I am fixing to spend seven days in the Weminuche. Four nights will be above timeberline. I really don't want to lug 4 lbs of tent. I don't even want to carry my Cabela's XPG Bivy at 1.5 lbs. I have a Bear Paw Canopy Tent 2 that was purchased with this trip in mind.


With stakes and polycryo ground cloth total packed wieght is at 27 ounces! Am I going to regret this choice in gear? Will I have problems securing this tarp tent in the winds above timberline? Are stakes out of the question above timberline?

I can't personally speak about Bear Paw Tents, but I've been tarp camping in the alpine for the past ten years in the Cascade and Olympic Mountains of Washington without un-due problem.

It looks like your tarp shelter doesn't have a catenary ride line, so it may be a bit flappy if it's windy. Try and pick campsites with good staking if you can, if not go around and collect a lot of rocks and pile them on your stakes using the stakes as a deadman. I'd take one stake for every loop on the shelter and some extra line if you are still getting to know the shelter, and tighten

And wasn't finished with the above post. Basically, go look up the archived article on tarp camping that Ryan Jordan wrote years ago, take lots of stakes and cord, and go do it.

I thought I recognized your name, Doug. I can attest to you camping in the high country in the Olympics because I met you on the trail in ONP in 2007 when I was thru-hiking the PNT.

My trail journal entry for that day:Pacific Northwest Trail Journal

Hey Dale,

I suspect you'll do fine with that shelter. It is similar to other popular shelter designs out there, Go-Lite Hut, Shangi-La, Gossamer Spinnshelter,... comes to mind.

The big difference being that it uses a flat tarp design as opposed to a catenary. There are advantages to both designs.

You may have to be more careful about using all your tie-outs and make sure they are solid if strong winds are in the forecast.

Let us know how it goes?

BearPaw has some good prices for ultralight shelters