Alternative to tent - tarp thang & bike as structure (?)

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Iirc the Mondo Enduro guys didn't use tents, and instead slept under tarps or something similar - i.e. a waterproof sheet.

In any case, I came up with this idea myself before reading the book so I'm obviously an awesome guy with hidden epic RtW riding skills. But has anyone actually tried this? I mentioned it to hetzer at last year's bbq and apparently he just basically slept rough the year before, in a bivvy bag type thing iirc. But said it was too hardcore.

I'm not of hardy stock, I have to tell you. But the idea of something quick and that packs down to less bulk than a tent, and is generally LESS in every sense apart from water proofness, holds an odd attraction for me. I would however still have my inflatable mat, and probably a small kettle.

So my questions are several but go something like this. Would a piece of tarp type material that would be big enough to kip under actually pack lighter and smaller than the smallest tent? (I currently have a diddy Blackthorne effort which is good but I honestly believe I could get away with LESS). Why use the bike as a structure? One answer because draping it over would be better than - well - any other alternative I can think of apart from the two tree and para chord method, which is good but limited by the location.

I would also need a ground sheet of some sort, I imagine. But would sleep in everything I wore in the day, and perhaps even another layer of cheap ass single skin water proofs over the top to keep dew out. I might even sleep at night that much, but just aha ahem power nap as and when. Where would I go. Dunno. Scotchland maybe - on a 250, or perhaps even 125. Something stupidly light and economical with enough clearance for off road crap.
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[yen_powell]

https://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b165/yen_powell/P1000234sm.jpg
Bivvybag and a sheet over the top. When you get in or out your hands are going into the mud/cow poo. There is no where to put your boots except outside (this is okay if you are somewhere where people don't steal stuff and you don't have mates with an iffy sense of humour).

I do it occasionally when going to a one night event and I don't want lots of luggage.
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[slowlydoesit]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[slowlydoesit]

[Lupo]

South of Europe yes, North of Europe and UK no way.That kind of stuff is pretty basic, and will not offer protection from the wind, add rain and you are in for a wet night, and wet clothes, and wet gear and wet sleeping bag. Tarp, pegs, bivybag and ground sheet will be the same weight and more bulky than a good one man tent, specially if you want to cover the whole bike too. I will not feel comfortable in the rain, with the ground becoming soft and soggy, with a bike leaning towards me as well. It is doable but as Hetzer said it is too hardcore.
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[c-m]

Even in southern Europe that wouldn't be good enough. Ever experienced the Bora in Croatia?

Seem ok for when you want quick shelter when wild camping for just a night, but it's no good for proper travel. For a start you have to pack it every time you want to move/use your bike meaning you can't camp up for 3 days somewhere and go exploring on your bike.

[yen_powell]

[yen_powell]

The time I used the picnic table. As you can see it's holding some rainwater in the flat bit (first pic) after a night of torrential rain. I stayed dry though.
https://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b165/yen_powell/P1020989-1.jpg
https://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b165/yen_powell/P1020991.jpg
As I said, it's only really used for one night events, the bivi bag dries out really quickly when I get home, a tent takes ages to dry before you can repack it for storage.
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Blackmail is a nasty word........but not as nasty as phlegm!
XT1200Z and a DR350 in bits

[FriendlyEllis]

Easy if you set your tarp up between 2 trees. Hammock underneath.

Takes about 10 mins max to set up.
There are LOADS of bushcraft sites that tell you how to set up TARPS/bashas.

Just because you have a bike it doesn't meant you have to use it for everything!!!

What if there are no trees? You have a bike.....go find some!😋
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Honda CB600F Hornet 2013 -> Kawasaki Z1000SX ABS Tourer 2015

[stinkwheel]

The newest issue army basher sheets are very waterproof and excellent for this kind of thing.

If you don't mind desert cammo, you'll pick one up for a tenner.

You make a higher level shelter between a couple of trees for during the day, move it lower down at night.

I've bashered-up using the bike many times. Usually for a one-nighter or at the side of the road on a long journey. If you do it right, you'll be warm and dry. They do NOT howerver, keep the midges out.

Here's my army basher in action over my hammock.
https://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f216/stinkwheel/rbr/DSCN0860.png
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[RodYork]

I recently did a month using a basha and a bivvy bag- easy to pack down, easy to put up and if constructed correctly, as others have said- then waterproof & warm.

[chickenstrip]

Another site with some good info, might be of use:
https://www.backpacking-lite.co.uk/

Includes making your own bivvy &c, materials and where to get them, how to rig tarps and bivvys, bivvy bags etc, etc.

[chickenstrip]

TBH, depending on how you put something together, bivvy/tarp kits can easily end up being as heavy and bulky as a good, modern, lightweight tent, with less protection, and no quicker to set up. I looked into it a lot before 2 months backpacking in the Lake District, and on balance, decided that a tent is the better way to go.

I'd possibly bivvy with a tarp if the weather was guaranteed, in the wilds, not on a commercial campsite where you have no privacy at all - could get wearisome, especially if there are inquisitive kids about.

I agree with many of the comments here - in cold, wet Europe, you'd need to be sure that this kind of thing is for you - if you have any doubts, I'd suggest it's not.
Backpacking is one thing in this style, but on a motorcycle, your kit is much more bulky and you have less options on where to put it if it's all soaking wet etc. Also, you're much more limited for decent sites to set up (for wild camping) with a bike.

If you really want to try it, I'd suggest setting up for a night in your garden or local woods for a night, just to see how you get on. Gradually ease into it, rather than just jumping in at the deep end. You could always take your bivvy set-up AND a small tent on a first trip too, just in case the bivvying turns out not to be your thing.

[blackbosh]

poncho/tarp, bungees x4 pegs x2 and and basher poles x2. Sleeping bag and bivvi bag. Endless combinations with or without bike and no tent will pack that small.

[delsol]

Like trevor saxe-coburg-gotha, I've been thinking along these lines, but there are always compromises.

Like stinkwheel says, what about the midges ?, midge head net is the most minimalist option.

I would still need space to keep gear dry, a place to put my boots and a place to brew up in or shelter if the weather is bad.

As already said, I don't care for using the bike as a support in case it falls on me and for other reasons too.

Keeping yourself and your sleeping mat clean from the ground and providing more warmth, something like this, you can get lighter more packable but breath-ability I think is a must.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/waterproof-and-breathable-hiking-sleeping-bag-cover-grey-id_5424869.html

Tarp and at least one walking pole so that trees or other supports are not needed, couple of videos below.

3X3 durable and packs tiny tarp from https://www.ddhammocks.com/product/DD_Superlight_Tarp

I've kicked around lots of options and none seem perfect, if I could store a 2 man pop-up tent on the bike then I think this is a good option, bit more bulk and not ultralight but gives protection from weather and midges and is really quick to set-up an pack away, and keeps your gear dry and out of sight, cheap and effective too: (a stinkwheel reccomendation stinky )
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/2-seconds-easy-2-tent-green-id_8300687.html

Or how about this? meets most requirements, well for me anyway, check out the video.
https://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/bushcraft/WF101.html


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMAtpWQdVbY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SGFUXpzPGQ

[smegballs]

Having just done the tarp thing on my trip with the bike to portugal and back I quickly realised that I'd have killed for a pop-up tent!

https://i.imgur.com/aqsw2Jx.jpg

I think the way forward might be to have a pop-up tent, for ease of roadside sleepys, with a basha plus bivi poles to put up over the pop-up (like a seperate fly-sheet) in case of heavy rains. The pop-ups seem fine to sleep in, just questionable in harsh weather.

https://i.imgur.com/C12opP6.png

Also fuck insects! I got bitten to fuck roughing it on the roadside

PS: I found an army KIP mat, the green thing being used as a groundsheet in the pic above, can be pressed into a service as a reasonable hammock with naught but a bit of paracord. I also found out that just one paracord can support my weight just fine.

[chickenstrip]

[smegballs]

[chickenstrip]

Well, people complain about the cost of good lightweight tents. But if you use it a lot, then I reckon it's worth it.

I do like the idea of waking up (more or less) under the stars, but I've tried it, and decided it wasn't really for me. And the reason I tried it was cos I was doing backpacking and hill walking, and so was looking at the lightest alternatives available.

One thing I tried, the smaller item was cut from an old tent:

https://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b550/nicknicklxs/DSCF1200_zps532446d5.jpg

But I never used it, as conditions on that trip were too changeable, and the bivi bag I used in conjunction I found too clammy, despite being eVent fabric.

In fact, so many reasons I haven't gone down the bivvying route. Bugs, sheltered cooking space, wet kit storage, cold and general lack of weather protection etc. But I think I'm just showing my age

Oh, and one bivvy bag claiming to be waterproof that I had for ages before I actually used it, turned out to be as waterproof as a sponge
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Chickenystripgeezer's Biking Life (Latest update 19/10/18) Belgium, France, Italy, Austria tour 2016 Picos de Europa, Pyrenees and French Alps tour 2017 Scotland Trip 1, now with BONUS FEATURE edit, 5/10/19, on page 2 Scotland Trip 2 Luxembourg, Black Forest, Switzerland, Vosges Trip 2017
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[Copycat73]

far too much like bein on exercise ...
your all on a charge ..section 69.... Dirty bike

and you can fill in your own bloody AFN252 ..
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[chickenstrip]

[Clanger]

When I was in the ATC (a million years ago) we used to set temporary camp with a bivouac, like this https://content5.videojug.com/95/95a83f63-ea4d-c087-f0b4-ff0008c935d3/how-to-build-a-bivouac-shelter.WidePlayer.jpg?v2
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[Pete.]

Seeing all these camping ideas reminded me of a book I read by Spike Milligan where they spread out a large tarpaulin and all laid in a circle under it feet towards the middle, but couldn't remember why. Then I remembered this and found it with Google:

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Corridors of power Mk1
General: Leaps tall buildings with a single bound. More powerful than a steam engine, faster than a speeding bullet. Gives policy to GOD.

Colonel: Leaps short buildings with a single bound. More powerful than a shunting engine. Is just as fast as a speeding bullet. Walks on water (if the sea is calm). Talks with GOD.

Lt.-Colonel: Leaps short buildings with a running start in favourable winds. Is almost as powerful as a speeding bullet. Walks on water in indoor swimming pools. Talks with GOD if special request is approved.

Major: Barely clears a Nissen hut. Loses tug-of-war with a steam engine. Can fire a speeding bullet and swims well. Is occasionally addressed by GOD.

Captain: Makes high marks when trying to leap tall buildings. Is run over by trains. Can sometimes handle a gun without inflicting self injury. Dog paddles, talks to animals.

Lieutenant: Runs into tall buildings. Recognises trains two out of three times. Is not issued with ammunition. Can stay afloat if properly instructed in the use of a lifejacket. Talks to walls.

2nd Lieutenant: Falls over doorsteps while trying to enter buildings. Says, "Look at Choo Choo." Is NEVER issued with a gun or ammunition. Plays in mud puddles. Mumbles to himself.

Sgt. Major: Lifts tall buildings and walks under them. Kicks steam trains off the tracks. Catches speeding bullets in his teeth and eats them. Freezes water with a single glance . . . HE IS GOD!

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Sorry for OT - as you were!
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good