Give Me Shelter- tents, tarps, bivouac, hammocks discussed here

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

This threads intent is to promote discussions on the different types of shelters used by bikepackers.

Photos of your bikepacking shelter/s in action would be a real plus.
Stories of what you have tried that worked and did not work could really help
others as they build or tune their kit.

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

I am a recreational bike packer(no racing) doing most of my bike packing in Colorado and Utah
on everything from concrete bike paths to mtn singletrack. The trail usually determines whether
I use panniers or backpack.

I have two basic shelters; 1 man tent and a hammock with tarp.
Mountain Hardware Sprite 1 Person Tent. My pad is a Neo-Air.
Spare cloths in a stuff sack is used as a pillow
The sleeping bag is based on the anticipated temp for the season.


When trees are along my route I much prefer sleeping in the trees using a nylon hammock.
I have two hammocks one with and without a bug net.
I can save 1.0# if I don't take the bug-netted hammock and carry a face net just in case.

Hammock is a WildernessLogic 11' snipe, Tarp is 11'x6.5' OES Catcut syl nylon, as with the tent
down quilts are changed with the expected temps for that time of year.

When no rain is expected no tarp is deployed.


Both my tent kit and hammock kit sleep systems weighs about 3# and takes up
the same space in my pannier or pack.
I have used these two system for the past three years with great success.

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

In an interest to cut weight for some trips and using greenwaters shelter as my guide.
ref:
http://www.bikepacking.net/forum/index.php/topic,4721.msg40269.html#msg40269

I assembled my Sprite 1 with just the rain fly and ground sheet.
This shelter saves me 1.5# I will report back on how effective this shelter works.
I am a little concerned that desert creature might join me for the evening.

[12wheels]

I use a homemade rectangular 5x8.5ft tarp and a bivy based upon Six Moon Design's Meteor.  I carry my shelter- tarp, bivy, down quilt- in a dry bag secured to the handlebar.  When I find a good camping spot all I have to do is remove and unpack the dry bag, flip the bike over, spread the tarp over it, and stake it down.  Poles aren't needed and it only takes a couple minutes to set up camp.  If it's a cloudless night the tarp stays in the dry bag and I just use the bivy.  

The only drawback with a tarp is that it doesn't deter animals from raiding your food.

[mtnbound]

12wheels - love the pic with the fox!

One thing I really like is a stuff sack with a fleece liner.  I stuff my clothes in it for riding (including sleeping clothes) and then when I get set up, turn the sack inside out and stuff it for use as a pillow.  The fleece liner works great for me and makes the "pillow" softer and it also eliminates the crinkling I used to have with other stuff sacks-turned pillow.  Yes, it is a bit heavier than a typical stuff sack but well worth it - comfortable sleep is huge!

I have been using the Contrail tarptent since early spring and really like it.  Very light (about 26 oz, which includes the 2 oz pole) and packable yet it provides the benefits of a tent (fully enclosed and rain proof).  With practice, it takes 90 seconds to 2 minutes to set up.  My only suggestion is to make sure to get 2 extra stakes and guy lines to stake out the middle, which is not necessary but makes the inside bigger.  I had thought about bivies but really don't like the tightness and feeling like a packaged burrito for some mountain lion or bear looking for a midnight snack! 

[jbphilly]

I use a Grand Trunk Ultralight Skeeter Beeter hammock (what a mouthful). I live on the east coast, so finding trees to hang it is never an issue.



Here it is on my most recent outing. No rain expected, so no tarp rigged. When there might be rain, the setup looks like this:




My backpacking experience started in the middle east, before I knew about hammocks and where it's trickier to find spots to use them. I started off just using a borrowed, heavy/crappy tent, then got rid of its weight to just sleep outside - it never rains in the summer, and as long as you're not near water, bugs aren't bad. Then I got the hammock and started camping in pine forests and olive groves, which took some searching at times, but I generally managed. When I hiked 600 miles from the Red Sea to the Israel/Lebanon border, I just used a tarp as a wind shelter for the desert portion of the trail (again, no risk of rain, I just needed to block the wind) and then once I got to central and northern Israel, I used the hammock.

I'm looking at Tarp Tents for whenever the time comes that I need to camp out in treeless areas again, but no need to buy anything right now.

The hammock provides comfort and bug protection. A Wilderness Logics tarp (Tad Pole model) provides wind/rain shelter. Upper insulation is either an insultex quilt (if warm) or North Face Cat's Meow 20 degree bag if colder. Bottom insulation is a basic camping mat - or two of them if it's really cold. This is not an ideal solution (less comfortable, tends to slip out from under you, making you wake up cold) so I'm looking to get an underquilt at the first chance.

[bmike-vt]

my tarp tent contrail by mbeganyi, on Flickr

love it. have a hennesy too.

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

Great picts guys thanks so much for sharing your shelters.

Here's another one of mine. This is a custom winter hot tarp with Kifaru wood stove.
I designed and had this hot tarp made for a winter basecamp where it would be setup for
a week at a time with day hiking/snowshoeing/XCskiiing depending on snow depths. I was hoping
to use this tarp for winter mtn biking however the added weight of winter gear really affects
the bikes handling. So I dont' know yet. Once basecamp was setup riding around the area empty was a blast.









Country TV

[wahday]

I have been using an 8X10 tarp of late. I like the versatility and the light weight. I've only experimented with two setups so far. I'm liking 12wheels' setup especially. Is that a standard tarp or is it created for this purpose (meaning, is it a flat tarp or scalloped to accept the wheels?).

Anyway, this is my more common setup:




And as a bivvy for a colder night:

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

This thread is really starting to look respectable with lots of ideas for folks to draw from
as they build or tune there bikepacking sleep system. I am really enjoying looking at all the different setups.

Has anyone ever tried one of these suits sleeping systems?
This is the Exped DreamWalker 650  kind of pricy but looks warm, light weight and multi purpose. That's always a good thing.


website link:
http://www.exped.com/exped/web/exped_homepage_na.nsf/0/2B1DE45C23EBF82DC125767E00705EEC?opendocument

A less expensive version:
The selkbag


website link:
http://www.selkbagusa.com/

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

I seem to love tarps can't settle on just one.
Here's my complete collection

HMG cuben tarp 11' x 8’2” x 6’ (length x width x bottom edge); when weight is everything and
my preferred bikepacking sleep system. Even stuff sacks are cuben to save weight.



Tree to Tree Trail Gear 120" x 144" Cat cut silicone blend ripstop nylon tarp. with 1 set of 2QZQ doors added.
When I want complete protection from rain or snow. This is my favorite go to tarp.



OES MacCat Deluxe syl nylon- 130"×104" optional GrizzBeak For everything in between.



OES Custom Winter Hot Tarp syl nylon Nth degree GrizzBeak 3 internal poles 1 kifaru wood stove.  Winter Basecamp...

[abhemet]

here my tent I just got it. I have used once already. Pretty easy setup even the dark. Its a six moon design trekker. It has Carbon fiber tent poles two or you can use hiking poles. It use 5 stakes mine are Titanium. The tent is 24oz I think the total with poles and stake is 30oz I will have to weigh poles and stakes to make sure.

[Tommi]

I started using a hammock in 2005 after a back injury from 25 years of soldiering; the Hennessy Expedition Hammock I bought before leaving the army has really made camping enjoyable again. Light and functional, it keeps me off the the ground, and the center ridge supports my back. I live in Calgary alberta, so when we camp, trees to live in are abundant. I have only just started the plan for bikepacking, and look forward to gearing up this summer.

[Colorado Cool Breeze]

I had a custom hammock made this fall it's an 11'x60" with a breathable zip on top cover.
The idea is to cut a little wind and help hold in a little heat.





Something I learned while testing this new hammock on the porch is if you seal it
completely closed condensation from your breath will collect on the inside.
Having a small vent at one end seems to eliminate the condensation issue.