Tarp slagging off on outdoors forums

[Paul_B]

Dig the ******* censorship!

[Paul_B]

Can they do it live too? I've been told I'm swearing more than I sodding well ought to. The only censorship I have is someone who hits me everytime I do swear. I really like this site. Now I know there is censorship I'm going to see what words get changed.

[para106]

para106 - that's the one on the road towards Santon Bridg from Eskdale Green isn't it? IIRC its also rather near to the George IV or VI pub which is small but perfectly formed with good food, beer and an outstanding malt menu. Seriously, the guy who runs it is a real malt whiskey afficionado who has bought up some rather special malts for his more discerning clientele (and me if I ever win the lottery so can afford London fancy restaurant wine prices for the rarer malts he has). IIRC he has malt casks from distillieries that no longer exist from their best years that are rarer than hens teeth. I'm sure it was that place that had a cask fo malt that the only other known cask was in a collection in Japan. But I could be wrong there.

Yep, Paul, that's the one!!! In fact we ate at the George on the Friday evening as it was absolutely pishing down & we got soaked pitching the tent - could have got a tarp up in a fraction of the time I think the pubs changed hands now as there was a big notice to that effect outside the pub - all the malts looked like they were still in residence though!! I agree with you - great pub food & a belting pint(s) of Black Sheep too. I also had a wee dram of Glenrothes too just to keep the damp out!! Got back to the site & it had almost stopped raining so we got a fire going, had a blether & had some more damp proofing - happy days

[Paul_B]

That kind of damp proofing can work better than dubbin for a cold wet hiker.

I have to admit we went in there once and the service wasn't too good. Only happened once.

I have to disagree with you on the Black Sheep though. It is one of only two beers (found so far) that actually make me ill after just one pint. I've had the bottles from a supermarket (multiple beer retailer of the year i.e. Booths from Preston and other counties) = was sick off one bottle, also tried it in a range of pubs from Yorkshire (including near Marston) through to Cumbria and Lancashire - also sick. The other one is Stones. I don't think there are any links between the two makes.

Some very good local breweries in the Cumbria area. Some very good ones indeed so why stock Black shep crap in the Lakes?

Can youhave fires in that campsite? There are very few that I know about that allow it. I think the NT one at low or high Wray allows it and that one is on the north west shores of Windermere too.

[para106]

That kind of damp proofing can work better than dubbin for a cold wet hiker.

I have to admit we went in there once and the service wasn't too good. Only happened once.

I have to disagree with you on the Black Sheep though. It is one of only two beers (found so far) that actually make me ill after just one pint. I've had the bottles from a supermarket (multiple beer retailer of the year i.e. Booths from Preston and other counties) = was sick off one bottle, also tried it in a range of pubs from Yorkshire (including near Marston) through to Cumbria and Lancashire - also sick. The other one is Stones. I don't think there are any links between the two makes.

Some very good local breweries in the Cumbria area. Some very good ones indeed so why stock Black shep crap in the Lakes?

Can youhave fires in that campsite? There are very few that I know about that allow it. I think the NT one at low or high Wray allows it and that one is on the north west shores of Windermere too.

Shame about the beer, I'm a big fan of the Theakston family!! Re the fires - yes, it's basically a wheel rim on a steel platformy thing. They sell logs too at £3.50 a bag, bargain really. It's a gem & we'll definately be back. Apparantly there's a site quite near the George called Fisherground that allows fires too by all accounts.

[Matt.S]

Did youhear about the guy in a tent who was camping with friends in the hills (also in tents) and from one of his friends accounts there was a loud shreik one morning and the guy was seen just outside of his tent banging his head on the ground screaming in pain. Tunrs out when he stopped screaming and they looked at the cause of it they saw a devils coachman. In cas someone hasn't seen one ( I saw my first in the lakes last year) it is kind of a larger more evil looking earwig. Apparently it got into his tent and crawled into his ear. Then it got scared and confused so it couldn't get out sso started to try to chew its way out through hius eardrum. Apparently the pain induced him to come out of his sleeping bag out of his double skin tent and hammer his head against the ground in as forcefull a manner that he could.

Just goes to show that **** happens and a tent is not 100% safe. Still better than a tarp if scared of nature getting too close to you.

Some sort of clever, ear-plugging device seems in order...

[Highfield]

My first Tarp/tent set up!... good for fast getaway

This is 6 miles from Lands end this week.

[Paul_B]

Shame about the beer, I'm a big fan of the Theakston family!! Re the fires - yes, it's basically a wheel rim on a steel platformy thing. They sell logs too at £3.50 a bag, bargain really. It's a gem & we'll definately be back. Apparantly there's a site quite near the George called Fisherground that allows fires too by all accounts.

I was thinking of the Fisherground site actually. They do fires IIRC.

I liked the Theakston family until they sold out and despite one of them setting up black sheep I don't really think it survived to the same standard. I used to like getting pints of Old Rotgut down my neck as a student (OP is its true name). On Uni trips to the Lakes I used to wonder why I felt a bit off on the Saturday then really bad on the Sunday. Took me a few trips before I realised that my drink of choice OP was the cause. I stopped drinking it on one trip only and tehn found I couldn't do without it. I learnt to Sh*t in the woods instead. Then they sold out and it went to a major label and the wrong brother or something set up BS and that's how I remember the downfall of a good brewing dynasty.

I've never stayed at either of those sites but keep meaning to stay at a site that allows fires. The only trouble is with living so near to the LAkes I feel like I am throwing money away staying in a campsite. Prefer to pitch in the hills.

[EdS]

^^^ - Theakston family bought the business back from S&N back in 2004.

[chjo]

Can anyone recomend a good tarp for 1 man not to pricey,fisherground is a goodsite but best avoided kids holidays ,weekends its mobbed.

[Twodogs]

I love camping in all its forms , big base camps , tents, tarps, natural shelters ,
To me its about being outside and having fun ...
Its all about the X factor what you can live with comfort wise and what experiance / confidence you have.











I consider myself lucky as like a lot of people on the forum I have managed to gain a fair bit of experience in loads of different outdoor activaties over the years and I am still learning every day

As has been pointed out people really do need to try tarp camping as it does bring a whole new view on the outdoors , good and bad .

Its not just tarps that get a bad press on some of the outdoor forums ,bivi bags get the same ,, everyone to there own
Twodogs

[Paul_B]

^^^ - Theakston family bought the business back from S&N back in 2004.

Did they? But the Black Sheep is still around, is that still owned by one of the family? Still, I find it best not to have OP anymore. Prefer Dent brewery these days. The thing is being so near the Lakes and doing pretty much all my drinking in Cumbrian establishments I am spoilt for good beer. I do really think that the LAkes has some of the best pubs and beers on offer in the UK. The pubs are just SOOOO inviting particularly on a wet day after a day out in the high humidty they have up there (rain).

[Paul_B]

I must admit to finding a pragmatic approach good. campingout of a car I use my "big" tent (a 2kg three pole tunnel 2 man). If backpacking I use tarp or single skin as they're lighter and have more room for less footprint.

Nice shots Twodogs. For some reason I can't post photographs on here. Maybe I just need to learn how to do it. Those shots make me want to get out more than ever, it kind of a pain to be relieved by a tarp night out. Won't be for a while though. Seems I'm committed to the Yorkshire 3 peaks tomorrow and a potentially longer trek out on some MOD restricted land on the sunday. One of those paces that is totally wild and you need permits that take a year to obtain and then you are only allowed in certain places or you might go boom!

Nice shot of a flying V tarp pitch. Yet to try it. REckon that gives good cover in sheltered places. I generally use a cave pitch as I'm generally high up in the Lakes (high up by English standards). Survived some pretty nasty nights that way. Can pitch low and wide or high and narrow depending on the conditions. Most likely I pitch low and wide due to wind. Funny thing is some hills seem to suck the wind around them so short of going the opposite side of a hill you're stuck with the strong wind hitting you. Or at least that's my experience. I guess in Scotland you get more woods for shelter so not as much of a problem.

One thing though I have a 2.5m x 2.5m Kathmandu Basha bought at 2009 outdoors show. Its not that light but is lighter than the ones traditionally used for canoe camping from True North. Think it is about 600g. I was wondering if there is something better out there in the market. Also what do you use for a groundsheet? I have used everything from the heavy yeomans pvc groundsheet to a pallet bag nicked from work and cut down. I also bought an aldi roof rack cover / luggage cover / tarp. it looks woven but isn't like theblue builders tarps but brown. It is too large and bulky but is light. I'm looking for something that is about 2.4m long by probably 1m or so. I have a tarp that fits me and gear comfortably or two normal sized people so a groundsheet that size and lessthan 100g would be good. The pallet bag cutout works out at nearly 300g as its a really tough grade of polythene.

[nolightweight]

How about one of those OD survival bags cut down Paul? Only about £3 each.

I've had about 4 or 5 weekends using one and it's still going strong.

[EdS]

Paul is still running Black Sheep as a seperate business still form the old Lightfoot site. The 4 brothers Nick, Simon, Tim and Edward bought Theakstons back from S&N.

The family orginally sold it brewery to Matthew Browns in 1984, themselves having bought Carlise Statem Management Brewer 10 years earlier - hence the Theastons pubs in the Lakes. This brewer ran until 1987 and S&N buy out. Problem was this proved to be a drain on money, so they sold out to Matthew Browns 1984 who in turn sold out to S&N in 1987

[Paul_B]

Take a look at this link

http://teamio.co.uk/shop/catalog/bro...erview_pager=&

I found this a while ago and have been tempted many a time to buy something. I have only heard good things from this UK UL company. I am thinking of getting the 2.25m groundsheet and the large SUL drybag plus another ditty bag / dry bag. All in all it would come to £17.50 or so. Not too bad really. the dry bag is 12litres and weighs 22g!! The groundsheet is UL as well.

I like their tarps but the cuben fibre worries me, I've heard it is strong but when it fails it happens suddenly plus its loud in wind. Kind of like a crisp packet. That or the £160! still a decent catenary cut tarp to a decent ground dweller size for about 168g!

[forestwalker]

tents are boring, heavy and take too long to set up.

I've spent this summer pretty much living out in the woods. Or rather sleeping most nights out in the woods, and working by day. The alternatives have been a 3x3 m tarp and a lightweight Tentipi tent (the old Tåpp jakt 5, so the smallest size).

Booring; yes, you can't see the woods around you.

Heavy: a bit more, but also takes much more room in the pack. But a minimalist solo tent (e.g.
Hillebergs Akto) would not be as bad compared to the tarp

Time: It takes me less than 15 minutes from arriving at a campsite until I'm inside the tent, with all my gear sorted and doing whatever I want to be doing (cooking, inside the sleepingbag, whatever).

the last thing i want to do in the morning when its raining is to muck about folding it in a certain way so it fits in its bag, tarps you can tear down and stuff it into a bag in a minute or so.

It is about equal in my mind. Once you know a tent it is fairly quick, and if the stuff-sack is an undersized evil thing make a new one, larger but with compression straps.

does anybody else think that tents kinda spoil the outdoor experience a bit? i think being zipped up in a tent excludes you from the outdoors, its a bit like trying to bring home with you if you get what i meen.

In my mind there is one big advantage to a tent; the mozzies mostly stay on the outside. This gives you a better nights sleep with no chemicals, which is nice. And even with a separate net you then have to share your breakfast with the mozzies (you eat the food, they drink your blood).

On the other hand you can see what is around you with a tarp, see sunrise and sunset, look at the birds, pick some bilberries while still in your sleeping bag.

It all boils down to; what is the most important aspect; a predictable good nights sleep in dense clouds of mosquitos, or the nature experience. In the latter case I'd pick the tarp almost every time, in the former the tent does have some advantages. I think the campfire style tents (be they synthetic and lightweight or (poly)cotton and fire-resistant) is the ideal compromise, and after this summer I intend to make one llight weight version and one cotton version.

On the topic of synthetic ones; a friend had a look at the Finnish shelters that PKRL (?) has mentioned here. His review was; needs some more reinforcements to last, and has an Al-coated inside (a bit of a "return to the 80's", as some kinds of kit looked here then). He also suggested that if I wanted something like that I should make it myself, unless I wanted it ready out of the box right now.

[Martyn]

Been on another forum related more to walking hiking and backpacking. There was a thread where there were a lot of, in my eyes, unfounded negative comments about the use of tarps.

How dare they, the bounders!

Does anyone else think that tent users need some education in tarp use?

You're behind the times my man. Real bushcrafters need to come out from under nylon and start living it properly. These days the hardcore are using woven blades of grass suspended with spiders webs.


Seriously, who cares? I mean really, who cares?

[redandshane]

More and more I just wonder "who cares?"

Someone else has a different opinion. Isn't that a surprise.

I used to care. Increasingly - I don't.

Red

Yep I agree with that if you have used both then its purely choice under the circumstances, at least yer out and about; tent or tarp bivvy or shelter it doesn't matter to me and even less do I care what someone else is doing
As long as I am outdoors I am happy

[JonathanD]

How dare they, the bounders!




You're behind the times my man. Real bushcrafters need to come out from under nylon and start living it properly. These days the hardcore are using woven blades of grass suspended with spiders webs.


Seriously, who cares? I mean really, who cares?

Martyn, I think you have completely overstepped the mark here. Bounders is such a strong word, scamps is what they are.