Gimme Shelter or (S)helter Skelter…?

My Two Solo Shelter Options

Some prefer The Beatles while others prefer the Stones. Some prefer salad while others prefer fries. Some prefer Lebron, this guy prefers Kobe. Some prefer tents while others prefer tarps and bivys. Like any preference, one can not tell you which is better or which one is for you, you must come to your own conclusions. People can only continue to argue and tell you why you should like their preference better. I’m not here to argue, just to fill you in on the two shelter options that I’ve settled on for my trips and the reasoning behind those choices.

When it comes to bicycle travel there are a number of shelter types to choose from. We’re not going to get into every type here, it’s just too much, like way too much. For some in depth gear nerdery go here. Read and read some more, and one day when you catch yourself ‘studying’ the hydrostatic misting properties of cuben fiber vs. silnylon at 3:26 am on a Wednesday, it’s time to stop reading. Don’t go down this road, it never ends, trust me.

There are a number of variables to consider when choosing an appropriate shelter system for bike travel. Trip type/locale, trip duration, climate/conditions, remoteness vs. non remoteness (is that a word?) and bulk/weight, are just a few examples. Personally, when I’m out on a backcountry bikepacking trip I am always, well 99% of the time taking my home made bivy and tarp. And depending on the weather I am mostly just sleeping in just the bivy, not even bothering to set up the tarp. Conversely when I’m traveling somewhere ‘foreign’ with the potential of sharing space or being in proximity of people or I just want a little more privacy my tarptent moment is my shelter of choice. Why the difference?

Different trips call for different shelters. I prefer to sleep outside when I am camping, bivy only is my favourite option when possible. When precipitation is a risk a small solo sized tarp gets pitched over top. My tarp is 8’4″ x 4’3″ and weighs 92g with the guy lines attached, too small for many, good enough for me. It’s made from 0.51 oz cuben fiber that you can get here. It takes some space in my seatbag when not in use, but not too much. I would like to make a smaller/lighter one, one day maybe I will. I made my tarp with the following in mind; that I only set it up when precipitation is going to be a concern and when I sleep outside I like to feel like I’m actually sleeping outside, so I don’t want a roof over head, so I wanted something minimal as most of the time it would be dead weight. I do want some bug/critter protection and some wind protection is nice as I use a quilt instead of a mummy bag so a bivy is a good option that still gives me that out in the open feeling I desire. I like to see the stars before I close my eyes, feel the cool breeze in the middle of the night, see the shadows that are playing tricks on my mind when I hear twigs snap in the distance.  Set up time is minimal for the bivy and I can be ready to sleep, from bike to bed rather quickly. Another important aspect was the weight and bulk. In total the system (bivy, tarp, guys, stakes) weighs 270g and more importantly takes up very little space compared to other shelter options that I have tried. Volume, or lack there of is king to an efficient bikepacking setup and this does the trick. True the bivy is not a place to hang out and chill at the end of the day, but that’s something I’m not really looking for on bikepacking trips. I like to ride until I don’t want to ride any more, eat something and go to bed. Don’t really need the hang out inside space.

Camp before Los Pinos pass on the La Garita Wilderness Detour. Colorado Trail, August 2012.

Bivy only camp out on the Ashlu River the night before the Nimby 50.
Squamish, 2012

On bike touring trips I find that I want a ‘home’ to retire to at the end of the day. As mentioned in the past I am a routines person and setting up my house; my bed, eating at the end of the day, going over maps for tomorrow, watching an episode of The Wire on my ipod, journaling, escaping the elements, whatever it is, is important to me and I want a comfortable space to do this in. I like the consistency of the space I have control over in places that can be as random night to night as a public pay campsite, a patch of grass behind a gas station, a lake side beach, someone’s yard, just off the side of the road, etc.. I also like the added privacy of a tent over a bivy/tarp in places where the likelihood of sharing space with people is greater. I don’t mind the additional weight and bulk so much bike touring, bikepacking conversely I very much mind the additional bulk and weight. When it came time to seek out an adequate touring shelter my intended use didn’t require a 4 season super tent that can withstand Alaskan winters, just something simple to keep me happy and dry and somewhat private at a low (for a tent) weight/bulk. I ended up with a Tarptent. Much lower weight and bulk than many traditional double wall tents, good price, made in the USA, almost as cool as made in Canada ;P It fit the bill for my bike touring needs and it performs admirably. There are a few options in single wall tarptent design, some are more tarpy than tenty which you lose privacy in, some of them get a little pricier as well. To me saving  7 or 8 ounces on a shelter doesn’t make sense on a 45+ lbs bike (weight weenie blasphemy!) especially when you load the bike up with a bag of fresh empanadas or 3L of gatorade. On a bikepacking kit closer to 30 lbs gear and bike together, 8 ounces may as well be 8 lbs, well not really, ok yes really, like I said don’t go down this road!

Camp out at Lago Puyehue. Chile, 2011.
(enhanced colours to better show shelter)

Those are the two shelter options I currently alternate between. Mostly opting for the tarp/bivy combo for shorter trips and bikepacking adventures. When it comes time to tour the Tarptent comes along as my home for the month. Different shelters for different trips. Try a bunch of options and see what works for you. I’m more of a Stones person myself, but I’m not here to tell you what’s better, just what works for me.

Have fun!