Nature Calls Backpacking

Hilleberg 10 Tarp and some fun shelter configurations

Having fun making different configurations with a Hilleberg Tarp.

 A tarp provides essential weather protection but still allows you to feel fully “outdoors.” Indeed, there are those who prefer tarp camping, in all weather conditions, precisely because of that feeling. And how much of that “feeling” you indulge in is up to you, since our tarp’s “shape” is limited only by imagination and pitching materials. Combine a tarp with our Bivanorak (see gallery), and you get remarkable weather protection at an incredibly low weight.

A tarp can also add a new dimension to tent camping: Pitch a tarp over the tent’s entrance, and you have a breezy patio, or build a tarp kitchen away from your campsite for greater safety in bear country.

Hilleberg tarps come in two sizes, Tarp 10 and 20, designed for solo or two person, and group use, respectively. Each is available in both a super light UL and a heavy duty XP version. The former is made from our Kerlon 1200, and the latter from Kerlon SP. Both are tremendously strong yet lightweight, silicone-coated fabrics, but where the Kerlon 1200 is nylon, the SP is polyester.

All of our Tarps have aluminum rings at the attachment points fitted with guy lines with adjustable line runners. The Tarp 10 has 8 lines, and the Tarp 20 has 16. The rings allow for easy set up with either our Tarp Pole or the tip of a trekking pole. The sewn-in storage bag prevents loss of the bag itself, and allows quick and easy deployment and repacking.