The Ray-Way Tarp Book Essential

How to camp with this versatile, lightweight shelter, safely and enjoyably when backpacking and hiking, cycling, sea-kayaking, canoeing, or scouting.

Copyright © 2011 by Ray Jardine

Second Edition of the Tarp Book, First Printing of the "Essential" Edition.

ISBN: 978-0-9632359-8-5

• 312 information-packed pages
• A few hundred B/W photos
• profusely illustrated throughout

This is the first book I have written that contains advanced skill concepts, descriptions, and instruction. However, the book is not just for the advanced hiker and tarp-camper. I also detail a wide range of beginning tarp skills - and everything in-between.

My intention with this new Tarp Book was to make it easily readable - with the concepts wholly understandable. In fact, I have written the book in such a way that pretty much anyone can read it, start to finish, regardless of the person's tarp camping experience or skill level.

There is plenty of information that will give you the knowledge; but my hope is that you will put the book down, now and then, and practice what you have learned. Head knowledge is one thing; practice and experience takes that knowledge to the next level. And the new Ray-Way Tarp Book will serve as a ready reference for improving your skills.

The book includes some history of the Ray-Way tarp design. I explain why I enjoy tarp camping so much. I describe pitching methods and tarp campsite selection. I have several photo sequences of knot tying and tarp pitching. There are chapters on bugs and critters and rain and wind - all the questions and reservations that a person may have in regards to tarp camping. Hopefully I have addressed those questions thoroughly enough to inspire the reader, or at least to have sparked an interest.

Obviously, I think the Ray-Way tarp is a fantastic, lightweight, easy to use, portable shelter. And I hope that my enthusiasm for it is passed along through this new book. One of my goals in writing the book was to raise the reader's tarp pitching skill level, and to pass along some of my advanced-level concepts specifically for thru-hikers of the long trails.

I have included it all - from the beginning basics of the tarp and tarp camping, to the many fine details for the aficionados.

All in all, I'm stoked about the book. I hope you will be too!

To lend a more universal appeal, the new book does not contain instructions for sewing a Ray-Way tarp. These instructions are included with our kits.

The book is printed with the many photos presented in back and white, so the book sells at a more cost-effective price than Trail Life with it's expensive color pages.

And therefore, the overall presentation is not meant to be stunning. Instead, the photos are meant to illustrate the topics in their vicinity. That is, each photo is there for a reason.

And once again, I have written the book, not to say what I think everyone should do, but only to detail what I do, personally. I think that every person should think for himself or herself.

Simplifies camping and raises it to an art form.

This book is for anyone who would like to sleep warmer and more comfortably in the wilds.

The Ray-Way tarp is simple in appearance, yet it will outperform even the most sophisticated tents in a wide variety of weather and terrain, when used according to the instructions in this book.

Ray's tarp is about a fourth the weight of even the lighter tents, and it offers at least twice the living space. Even though open all around, it is probably warmer than the tent you are currently using. Why? Because of the tarp's superior ventilation. A tent traps moisture, and this moisture saps body heat.

Here you will find information on how to select a good tarp site, how to pitch the tarp, and how the Ray-Way tarp handles rain, wind and bugs.

Introduction

The Ray-Way Tarp Book - Essential - Introduction

This book is for everyone who delights in the simple pleasures of camping. Whether you enjoy backpacking and hiking, or bicycle touring, canoeing, river rafting, sea kayaking, small sailboat tripping, motorcycle traveling - or just about any other form of outdoor recreation that calls for portable overnight shelter from the elements - this book will show you how to put more FUN into your camping trips.

The most common type of camping shelter is, of course, the tent. The main reason for the tent's popularity is its resemblance to a person's home, in miniature. Yet despite its widespread use, the tent exhibits a number of shortcomings, usually overlooked but nonetheless real. In this book I describe these problems, and detail something that I think works much better in most cases: The Ray-Way tarp.

The use of the tarp dates back to antiquity, when early peoples took shelter under a few animal hides sewn together with sinew, or mats woven of plant material. Today we can only imagine these primitive shelters slung over poles lashed between trees, and looking wild and crude. But we do know that tarps have been around a long while, and for good reason: they are simple and effective.

My own history with tarps dates back to 1970, when I began using them on summer-long wilderness programs in the Colorado Rockies. That was over four decades ago, and since then I have camped in the wilds more than two thousand nights; about half of those have been under a tarp.

Initially my tarps were quite basic. But because the weather was sometimes intense, with strong wind, heavy rain, and even snowfall, I began improving the basic design, making my tarps more weather-resistant and lighter in weight. Aided by my aerospace engineering background and seasoned with many years of trial-and-error experimentation, I arrived at the tarp I use today, known as the Ray-Way Tarp.

The term "Ray-Way" is not something I came up with. Rather, it was coined by a couple of Pacific Crest Trail hikers who had read my first book; and it was later used as the title of an article in a national magazine. The term became in such common use by the lightweight hiking community, that I adapted it for use in our sewing kit business; and have furthermore used it in this book in places where I wish to differentiate my designs from those of other people.

Because of the manner in which the design, itself, evolved, every aspect of the Ray-Way tarp is there for a reason. So anything a person changes, adds, or removes will only detract from the tarp's performance. As such, the information in this book applies only to the Ray-Way tarp.

To try using a tarp for yourself, we offer tarp kits that you can sew. These kits come with detailed sewing instructions that guide you through the sewing process, step by step. Our kits are cheaper than if you were to purchase first-grade materials elsewhere. And due to a special process, we guarantee that our silicone-coated nylon tarp material will not pass a fine mist in a heavy downpour (mist-thru). This tarp is simple in design and construction, and those who have not tried sewing one may be surprised how easy it is. And as thousands of first-timers who have constructed these tarps would attest, the results are well worth the effort. For more information, visit RayJardine.com and navigate to the tarp section.

In the larger picture, I see camping as a means of reestablishing one's bonds with the natural world. Lying down to sleep on nature's bed with a tarp overhead, I might hear the wind whispering through the trees, or perhaps the call of an owl. At the same time I can see out both ends of the tarp, and under the sides. So while I am protected from the elements, I can still be a part of what is happening all around. I take great pleasure in this, because it leads me to a greater appreciation of nature, and a heightened awareness that I, and many others - both past and present - refer to as the "connection." Certainly, the tarp facilitates this connection, and this to me is one of its more significant advantages.

This book reflects my findings that a Ray-Way tarp allows for a simpler, drier, warmer and more comfortable and connected approach to wilderness camping. Even so, I detail this tarp and its use, only as an alternative to the tent. Read the book, study the features, advantages and pitching methods, then spend a few nights camping beneath a tarp. Only then will you be able to make a more educated decision - based on actual experience about what type of shelter works best for you.