Why do I need a tent?

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Posted by Bill S on October 21, 2006 at 11:57:26 am EDT

In one of the threads in this forum, Kirby made the comment that a tarp is "still not a tent". So I will ask, "Why do I need a tent, anyway?"

Why not just toss the sleeping bag out on the ground? Ok, maybe with a ground cloth and sleeping pad, but why not just sleep under the stars (or Ed's "favorite", a hammock - just kidding, Ed, but hey, why not?). I have done this plenty of times in the desert, Sierra, Rockies, even on Denali. One of the really great things about this is being able to clearly see the stars, with a clear, dark sky, far from city lights.

Need protection from rain or snow? Then why not a bivy sack, or a tarp? Tom, Ivan, and I did this one summer in Chamonix, for example, and I have done the bivy plus tarp in blizzards on Shasta.

Need protection from the bugs? Why not a bivy sack that has a bug net, or even just bug netting over the face hole of the sleeping bag? I've done this in the New Hampshire Whites and the Sierra at the height (or depths, depending on your viewpoint) of the bug season.

Need winter storm protection? What about an igloo, quinzhee, or snow cave? It's better protection and warmer than any tent.

If you are hiking the AT, or in places like the White Mountains of New Hampshire, there are shelters available. In some places the shelters have chain barriers that keep critters like bears out (in the Smokies, for example - kind of like an inverse zoo, with humans inside the cage and the bears on the outside).

So, let's hear from people. Why do you think you really need a tent, when there are alternatives that are lighter, warmer, equal or superior in protection, etc., besides being a whole lot cheaper.

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