High Country Shelters - Aron Snyder

[justin davis]

aron, a question. im a 3 season tent guy (tarp tent) but ive been looking hard at the super tarp or one of bear paws tarp/teepees (forget the model) I cant do bivy sacks, just to Closter phobic. do you feel the need to carry a bivy with the tarp mainly for temp rating or for weather proofing also. I take a three season down to pretty cold temps and don't see why one of the tarps im considering wouldn't be able to do the same but I still have reservations about being floorless in the rain. you've undoubtedly seen some weather in a floorless shelter, is a bivy an absolute necessity in weather? I never think twice bout it with a bathtub floor in my TT.

I'm not Aron,
But I have used a supertarp for years. Mostly on Colorado. Use a down bag alot of the time and I never use a bivy sack. Not needed in my opinion. The supertarp when coupled with an annex is a 4 season shelter.

 

[Gman]

I am also not Aron but I'll chime in. I use a bivy with a tarp for a couple of reasons. With the bivy I use that for protection of my inflatable pad AND it allows me to use a smaller, lighter tarp in a paratarp as I pitch it as an awning style not to the ground AND I use it to spike out when needed. This all applies to archery season and would change in colder seasons. For instance I'll run a sawtooth and stove in the cold rifle seasons and so on.. With no bivy. I run a western mountaineering down bag all the time.

In summation bivy is not required but is useful in the right circumstances.

 

[justin davis]

Gman- brings up a good point. 95% of the time when I pitched my shelter its all the way to the ground "tent" style. I hardly ever pitch as a flat tarp. If in pitched it flat or elevated off the ground a bivy is handy. Since I don't do that much I don't use a bivy.

 

[Aron Snyder]

Those two covered pretty much everything, but I do have a question; how do you get claustrophobic in a bivy? It's larger than your sleeping bag and can be found with the same zipper location, so it could work.

 

[7mag.]

So Aron, do you use a bivy when using a synthetic bag too, or just when using a down bag?

 

[fillthefreezer]

aron, a question. im a 3 season tent guy (tarp tent) but ive been looking hard at the super tarp or one of bear paws tarp/teepees (forget the model) I cant do bivy sacks, just to Closter phobic. do you feel the need to carry a bivy with the tarp mainly for temp rating or for weather proofing also. I take a three season down to pretty cold temps and don't see why one of the tarps im considering wouldn't be able to do the same but I still have reservations about being floorless in the rain. you've undoubtedly seen some weather in a floorless shelter, is a bivy an absolute necessity in weather? I never think twice bout it with a bathtub floor in my TT.

trevor, i weathered through some pretty nasty storms in my sl5 last year with just my sleeping bag, pad and some tyvek under it. i cant speak to having one end open as thats still someting I'm not sure about but as far as a floor, im over it.
i did pick up a bivy this year so mostly my dog quits stepping on my fancy ass bag

 

[littlebuf]

Those two covered pretty much everything, but I do have a question; how do you get claustrophobic in a bivy? It's larger than your sleeping bag and can be found with the same zipper location, so it could work.

I can get a little claustrophobic in my tent. really its when I wake up but am not all the way awake. last year I found myself outside my tent in the middle of the night, but I hadn't opened the screen door, I just went through it. having that fixed this month. cant really explain why, one of those things I guess

 

[Outdoorsman3830]

Great Article Aron,
I agree with Aron 100% on the bivy/tarp combo. After having to dig out a little pad to setup a tent on the side of a relatively steep mountain last summer, the thought occurred to me why not use a bivy/tent combo. The bivy/tarp combo worked perfect later that year on a steep mountain side. The bivy/tarp combo is the perfect setup for all my backcountry hunts.

As for the celebrity you mentioned, he was my original inspiration to go deep into the backcountry. I still reread his book annually to help the off-season pass. I find that he sets a great example for the hunting industry. When I think of physical preparation for backpack hunting, I immediately think of him. I would love to see an extensive article or series of articles on physical, mental, and nutritional preparation for the hardcore backcountry hunters from him here on Rokslide.

Once again, Great Article Aron and I look forward to reading more of your articles, stories, and experiences in the future.

 

[Rizzy]

Littlebuf checkout the cuben fiber ground sheet at zpacks.com this ground sheet has 5" walls. It is also lighter than the poplular Tyvek ground sheet although a lot more expensive. They can do custom sizing also. I'll be running one of these in my supertarp this year.

Is that the one that doubles as a poncho? I like that idea, let us know how it works

 

[Florida Mike]

"I can get a little claustrophobic in my tent. really its when I wake up but am not all the way awake. last year I found myself outside my tent in the middle of the night, but I hadn't opened the screen door, I just went through it. having that fixed this month. cant really explain why, one of those things I guess. Littlebuff"

Can I recommend not ever pitching your tent near a cliff? Mike

 

[deadwolf]

Great article, and on a side note gents, Golite is having a nice sale right now through the 27th, an extra 15% off. Anyone who likes their tents/tarps like I do might want to hop over and order one or two!

www.golite.com

 

[In God We Trust]

What brands of lightweight packable stoves are a good choice with a tarp?

 

[armyjoe]

What brands of lightweight packable stoves are a good choice with a tarp?

The new Kifaru stoves are going to be impossible to beat. I tested them with Aron and WOW is an understatement. I'd give the new stoves a serious look when they release them.

 

[justin davis]

What brands of lightweight packable stoves are a good choice with a tarp?

Kifaru

 

[Craig4791]

The new Kifaru stoves are going to be impossible to beat. I tested them with Aron and WOW is an understatement. I'd give the new stoves a serious look when they release them.

Looking forward to this!

 

[In God We Trust]

Thanks guys

 

[as.ks.ak]

Two years later..... I stumbled onto that article, it was a solid read and solidified everything I feel about my Paratarp. Need to get to purchasing a stove for it though. I think I'll be 100% more happy with it when I can dry out my gear from the never ending SE AK liquid sunshine!!