Diamond Tarp Shelter Setup

Diamond Tarp Shelter Setup:

Last week I posted about my 10 C's Haversack (LINK HERE) setup for hunting and was asked several questions about the shelter setup I was using in the last picture of that post so when Muzzleloader season (Yes I was Using the HR 12 ga. as a Muzzleloader- LINK) opened Monday I decided to go out Sunday night and camp using this setup again and document the setup for you. Temperatures were down to single digits (8 degrees F) so I added a wool blanket to my setup, took off for the woods at about 1am after I got off work and had my shelter setup within a couple minutes in the dark. During hunting season I always try to avoid fire because it tends to scare away game and find that this shelter helps keep wind and rain off you better than most other setups I have tried. So without further delay here is a video of how to setup the diamond shelter!

Shelter Overview and Setup: 

1) Shelter setup as attached to my Hunting 10 C's Haversack (LINK) along with my H&R Pander 12 ga. setup as a Muzzleloader (LINK).

2) The finished Diamond Shelter ends up looking like above. It was 8 degree F so I added a wool blanket to my kit for a sleep system but otherwise the same basic setup as my last post. When setting up camp remember to get the wind direction coming from the rear of the shelter.

3) To start this setup you need to secure a bungee cord (or cordage of your choice) to the tree of choice at roughly waist level. I tied two knots into my bungee cord to allow for an easy place to secure the S hook, this is essential as it saves time and keeps tension allowing you to secure the tarp without needing to keep tension on the tarp.

4) Go to the opposite side of the tarp and slide your prussick through the grommet and then slide a stick through the prussick to avoid damaging the tarp. You then drive your tent stake into the ground and secure your prussick to it as tightly as possible. ***Note- leave the prussick all the way out and tension if needed throughout the night (may be needed if there are high winds).

 

5) Tension and secure the other two sides of the tarp in the same fashion (pictured with the alternative security method of using two sticks).

6) Throw in your sleep system (pine bedding, debris bed, thermarest, garbage bag full of leaves, MSS, etc.) and you have shelter for the night in roughly two minutes.

 

7) Wool blanket and single digit camping is ready to go!

Conclusions: 

This shelter configuration is without a doubt the fastest I have personally setup and one of the most user friendly shelters. There is plenty of room for one (possibly two smaller people) and some gear under a 5'x7' tarp and it also provides excellent wind and rain protection compared to a standard lean-to. I also plan to do a post on another adaptation for this shelter I have been working on which will turn this shelter into a Mors Super Shelter using just a clear trash bag and maybe some Gorilla Tape. If you are going to try this shelter configuration out for yourself remember to get a bungee cord and tie a know in it about 3/4 of the way to allow for maximum setup efficiency.

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