Tarps in Scotland, in May

[bigjackbrass]

In a fit of uncharacteristic enthusiasm I've decided to apply for next year's TGO Challenge, a walk across Scotland from the West coast to the East, and even managed to dupe a friend of mine into coming along. [evil laugh] mwahahaha [/evil laugh]

My usual hiking method is to travel light, without going to the minimalist extremes seen on some American trails, and I've used lightweight gear in Scotland before now. What I haven't done is tried camping there under a tarp in May. The last time I was on the West coast I spent one rather stuffy evening driven inside my Macpac tent by the damned midges (although it worked out in a way, as it gave me some leisure time to discover and attend to several ticks I'd inadvertently picked up...)

The TGO involves participants devising their own route, so I can pick terrain that favours me over the flying pests, but that puts me into potentially wilder conditions for the tarp (an old Golite Cave, chosen through the scrupulous method of winning it in a competition.) I'm hoping to use a tarp and a wood burning stove as the key bits of my kit.

So, can any old hands with experience of "tarping" in Scotland advise as to the suitability of the practise for my crossing? At present I don't have any sort of insect netting beyond my customary head net but I'm considering either sewing together a full mesh inner (along the lines of the Ray Jardine type) or else something similar to this which covers roughly the top half of the sleeping bag. All opinions and advice very gratefully received. I've over a year until the actual challenge date, of course, but I want to get out and test any new kit sooner rather than later. And this has all been made a little more serious by the fact that since I moved house I seem to have misplaced my tent...

 

[fishy1]

Ensure there will be trees big enough to use with a tarp. Camp in the most exposed place you can, as long as your tarp won't blow away, as wind will stop midges. I have a sleeping bag with a sewn in midge net that zips shut. The concept is sound, the sleeping bag is awful. I never bother with midge nets now mind, as I have skin so soft and it's good. You could use a midge net on your head when in your bag and that should keep most of them out, I feel the midge is slightly overhyped.

 

[w00dsmoke]

well I've donea few lightweight coast to coasts in my time up here in Scotland and May should be not too bad for midges, depending on how warm it is. For less than a tenner you can get a midge net to cover you, your bivi and under your tarp for the size of a tennis ball.

I think if the midgies are out if its warm then domestic duties midge free will be the tricky part.

 

[Toddy]

I feel the midge is slightly overhyped.

Well I don't The bu88ers love me, sss doesn't stop them for me, and I avoid the West coast like the plague when it's full season for them. :AR15firin

I agree with the idea of the full mesh that can be tied up and around you and your bag to give a breathing space from them, it's not as though it's heavy, and it can be a blessed relief from the pests.

Coast to coast......so that could just be along the line of the old Roman wall ?

http://www.antonine-way.co.uk/maps-section/streetmap/location-of-antonine-wall-in-scotland.html

or do you want ot do a bit more hillwalking stuff ?

cheers,
Toddy

 

[gaspode]

eat a clove of garlic every day for a month before you go ... midges wont go near you ... neither will girlfriends / wives / neighbours ... in fact mostly anyone with a sense of smell .. i been doin it for years rarely get bitten by anything .. (wife included)

 

[bigjackbrass]

Thanks for that, gaspode I may have to run that advice by my hiking partner before putting it into action...

Toddy, the TGO Challenge leaves from about ten different starting points (such as Mallaig) and concludes almost anywhere you like on the East coast: the individual participants plan their route and so can include as much high or low walking as they desire. I'm planning to do a mixed route and I need to look into the locations of woods and moderate hills, I think, if I'm to make the tarp work consistently well. I'll be carrying a Rab Survival Zone bivvy as well, as an emergency shelter if things go pear-shaped and also to provide a bit of extra warmth and weather resistance when needed. My head net has done fine service in Maine and during previous walks in Scotland, so maybe I'll just wear it at night and fasten myself inside the sleeping bag or bivvy if the little biting blighters are out in force and I can't find an alternative site to camp.

At least nobody has immediately said I'm mad (other than the guy I'll be hiking with, who'll be zipped into his Hilleberg) which I take as positive encouragement

With the tarp sorted I'll start to decide on the rest of the gear, currently lightweight with distinctly bushcrafty leanings. Thanks for your suggestions, everyone.

 

[dommyracer]

Haven't done it myself, but I see no reason you couldn't use a tarp, and you don't even need trees if you use walking poles or other lightweight poles.

As long as your sleeping bag is rated well enough you should be alright (lots of people forget that an enclosed tent insulates better than a tarp, and your sleeping bag rating refers to the temperature of the air directly outside the bag.

I tend to use Bivvy bag as standard with tarp, for extra protection and as alternative to a groundsheet.

Re: the midge problem, you could always set up a slow burning smudge burner at the open end of your tarp to discourage the pests.

Another option might be to think about using some bothies for your kip - they can't be relied on but if your route takes you past one it would be rude not to use it to break things up...

I'm looking at doing a solo trip around cairngorms this year in a tarp setup, so hopefully at some point I should be able to contribut more meaningful tips.

 

[Neanderthal]

Two walking poles work well with the Cave. The tarp seems a bit flimsy so it would be best pitched out of the wind if possible. You will have to pitch it quite low to the ground if the weather is bad though.

Let us know how you get on.
Stu

 

[bigjackbrass]

Two walking poles work well with the Cave.

I carry one when I expect the terrain to be rough, so when away from trees / fences the plan is to use either one pole and a handy stick or else see if my hiking partner will loan one of his walking poles

The tarp seems a bit flimsy so it would be best pitched out of the wind if possible. You will have to pitch it quite low to the ground if the weather is bad though.

Let us know how you get on.
Stu

The very worst case would be wrapping the tarp around my Rab bivvy for extra storm protection, but that's only going to happen if we fail to spot some really serious weather approaching and are caught out (and unable to retreat) in a very exposed area. Uncomfortable, but workable in a potential survival situation. We're experienced and level-headed enough that we ought to be able to avoid such an occurrence, but it's always best to think ahead just in case. For more typical windy and stormy camping I'm going to be experimenting a bit over the coming months to find the best pitching options. I've seen a Cave in "full storm mode" and it's pretty much a crawlspace, but it does seem to be weather-worthy; as yet I've not used it under any serious weather conditions.

We'll see how things go this year. If the field tests don't seem promising then there'll be no point taking the Cave on the Challenge, since I'm planning to enjoy the thing rather than endure it. Hopefully my tarp skills will be up to snuff by next year.

 

[Podcast Bob]

I've done the TGOC twice with a tarp and a SZ and had an enjoyable trip each time. The midges do seem to be coming out earlier each year, but not quite enough to make it really unpleasant, just annoying. Especially on the west coast. (Have a listen to the last TGOC series over on The Outdoors Station for a description of weather and landscape, and I interview an american guy who did it in 2007 with a simple uberlightweight tarp system)

Combining your tarp with a wood stove will help, as the smoke does have a beneficial effect. There's always the midge alert website which should be on line again at the beginning of May, just as a point of reference.

I've found them the most annoying in still air, early morning and late evening. So if you are up and moving by then, you'll be fine. If you camp in areas with no wind, I'm sure you might get troubled, but it is really pot luck. Of course if you use a tree as a pitching point, the damp ground underneath them is the breeding ground so you take your chances.

I would really recommend walking poles for flexibility, as your pitching option needs to be flexible if the wind changes direction in the night. Each time I've tarped it I've had weather down to -5C, with plenty of ice in the SZ and tarp (I was warm enough with my down -1C bag and all my clothes on), as well as glorious sunshine. Make sure you keep one eye on the catabatic air, as this makes a difference to your warmth in the evenings. When camping near bothy's (much warmer than sleeping in them!) check which direction the sun rises, as sometimes it is easy to camp in the shadow of the bothy or trees and have a cold patch of frost over you for longer than you might like. Making everything wet to pack.

The camp sites are great, but obviously you'll worry about your gear. I didn't have any problems, and I'm sure you'll have made some freinds by then to leave stuff with. If you are going through Tarfside (again have a listen the podcast series) don't bother have more than a cup of tea at the hostel. On the way down the road there's a great cafe and they do one hell of a breakfast, which you'll needs after a night in the little Masons' Lodge drinking beer!

To be honest the biggest problem isn't the weather, the cold, the midges ... it's the ticks!! I was covered in them and so was my wife for the last 2 years. So be very careful where you pitch, brush your trousers down on a regular basis, use gaiters (even lightweight running ones) to prevent them latching on, and if make sure your mate really likes you, as you may have to do an inspection on each other from time to time in the most intimate of places!!

Some people never get troubled, others like us get swarmed. But a little awareness goes a long way. How the Scots managed with just kilts I'll never know. Enjoy the trip and 2 weeks of good company. There is another TGOC series on the backpackinglight website, for the 2006 trip for more ideas.

 

[bigjackbrass]

(Have a listen to the last TGOC series over on The Outdoors Station for a description of weather and landscape, and I interview an american guy who did it in 2007 with a simple uberlightweight tarp system)

Over the last three and a half weeks I've actually listened to, I believe, every single podcast you've listed (the one benefit of a Police office job is plenty of listening time) and they've been very helpful.

Combining your tarp with a wood stove will help, as the smoke does have a beneficial effect. There's always the midge alert website which should be on line again at the beginning of May, just as a point of reference.

Ah, wasn't aware of (or had forgotten about) the midge alert site: I'll look into that, thanks. As it happens I do plan to take one of my wood stoves.

I would really recommend walking poles for flexibility, as your pitching option needs to be flexible if the wind changes direction in the night.

The only problem there is that I've never taken to walking with two poles, just doesn't suit me very well. I have considered a lightweight collapsible tent pole, though, which would be lighter and cheaper than an extra walking pole. Or I'll chance it and see if I can find a downed branch near to my expected camp.

To be honest the biggest problem isn't the weather, the cold, the midges ... it's the ticks!!

It was after escaping into my tent after being swarmed by midges on Skye (the only time they were too bad to endure during that trip) that I discovered several coach parties of ticks apparently on a field day to various parts of my body. I called over to my friend who had just retreated to his own tent and mentioned it... moments later came confirmation that he was equally infested. I'm thinking that cotton sweatbands around the ankles, soaked in an appropriate chemical, might help in especially bad areas, otherwise it'll be a case of tucking in, keeping an eye out and checking regularly. It's all very well reading of Romantic poets resting in the meadows, but they never seem to mention the vile beasts!

Thanks very much for the tips. In a piece of good news my tent has now been located, so I have an alternative if I decide against the tarp but I'm still keen to try it.

 

[Podcast Bob]

I've spoken to a couple of people this week who share the same issues with walking poles and the cheapest, and probably one of the lightest solutions, is a simple HiGear fibreglass tent pole repair kit from Millets. Only about £5 and you can make up 2 poles out of the kit, cut them to your own chosen length, thread through the shock cord and cap them off, so that they fold down into your bag. Obviously you are stuck with a fixed length, but it is a solution.

Another one is to use a carbon fibre landing net extension pole, from an angling shop. Again about £7-8 I think. One 3m pole usually has two breaks in it, so 10 minutes with a hacksaw and 4 rubber bungs, some epoxy and you have 2 expandable lightweight poles!! TaaaDaaa ;-)

Depending on your route, there isn't a vast amount of air dried wood across Scotland, strangely enough. Colin who used a Bush Buddy last year, used to gather it as we walked from within trees and bushes. You have to look hard for the good dry stuff. Heather doesn't burn, so don't bother. You might find some Silver Birch towards the East Coast, but not much. He is a fan of the impregnated tindercard to get the twigs started (I MIGHT know where you can get some ;-)) and since then I've taken to using it. A piece about the size of a postage stamp is more than enough.

Apparently crushed dried marigolds is a well known deterrent for ticks tested by some scientist a year or so ago. Which my wife tells me is the main ingredient in Calundular cream. We never took some with us, but that may help as an option?

Wow! Impressed you have listened to ALL the podcasts on The Outdoors Station and Backpackinglight - that's over 200 programmes!! I'm trying to resist the urge to say something about not having enough 'process' to do ;-) LOL!! Nope, sorry, couldn't resist it ...

 

[Podcast Bob]

Thought you might like to see this and know that you are not alone!!

http://www.andyhowell.info/trek-blog/?p=474

His rucksack has a base weight of something like 2.5kg!!

 

[bigjackbrass]

Thanks for that, Bob. Andy's blog is one of the few that I follow and I've been looking at Colin's gear list with interest. Although I've long been a pretty lightweight hiker and camper (and dipped more than a toe into "ultralight" over the years) my heart tends to lean more to canvas and woodsmoke... but I'm not going to lug a cotton shelter and two-pound axe across Scotland, so I'm definitely going to have to compromise!

Mind you, lightweight is nothing new at all: T.H. Holding, Horace Kephart, "Nessmuk," Warren H. Miller at al. all urged the lightest the lightest possible pack a hundred years ago (Holding's lightweight outfit, including a silk tent with bamboo poles, was remarkable - and amusingly it was the Americans for once who thought that such light British gear was unsuitable for use in the USA, whereas these days the situation is reversed) though obviously material technology has moved forward tremendously. I have a few odds and ends of gear I'm likely to pick up yet, but mostly I want to hone my skills this year after a few seasons of little camping, making the most of the gear I have and trimming here and there (I think I can safely say that my 100 litre expedition Macpac Cascade will stay at home in favour of the GoLite Breeze I used on Skye, for instance.)

Still... that tarp's a cracking piece of kit...

 

[Wink]

I did a week in late April in the far north of Scotland last year, and slept under a tarp every night. There were no midges to speak of then. I used a pair of Alpkit carbon fibre trekking poles to pitch the tarp with, and used a space blanket as a groundsheet, no bivy bag. I also took a full size midge net, only 160 grammes, and used it twice when I was in places that looked a bit buggy. My advice would be to experiment with pitching the tarp in as many different ways as you can, to account for different wind/rain/site scenarios.

I'm off for another week of the same on Friday, and will be using a slightly larger tarp (3x2.5m from Kathmandu Trekking), and ditching the spaceblanket (too flimsy) in favour of a cut down piece of lightweight tent groundsheet. I found that even trying to go as light as poss, I packed 19kg the first day! 6 kg of food was the problem, as we didn't pass a shop all week, but you probably will be able to make other arrangements for resupply.

Have a good un!