Tag Archives: Tarp Camping

Honey I Forgot the Tent – When Backpacking Goes Wrong

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Hiking, Backpacking and an attempt at Tent Camping in the Rain in Virginia’s George Washington National Forest.

FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through some of my links.

For this overnight backpacking trip, Sara and I decided to do some summer backpacking with our dog on a section of Great North Mountain, a 50 mile long mountain ridge that runs along the border of West Virginia and Virginia.

Despite the threat of a quickly approaching storm, we decided to forge ahead with a modest 3 day, 7 mile backpacking trip. Our plan was to keep the itinerary relatively simple in hopes that we could get to camp in time to beat the rain. And then we ran into a slight complication. Actually, it wasn’t slight at all. It was quite possibly the biggest backpacking mistake I’ve ever made…

White Rock Cliff Loop Virginia – Route Overview – Sintax77

There is no parking fee or backcountry camping permit required for this section of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest.  More details regarding dispersed camping can be found on the official GWJNF website here.

Full GPS track data, including campsites, water sources, etc, for this trip and many others can be downloaded on my Trip Data Page.

This trip video was sponsored by RevolutionRace. Use code 15sintax to get 15% off their entire Amazon store site until 9/11/21 here.

Trailhead Used: Sulphur Springs Parking Area Forest Road 1725
38°58’31.4″N 78°34’03.5″W
FR1725, Maurertown, VA 22644

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First Look – Apex Tarp Shelter by GO! Outfitters

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Taking a look at my second item from GO! Outfitters, the Apex Tarp Shelter.

This is an 11′ x 9.5′ 70D Polyester Tarp that comes standard with 6 aluminum stakes and 8 guy-lines which can be configured in a variety of ways in conjunction with the Apex tarp’s 20 tie-out points. Personally, I’ll probably tie permanent lines to the 4 main corners and use removable a removable setup (either via larks head or hardware, like Dutch Hookworms) for the remaining lines for maximum adaptability on the fly.

**A note on the side middle side tie-outs: The official production model has the middle tie-outs on each side, unlike the configuration seen in this video. I believe this was simply due it being a pre-production model.

The tarp itself weighs 20 oz. Included guy-lines and aluminum stakes weigh a total of 8 ounces. I can see this tarp work great with any of my current camping hammocks, or as a nice stand alone shelter for minimalist ground sleeping situations. Color options are Forest Green, as seen and Slate Grey. There are also plans for an additional door kit as well, which may shed some light on the importance of those extra tie-out points on each side.

For full specs and the latest details, check out their Apex Shelter Kickstarter Page.