How to Make a Tarp Shelter | The $20 Tent
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- čas přidán 20. 05. 2020
- In this video, I'm showing you how to make a tarp shelter, (also known as the $20 tent). I love this style of camping, and I hope this video inspires you to get out and try it yourself!
Have you slept under a tarp shelter? Let me know in the comments below!
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That's exactly what I was looking for! The trick with the rocks, the knots, just perfect! Thanks!
There's a lot of videos of tarp backpacking. JupiterHikes has a great video showing more ways to backpack with a tarp and how to set it up using lines and stakes.
Such a reasonable option…well demonstrated & explained, too. Thanks, young man.
I am a tarp guy. I’m a retired Army vet. I have used tarps for me and my family for a long time ~ 40 years. Your instructions were great. I have used multiple tarps, big enough to cover my tent, truck and picnic table. I raise them on their diagonal corners, high, using a fishing rod and sinker, a rock, a stick, a bow and arrow, to get the lines way up in the trees. I have used a ridge line and bungee cords, small rock “ghosties”, and had those grommets tear out at the worst possible time (a cold, rain storm and gale at 2 AM). The pros being: they’re lighter, they shuck water much easier, they fold and roll up easy, they’re cheaper, they let one see the surrounding forest, walking in and out of their shelter is easier, and they have multiple custom configurations, sizes and uses. Con? Well, they don’t cuddle or tickle your ass with a feather. Kentucky
Really interested by your comment. Wish to see some videos about your set ups!
I would like that feather option...
I like a floor. So I make the three side tarp with tthe 4th as a floor.
Hey thanks for the video! I used to camp that way all the time. Actually used a military surplus poncho for a while, switched to a larger tarp, and then eventually used a tent when I could afford a nice one. Recently, though, I’ve gone back to tarp camping. I love it so much! I use much lighter materials now and a few trinkets to make it easier, but it’s basically what you just demonstrated.
Great video!
I actually worked in reverse starting with a expensive UL tent moved to a good UL hammock & then decided I wanted to go full on UL minimalist backpacking with a tarp and have never looked back. Like you stated there’s just such a great connection with nature which is why I head out to the woods in the first place….. I would 100% recommend it to anyone
That, my friend, is so cool!
I'm off out this coming Friday ( it's Wednesday evening here in the UK) for my first ever solo wild camp, with a tarp exactly like this. I can't wait. Found myself a mixed wood that's been coppiced in places, it has pines AND ancient deciduous. Your videos have been so helpful. I just need to put it into practice now. Thank you 👍
The mind is the greatest technology. This is genius!
Always used tarp. I'm a hitchhiker in the USA and I still using one right now.
I've done that a few times and carry a painters drop plastic sheet to use as the floor. Mkes for a light weight weight system. Also I've "zipped" up the back and front using the rock method to make holds to fully enclose it (need a little longer tarp to do that). I always dig a little trench around it also to carry water off if it rains. I really like his puttin the rock over the ancher he dug in the ground I've not done that and thought that was a great idea (I've done it without the rock but not as reliable as his idea with the rock). Great video!
Very informative. Gonna try this out very soon. Thank you sir!
I've done tarp camping a bunch of times. The good thing is that you can lower the tarp to stop side winds. You can also pin the back end directly to the ground and put a short stick at the back to let the water drain off instead of making a puddle gather .tarps are really versatile. Its also true that you feel closer to nature. As long as you don't mind slugs n bugs and use a bivvy for your sleep system its really liberating
Totally! They're way more versatile than you'd expect.
I am also a fan of tarp camping. I also enjoy hammock camping and the two go well together. I just use stakes rather dead man anchors and usually don't even have to worry about tensioning them; I just drive them in at a distance that gives me the tension I'm looking for (Keep it simple). There is a situation where I may use a dead man anchor however. If I find myself on sandy soil, or another variation of it can also work in deep snow. Really enjoyed your video. Thanks for sharing.
Stakes are much more efficient! True! I just wanted to let people know options and how to have a super cheap but effective shelter.
“Wilderness Therapy Guide” living in a tarp for 3 years.
Sounds like a simple term for an Elite Combat Special Forces Member.
Perfect instructional video!!!
haha I am no special forces member. Thanks tho!
This is great for Low budget camping or bugout bags!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Thanks for watching!
would love to try this.... good vid..
I went on a 50 mile week long camping trip at Philmont Scout camp and all we used was tarp shelters for the whole trip. Its a very effective and simple system.
Thank you for sharing!
Great video. More and more I'm leaning towards getting an 8x10 foot tarp at Home Depot for my pack rather than a bushcraft tarp kit.
I really like your videos, especially the tip videos! Something I would also like to see is some more raw footage from some of your trips. I really like the uncut type of videos.
Hey, thanks for the feedback! We'll definitely keep that in mind!
I'm going to use this method soon.
My usual is a 9x9 in a diamond configuration. It’s a palace and great in rain.
That was cool .... thanks man!
I am getting ready to do a backcountry camp trip near the Buffalo River in Arkansas. I am going to use my hammock with a tarp over the top. I think I am going to do a ridge line with p-cord. We have too many rocks to dig a deadman so I will probably just use four rocks and tie off the four corners. Good stuff and thanks for the insight.
Great stuff thanks mate
Great videos! Loved your Canada series from awhile back. Can you tell me what size tarp you used? Thanks
Love it
Youre amazing!
useful and to the point, thank you!
as a beginner, I would have liked more info on some of the knots - e.g. when you went back to reinforce the first trucker's hitch. just my two cents.
also, curious about the size of the tarp!
when I was a kid my friends and I used camp like that years ago
A tarp pitch can be the best 4 season shelter.
It has to go tight to the ground on all sides and have a wood stove inside if it is going to be any good in a winter blizzard. The whole outfit cannot weigh more than 4 lbs. if backpackers are going to use it. A 10’x10’ tarp only needs to be pegged on the 4 corners with as many pegs as it takes to be secure in any wind. No grommets are needed. It has space for 2 cooking or 4 sleeping.
The chimney can serve as 1 of the 40” long corner poles. Sticks that have a small nail driven in both ends (head pinched off). One end stays put on the ground, the other end through a reinforced point exactly in the corner 40” from the edge of the tarp.
All sides can be raised forming an umbrella to cool off, heat from the stove or summer sun.
Thank you ❤
What about staying warm and dry when you have days of rain that blows sideways?
I’m excited to try out this technique. I camp often in the desert. How do you protect yourself from insects or other critters that might harm you when you sleep like this?
The good news is that critters aren't very interested in you. In three plus years of using this technique, the worst scenario I encountered was a spider that tried to make a home in my boot overnight. If you put a ground sheet down that tends to do the trick. Bugs crawl under it and that's about it.
Thank's a lot, very nice and cheap solution. Could you please tell us the size of your tarp? Regards
Very good 👍
Should you put a tarp over your air con not on top but like a umbrella to keep it cool what do they use
Thanks boss
What size is this tarp?
Nice
Fireeeee
İnanılmaz güzeldi 💜
Does the mil matter? What technical material were yoy referring to? Is there a way to figure out what size tarp you need for a specific number of people? How could you use a tarp for winter camping? Sorry for all the questions. Great video.
What do you do when the rain water flow under your shelter on the ground? Very good skill, and nice shelter!
dig a small ditch around it of 30 cm deep
what a nice idea with the rocks in the beginning. How big is the tarp?
His rope tie off looks like a truckers hitch to me. Taut line hitch works real good too and is easy to adjust but still provides tension
How do you keep the sleep system dry in rain ans with damp ground?
Hi
I want to make my own carousel pavilion tent out of store bought canvas.
For dayouts at the beach for one person…can you help me possibly?
Where or how would you start ?
Good
Want to try it out. However I have couple of questions. How it holds up in windy thunderstorm? Does it get blown away? How about rain water protection? Any guidance?
Any way to keep bugs out? :D
Also, do you dig a trench around it or something to keep flowing water out in heavy rains?
If you pass the paracord twice through the loop you can save yourself the pinching and you get a self locking system. What is the point of havind trucker hitches on both sides?. Easier to have a static lock on one side and a trucker hitch on the other. Anyway I prefer that my tarp does not take the whole tention so I prefer to set a ridgeline and connet the tarp to it with prusik loops . Using knobs is ok for that too!
Also instead of clove hitch you can do two half hitches and taut line hitch
What's the benifit of using two of those rock knots over just running one line between the trees and hanging the tarp?
Thanks for the video I learnt something new.
I'd imagine so you can keep tension between all the points. Imagine it slipping back past your head in the middle of the night. It's like building in redundancies.
Both ways work and it is a matter of preference. Some people like a continuous ridgeline and prussik knots on this to keep things tight (one option, there are several other methods such as toggles, truckers hitch, etc) . Others prefer to carry a little less cordage and do separate lines in each end of the tarp. I've used both, they both work well. For a nicer tarp where you can trust the tieouts/grommets separate ridgelines let you pack less cordage and leave the lines attached permanently. Continuous ridgelines have benefits too though, less stress on the ends and can be easier to adjust side to side if doing something like centering over a hammock. They both have their pros/cons over each other, try em both and see which you like better.
Hello. Is there a reason you did not run the P cord between two trees to make a ridge line, then throw the tarp over it, still tying it at both ends of the tarp. This would be stronger??
I think to keep the tarp and cord as one. Wind could get under it and lift it off the ridge line and adding stress to the 4 corners
can you make a list knot you've been use
How do you keep your sleep system dry in wet environments when the ground is wet and mossy?
Can you build fire under a tarp or will it make the tarp melt?
What do you do when it rains?
What size is the tarp please?
Doesn’t it get breezy?
do you sleep on the ground? What if it rains?
I am very intrigued by this. My #1 question is, what do you sleep on? I’m very concerned about how to avoid ticks and mosquitoes while sleeping.
If you want a floor there’s all sorts of stuff you can use. Painters drop cloth plastic, tyvek, a second smol tarp. There’s even companies that make fancy bathtub floors for tarp shelters
@@boredandagitated Might as well use a tent. 🙂
@@julieduncan4075 lol tru. The weight savings are prolly good with a plastic sheet or tyvek though. Especially if you get an ultralight tarp.
My problems start when the cordage comes in...
Hello, what is the name of the material?
4 ABS tent stakes would have made a faster setup without digging a hole.
PLEASE HOW CAN WE USE IT TO BUILD A TEN BY 5 METER HOUSE
Looking for similar solution but no trees where I’m going
Does rain not come through the grommets and then seep down the inside of the tarp?
Nope. All the groomers are at the outside edges. I connect the ridgelines using “ghosties”, not the grommets. You stay dry inside.
Half the battle of doing a tarp shelter:
1. finding trees that are well proportioned & distanced
2. having enough paracord
3. not using a tree with a damn hornets nest
After 6 hornet stings later (two straight on ass), lets just say I lost the battle.
Hahaha, oh man. Brutal.
@@BackpackingTV It was a battle I'll never forget. Haha.
I have heard of that battle... It was called The Great Full Moon Battle.
How big was this tarp?
10x14 feet I believe?
A ghostie, that’s great!
Glad you liked that.
The heavy rock first goes on the rope.. the smaller one, or, a spike goes on the ground next.
I did this with slip knots. Failure.
I enjoy camping with my 10x13 Aqua Quest Safari tarp!
Great choice of tarp, but definitely not a budget tarp. I love 10 x 13 Aqua quest Defender as well, but I only use it if I expect severe weather. DD also makes some decent tarps and there are even some more budget friendly poly tarps or sil-nylon tarps available in the $30 to $40 range.
Always considered in getting them expensive tarps. Just would be pissed if something accidentally put a hole in it. So I stick to moderate priced tarps.
@@onlyjuan3828 I know what you mean.
I don't get the tarp thing- how do you keep the ticks off?
Really enjoy your vids. All the best from the UK
I presume he wears tick repellent.
And also sleeps in a bivvy.
Haha! Bivvy with a net, or camp in the dead of winter.
If non of the trees is in the direction you need you can point to the needed direction by connecting to a line between 2 trees.....
Say so
That was long example for simple cover
Can you show me how to tie a knot or tell me the name of the knot so I can find the one that tightens the rope to the side of the tree on the internet? Thank you.
How do YOU deal with bugs under a tarp?
Unfortunately tarp shelters won't help much against bugs. But in the southwest that's not much of a problem. Tarp shelters are great at being one with nature...and sometimes the bugs too.
You can use a hammock for that
Bug spray.
Bivvy bag.
Just stick em on the grill and voila, free dinner.
I saw Ron give a box and a tarp to make a shelter.
Now I have an idea more or less of how do do that.
Glad it helps!
Ready to get your first merit badge as a Swanson!
@@mysterylovescompany2657 under his tutilege, I grew from a boy into a man, from a man into a gladiator, from a gladiator to a Swanson
That slip knot on the truckers hitch will trash the rope in a short time.
wish you zoomed into those knots
We have a video detailing these knots specifically! Check out the Let's Get Knotty video. I walk you through tying them.
I want to make a tent for the beach where there are no trees .,,using two canvas tarps …can anyone help me
Tent poles, plenty of cord and long steaks to bury deep in the sand.
@@MartyMcFryyy awesome thankyou
Gets frustrating when the tress aren't working out lol
Ever hear of a straight taut line from tree to tree? Use prussic knots.. ???
a tarp...a bed... a mosquitoes net...😂😂😂😂😂
Good but not enough details on knots
Why does it say hotn tent tarp tee pee when there is none? A google bug?
P cord lol. bury a stick, why not a peg , much better imo
this is the same as cowboy camping
can find one for 8 bucks at walmart....
Dave gormans branching out, do you still use a shitting hat.
Where is the $20 tent?
What are you doing... There's grommets right there. 😮
That burying the stick is a bit much. Find or make a stake.
burying a stick is the same thing as making a stake.
Tarp camping is fine if you are up in the mountains were there are no bugs, scorpions, ticks or Lyme Disease.
Bugs and wildlife is certainly a consideration. But I've done lots of camping in this setup with scorpions and snakes, etc, without issue.
Scorpions and snakes are one thing, scary for certain, but my biggest thing I hate in the woods is ticks. Snakes, spiders, scorpions, they don’t want you anymore than you want them. But ticks? Those things are constantly, inexorably hunting for you. Lymes is a concern. I’d like to tarp shelter, just trying to think of how to keep ticks away.
@@swamp_croc permithrin
It might be a good shoulder season option. I’ve tarp camped in MN in the mid fall when mosquitoes weren’t around. Even if you don’t sleep under a tarp it’s good to know how to set one up to get out of the rain, shelter your gear, or cook under.
One way to deal with ticks is to clear away the duff to bare earth, use a piece of tyvek, and a blow up mattress to keep you off the bare ground. Then they make lightweight packable big nets for the mosquitoes.
Forgot to mention free ticks and Lyme disease
Stay in the city boy
Use a hammock/tent combination.
A two person backpacking tent was 550 dollars plus. 😭 Then I literally just bought a tarp.
It’s the economical way to go!