Keeping yourself relatively protected from rain, snow, wind, and sun while backpacking is essential. Sure, you can camp under the stars in certain weather, but weather is always uncertain. You can also hike in areas with dedicated trail shelters, but what if you get lost before reaching them? Thankfully, with only a thin sheet or two of nylon or other fabrics, you can protect yourself from most adverse weather conditions. As with all things backpacking, weight and size become determining factors. With ultralight materials and designs ever improving, the lines between tents and tarps are blurring as are their tradeoffs in weight consdierations. For the most part, backpacking shelters fall in three major categories: tents, tarps, and bivvy sacks. Let’s take a look at each, and their relative strengths and weaknesses.
