CCS tarp :)

[Tsuga8]

@Keeled Over I'm intrigued by using the No Bug Zone as a primary shelter. What size do you have? Have you slept in it during a real rain (with or without additional fly), and if so how did it do? Do you use a ground cloth for the whole footprint, or just under your sleeping mat?

I used to really like sleeping out without any shelter in good weather and no bugs. But I like having a little tent screening when the dog's with me, to give us that extra moment of separation should a raccoon or especially porcupine visit in the night.

 

[Pseudonym]

I'll vouch for the CCS tarps being worth it too. I have a 15’x15’, 1.9 oz tarp tent in green with bug screens for group trips. It completely transforms the campsite experience when the mosquitos are otherwise intolerable by creating a haven to gather as a group. For that reason, it's a most-loved piece of kit. The tarp is massive and can easily handle our 12 people for meals and prep, but still packs down small into the compression sack that comes with the tarp. I also bought three of Dan's poles at his recommendation and have been glad for them.

Some of the features I like that might not be found on other tarps:

• The netting zips open on all four corners and can be tied up and out of the way along the edges of the tarp with ties that are integral and sown into the tarp's edge seams. That way it works well as a simple wind and rain tarp too. The trade off is that the netting does at some bulk to the packed size.
• The netting has 12" of ripstop nylon at the bottom edge for durability where it will get stepped on. I often place stones on this "sod skirt" to keep it in place.
• Myriad tie-down loops on both the inside and outside allow for lots complex shapes and just-where-you-need-it guy lines. Those mid-tarp loops can really help eliminate sag and buffeting in the wind. The reinforced center "quad-loop" on the inside is adaptable enough to accommodate all sorts of center support : paddles/down-fall timber/canoe poles, etc.
• Compression sack is included

Someday I'll buy another one in a smaller size and will get a brighter color. I'll probably follow @Robin's lead and go with white for a classic look.

Build-quality is great and has survived both strong winds and my shoddy pitches. We got blasted by a williwaw so hard once on the John Day River, in OR, that it snapped a support pole, which popped through the nylon. The damage was limited to two small 1.5" tears (ninety degrees to each other and originating in one point, thereby creating a little triangle flap) which made me a believer in the 1.9oz fabric. We slapped a piece of tear-aid on it and it's been as good as new ever since.

 

[Alan Gage]

@Keeled Over I'm intrigued by using the No Bug Zone as a primary shelter. What size do you have? Have you slept in it during a real rain (with or without additional fly), and if so how did it do? Do you use a ground cloth for the whole footprint, or just under your sleeping mat?

I used to really like sleeping out without any shelter in good weather and no bugs. But I like having a little tent screening when the dog's with me, to give us that extra moment of separation should a raccoon or especially porcupine visit in the night.

My CCS Lean 1+ is still my favorite shelter and it's great with the dog. It has its drawbacks, like condensation, due to being a single layer shelter but the benefits outweigh the negatives. It's not self-supporting either but I haven't found that to be an issue. Setting it up is a bit clunky at first but with practice comes perfection and I can set mine up pretty darn quick.

I use it both with and without the ground cloth. On wet or dirty ground I use the ground cloth. Otherwise I just throw the pad on the ground. Bugs have not been an issue. The dog and I both appreciate the view out the front screen, which can also be rolled up or pulled back out of the way as desired. Lots of room inside to sit, kneel, and move around. It's comfortably held 2 people plus a dog and gear.

I would recommend getting a darker color. I got white and while it's nice and bright inside it also functions as a green house. This is ok in cold weather and is great on chilly mornings but it's a very uncomfortable place to be if the weather gets even slightly warm and the sun is shining.

Alan

 

[Keeled Over]

@Keeled Over I'm intrigued by using the No Bug Zone as a primary shelter. What size do you have? Have you slept in it during a real rain (with or without additional fly), and if so how did it do? Do you use a ground cloth for the whole footprint, or just under your sleeping mat?

I used to really like sleeping out without any shelter in good weather and no bugs. But I like having a little tent screening when the dog's with me, to give us that extra moment of separation should a raccoon or especially porcupine visit in the night.

Mine is what they call 13 x 13, but you know how that goes. I have not had to use my backup fly yet, but the rain was not torrential when I was out. I was sure I would need to add the fly at one point but the water pretty much stuck to the mesh. Footprint just goes under the sleeping area and on base camp trips I bring tables and chairs. The table/chairs just sit on one side and we sleep on the other, but come morning we just flip or bags and pads into the corner and enjoy plenty of living space. Depending on how creative Chick is feeling we either have an adjustable light for the peak, but she just might bring the solar powered Christmas lights to put around the upper perimeter of the unit.