Lightweight and Ultralightweight Backpacking

The View from Here

Panoramic view from a mountain top in Glacier National Park, Montana
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The 10 Essentials



Shelter - how to pitch a backpacking tarp

Here is a demonstration of a taut pitch.

Here is a video demonstration.

This video demonstrates using shepherd ground stakes and avoiding tangled guylines.


Rain

For ultralight shelter, the spinnaker cloth option is working out quite well in the wet.

In sandy soil, silnylon is a sand magnet, when dry, (needing to be shaken out) and "mists" and stretches, if wet. The guylines should incorporate a section of elastic cordage. Use a microfiber cloth for any "mists" or condensation.

Both, spinnaker cloth and silnylon are for a well-ventilated product design.

Both, shake off water quite easily.

If it may rain, do not put your shelter away wet. After shaking off excess water, wipe it down, if you can, and carry it loosly shoved into an open weave pocket on the pack.

If no open weave pocket, hang it loosely on the outside of your pack. Keep the inside surface drier than the outside surface if you can.

When set up, wipe down the inside surface with the pack towel.

At the first opportunity, air dry it thoroughly, and then rinse and air dry it thoroughly before putting it away.

Avoid folding any of these shelters. The stuff sack is appropriately named for stuffing into the sack. The cotton, or cotton blend, or open weave storage bag you purchase is sized larger for stuffing loosely for storage.

Many people openly hang their shelter in a well ventilated place for storage.




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copyright © 2012 Connie Dodson. All Rights Reserved.