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Cheap Bikepacking Shelters/Sleep Systems

Old 05-07-22, 09:08 AM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by niknak
Tarptent sells poles of various lengths for their tents at reasonable prices.

It seems your biggest hurdle is not knowing how to pitch a tarp taking advantage of your natural terrain. Other posters have offered plenty of suggestions that work great. Maybe if you searched YouTube for tarp pitching ideas you'd find a few solutions you could work with.
Yep there are lots of options for poles. Also good point on the natural terrain (or other structure). I have always found something to pitch the tarp. If all else fails the bike will suffice.for a one end pitch. I am sure you can find a youtube vid on that as you said.

I like a bit more protection some nights so I also take either a Borah Side Zip at 7 ounces or a Ti Goat Ptramigan Bug Bivy at 5.3 ounces. They were not too expensive (The side zip was about $100 and I think the bug bivy was less) so well worth adding.
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Old 05-07-22, 10:15 AM
  #27  
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MRose,
I'm curious where you'll be starting your tours. I've toured much of NE Oregon and it's beautiful country. Joseph, Halfway, Sumpter, Baker, Pendleton, Ukiah, LaGrande etc.. It's gorgeous country.. I stuck to paved routes, but bet the gravel routes out there would be epic
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Old 05-07-22, 01:11 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by niknak
Tarptent sells poles of various lengths for their tents at reasonable prices.

It seems your biggest hurdle is not knowing how to pitch a tarp taking advantage of your natural terrain. Other posters have offered plenty of suggestions that work great. Maybe if you searched YouTube for tarp pitching ideas you'd find a few solutions you could work with.
You are absolutely correct, I don’t know how to toss a tarp at all. I don’t know how to pick a camp spot let alone set up a camp. Shoot, I just realized my whole life is a lie and I never even been out of my house.

Let me explain one camp spot along my route… First off, this spot I am thinking of is not ideal, but it’s the only place to camp legally and safely where there is water. The camp spot is a giant (300 yd X 300 yd) gravel camp sight with a single outhouse in the middle. signs are posted that you have to camp on the gravel pad and camping near the marsh on one side or the lake on the other is prohibited. The largest rock within the gravel lot is about the size of my foot. My bike doesn’t have a kickstand… and I have tried using the tarp and guy ropes to make a sling of sorts to hold
my bike upright as part of the shelter… this works when there isn’t wind… but this lake is the number 2 wind surfing destination in Oregon because you can count on strong winds at any given time.
So this spot is not a good spot to camp. I have 40 miles to go to get to the next water hole not contaminated by livestock. Setting up a temporary shelter to wait out a storm is possible, but staying there all night would be dangerous not only because I would have to be on the shoulder of the road, but because if caught by the land owners I would be waking to a warning shot of salt rock through my tarp. So I have no choice no matter how cold and wet I am to push onto spot number 2. This will make for an 80 mile
day on thick loose gravel and 20-30mph head winds, with about 3,000 feet of elevation gain… but spot 2 has trees, a cliff edge along one side of the pond, fallen logs, and overall a better spot to camp than spot 1.



Wind block and drying shelter I pitched in under 10 minutes.

Notice the bench we are sitting on… that was our bed as well as a bench. I ended up dropping the top of the tarp down to make an A frame to sleep under that night. In that 10 minutes of initial setup I built the bench as well… so no… I don’t know how to tarp tent. and yes I could have used sticks… and if memory serves the next night I used a boulder to secure the tarp to making a lean-too.

I know my rout that I want to take very well not only for resources available to me, but typical weather patterns throughout the year. La Niña has made this year’s weather wry unpredictable. For instance last night was supposed to get down to 40 degrees with a 100% chance of thunder showers and high wind from 10pm until 5 am. The low last night was 52 degrees, no wind, and only a light drizzle between 1 and 2 am. So I need to be prepared for any kind of weather.


Wow $28.00 for a 25” piece of aluminum is budget friendly or cheap…. For $28.00 I can buy two sticks of 1/2” 4160 Aluminum cold roll tubing. A stick is 10’ long. Only problem is it will take about a month to get it here IF my supplier can even get it at all right now.

Last edited by M Rose; 05-07-22 at 01:16 PM.
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Old 05-07-22, 01:42 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by M Rose
You are absolutely correct, I don’t know how to toss a tarp at all. I don’t know how to pick a camp spot let alone set up a camp. Shoot, I just realized my whole life is a lie and I never even been out of my house.

Let me explain one camp spot along my route… First off, this spot I am thinking of is not ideal, but it’s the only place to camp legally and safely where there is water. The camp spot is a giant (300 yd X 300 yd) gravel camp sight with a single outhouse in the middle. signs are posted that you have to camp on the gravel pad and camping near the marsh on one side or the lake on the other is prohibited. The largest rock within the gravel lot is about the size of my foot. My bike doesn’t have a kickstand… and I have tried using the tarp and guy ropes to make a sling of sorts to hold
my bike upright as part of the shelter… this works when there isn’t wind… but this lake is the number 2 wind surfing destination in Oregon because you can count on strong winds at any given time.
So this spot is not a good spot to camp. I have 40 miles to go to get to the next water hole not contaminated by livestock. Setting up a temporary shelter to wait out a storm is possible, but staying there all night would be dangerous not only because I would have to be on the shoulder of the road, but because if caught by the land owners I would be waking to a warning shot of salt rock through my tarp. So I have no choice no matter how cold and wet I am to push onto spot number 2. This will make for an 80 mile
day on thick loose gravel and 20-30mph head winds, with about 3,000 feet of elevation gain… but spot 2 has trees, a cliff edge along one side of the pond, fallen logs, and overall a better spot to camp than spot 1.

Wind block and drying shelter I pitched in under 10 minutes.

Notice the bench we are sitting on… that was our bed as well as a bench. I ended up dropping the top of the tarp down to make an A frame to sleep under that night. In that 10 minutes of initial setup I built the bench as well… so no… I don’t know how to tarp tent. and yes I could have used sticks… and if memory serves the next night I used a boulder to secure the tarp to making a lean-too.

I know my rout that I want to take very well not only for resources available to me, but typical weather patterns throughout the year. La Niña has made this year’s weather wry unpredictable. For instance last night was supposed to get down to 40 degrees with a 100% chance of thunder showers and high wind from 10pm until 5 am. The low last night was 52 degrees, no wind, and only a light drizzle between 1 and 2 am. So I need to be prepared for any kind of weather.


Wow $28.00 for a 25” piece of aluminum is budget friendly or cheap…. For $28.00 I can buy two sticks of 1/2” 4160 Aluminum cold roll tubing. A stick is 10’ long. Only problem is it will take about a month to get it here IF my supplier can even get it at all right now.
I'm sorry my comment was unhelpful. I think what Tarptent offers is a good deal considering it's a ready-made product. It's $16 for a 38" aluminum pole that will likely fold up short enough for your needs. Sure, you can DIY something cheaper, but it sounded like you were in a hurry to find a solution before it gets too hot.

The description of that gravel campsite sounds terrible and definitely challenging to pitch a tarp. I prefer not to camp next to water because it's usually buggier, colder, and damper. But I recognize that sometimes you don't have many options when riding through areas with lots of private property.

You can flip your bike upside down to make it a lot more stable when hanging a tarp to it. Or pull the wheels off and use them. Bikepacking.com has a nice article with some ideas.
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Old 05-07-22, 03:10 PM
  #30  
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niknak the place I described is not the best place for camping… even with an RV, unfortunately it’s the only place. The ranchers out here are known to shoot first and ask questions later, especially if you look like a vagabond. We have a huge rising homeless epidemic in our area and landowners are starting to take matters into their own hands to run off squatters.

so back on topic… I might have found a solution by accident this morning. I am an amateur radio operator, and my favorite part of the hobby is building antennas. I have been wanting to build a 5 element Yaggi for a few years and have been gathering parts. Today while cutting down a section of 3/4” PVC Conduit to use as the boom I realized that I had a 56” piece left over. I hurried up and staked out my tarp and used the PVC to hold it up with three guy ropes. The wind is picking up and gusts are hitting 15 mph and we are under high wind advisory until 6 pm… I’m seeing if this conduit will hold the abuse of the wind storm.
I will report back with pictures if successful.
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Old 05-07-22, 04:59 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by mtnbud
MRose,
I'm curious where you'll be starting your tours. I've toured much of NE Oregon and it's beautiful country. Joseph, Halfway, Sumpter, Baker, Pendleton, Ukiah, LaGrande etc.. It's gorgeous country.. I stuck to paved routes, but bet the gravel routes out there would be epic
all of my trips will be starting out from La Grande and returning to La Grande… most of my planned trips are on gravel and dirt roads… one ride I want to do later this summer is ride from Morgan Lake to Sumpter via the Elkhorn Crest Trail.
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Old 05-07-22, 05:23 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by M Rose
all of my trips will be starting out from La Grande and returning to La Grande… most of my planned trips are on gravel and dirt roads… one ride I want to do later this summer is ride from Morgan Lake to Sumpter via the Elkhorn Crest Trail.
That'll be an awesome trip. Be sure and post a trip report for us! On one trip I rode through Sumpter and Granite on the way to LaGrande. I was a little surprised by how much climbing there is between Granite and Anthony Lakes.
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Old 05-07-22, 05:36 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by mtnbud
That'll be an awesome trip. Be sure and post a trip report for us! On one trip I rode through Sumpter and Granite on the way to LaGrande. I was a little surprised by how much climbing there is between Granite and Anthony Lakes.
where isn’t there a climb around these parts.
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Old 05-07-22, 06:00 PM
  #34  
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Bivvy sack. If it's in the snow or it's definitely going to rain, a better Gortex type bivvy is the way to go if a tent isn't possible. But if it's just on a contingency, then get a plastic tyvek-type bivvy to save space. My goretex bivvy was costly and it takes up as much space as a light wool sweater. For plastic, I keep a SOL bivvy. It takes up about the same space as a salt shaker, and its cheap. Again, if the plan was to use it a lot, I'd get a Goretex one like my Bibler. I've used it often and only with outstanding results, mostly in the snow. If there is rain, a picnic table can keep you out of the mud. On the other hand, I would never take the Bibler if I planned to avoid bad weather and had a good chance of doing so.

I have hammocks too. They're fun, but can be difficult to set up well. They're better if I have a vehicle I can tie one end to. The biggest drawback is that when camping, I often have several people and keeping the hammocks together is usually not practical without a vehicle. I should also mention that I wouldn't use bivvies for two or more people either because a tent becomes more space efficient. Hammocks promise insulation from the ground provided an underquiilt, but they don't shelter from precipitation without a fly also. I would definitely consider one as an alternative to a bag and inflatable pad in good weather provided I had a chance of finding appropriately-spaced anchors (not at the beach, desert, sagebrush, praries, etc).

I'm living in a mega drought here in the west and can easily plan my trips around the liklihood of any precipitation. I was going to upgrade my pad to an inflatable after my last trip, and I probably still will but even sooner I can take my hammock. For bike touring, I like to keep out of the dirt. It seems like when I go backpacking, everything is more pristine in the far remote back country up high in the mountains. Along the roadways, it's dirtier. So if I take my hammock, I'll still take an SOL bivvy to keep my bag dry in the event of the unexpected, but I wouldn't use it unless I had to. It's smaller and lighter than any tarp or fly.

If you get a hammock, be sure to test out the suspension lines that you'll use. Paracord really stretches and is useless for this. I like the bluewater tubular nylon, but they can be bulky for backpacking or biking (fine for the 4x4). To trim down bulk and still give sufficient length, consider braided synthetic like like dyneema or uhmwpe. Be careful not to cut trees with it -- the tubular nylon is better for that reason. Make a tree-saver with the nylon and add length with dyneema line.

https://www.rei.com/product/610111/b...ubular-webbing

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...TF8&th=1&psc=1
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Old 05-08-22, 10:01 AM
  #35  
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I have not slept under a tarp since I was in boy scouts or a scout leader decades ago, and when I did it was for an overnight and in an area with plenty of trees. Back then I was using what I think was called a Gerry Pioneer. It could be zipped into a tube tent shape but I never used it that way. Had mosquito netting than hung down on the two ends to the ground but if it was buggy, that was insufficient.

That said I often bring a tarp on canoe trips in case there is a windy rainy day, too wet and windy to travel and a tarp is more pleasant to wait out a day than in a tent. Some of the tarps for hammock camping might be ideal for you. I bought an Eno tarp at a REI scratch and dent sale that had a couple tears in it, I glued on patches to patch the tears. That would work great with a couple trekking poles and some stakes to sleep under. As noted above, the bike can serve as one of the poles.
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Old 05-08-22, 12:23 PM
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Well my pvc conduit pole held up in the wind until the rain came… the wind combined with water weight collapsed my pole…

I went to Bi-Mart today to look at tent pole repair kits, and I found a 72” fiberglass rod with a safety flag used for off road vehicles at the sand dune parks. As I was getting ready to purchase it along with the tent pole repair kit I was told that the local farm supply store has the poles without flag for $5.00 cheaper… so tomorrow I’m heading to the farm store to pick up a couple of the poles.

Safety Flag
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Old 05-08-22, 12:31 PM
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Yes - the farm supply stores have those fiberglass rods for temporary fencing. I've used them in the past for a pulk sled. They don't have the connectors so you'll have to figure out someway to get a ferrule of the correct diameter. Hopefully the Bi-Mart tent repair kit is the correct diameter. If not, maybe you can find some thin walled pipe of the correct diameter you could crimp or epoxy to the rod?

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Old 05-08-22, 12:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
I have not slept under a tarp since I was in boy scouts or a scout leader decades ago, and when I did it was for an overnight and in an area with plenty of trees. Back then I was using what I think was called a Gerry Pioneer. It could be zipped into a tube tent shape but I never used it that way. Had mosquito netting than hung down on the two ends to the ground but if it was buggy, that was insufficient.

That said I often bring a tarp on canoe trips in case there is a windy rainy day, too wet and windy to travel and a tarp is more pleasant to wait out a day than in a tent. Some of the tarps for hammock camping might be ideal for you. I bought an Eno tarp at a REI scratch and dent sale that had a couple tears in it, I glued on patches to patch the tears. That would work great with a couple trekking poles and some stakes to sleep under. As noted above, the bike can serve as one of the poles.
I have been watching the REI garage sales for sweet deals on anything camping related. But to be honest I am very happy with my current tarp system and my hammock. I just need a new pole solution, which I think I have finally found.

If I decide I want a larger tarp, I have a few ideas in mind. I have a huge cabin tent that is a complete pain in the butt to set up. It is such a pain to set up I haven’t used it since 2018. The only reason I have been holding on to it is because it has a lot of salvageable materials. I have a few ideas to turn that into a very light weight tarp system, or a smaller tent.
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Old 05-08-22, 08:00 PM
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I cropped the only photo I have of my patched Eno hammock tarp to highlight the tarp. This is from my canoe trip this past Oct in BWCA in Northern Minnesota. Much too high to sleep on the ground, but I wanted it for a day to sit under, cook under, etc., while it rains outside. The lines on it were included with it, I only needed to add my own stakes. Pitched lower with a ground cloth it would work great for tarp camping. I do not sleep in hammocks, but that is what it was designed for so it would work great for that too.



The tent in the foreground is my late 90s vintage REI NiteLite tent that is too heavy for backpacking and I have retired it from bike touring due to weight, but it is great on a canoe trip were weight is unimportant. I still used it for bike touring when I toured Iceland where it can get quite windy. It worked great in the wind there.
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Old 05-08-22, 08:09 PM
  #40  
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Nice looking camp Tourist in MSN .
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Old 05-08-22, 09:30 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by M Rose
Nice looking camp Tourist in MSN .
The view the night before after sunset before the rain came.

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Old 05-08-22, 09:45 PM
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
The view the night before after sunset before the rain came.

ohh how I miss those sunset views over the water.
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Old 05-09-22, 08:31 PM
  #43  
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Ready for a crazy idea, if you're still considering improvised solutions?

Go to Goodwill and look at camera tripods, considering each leg as a pole. Aluminum tubing or extrusions that go from some length to nearly 3x as long.

You might need a rubber cap on the non-foot end once you've disassembled.

The question would be:Can it tighten in place well enough to stay extended under load? But camera tripods are susprisingly sturdy.
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Old 05-10-22, 07:05 AM
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A couple of years ago, I ran into a guy bikepacking at a campsite I was staying at. He flipped his bike upside down and used that to prop up one side of the tarp, and pegged the other side and just slept in a bivvy bag.
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Old 05-10-22, 07:59 AM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by tgot
Ready for a crazy idea, if you're still considering improvised solutions?

Go to Goodwill and look at camera tripods, considering each leg as a pole. Aluminum tubing or extrusions that go from some length to nearly 3x as long.

You might need a rubber cap on the non-foot end once you've disassembled.

The question would be:Can it tighten in place well enough to stay extended under load? But camera tripods are susprisingly sturdy.
My camera tripods have legs that are probably too short. But it is a good idea since the legs can be shortened, often short enough to strap to a top tube for travel.
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Old 05-10-22, 08:06 AM
  #46  
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A few of us have mentioned using the bike, Rivers mentioned flipping the bike upside down.

I have used my bike several times for a clothesline. It would work for a tarp, but a tarp would put more tension on the line, you probably would need extra lines and stakes to hold it in place. My bike is heavy enough that I do not need to stake it with extra lines for clothesline purposes. I put a strap on the front brake to lock the front wheel when I do this, use a kickstand.



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