I have been an ultralight backpacker and hammock camper for a few decades, but time and literally thousands of trail miles haven't been kind to my knees so lately I have doing much less trail miles in favor of basecampjng from the Jeep. I'll never switch to a tent and have zero desire to sleep on the ground, but I do think it is a good idea to have some coverage over the Jeep tailgate for weather protection and maybe a bit of privacy (on the trail I was always alone so privacy wasn't important.. there were miles between me and the next human).
Last year I bought a Napier Sportz Dome which conceptually similar to the Kelty tarp but weighs in at nearly 30lbs. I never unboxed it and it is still in the gear closet. It's more tent than tarp and candidly more than what I need. I have it listed for sale on local MP.
Stumbled across the Kelty Backroads Tarp Shelter and thought it a great compromise between nothing, a tarp and a more enclosed tent. Very flexible and well under 10lbs.
First time setup right out of the box took only eleven minutes and thirteen seconds. I did install the center bow incorrectly and the flat spot on the top, seen below, should actually be about a foot more headroom with that bow properly installed. That said, at 5' 11" I can stand under the tarp with plenty of headroom. The weather flap extends over the Jeeps soft top to seal off inclement weather and is secured on either side to the sliders, while the two corners are staked out. There are guy lines at the two outboard corners to aid in a secure pitch if it is windy. There are side pullout points on each of the side curtains that can make an already spacious interior even more open and also reduce flapping when it's windy.
As pitched above, with the side curtains tied up, you can enter and exit from either side. The footprint is large enough that I am confident there will be plenty of coverage in the event of rain even with the side curtains open. I often hang the hammock anchored to just one tree with the opposite end attached to the Jeeps roll bar. If I pitch this tarp a bit farther back on the soft top and unzip the side curtain exposing the roll bar with the tarp still attached I can pitch the hammock off the side of the Jeep and keep the tailgate area protected.
The side curtains can be deployed and staked out with a wide footprint and side access to enter and exit from under the tarp, or they can be pulled tight to the side of the Jeep as shown below to tighten up the pitch and increase the weather protection and privacy. Again, that center bow should be installed above the longer main bows which would increase the already spacious headroom. The curtains have another two feet at their bottom, that I rolled up and out of the way, but if you stretch them out the interior becomes even more spacious though at the expense of weather protection.
There is a large zippered door on the back with a zippered window.
My hope is that I can pitch with the side curtains down and door open, build a small fire just beyond the tarp and use a campfire heat reflector to direct the heat into and under the tarp. In practice I'll deploy a tyvek footprint under the tarp and make a toasty warm vestibule. I should have measured it but forgot the tape measure, but conservatively I am saying it's 8x10. Enough room for a chair, storage boxes etc.
I usually have the Bestop tailgate cargo basket attached along with Rockslide Engineering Spare tire RotoPax mount with water, axe and shovel and a Trasheroo. Not sure how the passenger side curtain will deploy with the cargo basket attached and how I will be able to access the water, trash & tools. Time will tell.
Also want to try backing up close to a tree and hanging the hammock under the tarp using the roll bar through the back window and the adjacent tree.
For now I am calling this a win and am looking forward to it's flexibility.
Last year I bought a Napier Sportz Dome which conceptually similar to the Kelty tarp but weighs in at nearly 30lbs. I never unboxed it and it is still in the gear closet. It's more tent than tarp and candidly more than what I need. I have it listed for sale on local MP.
Stumbled across the Kelty Backroads Tarp Shelter and thought it a great compromise between nothing, a tarp and a more enclosed tent. Very flexible and well under 10lbs.
First time setup right out of the box took only eleven minutes and thirteen seconds. I did install the center bow incorrectly and the flat spot on the top, seen below, should actually be about a foot more headroom with that bow properly installed. That said, at 5' 11" I can stand under the tarp with plenty of headroom. The weather flap extends over the Jeeps soft top to seal off inclement weather and is secured on either side to the sliders, while the two corners are staked out. There are guy lines at the two outboard corners to aid in a secure pitch if it is windy. There are side pullout points on each of the side curtains that can make an already spacious interior even more open and also reduce flapping when it's windy.
As pitched above, with the side curtains tied up, you can enter and exit from either side. The footprint is large enough that I am confident there will be plenty of coverage in the event of rain even with the side curtains open. I often hang the hammock anchored to just one tree with the opposite end attached to the Jeeps roll bar. If I pitch this tarp a bit farther back on the soft top and unzip the side curtain exposing the roll bar with the tarp still attached I can pitch the hammock off the side of the Jeep and keep the tailgate area protected.
The side curtains can be deployed and staked out with a wide footprint and side access to enter and exit from under the tarp, or they can be pulled tight to the side of the Jeep as shown below to tighten up the pitch and increase the weather protection and privacy. Again, that center bow should be installed above the longer main bows which would increase the already spacious headroom. The curtains have another two feet at their bottom, that I rolled up and out of the way, but if you stretch them out the interior becomes even more spacious though at the expense of weather protection.
There is a large zippered door on the back with a zippered window.
My hope is that I can pitch with the side curtains down and door open, build a small fire just beyond the tarp and use a campfire heat reflector to direct the heat into and under the tarp. In practice I'll deploy a tyvek footprint under the tarp and make a toasty warm vestibule. I should have measured it but forgot the tape measure, but conservatively I am saying it's 8x10. Enough room for a chair, storage boxes etc.
I usually have the Bestop tailgate cargo basket attached along with Rockslide Engineering Spare tire RotoPax mount with water, axe and shovel and a Trasheroo. Not sure how the passenger side curtain will deploy with the cargo basket attached and how I will be able to access the water, trash & tools. Time will tell.
Also want to try backing up close to a tree and hanging the hammock under the tarp using the roll bar through the back window and the adjacent tree.
For now I am calling this a win and am looking forward to it's flexibility.
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DETOUR