Tarps to the rescue!
BY CRAIG MACARTNEY Wet, tired, grumpy!
Whether by bad planning or bad luck, camping or trekking can quickly turn nasty without a working tent. But with a tarp and some know-how, your disaster could revert back to being an adventure again. Improvised tents will impress your friends and avert calamity, so never underestimate the importance of a tarp – it may one day save your life. The first is the lean-to, and they’re
easy to build. Just tie one side of your tarp between two trees a few feet up and secure the far side to the ground. To hold the lower edge down, tie the corners to large rocks or weight them down with smaller ones. Lean-tos provide shade during the day and some protection from wind and rain. If you have more time, adding walls
to the lean-to greatly increases your protection. Spread your tarp on the ground with a tree half way along one edge. Tie the middle of that edge to the tree, a few feet up and secure all four corners to the ground. The raised entrance of your lean-to will be fairly small, limiting the elements’ assault. An A-frame shelter goes the lean-
to idea one better. It provides more protection, but over less space. Stretch a rope between two trees at about waist height. Hang your tarp over the rope and pull out both sides like a tent. Secure the edges to the ground as before. If you have no rope, don’t give up. Find a long, sturdy stick and rest one end firmly in the notch between a low branch and a tree trunk. Hang your tarp over the stick and stretch
www.ottawaoutdoors.ca
PHOTO BY ROBERT PARK
out the sides. Rope or not, improvise by combin-
ing your tarp with whatever equip- ment you have. An upside down canoe always tilts to one side, so secure one edge of your tarp under the grounded side of an overturned canoe and stretch the other edge up and over the canoe’s bottom and open side. This shelter is small but effective. If you have no better shelter in a
downpour, make a raincoat from a garbage bag, pack your feet into the bottom of your backpack for warmth and wait it out under a tree. That’s the How of improvisation.
Here’s the Where. Avoid any low area where water
may collect, and pay attention to weather and wind. The entrance to your shelter should face away from wind and rain. This is especially im- portant in strong winds, where your tarp could catch wind like a sail and destroy your shelter. Small is beautiful, and efficient.
Smaller shelters provide better protection; retain more heat, catch less wind, leak less, and are easier to build.
If possible, fold the bottom of your
tarp beneath you as a groundsheet to keep you dry. Make a bedding between you and the cold ground. Evergreen branches make excellent bedding, but cut live branches only in survival situations.
ottawaoutdoors 13
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50