>>840566This is what I do when there's no trees in the right configuration. You could use hiking poles I guess but I usually just grab some solid sticks. I bury about 20-30 cm, then tie the ridgeline across, then counter-balance that by running a line back in the opposite way and then staking it to the ground.
Is it stable? Yeah, if you do it properly it is. If it's incredibly fucking windy then you could just fuck the sticks off and crawl into it like a giant bivy bag, but I wouldn't recommend it.
I know that there's probably going to be a lot of hate on this post but honestly shit doesn't need to be complicated when you're out. It's not perfect for every single imaginable situation but then again no setup is. I like this setup because it goes up easy (just leave the lines on the tarp when you pack it up), it's cheap, it's versatile and a tarp is really multi-functional whereas a tent is just a tent.
I think the size is roughly 2 by 3 metres, which is enough to sleep two people top to tail when it's set up as a tent. If it's not cold you can set this up as a roof and sleep 4. I've also used this as a bivy bag and had enough room for me (2m tall) plus my 65 litre backpack at my feet.
