I have been wanting to get a tarp setup for a bikepacking trip. Sleeping in a tent is fun but as there are other options out there I wanted to give it a crack! So I research the internet and asked bikepackers what tarps they use for their bikepacking adventures . In this article I showcase all your potential options, going through aspects like the size and price.
I assume that if you are here you have a little background on tarps and maybe know what you need to look out for in a tarp for bike camping. But if you have no idea! Lets take sometime right now to go through, everything you should consider before you go out a purchase a tarp for your bikepacking setup.
So you are here for the best bikepacking tarps? Well here they are in a quick list! I asked bikepackers what tarps they use for bike camping and these are the ones they recommended from experience! Ready on further to see which one is best for you!
- Ultimate Direction FK Tarp with Conversion Kit
- Gossamer Gear Twinn Tarp
- Dyneema Fiber Standard Tarp With Doors
- DD Hammocks Superlight Tarp
- Warbonnet Outdoors Superfly
- OneTigris Bulwark All Season Camping Tarp
- Alpkit Rig 3.5 Tarp
- Zpacks Hexamid Pocket Tarp
- NEMO Apollo 3P Bikepacking Tent
Pros & Cons To Bike Camping With A Tarp
Pros
- Great for summer camping when it does not rain, you get to be fully immersed in nature.
- Potential lighter packed weight in comparison to some tent setups. This is one of the larger benefits to why bikepackers go for a tarp setup.
- You get to see the amazing stars of the night sky.
- Can’t beat the simplicity and overall effectiveness of a solid tarp system.
- They are a great camping solution if you are not in bug effect areas
- Don’t have to rely on trees, you can set them up anywhere using your bike and or poles. Even sticks can get the job done.
Cons
- When it rains it pours, and you are probably going to get wet if the tarp is not setup right.
- Then you have the wind.
- It seems troublesome to have to factor in finding trees or something other to prop the tarp up (can use your bike), then find some soft grass and all this after riding all day and you are tired. It seems best in theory to just get a tent and set it up and jump straight in.
- Full exposure to wildlife, like Australia the snakes and Germany the disease infected ticks or Raccoons (hopefully not disease infected) Wow I just painted a terrible picture of tarp camping. It is not as bad as it sounds. It seems like the wildlife is a big aspect as to why so many people don’t give tarp camping a go.
- And if you are afraid of monster you are completely exposed to them as well.
- Ticks and mosquitos, and the potential for Lyme disease which is on the rise in the UK. These are serious health risks and camping under a tarp definitely does expose you to these potential illnesses.
I really tried my best to be as honest as possible with what other bikepackers think about tarp camping. And unfortunately there is so many more cons then there is positive things to say about it.
But after all that and you are like me and want to give it a go anyway. Then here is the complete list of bikepacking tarps recommended by fellow bikepackers.
Bike Tarp Tent
Using a tarp to shelter over your bike is a new trend for bikepacking camp setups. There is no right or wrong way to so, you can get creative. If you do have limited ways to setup the tarp with your surroundings using your bike as a ‘trekking pole’ allows you to setup pretty much anywhere.
*If you want to buy any of these bike tarps, doing it via the links give Cycle Travel Overload a small commission which goes into creating more great resources for the bike travel community.
Ultimate Direction FK Tarp with Conversion Kit
You can use any type of tarp for a bike tarp setup, like I said you can get creative about it. But Ultimate Direction make the (FK Tarp $199.95 on Amazon) that is originally designed to be pitched with two trekking poles. But you can buy separately a (Bike Tarp conversion kit $39.95 on Amazon) which effectively stabilises your bicycle and provides a safe and secure attachment for the FK Tarp. If you also want a bivy option for your tarp setup they also offer (a bivy for $179.95 on Amazon) that works together with this whole setup.
The FK Tarp does a great job wit its design to protect from rain and wind. Reaching the ground on three sides of the tarp. And is suitable fro sleeping up to 2 people. Made from a 20D Nylon micro-ripstop material.
The Good
- Super lightweight tarp and packs up small, the packed weight is 14 oz / 399 g.
- Saves a lot of weight and storage space, witch is super important for bikepacking as you have limited bike bag volume. If you get the bike tarp conversion kit this can make the setup work with your bike.
- Guylines are a good length and work functionally well.
- If you are using this with the bike tarp kit it would work better then the trekking poles. As the poles get in the way when setup and limit the overall space inside the tarp. but setup with your bike as the bike is further back you get more room underneath the tarp.
Not So Good
- This goes for most tarps. This tarp takes some time to setup after you have taken down and setup a few times you might get used to it. But it is time consuming compared to setting up a tent which only takes a few minutes.
- If not setup properly it will get wet, make sure the corners are staked out well.
- The suff sack is not made from waterproof material. So when the tarp gets wet inside the packed bag it is wet for the rest of the day and is not the most pleasant to setup during camp time.
- If you are expecting a large amount of rain, this might not be protective enough (but that is the nature of a tarp setup, to be used as a summer camp setup.) Still should be okay with light rain.
The Bike Tarp Conversion Kit
It is designed to securely fix the FK Tarp to your bicycles handlebars. It works perfectly with all handlebar widths and types. The kit comes with reflective cording that stabilises your bicycle by attaching to the seat post.
Gossamer Gear Twinn Tarp
This tarp is made from a waterproof 7 denier nylon, with a generous 47 square feet of protected area, plus overhangs to keep gear dry. With the ultralight carbon trekking poles it makes setting up this tarp super easy.
The design of tent allows a great deal of protection will offering a minimal weight setup. The design of the tarp is tapered front to back which helps make it lighter and better wind deflection. The tarp comes in at a total packed weight of 9.50 oz or 269 grams.
Pros
- Very lightweight tarp option for the size. For someone of a average build and about 5’7″ as a example, it’s very roomy!
- So huge for one person that you can expect to never get wet!
- Has two loops at the ends to attach a bivy bag.
- Not a trendy as some other options, but it is also not as expensive.
- Has reinforced corners and tie outs, with thicker materials. The stitching looks high quality and no loose threads.
Questionable?
- The 7d material is rather thing and slippery. Overtime it would be something to get used to when using this tarp. But, it is a little troublesome setting up in windy conditions as it is slippery. Just from the feel of the tarp it seems as though it would easily tear from abrasion or pokes.
- Size could be of concern if you want a small area.
Durability of the tarp is great it was tested for over 110 days. The material is super thin, but after some time, if you are not careful if some spiky matter comes into contact it can cause some small pin pricks. But as long as you take care and set it up properly you will be fine.
| Packed Weight | Protected Area | Packed Size | Price |
| 9.50 oz / 269 grams | 47 sq ft / 4 sq m | 3.5” X 8.5” – 8.89 cm X 21.59 cm | $155 |
Dyneema Fiber Standard Tarp With Doors
The more I read and research about bike camping tarps the more I notice how popular Cuben fibre is for durability and strength. This catenary cut tarp features the Dyneema® Composite which is the same as Cuben fibre. It is growing in popularity in the hiking community, but not only that it is a tarp recommended by bikepackers. The tent has 2 ridge line tie outs, 4 panel pull outs, and 10 perimeter tie outs.
The tarp uses 1/2 inch D-Rings on all tie outs except for the ridgeline tie out points which use 3/4 inch Beastee D-Rings. The tarp ships with a stuff sack and patch kit for any needed repairs. If you want a knot free set up you can get the option to upgrade all of the tie outs with LineLoc3 tension hardware.
Tarps like this one with doors are great for winter camping conditions as it as the closing of the doors make it best for these types of conditions protecting you from the elements. This take does not come with Guylines which is something worth noting. The Guyline reinforcements are bonded and sewn for maximum strength.
This tent comes in at a price from $315 USD but you get so many other options that if you are interested it is worth heading over to their site for the details.
| Packed Weight | Protected Area | Packed Size | Price |
| 7.28 Ounces or 206 grams – just the Tarp | 8′ 6″ wide at the widest point | – | From $315.00 |
DD Hammocks Superlight Tarp
DD tarps are designed to work with a hammock setup. Just a quick note if you are also interested in hammock camping, check out this article I wrote also.
DD Hammocks have many other Tarp options, this particular one weighs in at around half a kilogram. And offers perfect coverage for their hammocks. But it can still be used as a stand alone bikepacking tarp.
One of my favourite features of this tarp is the 19 reinforced attachment points which gives you so many pitching options. There is huge potential, use it as a hammock shelter or you could make a open or even closed ground shelter out of it.
The tarp comes with, four SuperLight pegs and guy lines included in their own bag. And it is made from ripstop nylon, with 3,000mm PU waterproof coating, made with a taped central seam.
A great option tarp if you are looking to get into bike tarp camping, as they are cheap and have many adjustment points.
| Weight | Size | Packed Size | Price |
| 460g (excl. pegs & guy lines) | 3m x 2.9m | – | From £65.00 or $84.00 |
Warbonnet Outdoors Superfly
The Superfly tarp is another option that also pairs well with a hammock setup. The doors on this tarp provide some excellent shelter. It is Warbonnet’s largest tarp. They consider it a “Winter” tarp or an “All-Season” tarp. Starting at $135
OneTigris Bulwark All Season Camping Tarp
Here is another cheaper tarp option for your bikepacking adventures. There is no end to the possible ways you could setup this tarp, as it offers multiple ways to setup and it is suit for all seasons. Setups ranging from A-frames to Diamond pitch’s. To A-frames with walls on either end.
It is 100% waterproof and anti-uv, while providing heaps of space, at 13ft by 10ft coverage, that is large enough for 3-4 campers with plenty of room to move around. This particular tent has a 2000 mm waterproof rating. And 19 reinforced webbing loops including 3 on the ridgeline.
The tarp comes in a waterproof stuff sack for easy storage, hexagonal aluminum pegs, 6 guylines in 4m and 6 guyline adjusters.
Overall this is a good tarp, most users are well satisfied with this tarp. Big, tough and well made! It is a little difficult however to fit into the stuff sack. In 15 to 20 mph winds this tarp works perfectly in blocking wind and does not allow for much of a flow to come through.
It comes with a generous amount of paracord and super nice stakes to pitch it down with. For the price of this tarp the quality is phenomenal. The tie down points are well made with cross lock stitching to insure it will never pull out. The ridge line points are ridiculously strong and have stood up to winds in the 20’s mph.
| Weight | Coverage | Packed Size | Price |
| 2.4Ibs (1084g) | 13ft by 10ft | 4″ (D) *12″ (L) | $62.98 |
This is a lot heavier then most other tarp options out there. Especially for bikepacking this is a large factor and depending on if you want to pack just over 1 kg of tarp on your bike, it might not be the best tarp option. As you could get a tent for that weight, but then again it is going to cost way more.
It seems at first that this tarp is too thin and could be weak but as a users mentioned, “I was skeptical because it seemed so thin, but after a branch about 3 foot long and 5 inches wide broke off in the wind at the very top of the tree, my tarp held up like a champ.”
Alpkit Rig 3.5 Tarp
Not the largest tarp option but it is perfect for single person bike camping! Alpkit offer a larger tarp called the Rig 7. But this one is more then capable at getting the job done for any solo bikepackers.
The size of the tent comes in 2.4 m x 1.4 m, and packs down to the size of your hand. Again this tarp comes with 16 hypalon reinforced attachment points allowing for huge possibilities for pitching styles. It would be better to see this tarp have more attachment points along the ‘short edge’ to allow for an overhang on ‘lean-to’ pitches.
Made from a 30d PU coated silicon Cordura fabric, it is fully tapered on the underside. And siliconised coating on the top side reduces water build up and any water coming through.
| Weight | Open dimensions | Packed Size | Price |
| (inc. stuff sack): 300 g | 2.4 m x 1.4 m | 8 x 10 x 14 cm | $64.99 |
Zpacks Hexamid Pocket Tarp
Super lightweight tarp option. It is the lightest in this list in fact! Comng in at a grand total of 4.0 oz or 113.0 grams. It is recommended by bikepackers who strive for the lightest weight possible. Allowing you to tuck away this tarp in a pocket for emergencies. It comes loosely fitting in a 2.5″ x 4″ x 5.5″ tall (6.5 cm x 10 cm x 14 cm) mini stuff sack.
You could just use it as your go to shelter for minimalist bikepacking adventures. Features adjustable tie outs with the Ultralight Lineloc V adjusters.
The space that this tarp provides is enough for one person and your gear. Long enough for most people to stretch out, and tall enough to sit up right. Depending on the rain direction when setup you may need to shift your position to avoid getting wet.
The peak of the tarp on the inside has a loop for mounting lights or stuff sack. Also you get the possibility to clip in a ground sheet. Zpacks also has a 2 year warranty.
| Weight | Open dimensions | Packed Size | Price |
| 4.0 oz / 113.0 g | L 107″ (271.75 cm) – Width at center: 54 inches (137 cm) – Width at ends: 30 inches (76 cm) | 2.5″ x 4″ x 5.5″ tall (6.5 cm x 10 cm x 14 cm | $199.00 |
NEMO Apollo 3P Bikepacking Tent
Not quite a tarp or a tent it is really a Tarp Tent but still good enough for this list of the best bikepakcing tarps. Nemo make some really great tents they made it in the list of the best bikepacking tents post.
This shelter has no floor making it a minimalist design with a simple single wall construction. A shelter specifically made for bikepacking. Comes included with a lightweight adjustable aluminum pole that mounts in the middle of the structure.
Its pentagonal pyramid shape easily accommodates up to three people or is more then enough room for one person and a bike. Also has all types of loops inside and quality guys and tensioners outside.
| Packed Weight | Floor Area | Packed Size | Price |
| 1 lb , 11 oz / 770 g | 56.0 sq ft / 5.2 sq m | 9.0 x 5.0 in dia / 48 x 13 cm dia | $249.95 |
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