Litehiker
Well-Known Member
The recent LRH article titled "Gearing Up For Mountain Extremes" talks of how a Hilleberg tarp made life more bearable during daytime bad weather on a mountain hunt.
I've never thought about using a "bothy" tarp, as the British call it, for hunting. It is used more commonly for small group backcountry skiing for emergency shelter rather than for hunting.
I can see how Swedes and especially Norwegians or Finns would also use it in mountain hunting situations.
I use hiking poles for hunting and they (or skis) are important to give a tarp shelter some form and interior space. Otherwise above timberline you may be just huddling with a tarp over your party and their packs - still worn on their backs. This would at least keep the tarp and its condensation off your backs and clothing.
But I do carry a small (8' x 8') light silnylon tarp in my hunting pack for accidental overnighters. It is good only for one person but it is all I need for a more comfortable night or a more comfortable lunch time in a storm. I am now sewing stake loops to my little tarp for better wind worthiness. Two loops per side plus one in each corner (every 2 ft. including corners) is enough. I'm also adding two tie points in the center of the tarp. I carry 4 aluminum MSR Groundhog stakes and 50 ft. of light Triptease tent guy cord with that tarp. I do not want to be looking for sticks and rocks when a storm has moved in.
I could also see it used for a glassing shelter in bad weather so that the time is not wasted. I have seen a photo of a similar small shelter being used in rainy weather somewhere here on LTH. I think it has a "frame" of some sort.
Eric B.
I've never thought about using a "bothy" tarp, as the British call it, for hunting. It is used more commonly for small group backcountry skiing for emergency shelter rather than for hunting.
I can see how Swedes and especially Norwegians or Finns would also use it in mountain hunting situations.
I use hiking poles for hunting and they (or skis) are important to give a tarp shelter some form and interior space. Otherwise above timberline you may be just huddling with a tarp over your party and their packs - still worn on their backs. This would at least keep the tarp and its condensation off your backs and clothing.
But I do carry a small (8' x 8') light silnylon tarp in my hunting pack for accidental overnighters. It is good only for one person but it is all I need for a more comfortable night or a more comfortable lunch time in a storm. I am now sewing stake loops to my little tarp for better wind worthiness. Two loops per side plus one in each corner (every 2 ft. including corners) is enough. I'm also adding two tie points in the center of the tarp. I carry 4 aluminum MSR Groundhog stakes and 50 ft. of light Triptease tent guy cord with that tarp. I do not want to be looking for sticks and rocks when a storm has moved in.
I could also see it used for a glassing shelter in bad weather so that the time is not wasted. I have seen a photo of a similar small shelter being used in rainy weather somewhere here on LTH. I think it has a "frame" of some sort.
Eric B.
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