I sleep in my hammock - don't need a view when I'm asleep. Therefore, tarp all the time.
I sleep in my hammock - don't need a view when I'm asleep. Therefore, tarp all the time.
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." Ralph Waldo Emerson
Gotta agree with this "fall from the sky" sentiment!
Time of year and location both matter.
Go tarpless in the Spring among the pines of NC, and there's a good chance you'll wake up with a coating of yellow tree pollen dust all over you, your bugnet, your TQ, your hammock, etc. Nasty stuff and virtually impossible to clean it all off in the field. Pine trees also have a tendency to drop sap. Sap and hammock gear is never a good combination.
I stopped going tarpless after my first Fall hang in Shenandoah NP. It was late enough in the year that I'd left the bug net at home too. Leaves kept falling on my head and they all seemed to work their way down my back to the point where I was trying to sleep in a poking, crunchy mess. Terribly uncomfortable. I had to get out the hammock more than once to brush them away. After a couple of restless nights, I vowed never to go without a tarp again. Of course, your tolerance threshold may vary.
~ All I want is affordable, simple, ultralight luxury. That’s not asking too much is it?
While I have had to sleep without a tarp or any type of shelter a few times in my life, I prefer having something over my head, just in case. Now one buddy of mine will set up his tarp, then fold it back. That way if it does rain, he can quickly set it back up. I prefer to stay asleep.
My first ever camping trip, I didn't hang a tarp, and loved it. My most recent trip was also tarpless, but I slept much worse for multiple reasons. It would have been nice, but I was getting a lot of wind and my hammock was flapping quite a bit, which kept me up. The moon was really bright, too, which kept me up. Then I was up as soon as the sun started shining, so I got very little sleep. The tarp can be good for more than just rain/moisture. But I think if you're in a protected canyon where you're not getting much moonlight and morning sun, tarpless is awesome. Like others are saying, try it out!
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
Calm, clear and 51° overnight so I decided to sleep outside. I figured I'd chance it without the tarp. Went to sleep at 10:45...up and SOAKED by midnight! A for effort.
When the air temperature reaches dew point temperature, moisture will start to condense on surfaces that are colder. These surfaces are usually near or on the ground. As it water changes phase from gas to liquid, it releases heat into the air. If there is nothing to impede the direct upward radiation loss to the sky (like a tree canopy or cloud cover) then the air temperature can continue to drop and dew will continue to form. This is why you often see dew or frost on the ground in an open field but not under a forest canopy - that “cover” helps to trap heat whereas an open field loses heat faster to the open sky and temperature get colder. Wind near the ground mixes the air and can diminish dew formation. A tarp can also act like a cover, and on very calm nights will trap a bit of heat and decrease dew formation directly under it. In very humid condition with a slight breeze, dew will form on any surface that is cooler than the air.
Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
“If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton
You can get the best of both worlds by using a tarp pitch that lets you see the sky...yet be ready if/when the sky cries.
Shug
Whooooo Buddy)))) All Secure in Sector Seven
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