Striking out on a backcountry adventure often means that you have to make do with what you have. Whether you’re looking to be prepared in case you ever find yourself in a sticky situation, or you’re planning to explore with limited gear, keep reading to learn how to build the perfect tarp shelter– materials, location, and maintenance included.
Table Of Contents
Why Use a Tarp Shelter?
Tarp shelters are ideal for a backpacking or ultra-light camping trip where you know you’ll travel in relatively temperate weather. A tarp shelter, especially a well-built one, can certainly protect you from heavy rains or strong wind, but you may want to practice your setup before leaving the house to make sure you’re confident in how to build the perfect shelter.
You can also use a tarp shelter as an addition to a pre-existing shelter to provide shade, wind cover, or a dry space to cook or relax under. A tarp shelter has some obvious drawbacks—there’s no built-in doorway or mesh like an average wall tent, and it’s difficult to insulate as thoroughly as a four-season canvas tent. However, in many situations, a tarp shelter may serve just as well while taking up much less packing space than a full tent setup.
Materials
Before finding a sturdy tree and putting any stakes into the ground, you’ll need to gather the proper supplies.
Tarps
Tarps come in a wide variety of shapes and materials. Choosing the right one for your shelter ensures comfort and structural integrity. Many tarp shelters use a nine- or ten-foot square tarp, typically weighing around one pound. A larger tarp provides more flexibility in shelter configuration but adds slightly more weight to your pack.
You also have multiple options when it comes to tarp materials. Two main types that are easy to pack and effective for shelter are polyethylene and canvas.
Polyethylene Tarps
Polyethylene (poly) tarps are made from a waterproof synthetic material that is tightly woven to achieve high tensile strength. They are UV-resistant and water-repellent, making them a reliable choice for a durable shelter in various weather conditions. Poly tarps are also easy to find and budget-friendly. Even if you’re planning a tent camping trip, pack a poly tarp or two with your camping gear for extra water protection or as a backup shelter if needed.
Canvas Tarps
Canvas tarps, on the other hand, are the optimal choice for durability and breathability. They are water-resistant, but the additional density of canvas makes for an excellent cover against sun, wind, or light snow. Canvas is resistant to mildew and its breathable qualities make it an ideal choice for humid conditions where you’ll want to avoid excess condensation on the inside of your shelter. You can find canvas tarps that are treated with waterproofing or fire-resistant coatings, but a poly tarp will almost always have better water resistance than canvas alternatives.
Mesh and Vinyl Tarps
In addition to poly and canvas, there are some more unique tarp options on the market if you’re looking for an addition to your collection. Mesh tarps give partial coverage from sun and weather, making them less than ideal for an overnight shelter but a good addition when you need bug protection. Vinyl tarps are extremely heavy-duty and tear-resistant, but while they can withstand intense weather they will be heavier than a poly tarp of the same size.
Whichever tarp material you choose, check how many attachment points it has along the edges. More attachment points mean greater flexibility in configuring your shelter.
Guylines
To pitch your tarp shelter, you’ll need a few strong guylines or cords to run through the attachment points and create the structure for the shelter. You can use paracord, rope, or guylines specifically made for tents and tarps. Brush up on your knowledge of the basic knots– the bowline and trucker’s hitch knots especially will come in handy for securing the proper amount of tension along the tarp.
Stakes
The final piece of the tarp shelter puzzle is a good strong tent stake or trekker pole– or, more accurately, four of them. Many tarps will come with stakes upon purchase, but you can also find them individually or repurpose tent stakes or trekking poles to do the same job in a pinch.
Many of the most common tarp shelter designs require a sturdy tree as a base. If you plan to set up camp in an area where you don’t think trees will be plentiful, you can bring along extra trekking poles to stand in as your central support beam.
Location
The most effective place to set up a tarp shelter in the wild is a densely wooded area, where you’ll have plenty of natural coverage and a good selection of sturdy trees to build your shelter around. While it’s possible to build a tarp shelter with a stake instead of a tree as its base, it will require more initial stability to set up and may not be as resilient against wind or inclement weather.
Basic Setup
Lean-To
The lean-to is perhaps the simplest tarp shelter design, yet it is surprisingly effective at providing protection from wind and rain—at least from one side. Pay attention to the wind’s direction and position your lean-to so the open side faces away from the wind.
- String a taut line of paracord between two trees that are relatively close together. This is called your ridgeline.
- Drape your tarp over the line.
- Pull out the opposite edge of the tarp and stake it to the ground at a 45-degree angle.
This design is quick and simple, making it a great choice for a tarp shelter novice.
A-Frame
The A-frame design is very similar to the lean-to, but this configuration gives you wind and rain protection from both sides.
- String your ridgeline between two nearby trees, in much the same way as your lean-to setup.
- Fold the tarp over the ridgeline at the tarp’s halfway point.
- Pull out both sides of the tarp and stake each to the ground at a 45-degree angle.
The angled “roof” also allows snow and water to easily run off the sides, avoiding pressure that may otherwise build up on the tarp and cause it to sag inwards.
Diamond
The diamond shelter is ideal if you’re hammocking or don’t need much vertical space in the tent but you would still like additional cover from the elements. It’s a simple configuration that uses two trees as the main support.
- Lay your tarp flat on the ground with one corner at the base of each of your support trees.
- Tie both corners to the trees at your desired height.
- Extend the opposite two corners of the tarp out from the center ridgeline, making a diamond shape. Once taut, stake them down firmly. Attach additional guylines if you need more space between your tarp corners and the ground.
This shape is very similar to the A-frame, but with your tarp rotated to prioritize the corners. You can make a decent diamond tarp shelter with a smaller tarp, provided you’re comfortable with less coverage on the sides of the shelter.
C-Fly Wedge
To make a c-fly wedge shelter, you’ll need a few more supplies than the basic structures outlined above. Make sure you have at least three guylines, two stable trees, and six stakes before starting to build.
- Lay the tarp flat on the ground. Stake the length of one edge firmly to the ground.
- Make a ridgeline between two trees at the height at which you want your shelter to stand.
- Fold the free end of the tarp over your ridgeline. There should be excess tarp hanging over the line at this point.
- Pull out the excess tarp and secure the corners to the ground with guylines and stakes.
With this design, you’ll have total cover on one side and partial cover– almost like an awning, depending on the size of the tarp– on the other. The wedge-like shape of this shelter makes it resistant to heavy rain or wind, although you’ll want to take note of the direction of the wind before choosing which side you’d like to have as your shelter’s opening.
Final Thoughts
There are dozens of tarp shelter designs out there for you to learn, ranging in difficulty and protection against the elements. As long as you’re equipped with a strong tarp, some high-quality guylines or paracord, and your trusty tent stakes, you’re well on your way to a durable and comfortable shelter– no tent necessary.
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