Turning bike upside down to support a tarp?

[1982john]

How bad of an idea is this? I looked at a few images of people trying it but I'm wondering how bad it would be for the bike - my concern would be the saddle and shifters. Perhaps if it was combined with a groundsheet it would be ok?

However if there is a way to make it work it saves bringing tarp poles and potentially keeps the bike under cover and safe

[whoof]

I'm pretty sure I've seen pictures of someone on here who's done it.
I've never used poles with a tarp. I usually have a look on Google Satellite and find a wood and hang the tarp between two trees. Other than that I've set it up as a lean to using a hedge or even a large hay bail.

[nick12]

Instead of turning the bike upside-down the alternative is to use a few guy lines to stand the bike upright and attach the tarp to the bike.

[Gattonero]

How bad of an idea is this? I looked at a few images of people trying it but I'm wondering how bad it would be for the bike - my concern would be the saddle and shifters. Perhaps if it was combined with a groundsheet it would be ok?

However if there is a way to make it work it saves bringing tarp poles and potentially keeps the bike under cover and safe

I won't consider using a tarp without a groundsheet, it's just making your life miserable
Even a small 2mt x1 piece of thin plastic makes for a lot of convenience in getting your stuff away from ground condensation if not mud or dust, let alone staying clean when changing your clothes.

To use a bicycle supporting a tarp is not a bad idea at all, in fact a bicycle frame is by large the strongest pole you can think of: would you ride downhill at 40mph something made with an 8mm DAC tent pole?

My 2c about using a tarp:
-you will need to remove any computer or lights that are on the bars if lay above the height of the shifters (not a problem for me, I like uncluttered bars)
-the ground must be reasonable flat
-a plastic bag is always a good idea to keep under the saddle, for protection
-you can always alteer the saddle height for more headroom
-it's best to sleep opposite the drive side of the bike
-if you got toestraps you can use one between the front wheel and the downtube, will keep the bike even more steady
-sleeping alone with only rain protection can be done with a 2x2.50mt (approx. 6x8) tarp, however you get almost full-coverage with a 2.5x3mt (8x10) tarp
-an advantage over normal poles, is that bicycle tyres are soft and will lean over a large surface of the tarp, so it won't stress the fabric as much
-you can sew some adjusters at the corner of the tarp, will make your life a lot easier for tensioning (and re-tensioning if the fabric sags)!

You can see here I had not fitted the adjusters, had to resort using more pegs and was ultimately more time-consuming and got lucky the ground was soft. Using line adjusters allows you to move the peg(s) in a better position or avoid a rock that's under the soil






Altogether with the groundsheet and pegs+lines, you'e looking to a volume that's more or less like a 2lt bottle (or slightly more) and less than 700gr. Not bad considering the simplicity.
You can add a small bivy bag for extra protection, like I did, and stay below 1kg all-in.

[1982john]

That's a great setup and you certainly are not short of space.

I have a 2.8m x 1.5m which I intend to try out this idea with. I might have to have the tarp going over just the on side.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Mmmmphhhh, you end up with dripping water all over your interior shelter.................windy as well
Get a proper tent.......................OR you need to carry more weight.........tent with a garage.

Tell me a contraption like this is lighter and practical than the obvious alternative

[whoof]

As Gattonero I carry a ground sheet, it's just a sheet on plastic. As for a tarp being damp and windy, I use a tarp for weekend trips. I'm not dumb enough to go camping if the forecast I blowing a ga le and chucking it down with rain. Also as with a tent a great deal has to do with how you pitch it. I've used the tarp in thunder showers but never been either wet or been bothered with the wind.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
But you must admit if it rains over night there can be wind, this is where a tarp falls down, save weight at expense of getting wet.
And I know that there can be condensation in a tent.
But I know that the tarp and quilt has been discussed to death on other posts.

[whoof]

Hi,
But you must admit if it rains over night there can be wind, this is where a tarp falls down, save weight at expense of getting wet.
And I know that there can be condensation in a tent.
But I know that the tarp and quilt has been discussed to death on other posts.

I camped with a tarp it's rained I've not got wet. This may require some thought and skill in pitching but thinking and learning skills are a good thing.

[foxyrider]

Hi,
But you must admit if it rains over night there can be wind, this is where a tarp falls down, save weight at expense of getting wet.
And I know that there can be condensation in a tent.
But I know that the tarp and quilt has been discussed to death on other posts.

I camped with a tarp it's rained I've not got wet. This may require some thought and skill in pitching but thinking and learning skills are a good thing.

Just use a tent - so far i've not seen anything that convinces me that there is any advantage in a tarp only less comfort and more issues in keeping stuff clean and dry. If i'm carrying a tarp, groundsheet and pegs that weigh 700g I can definitely manage the extra 200g to have my double shell tent in the bag!

[Gattonero]

Hi,
Mmmmphhhh, you end up with dripping water all over your interior shelter.................windy as well
Get a proper tent.......................OR you need to carry more weight.........tent with a garage.

Tell me a contraption like this is lighter and practical than the obvious alternative

It's not a "contraption" but a different way of camping. Some people finds a tent "claustrophobic" and like to sleep in a space as open as possible.
If you see the image above, there's very, very little chance to get water dripping inside. In fact, it can only happen because of bad pitching: being in an exposed area and facing the wind; something that even a dual-skin tent may suffer by water leaking through the closed zip. Worse comes to worse, you can tie the small groundsheet in the front opening and you're sorted.
By the way, in such rain you will have your bike 100% protected and safe from problems, while most tents won't be able to shelter your bike...

... If i'm carrying a tarp, groundsheet and pegs that weigh 700g I can definitely manage the extra 200g to have my double shell tent in the bag!

900gr for a double-skin tent that has some decent space means big £££, here you're looking at a simple setup that will set you back well below £100

I camped with a tarp it's rained I've not got wet. This may require some thought and skill in pitching but thinking and learning skills are a good thing.

Indeed it's a good thing to go out and learn some skills, it's a good part of the fun

[Cunobelin]

Depends if you need the bike.

I remember touring and stopping at a campsite, and there were about half a dozen of us in teh same area, so we got chatting. Then someone suggested there was a pub that required investigating about a mile down the road.


One guy had a problem.

He had a vey nice tent, but it effectively disabled his bike!

[youtube]7ihgLlHkc6w[/youtube]

We did bring him back a carry out though

[Gattonero]

Depends if you need the bike.

I remember touring and stopping at a campsite, and there were about half a dozen of us in teh same area, so we got chatting. Then someone suggested there was a pub that required investigating about a mile down the road.


One guy had a problem.

He had a vey nice tent, but it effectively disabled his bike!

[youtube]7ihgLlHkc6w[/youtube]

We did bring him back a carry out though

I saw that thing and I'm not convinced of the price/living space ratio.

To use the bike supporting a tarp or a specific tent, it can be good because keep the bike protected and safe, but it's not good if you're planning to use the bike in between your staying at the campsite, i.e. having a base camp an exploring the surrounding areas.
OTOH, a simple tarp pitch with the bike can be done as a sort of A-Frame, in a way that the highest pat of the bike (likely, the saddle) is facing the front so it can slide out leaving the tarp flat on the ground. Not pretty, but takes very little to be done, and you can always find a suitable branch/stick to temporary replace the bike under the tarp.

[1982john]

Hi,
But you must admit if it rains over night there can be wind, this is where a tarp falls down, save weight at expense of getting wet.
And I know that there can be condensation in a tent.
But I know that the tarp and quilt has been discussed to death on other posts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA4DElALKt8

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Horses for courses-
[youtube]SWU6x5Jv9nI[/youtube]
Back to the OP............what you keeping bike safe from?