PrinterJohn wrote:The problem is if you are away for a fortnight and the weather changes at 3am and your 600 miles from home where are you going to sleep and how are you going to protect your belongings when the skies open and a gale blows up? Happened to us on a cliff top in northern Spain last year, put serious bends into poles of our Terra Nova Laser large 3, but we still had a nights sleep and were ready to carry on in the morning.
needs repeating this is a tarp ( tent ) not a tent proper, just configured by default as one. maybe others here will describe the type of conditions they use tarps in?, would be interesting - can a typical tarp take a gale or windstorm or deluge? I think most are quite light weight with limited water proofing?
it should be compared to some thing like this -
http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/tarps-and-bivy-bags/WE101.html
if you look at the small subpictures I dont any of the configurations would take the end-of-world weather being intimated?
This configuration is as close to mine as that tarp can get-
Those poles placed seem a very weak link and i can see them just collapsing under foul weather as they dont get much support?
I wonder if people are forgetting how strong the traditional ridge tent with inverted V ropes configuration is if you have strong poles and the ridge is tensioned properly? maybe I am wrong?