Tarp camping, am I missing something?

[Rit]

I have been reading a bunch about sleeping under a tarp. I get a general idea. What I have not been able to wrap my brain around is this:

What do you do in a downpour so bad that the water runs under the tarp?

Am I to believe the pad or tyvek sheet is going to keep dry?

Bivy? Sorry, I can't sleep that still, and dang are they expensive!

And what about hot and black flies? Back to the bivy?

I just don't get it!
Thanks in advance!

[elguapo]

easy solution, get it off the ground..






you just need 2 trees (3 if you want the tripod stability)

[RadDrDuke]

I have done lots of camping including just a sleeping bag under the stars, tarp, bivy, jungle hammock w/netting, small tent, and car-camping tent.
The luxury and comfort increases in that order.
In rain or bad weather the luxury and comfort increases exponentially in that order.

To answer your question, yes, if it rains hard you get wet under a tarp and your life sucks so people only use these in certain climates.

Bivy is good but hammock is better if you have trees to mount it so you are off the ground.

If you have a car just get one of the Coleman tents that pop up, they are big, cheap, and comfortable and super fast/easy to set up. I have camped in Hatteras on a kite trip with one and it was fantastic.

[Greenturtle]

I have been reading a bunch about sleeping under a tarp. I get a general idea. What I have not been able to wrap my brain around is this:

What do you do in a downpour so bad that the water runs under the tarp?

Am I to believe the pad or tyvek sheet is going to keep dry?

Bivy? Sorry, I can't sleep that still, and dang are they expensive!

And what about hot and black flies? Back to the bivy?

I just don't get it!
Thanks in advance!

One of the keys to sleeping dry in heavy rain under just a tarp is to pick a spot where the ground is humped up, the top of a small knoll etc so the water on the ground is running away from you in all directions. Maybe not possible sometimes but usually is. It doesn’t need to be much, just a bump big enough for you and your stuff.
Bugs bad? Yeah youll want a tent.