Floorless Tents and Shelters 101

Floorless tents and shelters present an ultralightweight choice for backpackers who need to considerably scale back their backpacking gear weight. Whereas that weight discount would possibly sound fairly engaging, typically you’ll nonetheless need some type of insect safety like a bivy sack and/or floor safety, like a floor fabric or bathtub flooring to guard your gear from filth and moisture. The burden of these added elements will whittle away a number of the potential weight financial savings however you’ll be able to most likely nonetheless scale back your shelter weight. The elements required for this strategy embody:

• a tent rainfly or tarp
• insect safety, if required, within the type of a bivy sack or net-tent
• floor moisture safety within the type of a plastic sheet, floor fabric, or bathtub flooring.

In the case of a tent rainfly or tarp, there are a variety of various approaches accessible together with the usage of a modular double-wall tent, a modular single-wall tent shelter system, or a flat (rectangular) tarp or formed tarp like a pyramid.

1a. Modular Double Wall Tent

You need to use a modular double-wall tent, like a Durston X-Mid 1 Rainfly or the Tarptent Notch Rainfly, and simply use the outside rainfly portion whereas leaving the interior tent at house. For those who already personal such a tent, you can begin experimenting with utilizing a floorless tent with none additional value or delay. This may be a horny choice when insect safety isn’t needed and a plastic or ultralight floor sheet can suffice for floor and moisture safety.

Nonetheless, if insect and floor moisture safety is required, it may be exhausting to avoid wasting a lot weight over utilizing the interior tent already provided with the rainfly for those who already use an ultralight tent with a light-weight interior tent. For instance, the interior tent on the Durston X-Mid 1 weighs 10.7 oz, which makes it troublesome to slash a lot weight, even for those who swap to an ultralight bivy sack and a plastic groundsheet.

1b. Modular Single Wall Tent

Alternatively, you’ll be able to spend money on a modular single-wall pyramid tarp like a Mountain Laurel Designs Solomid XL or the Hyperlite Ultamid-2 or a modular formed tarp system just like the SlingFin Splitwing Tarp and increase it with an ultralight mesh bivy sack and floor fabric, both plastic sheeting or a tub flooring.

The benefit of this strategy is you can improve with a fitted interior tent, just like the Ultamid 2 Half Insert if later you determine you like having a extra livable interior tent that gives insect and floor moisture safety. Many single-wall pyramid tarp producers present this feature when buying a mid or as an add-on together with Mountain Laurel Designs, Hyperlite Mountain Gear, Search Outdoors, MSR, and Black Diamond.

1c. Flat Tarp or Formed Tarp

An alternative choice is to make use of a flat tarp or a formed tarp, including a bivy sack for insect safety and a  groundsheet or bathtub flooring. This typically gives the best method to shave gear weight however requires the largest transition for those who’re used to utilizing a tent. The largest weight-saving on this situation possible be the load of the rainfly, notably for those who select one made out of an ultralight materials like Dyneema

Some formed tarps are additionally accessible with perimeter bug netting just like the 9.8 oz Gossamer Gear DCF Whisper and the Six Moon Designs Deschutes Plus, and simply require utilizing some type of floor and moisture safety to show into a whole shelter system.

2. Insect Safety

Insect safety is commonly a necessity when tenting below a rainfly or tarp, however not all the time. It may possibly additionally present some safety in opposition to bigger bothersome animal life like snakes, lizards, or scorpions which may be interested in your physique warmth.

Ultralight backpackers typically go for an ultralight bivy sack for insect safety, which is completely made with mesh or has a mesh window over the pinnacle and a breathable prime cloth. Most ultralight bivy sacks will not be waterproof and should be used with some form of waterproof floor sheet, though there are exceptions together with the 7.3 oz Katabatic Gear Pinon Bivy and seven.3 oz Bristlecone Bivy Sacks which have waterproof flooring.

I’ve used bivy sacks fairly extensively and revel in sleeping in a single, however they’re not everybody’s cup of tea when it comes to livability. If extra inside area is desired, you’ll be able to strive a bigger Web-tent just like the 6.5 oz Mountain Laurel Designs Bug Bivy or the 11 oz Six Moon Designs Serenity NetTent, which have the additional advantage of getting waterproof flooring. They’re primarily the identical because the interior tents accessible with modular single-wall tents, however will not be wed to anybody tent and can be utilized with all kinds of different single-wall tents or tarps.

3. Floor/Moisture Safety

Floor safety, notably moisture safety is often a requirement when utilizing a floorless tent or shelter. It may possibly take a number of kinds from a sturdy plastic floor sheet or a tyvek floor sheet to a full bathtub flooring which has sidewalls to guard in opposition to operating or pooling water. All three profit from good campsite choice abilities with a purpose to preserve you and your gear dry.

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