. I showed you two Pole-A-Bear poles (110cm and 70cm), which work well with my smaller Rig 3.5 tarp.

Lots of people make tarp poles though, so there are plenty to choose from if you shop around. For example, these MSR ones. I don't know much about what's available though, so it would be worth doing your research here.

When the Bearbones Pick 'n Mix poles came out, I switched to a set of those. They come in multiple 15cm sections, so can be easily packed in a bikepacking bag. They take longer to put together when you're pitching, but they give you more options — you can vary the length of each pole by adding/removing sections. My Pick 'n Mix poles also double-up as the pole for my Lunar Solo tent.

In the absence of a pole, you can also use your bike. A detached front wheel can be handy for a lifter-line on your windward side (attached to a tie-out point on the side wall – you can see an example in this guide from AlpKit), to stop things flapping in the wind, or to create more space. This does mean you can't setup camp and then nip to the pub, however. And wrapping a line round your tyre is less fun when everything's covered in filth.

So poles are good news.

Handy sticks can also make good supports for lifter-lines that just hold the sides out. They don't need to take a lot of force.

Pegs

I carry 3 big pegs (one for each pole's guy, one spare) and 6 small ones. My big ones are fairly generic "y-shaped" pegs. They hold well, but can be tough to get into hard ground and aren't that compact, so I use smaller pegs for webbing loops and short lines.

Any small peg will do, but in case you're wondering what I had at the festival…

My Bearbones Carbon Pencil pegs have been great. I wanted more small pegs for this workshop at short notice, so got some DD SuperLight pegs (the gold ones with a hook on top) and some Terra Firma Mini pegs (the red ones with a loop of string).

Pegs with loops of string on the end work well with the guy line hitch. You can thread the line through the loop (rather than round the peg), and it can't slip off.

Lines

If you're going to use sliders (line loks) on your guy lines, any guy lines will do fine. To recap, the only reason I don't use them is because they don't let you use a long line to make a very short guy. If you always pitch your tarp the same way, this isn't likely to be a problem.

If you fancy using the sliding hitch I showed you instead, you'll need a line that will hold the knot.

The stuff I use is (again) from Bearbones. It's just fat enough to be easy to work with, holds the knots well, and isn't too bulky.

A few years ago Brenda ran a tarp making workshop at the festival. I tried to find us a roll of cord suitable for guy lines, but none of the lightweight line I bought would hold the knot. So I recommend getting it from Bearbones. They sell 10m of line that you can cut up as you see fit.

How long your two main guys need to be is partly a function of how tall your poles are. When I got my 10m of line I was using 110cm and 70cm poles, and my small Rig 3.5 tarp. Having reviewed Stu's suggested pitches for that tarp, I cut my 10m length up as follows:

  • 3.1m (for the tall pole)
  • 2.6m (for the shorter pole)
  • 2 x 1.85m
  • 2 x 0.9m

The attentive reader will notice that's more than 10m. Thanks Stu! :-)

I find they work great for the Rig 3.5. I just noticed that in Stu's article he says he's using 6 x 1m and 2 x 2m lines. So I wouldn't worry too much about getting this "right".

Long lines come in handy with taller poles though, so if pitching a Rig 7 with (e.g.) a 135cm pole, I'd want a 3m line.

Also, the shallower the angle that your guy line makes with the ground, the greater the chance that its peg will stay put in a strong wind. That's the main reason why I've got a 3m line.

Carabiners

I use little carabiners to clip my lines to my tarps.

You obviously don't really need these, and can just tie them on. But if you use a couple of tarps or like to try out different pitches, lightweight carabiners speed everything up. They also reduce the time spent faffing in the dark, while your fingers are too cold to deal with knots, and you're getting rained on. Hurrah.

Mine are AlpKit Clippers.

A quick note on bivvy bags

Tarps are fun, but if you're just out for one night you can stay warm and dry with a simple bivvy bag (e.g. the AlpKit Hunka) without a tarp.

I think the key to it is to keep your mat outside the bivvy bag. That lets the bag (and the opening in its hood) move with you as you roll over. If you lie on your side facing away from the wind you can adjust the position of the hood so that it keeps the rain out. I've stayed snug and dry at the top of a hill in mid winter (in sleet and a 35 mph wind) without a tarp. Not only was I warm, I was having a great time.

If you put the mat inside your bivvy bag the bag can't roll with you, so you can't really angle the hood away from the rain. It's not actually impossible to make it work, but it's a lot more difficult.

But in every other way, I think putting your mat inside your bag is a great idea. The bag protects the mat from sharp stuff on the ground. It also means you can use a quilt (that straps directly to the sleeping mat) rather than a sleeping bag. This is good news, as quilts are generally more compact, and easier to fit into bikepacking luggage.

This was my main motivation for getting the Bear Pit tarp; I don't need to worry about keeping rain off me, so can use my XL sized Hunka and put my mat inside. If you like this idea, also checkout Stu's review of the DD Magic Carpet.

Most of my nights out with a bivvy bag are one night trips, and I usually don't pitch a tarp. If the forecast is good, I often don't even take one (there's not much spare room in my bikepacking bags).

It's on multi-night trips that I think bigger tarps really come into their own. You get condensation inside a bivvy bag on a wet night, as rain on the outer surface prevents water vapour from "breathing" through the fabric. This can make your sleeping bag a bit damp. It's fine if you're going home, not ideal if you're camping again the following night, or for another week.

Tarps keep the rain off, have better ventilation than a tent, and therefore keep your sleeping bag dry.