DIY Backpacking Tent

Backpackers try to carry as little gear as possible to cut down on weight, and a full-sized tent can take up a lot of room in the backpack. While bivy sacks are smaller and lighter, a backpacker can rig up a serviceable tube tent using a tarp and rope to keep him out of the elements. Setting up a tarp tent requires patience to find an ideal site, but it offers excellent weather protection for very little weight and cost.

Things You'll Need

  • 2 trees, at least 12 feet apart
  • Rope
  • Tarp, 8 by 12 feet
  • 10-12 tent stakes
  • 2 rocks
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Find a spot to pitch your tent. The ideal spot is between two trees, on flat ground with no protruding tree roots.

    • 2

      Remove stones, sticks and pine cones from the area where you will pitch your tent.

    • 3

      Tie your rope so it stretches between the two trees, about four feet above the ground.

    • 4

      Unfold the tarp and lay it out on the ground. The short end should be parallel to the rope.

    • 5

      Pull the tarp under the rope so that two feet of it will be on the other side of the rope. Your tent floor will be four feet wide, so you want the rope centered over the floor area.

    • 6

      Anchor the two free corners with something heavy, like your backpack or a couple of rocks.

    • 7

      Stretch the tarp to form the floor. Find two metal grommets about four feet from the end of the tarp, and pass your tent stakes through them to fasten that section to the ground. In the same way, secure the floor section of the tarp down, but not the free corners or edge yet. Remove the rocks you used to hold the tarp down.

    • 8

      Lift up the free section of the tarp and toss it over the rope.

    • 9

      Pull the free end of the tarp down to meet the other end, forming a triangle.

    • 10

      Position the corners of the two ends of the tarp together so that the grommets meet, and anchor them in place with tent pegs. Secure the other paired grommets along that edge in the same way.