A thru-hiker who traded a Durston X-Mid Pro 1 tent for a Zpacks Hexamid Pocket Tarp on Vermont's Long Trail has shared the honest verdict — and it's more nuanced than the weight savings suggest. The swap cut 11.6 ounces and shrank packed volume from roughly 3.5 litres to just 0.7 litres, freeing space for food in a smaller pack.
Ironically, the tarp was never pitched on the trail. Across 13 autumn nights, the hiker cowboy camped twice and slept in the Long Trail's wooden shelters ten times. The tarp served purely as an emergency backup that weighed next to nothing — a job a heavier tent felt overqualified for, since the trail rarely strays more than 10 miles from a shelter and stays under tree cover.
The real test came on later trips, sleeping under the tarp proper. The upsides: far less condensation than a tent, faster morning packing, near-instant drying thanks to DCF fabric, and stargazing with a roof still overhead. One memorable night, an open wall revealed a mountain lion prowling quietly by moonlight — a view a tent wall would have blocked entirely. Fewer parts also mean fewer failures: no zippers, nets, or floors to rip.
The downsides are real. No bug netting means insect exposure; no floor means rain splashback and damp ground creeping into gear; and the missing net wall lets in wind, chill, and dust. On cold or gritty nights, the hiker reports waking colder and dirtier than with a tent. Site selection — sheltered ground, open end away from the wind — becomes essential.
Notably, on a Continental Divide Trail thru-hike, the same hiker chose a full tent without hesitation. High-altitude exposure, Rocky Mountain storms, monsoon-season rain, and freezing nights made the extra weight an easy trade for reliable protection and privacy.
The takeaway for hikers planning a trip: a tarp suits dry, wooded, low-bug routes where you're confident in the weather — or trails with existing shelters. For wet, windy, exposed, or buggy terrain, a tent's comfort still earns its weight. Beginners eyeing the switch might start with a hex tarp like the Hexamid Pocket Tarp, which pitches like a standard non-freestanding tent and skips the learning curve of flat tarps. There's no universal winner — just the shelter that matches your route and your tolerance for a little dirt and draft.
