New to the tipi/tarp world

[Aussie-bowman]

Hey guys,
I'm from Australia and I have been looking at the Kifaru sawtooth and the other tarps and they look really good with the stove in them. However my main concern is that if i take this out and it starts pouring rain am i going to get wet with water running underneath my tarp (if i get one). I am going to New Zealand next year for a tahr hunt and thought that it would be awesome to be able to come back to camp and dry clothes out etc but don,'t want to get wet if i get stuck in my shelter for 2 or 3 days. i have looked at the luxurylite ultralite cots and thought i could put a thermarest xtherm on top, but then still i want to be camped dry ground. I know a lot of guys in the states use the tarps and tipis, just wondering your thoughts over tents, pros/cons between them etc.

Thanks heaps guys, any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Backpack Hunter]

Never had water get into one of my shelters. Maybe 2" or so around the edges. We get around 90" of rain a year. I generally use tyvek under my bedding.

 

[huntin'monkey]

If you are worried about it, get a an Seek Outside system like the LBO and purchase the nest. That way, on trips with a real strong chance of rain, you can take the nest and have the comfort of a traditional floored system. And on dry trips and cold trips you can reap the benefits of a light, floorless tent that you can run a stove in. Still getting used to my LBO, but I'm digging it.

http://seekoutside.com/products/ultralight-tipis/little-bug-out-shelter/

 

[dotman]

Just like a tent it is all in where you put it. Put it in a low spot/depression where water wants to run and you'll get wet. I spent 7 days straight in rain in ID a few years ago, only a few inches around the perimeter got wet.

 

[Lawnboi]

Iv gotten the river under my tarp, pitching it in less than ideal spots, well because I didn't have a choice at the time, iv also filled the bathtub floor on an msr tent right up. Under the tarp I dried and slept through the night. In the msr Hubba I barely slept and got up covered in ice. Moral of the story is it's all about pitch location. I use a bivy most of the time with my tarp. Get wet in a floored tent and drying out is a task. If my stuff gets wet under my paratarp, no biggie, it dries. I go out with the notion that all my gear very well may get wet, minus my sleeping bag or quilt. If your not prepared for maybe a little more rustic experience the tarp may not be something you will be fond of.

That said sleeping under a tarp, especially when pitched flat or somewhat flat is just a different experience than being enclosed in a tent. I prefer it, I also don't mind staying in my bivy if need be.

Worth a shot to see if you like it.

My setup is an Id bugaboo ii, and a paratarp. Iv always said my paratarp is one of very few pieces of gear that I will never part with.