I recently bought a cheap tarp. What's your favorite way to pitch a 8X10 tarp?

For an 8x10 I just prefer the A-Frame. IME, that is a bit too wide to pitch in a regular half pyramid , which is my other favorite pitch. However, you could fold under about a third of it and then pitch it in the half pyramid... or, if there are tie-outs on the panels, you could do a half pyramid, with the back wall pulled out. This would create an almost vertical space for a bit before the wall started to slope up towards the peak. There are plenty of other options though with a flat tarp, these are just my 2 favorites...

The weather makes a big difference to how I pitch my 7x9. Most of the time in the dry mountains of Cali I want to block the wind and keep warm. So I do an A frame with the sides to the ground and one end closed off. I use a grip clip on the center line about 1/3 the way in on the closed end to hold it up and a trekking pole at the opening. That way it's like a pup tend with one end closed and pointing into the wind (hopefully).

I want to try this guy's method next time though... There's loads of good ideas on youtube.

My 8x10 is a cat tarp so A-frame is about the only thing it does well. My 5x8 tarp is flat though and I like to pitch it as a half pyramid. It takes less poles and stakes than an A-frame pitch so it goes up faster, which is good because I'm a bit lazy.

Adam

I tried pitching my 8X10 tarp in a half pyramid style pitch, and I had some troubles. My method was: On the 10' side, I staked the the second ring in from each corner. In the front (the other 10' side), I lined the corner rings up with the back staked rings and staked those too (So the tarp tapered in at the front). Then I put my pole up between the two front stakes. I noticed that the sides of the ridge were not taut, so I tried to stake the ring in the middle of each 8' side, but I couldn't pull that side taut because of the tension between the front and back stakes. How should I fix this? Should I not pull the tarp so tight between the front and back stakes?

Bear paw wilderness designs has a video at his site that shows him setting up this one:


http://www.bearpawwd.com/tents_tarps/tent_images/tarp/dtarp_16.jpg



BTW, His prices are good. If I were to order another one I'd request that he add attachment points at the ridge line on the inside to hang a bug shelter.

This guy explains it well I think...

click here

Here in the pacific north west, we are typically fighting a constant rain with relatively warm weather. So when I use a tarp I like to provide as much dry cover as possible. So that means stretch it out flat.

For pitching it in the open without trees, i use 2 zpacks carbon fiber poles ( I think they're the 52" length ), 4 msr ground hog stakes at the lower side that is closest to the ground, 2 more ground hogs attached to about 3 feet of zpacks spectra line at each side, and 2 msr blizzard stakes attached to about 4 ft of spectra line going from the corners on the high side to the ground. The result is a flat slanted roof with plenty of room for me and my buds.

When I am cooking or just hanging out in camp, the zpacks poles are at full height, positioned just under the tarps reinforced corners on the high side.

Then for sleeping, I remove the poles and make them shorter by folding over the top section of the pole. I put them right back under the reinforced corners then re-stake of the blizzard stakes at the front and ground hogs on the sides and I've got a nice cozy home for the night.

For me, and perhaps I'm misguided, this is the most efficient use of a tarp. If I'm looking for a tighter structure, with more wind protection, I'm bringing a tent. For me that's the msr e-house. I'm not saying the e-house is the best. It's just what I've got.

Just my 2 cents. I'm happy to post pictures of my tarp setup if its helpful for you.

-daniel-

Hey Daniel. Pics would be great.

8'x10' pitch

I've tried this one a time or two and works out well.
-James

That's the setup I used James. But you see when he stakes out the sides at the end? Those wouldn't pull out tight because of tension between the front and back stakes.

I had to fiddle around with it a while before I could get it right and the height of the pole was important too. It takes some practice. I have sometimes added a length of line to the pull out on the ridge line where the pole is to add some more panel tension there. After that the side pull outs pulled tight.

Here's the pics you requested:

First the specs:

Total packed weight of tarp, guylines, poles, s-biners, and stakes is 1.3 lbs

Total packed wieght of above items + extra cordage for using trees instead of stakes and pole is 1.7 lbs.

The tarp is an aquaquest 7X9 tarp from amazon

Notes regarding the "heavy weight":

1) yes there are lightr tarps out there, but I'm kinda hard on my gear. So I'm happier replacing or patching my "cheapie" tarp rather than a top of the line SUL tarp

2) You can certainly save weight by opting to ditch the guylines at the rear of the tarp and just use the included attachment points, but I like the added ventalation of the higher gap at the rear

3) You can also save weight by using all SUL stakes, and reducing the number of stakes and guylines used, here in the pacific northwest, it's super muddy. So I appreciate he security of the heavier stakes to ensure my tarp is locked in to the ground. Additionally these stakes allow me to tie each stake directly to the tarp, so no stakes get lost, and I can send each stake completely into the ground and I have no worries about removing them the following day

4) I use S-biners instead of tieing the guylines directly to the attachment loops on the tarp. You can skip those to save weight, but I feel the the s-biners better distrubute the load and will prevent damage to the attachment loops over long term use.

5) I added a few ounces by carrying the tarp setup in its own bag. To me this helps protect the rest of my gear from the sharp edges of stakes in the bag.

OK, heres the pics of the setup.

In Bag...



Here it is unpacked showing the additional 2 25ft lengths and 2 12.5 ft of black zpacks spectraline. I carry this in the little yellow pouch so that it doesn't tangled and such. As I said above, you can save .4 lbs by ditching the extra cordage and pouch.



Since the stakes are tied directly to the tarp, it's important to be careful when packing it up. The guylines love to get tangled, and it takes practice and patience to roll it up so it's easy to setup the next time. Here's pics showing how the stakes are positioned and how it rolls up.





Another detail: I always pack this tarp in the bag at the top of my pack or in an external pocket. I'm concerned about the stakes poking holes in the tarp if a bunch of stuff is crammed on top of it. Then there's the added bonus of quickly setting up the tarp for lunch, or a little after lunch nap before a hiking off into the twilight hours

This tarp has a total of 11 attachment loops, 4 on each long side, 2 in the middle of the shorter sides, and 1 right in the center of the tarp. If I'm not using trees, I generally pitch the tarp with the long side against the ground, but since each guyline stake combo is attached using s-biners, it's easy to switch the orientation on the fly in the field.

Each of the guylines is looped at each end with a double-figure-8. The spectraline is slipperly and needs a good knot to insure it doesn't slip on you under tension. The guylines are then girth hitched to each stake and clipped to the attachment loops with s-biners. The s-biners connected to the smaller stakes are the itty-bitty plastic ones. But the s-biners that are connected to the top corners ( the ones attached to the larger blizzard stakes ) are the metal larger s-biners. This is beacuse these attachment points recieve the highest load. Could be overkill, please don't judge me too harshly :)









The lengths of the guylines are as follows:

The shortest guylines that attach to the bottom back loops are: 1ft 7in
The medium guylines used on the sides are: 2ft 1in
The longest guylines attached to the top front loops: 5ft 4in

Please note the guyline is girth-hitched to the blizzard stakes thru the lower holes. See above pics. I believe this increases its holding strength when it is sent all the way into the ground.

The poles used are z-packs 52" carbon fiber tent poles.

Now for the steps I use to pitch it.

First I carefully roll it out trying not to tangle the guylines.



Then I send all the rear stakes into the ground. For me, I think it works best to leave these untensioned. So the stakes are positioned right next to the attachment loops, and as I said previously, they are sent all the way in the ground.



2 other little tips in case you're really new to pitching tents and tarps. Be sure to send the stakes at a 30-45 deg angle so that the tip of the stake is pointing towards the tarp and the top of the stake is pointing away from the tarp. Also avoid the temptation to use your thumbs or fingers to drive the stake in. These groundhogs are sharp, and I tear up my fingers anytime Im in a rush and I don't use a stick, a rock, even a foot to do the work.

Once the rear stakes are in place, I move on to the two front corners and get the poles setup. Doing this is definitly a balancing act. First place the pole under the corner so that the pole is pressing on the reinforced corner of the tarp. Then hold the guyline with one hand and maintain constant pressure on the cord as you direct the guyline towrds the ground such that the pole is tightly wedged between the corner of the tarp and the ground.





I usually end up slanting the poles in order to get them wedged properly for this initial pitch. Note: The poles are never straight and positioned perfectly at first. I always have to readjust once all the stakes are in the ground and the tarp is under tension.

That said once the first pole is up, I move on the next pole. Don't worry if the first pole falls while you're setting the second. It's fine. Just finish setting up the second, then move back to the first. Be careful with the tension on these poles. I usually have them flexed pretty hard during this stage of the setup. Don't worry, they'll get straightened out by the end. Here's a pic showing the flexed pole.



Last couple steps... Once both poles are positioned and under tension, I drive the side stakes into the ground. Again sending them all the way into the ground. Then remove and restake the front guylines so that it's just tight enough to hold the pole in place without it flexing. I often reposition the pole a little as well. As said by others, it's a balancing act, but you know when it's right because the tarp is tightly pitched, and you can give it a good shake and the poles remain in place.

The last step is to walk around the tarp testing each guyline to make sure they are tight. I generally reposition each and every one during ths last step to besure the guylines are directing the tension parallel to the attachment loops. Here's the tarp all setup with the poles set to their max (52").







The last bit of tarping I'll share is how to lower the tarp for more rain protection, or for bedding down. It's really easy. 1 at a time, pull the front stake out, flip down 1 or 2 sections of the tent pole. Again, holding the guyline taught, direct the guyline and the stake to the ground so that the pole is wedged between the reinforced corner of the tarp and the ground. Once the first one is set, move on the next one. Then walk around the tarp and "twang" each of the guylines to be sure they're still tight. Remove and reposition skates as needed. Here's a pic showing the tent pole with the first section folded down.







While I haven't tested it, i can anticipate that if you're carryig trekking poles, you could use these instead of the zpacks tent poles. Or you could possible position 1 trekking pole in the center of the tarp to add more headroom.

Hope this helps,

-daniel-

Edited by daniel@fishfamilypdx.com on 02/27/2013 15:11:58 MST.

Thanks for the input, everyone. I used a different half pyramid pitch method, this is how it turned out.

I also prefer the one James DeGraaf posted, with modifications.

What I do differently, is to
1) pitch it with the 10' side going from the pole(entrance) to the back.
2) I also add short lengths of guylines to the front two corners to get them off the ground about 4-6".
3)I add a guyline from the pole to the ground.
4) Lastly, if your tarp doesn't have a tieout, add one, or use a monkey fist to the back half, about 2 feet in, and in the center of the rear stakes. Use a second pole outside the tarp to pull the back end up, giving you more "head room" at the feet.

Ends up looking like an A frame but with the foot end closed off to the elements.
Hopefully that makes sense.

I recommend you try many pitches.

The flying diamond is about the quickest and easiest to pitch and you usually don't need to use a pole. Just run a line from one corner to the nearest tree. You can get by with three stakes in calm weather, but don't count on it if it could get breezy.

If it's going to be cold, I will usually pitch a low half pyramid or modified A-frame to reduce air flow.

Although the lean-to variations can be great for ventilation, shade and coverage, they can be a problem in windy conditions, unless pitched against an object(Boulder, bush, fence, wall, car, ...)

Modified A-frame and some pyramid variations are some of the most stable in strong winds.

I like teh tarp setup in the paperback book "Lighten Up!" by Don Ladigin and illustrated by none other than Mike Clelland.

On p. 12 there is the heading "SHELTERS" and on the next page is the illustration of the Bombshelter setup with a 10' X10' tarp (for two).

With the Bombshelter's beak-like front you have good entrance protection. The center ridge is held by four tie-out points which would work even with a fairly heavy snowfall.

DISCLAIMER: I am no langer a "tarper" but this setup has worked well for me in the past in Pennsylvania winters and rainy spring weather.

Note the illustrated "quarter point" tie-out setup. Very versatile.

If someone has this book and can scan and post the illustration I'd be grateful. My ancient printer's scanner won't work.

Edited by Danepacker on 03/11/2013 13:12:06 MDT.

Setup in about 10 minutes... I really think having the stakes pre-attached to the guylines is the best little trick I can suggest to getting the tarp set in the wind.

Was a beautiful day. 80 deg. Catherine Creek, WA.

I think it's safe to swap out the blizzard stakes :)

Lots of good suggestions - just one thing though: Don't fold under and use it for a ground cloth. Condensation will soak you - especially bad on a grassy spot in the humid summer. I've seen some really bad pitching videos on YouTube that used fold under - I can tell they never actually used it in the field.