this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2024
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This is pretty dumb. The number one thing you want is a floor. The rest of the tent is optional.
Think about it. If it's not raining, you don't really need the tent. If it does rain, water will come in the sides of a floorless tent. You can just sleep on one half of a tarp and use the other side as a lean-to. If you orient it properly, it keeps out the rain.
Could definitely make sense in dryer regions. I'd probably still use a bivy. If you set your tent in an improper spot having a floor isn't going to save you from water flowing beneath your tent.
I think you're misinformed. People sleep under tarps and tarp shelters all the time. You have to be a bit more selective about your location, but not much. For instance, if you're in a large depression in the ground when it rains it doesn't matter if you're under a tarp or in a tent you're still going to get wet if it rains enough. The only time a tent might really save you on that score is if you're setup on a minor slope where a small amount of water will roll through. You also need to think more about wind.
Still it's a perfectly reasonable choice for folks with some benefits like weight, better ventilation, and more.
I'm telling you that a tarp is better than a "floorless tent". This dude has no floor. And literally can't set anything down without bugs crawling on it.
Like, what are you putting your sleeping bag on? The leaves? In that case, why even bring a tent? Sleep under a tree like an animal.
The reason I take a shelter camping is that it rains constantly here. I don't really care about the bugs tbh. Sounds like we just camp in different places and have different priorities
You're outdoors bugs will get anywhere they want regardless (and rodents will chew their way in if they can't find an easier way)