A night in the woods.

[s'étonner]

Went out for a solo camp a few nights ago. I wanted to try using my tarp for just the 3rd time, and with rain forecast, I knew it would be put through its paces!

Here's some pictures of the set up I used. Not great. I did put the front down into a more protective A-shape as the rain began in the morning, but it still leaked all over me. I eventually had to head home early as I was getting so wet!

I think I needed to make it more taut, as it should surely otherwise be waterproof, being an army issue tarp? I also need to learn some knots as I currently haven't a clue! I've replaced the blue twine seen here with some paracord, which should help. I had a lot of trouble getting all of the slack out of the ridgeline, so the tarp sagged a little. Perhaps this allowed rain to collect, causing it to seep through...



Here's another photo showing the setup a bit more clearly:



I also had a go at cooking some salmon fillets using a method that I've seen used countless times by a certain Mr Mears! It was great to put my new Mora Companion to work, and also have a go at making some twine for the first time, using stinging nettles. Here's some shots of my dinner, which tasted fantastic:







The twine just about held up! It wasn't really holding the stick very tightly shut though, I think I needed to make more/thicker twine in order to do a better job. It also caught fire at one point when the flames got a bit high!

Thanks for reading, I'm going to have a look around the forum for some tips on tarp set-ups/knots, but if anyone has any useful basic knots to recommend, or any other advice, that would be fantastic, as I don't fancy getting wet again!

Hope you enjoy the snaps! Cheers.

[Robbi]

well done mate good for you

[mountainm]

Hard to see on the photo, but have you got Prussik knots connecting your tarp to your Ridgeline?

[Lupin Rider]

Lots of advice on the site for erecting a tarp. Many of us use the evenk and the taut tarp knot, if you get puddles of water in a sagging tarp it will seep through eventually. Get it rigid and you'll have an easier night of it in the rain.

[Andy T]

Here try this see if it helps. There are alot more on you tube.

http://youtu.be/bjMmla9DSzo

[s'étonner]

Hard to see on the photo, but have you got Prussik knots connecting your tarp to your Ridgeline?

I literally used the most basic of knots- like you'd use to tie your shoe! I really need to learn some more!

Lots of advice on the site for erecting a tarp. Many of us use the evenk and the taut tarp knot, if you get puddles of water in a sagging tarp it will seep through eventually. Get it rigid and you'll have an easier night of it in the rain.

Thanks. This is what confused me- the tarp was sagging a bit, but not enough to let the rain collect like a puddle anywhere. Yet it still seeped through in places? I'm a bit worried that it's not as waterproof as I'd hoped! Could I have made the rain come through in places by accidentally leaning against the inside of the tarp, similar to what can happen in a tent during rain?

Here try this see if it helps. There are alot more on you tube.

http://youtu.be/bjMmla9DSzo

Cheers Andy, that guy is pro! I definitely have some work to do!

[Dannytsg]

Looks like you had a nice set-up and next time you'll have it dialled in for a comfier night out.

[John Fenna]

It could be that water was creeping down you tie off lines and into your shelter.
I always try to have "drip lines" where guys meet tarp - just dangling bits of cord - so that water coming down the guys follows gravity and runs down the drip line and not into the shelter....

[mountainm]

Prussiks will let you tighten up your tarp on your ridge nicely. Reproofing a tarp isn't a big job if you have issues - my first step would be to apply some seam sealant to the seams. then get a hosepipe on it and see where it leaks.

[Goosegog]

What you want is a tube of clear silicon (the good stuff that gives off vinagar vapors). seal the seem right down the center with it ,thats the one that leak on issue kit. run a big bead and spread it with a credit card type of thing with a little water (damp).

[NetFrog]

I literally used the most basic of knots- like you'd use to tie your shoe! I really need to learn some more!

Nice little setup just need to make the water run off better and with some good rigeline knots you can make it all a little more taught. Like you I only knew the most basic of knots until a few weeks ago but now have about 15 under my belt with a few weeks practise. A good site to learn knots is here: http://www.animatedknots.com/ once you have the hang of a few you will find learning more is a doddle although it then takes practice to use them in "real world" situations as opposed to in front of the puter.

If you go to the scout knot section on the animated site and learn a few, the little animations they use are perfect, there is also a good video on here for setting up tarp knots.

I always found knots quite daunting and fiddly but after learning 2 or 3 they just got easier and easier :-)

p.s. that knot you use to tie your shoes is more or less a reef knot so you have one named knot already : - D

p.p.s that salmon looks looooverly. *drools*

[The Big Lebowski]

Nice... You've just reminded me that I need a night out soon- and salmons on the menu

atb, al.

[Big Stu 12]

Get out as much as you can , the more you do the more you learn, link up with others in your area, most will help you out and pass on information and give you loads of tips, ands its a great way to meet new freinds

[Hugo]

Looking at the photos, it looks like you haven't put up a ridge line to attach your tarp to it, it looks like you have just tied the ends of the tarp to a tree and one upright pole with guide lines.
Nice grub by the way.

[s'étonner]

It could be that water was creeping down you tie off lines and into your shelter.
I always try to have "drip lines" where guys meet tarp - just dangling bits of cord - so that water coming down the guys follows gravity and runs down the drip line and not into the shelter....

Thanks John, I've heard of doing this and it sounds like a good idea. I'm not sure if it was the main culprit in this case though, as the water was coming in from the sides and the roof of the tarp before it could have reached any guy lines.

Prussiks will let you tighten up your tarp on your ridge nicely. Reproofing a tarp isn't a big job if you have issues - my first step would be to apply some seam sealant to the seams. then get a hosepipe on it and see where it leaks.

What you want is a tube of clear silicon (the good stuff that gives off vinagar vapors). seal the seem right down the center with it ,thats the one that leak on issue kit. run a big bead and spread it with a credit card type of thing with a little water (damp).

Cheers guys, I'm definitely going to try testing just how waterproof my tarp is and see if it can be improved.

Nice little setup just need to make the water run off better and with some good rigeline knots you can make it all a little more taught. Like you I only knew the most basic of knots until a few weeks ago but now have about 15 under my belt with a few weeks practise. A good site to learn knots is here: http://www.animatedknots.com/ once you have the hang of a few you will find learning more is a doddle although it then takes practice to use them in "real world" situations as opposed to in front of the puter.

If you go to the scout knot section on the animated site and learn a few, the little animations they use are perfect, there is also a good video on here for setting up tarp knots.

I always found knots quite daunting and fiddly but after learning 2 or 3 they just got easier and easier :-)

p.s. that knot you use to tie your shoes is more or less a reef knot so you have one named knot already : - D

p.p.s that salmon looks looooverly. *drools*

That site is perfect! Thank you!

Nice... You've just reminded me that I need a night out soon- and salmons on the menu

atb, al.

aha! It was certainly very tasty! I just wish I'd brought something to go with it, or even just some butter to melt on it! Next time I want to try a whole fish.

Get out as much as you can , the more you do the more you learn, link up with others in your area, most will help you out and pass on information and give you loads of tips, ands its a great way to meet new freinds

Cheers mate, I do need to find more people who enjoy camping, as few of my friends are as interested as me.

A friend and I plan to go to Sweden wild camping next year, and I also have plans for a few nights in Wales soon, so I need to improve my skills before hand.

Looking at the photos, it looks like you haven't put up a ridge line to attach your tarp to it, it looks like you have just tied the ends of the tarp to a tree and one upright pole with guide lines.
Nice grub by the way.

Hi Hugo, I did in fact use a ridgeline (it's not very clear in the photos), but I was unable to reduce the slack enough to stop my tarp sagging. I think this was because of the type of knots that I used.

[John Fenna]

Thanks John, I've heard of doing this and it sounds like a good idea. I'm not sure if it was the main culprit in this case though, as the water was coming in from the sides and the roof of the tarp before it could have reached any guy lines.



Cheers guys, I'm definitely going to try testing just how waterproof my tarp is and see if it can be improved.



That site is perfect! Thank you!



aha! It was certainly very tasty! I just wish I'd brought something to go with it, or even just some butter to melt on it! Next time I want to try a whole fish.



Cheers mate, I do need to find more people who enjoy camping, as few of my friends are as interested as me.

A friend and I plan to go to Sweden wild camping next year, and I also have plans for a few nights in Wales soon, so I need to improve my skills before hand.



Hi Hugo, I did in fact use a ridgeline (it's not very clear in the photos), but I was unable to reduce the slack enough to stop my tarp sagging. I think this was because of the type of knots that I used.

If you are over on the West near Cardigan give me a yell and I will try and meet you and teach you a few knots

[s'étonner]

If you are over on the West near Cardigan give me a yell and I will try and meet you and teach you a few knots

Thanks mate, I will do!

Ideally, I want to head somewhere with lots of forest rather than open peaks. I was told the Brecon Beacons is a good place to head. I might look for somewhere a bit more local though! Sherwood Forest perhaps!

[hog]

Great stuff looks like you had a great time.

[Bushcraftsman]

if you go to sherwood forest give me a shout! I haven't been yet so I could tag along. I dont know what they are infact i only noticed them last night, but there is a HUGE woodland just to the side of the m1 at J22 (left hand side if your heading northbound) they might be worth a look?

[Outdoordude]

There is a video on here by a german guy who shows all the knots for camp set up. This is where i learn all my knots from. I use the truckers hitch and evank knot to set up my ridgeline and then use prussik knots and caribiners to attach my tarp.

[s'étonner]

Hi guys, thanks again for all the advice

I went out with the tarp again the other night, and after learning some knots, I was able to suspend my ridge line much more efficiently. I removed all the slack.

However, I was not able to reduce the slack further down the tarp. The areas between each pegging loop remained slightly saggy regardless of how tight I made the tarp on the ridge line. I tried repositioning my pegs, but was unable to reduce the sagging in the areas between the pegging points. It's as if the tarp needs a few more peg loops on each side.

You can see this sagging in the image below, notice how the left side of the A-frame sags inwards slightly. This problem was worse on that side of the tarp. I don't know if that is due to the way in which I set it up, or because of the presence of a seam on that side, which makes that side heavier, causing it to sag more.



The real problem though was the aforementioned seam that runs down one side of the tarp. This formed a very slight lip on one side of my A-frame, and leaked! You can see the seam in the image below. I have just bought some seam sealer, as instructed by others in this thread. I'm going to have a go at applying it soon.



Other than that, the tarp held up much better than previously. Water only came in through the seam, and also any area that I happened to brush against from the inside (which is annoying as there's not much room to manoeuvre under this size tarp!). I was wondering if this is normal? That a tarp should leak if touched from the inside?

Thanks for reading, any advice would be fantastic. I can't wait to get a bivvi bag so that this leaking malarky isn't such a problem!

[Lupin Rider]

put your ridge line at about head height as you sit on the ground and then widen out the "A". then you have enough space and you don't touch the inside. also any water runs wide and then down. pull the corners wide with guys lines at 45degrees so that the whole thing is taught. it looks like you have pegged the corners str8 into the ground?

good arrows for having another go though.

[s'étonner]

put your ridge line at about head height as you sit on the ground and then widen out the "A". then you have enough space and you don't touch the inside. also any water runs wide and then down. pull the corners wide with guys lines at 45degrees so that the whole thing is taught. it looks like you have pegged the corners str8 into the ground?

good arrows for having another go though.

Cheers mate, I never thought of widening out the A! Would be nice to be able to sit up!

I did use short guy lines for the corner pegs, but it's not very clear in the photos. I'm heading out again shortly so hopefully it doesn't rain too much- I still haven't sealed the seam, as I want to camp instead of waiting all evening for sealant to dry!

[Lupin Rider]

tarp.jpgthis is what I'm trying to describe. rained all the night i pitched this.

also notice the tarp is slung under the ridge line not over it. it is pulled taught along the ridge line axis buy prussic knots described above.

[R3XXY]

Hi s'etonner, this pic shows pretty well the sort of ridge line set up the other guys have been talking about.



The Prussik hitch really is your best friend when it comes to getting your tarp ridge nice and taut.



P.S. Your fire cooked fish looks awesome !

[s'étonner]

Thanks for the pictures guys. It helped a lot when I was setting up last night.

Here's a few snaps of what I knocked together. These pictures were taken in the morning, and the roof had gone a bit wonky by then because I was fiddling! But you get the idea.







I'm still thinking about adding some more loops on my tarp. At the moment, hanging the ridge line above the tarp would be awkward, because there's no loop on the roof. I might try it anyway though.

Widening the A makes things so much more comfortable, it was a great night. I was woken up at about 3:30 by a small animal running down the hill behind my camp, then paying me a visit before running past the fire and into some thick trees. I could only make out a slight shadow, but I'm thinking a muntjac or fox. Great stuff! The owls were also out and about hooting all around me.

I also noticed this bizarre gunky mess in the morning. Is this from a stinkhorn?



Thanks again for all of the help people have given me!

[R3XXY]

You don't actually need the loops on the top of the tarp, only the ones at the ends. Although you can't quite see it in my pic, the top loops aren't doing anything, they're just floppy, not holding the tarp up at all, the end loops are doing ALL the work. I suppose they might give a little extra support if the tarp got very wet and heavy.

[s'étonner]

You don't actually need the loops on the top of the tarp, only the ones at the ends. Although you can't quite see it in my pic, the top loops aren't doing anything, they're just floppy, not holding the tarp up at all, the end loops are doing ALL the work. I suppose they might give a little extra support if the tarp got very wet and heavy.

Brilliant, will definitely try this next time I'm out! Thanks!

[The Lord Poncho]

Smashing photos, make me want to be there! If after taking the advice contained in this thread (including reproofing the tarp) you are still getting wet in heavy rain, then it may be time to think about getting a new tarp. I note from the photos that yours is not a genuine issue one, and may suffer from a poor hydrostatic head no matter what you do to it (save maybe coating the whole lot with silicone sealant watered down with white spirit). Genuine issue bahas can be picked up fairly cheaply from the likes of ebay, and will give you much greater leeway/more options when pitching (i.e. you won't need to achieve such steep sides to keep dry).

[Prawnster]

Great pictures and good on you for not getting disheartened.

Like you I didn't know any knots when I first started 'tarping' but now I know loads. That said I only really ever use 4 knots, the evenk, truckers hitch, prusik and a sliding knot I use for pegging out that I got from Ray Mears book.

Most of the fun is in the learning.


Sent from my phone.