My Upslope Is An Upgrade From Tarp Origami

I do blogs from time to time on hiking gear or as I call it Backpacking DYI and one of my favorites is shelters. I did a blog on Tarp Origami where I took an ordinary tarp and made a shelter out of it. Well, three things happened after that. First I had to use the cheap tarp I did the Tarp Origami to cover the spring at the Cabin. Then there is the number two reason. While the price of this 10X8 tarp is really good ($10) I decided I might want to use it somewhere else besides the Cabin. As I documented I did a solo hike and I thought if I did more than an overnight and I can't sleep at a shelter both nights this would be a lightweight alternative. My tent, a Kelty Salida 2, (with poles) weighs in at just under five pounds. The tarp is just under two pounds and uses my trekking poles, so I don't have to carry any. The third reason was I got a really good deal on the Kelty Upslope Tarp on Sierra.com.

I decided it might be a good idea to set the tarp up before I decide to take it out. So, this past Sunday I took it out in the yard for a setup. I remember the first time putting up my Kelty Salida 2  two-person and my Kelty Discovery 6, six-person tents and I struggled with both of those, but not like I did with this tarp. It came with guidelines attached and I couldn't figure them out. I had instructions, but they could have been a little better. As I was failing to put it up, a storm rolled in. I had just enough time to get it rolled up before the rains came.

After this, I thought it might be a good idea to watch some videos on YouTube. I watched a couple but Enwild's was the most helpful. So armed with this new knowledge I decided yesterday to try again. While the middle sagged a little more than it probably should I got it up to where I can sleep under it. I even tried more than one set up to test my skill with the guidelines. I was asked if I could sleep under it and I think I can, I mean I use to Cowboy Camp in my younger days. However, this doesn't mean I am ready to take it out. I still need to do a night out under it, which I will blog about. Right now I am confident this trap will work out.