2. Update Your Packing List
While some of the following items are already on your packing list, you can't forget these when camping without a tent. Remember to bring:
- Bug Net
- Extra tarps
- Sleeping bag rated 20- to 50-degrees F
- Sleeping pad
- Rope
- Hammock
- Stakes
More: How to Choose a Camping Knife
3. Bring Backup
Despite your best efforts, the weather may require you to sleep in a makeshift shelter after all. If this is the case, you need to be prepared to make a shelter and what you bring will be a defining factor in this.
Tarp and poles: If you don't want to trek around with tent poles, use your hiking poles to tie up the tarp. However, if you want to stand up in your shelter, consider how high your hiking poles can actually go. Other items that can be used as poles include:
- Canoe or kayak oar
- Long branch or stick
Tarp and rope: This is the easiest way to rig a shelter, and there are a number of formations you can use to make one.
Stake or tie three corners of the tarp down into the ground and then string the fourth corner up to a tree. This style provides the best protection from animals and rain as most of the sides are covered and rain can run down.
Tie your tarp between four trees. This shelter simply provides cover for your living and sleeping area. Put your tarp over a rope strung between two trees. This makes an A-frame style tent for wind and rain protection. You can stake the four corners down to keep the tarp in place and create more room inside.
More: The 7 W's of Hiking Safety
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