The tarp tent is spacious enough to stand upright whilst inside and lay down flat on an incorporated groundsheet. It's sturdy and straightforward to erect with a full front opening making it a highly versatile shelter.
You'll need three sturdy sticks to create a tripod that will form the frame of the tarp tent.
Stick Length: ~8ft (2.4meters) if using a 15ft x10ft (4.5m x 3m) tarp.
Whittle off any sharp or pointy side branches that could damage the tarp.
If using the tarp tent on soft ground; whittle some points on the ends of the sticks so you can insert them into the floor.
There are a couple of options to fasten the tripod legs together securely.
Use cordage to tie a “tripod lashing”.
Or a use a "withy" which is made from a young tree sapling/branch of hazel or willow and typically measures thumb thick in size.
NOTE: Some tripods are put together with only specially selected forked sticks and no lashing, which is not recommended for this. As the wind could potentially dislodge their position causing the structure to collapse.
Suspend your rucksack from the tripod this will keep the tripod from moving and the legs from spreading as you lay the tarp across the frame. It’s also a good place to store your rucksack, saving on floor space.
Tarp Size: 15ft x10ft (4.5m x 3m)
Tarp Gauge: 80gsm
I'm using an inexpensive tarp, that's waterproof, windproof and fairly lightweight. It rolls up to the size of a sleeping bag. I prefer to use a camouflage tarp; for demonstration purposes, a plain green tarp is shown.
Lay the tarp flat across the ground behind the tripod. Locate the middle along one of longer edges. Grab it here and pull up and over along the back leg of the tripod.
Pull the tarp up onto the frame and drape let it drape on the tripod. Pull in any loose material, then tweak its position accordingly. It's usally a good idea to secure it at the top through the eyelets, to prevent it sliding back down as you begin to work it into place.
Make sure everything is aligned; the legs are in the correct positions, ensure the doors touch the ground and meet in the middle. Then push the end of the sticks into the ground for extra rigidity.
Go inside and pull the parts of the tarp laying on the ground outside in on its self to create the groundsheet ensuring both corners meet in the middle.
At this stage you can begin to peg/stake out the front doorway for immediate use.
If you’re intending on using this shelter more seriously its worth considering some simple modifications that will significantly improve your tarp tent experience.
Adding extra sticks to the tripod from inside will prevent the wind from blowing the tarp against you when inside. Keep the ends blunt as they will sit on top of the groundsheet
Tarp clips aka “clingon’s” can be fastened to the tarp from outside so that guy lines can be added. Which will keep the tarp taught and prevent the “sail effect”.
The sail effect occurs when a large area of material is unsupported or not tensioned by guy lines. It causes the tarp to billow inwards and reduce the space inside the shelter.
For a more weatherproof door closure add some tarp grommets so it can be laced closed. Erect the tent then mark the locations on the doors of any additional grommets. This will require extra paracord and dismantling the tarp tent for modificaiton.
Also, add some cordage loops to the bottom edge of the door, so it can stake or pegged down more securely.
