Until now I have always hiked with a one man tent but have always fancied the idea of tarping. I've tried it artificially a few times, just using my tent footprint, the poles and the tent outer skin but I could really never cope with it. My imagination always ran away with me, I felt exposed to the world around me and I was waking at every little sound and imagined ones as well.
Well I persevered with the odd night and I have begun to relax and to get the 'hang of it'. I'm due to hike soon so I decided to get a 'proper' tarp. I decided to spend a small(ish) sum of cash today and bought what I think is the cheapest recognised model, the Alpkit 3.5 and some cord. If I fail, its not too much of an outlay.
I already have a groundsheet, a hunker, a Thermarest mattress and a sleeping quilt and pillow, so that's what I plan to start with. When the Tarp arrives I'll practice erecting it in my garden, to ensure I know how it works before I go off anywhere.
I'm doing it because, ever since I was surrounded by large pigs on the GR10 in France in 2015 its bothered me since to be cocooned into a small tent which I cant see out of and have no control of when things are happening outside! I've had other less problematic but similar 'incidents' over the years and its the, being inside a tent and only being able to guess what's going on outside, is what made me decide to try this more open form of camping.
I have no problem with using my tent on a campsite, all of my 'incidents' have happened when I have wild camped and its wild camping that I would like to do more of.