Cowboy Camping: How to Sleep Without a Tent, Gear and Setup
Updated: 7 days ago
Cowboy camping means sleeping under the open sky with no tent and no tarp. You lie on a groundsheet, with your sleeping pad and sleeping bag on top, and that is all. The term comes from the long-distance trails of the United States, where many hikers sleep this way on dry nights.
Why sleep without a tent?
Time: Camp is set up in two minutes and packed away just as fast in the morning.
Space: You only need a patch of ground the size of your body, so you can sleep in spots where no tent would fit.
Experience: You see the stars and stay aware of your surroundings.
Condensation: There is no tent wall for moisture to collect on.
When it works and when it doesn't
Cowboy camping is for fair weather. Take a tent or tarp instead if any of these apply:
Rain: The forecast shows rain or is uncertain.
Wind: It is blowing hard or in gusts.
Insects: There are lots of mosquitoes or ticks.
Dew: Heavy dew is likely and you have nothing to protect your sleeping bag.
If none of them apply, nothing speaks against a night without a tent. Carry a shelter, or plan in advance where you will go if it rains.
The dew check
Dew is the most common problem when cowboy camping, and you can predict it. Many weather apps show the dew point next to the temperature. That is the temperature at which the air gives up its moisture as water.
Overnight low well above the dew point: The night will probably stay dry.
Overnight low close to the dew point: Expect dew.
There is a second effect. On clear nights, surfaces radiate heat to the sky and become colder than the air. That is why a sleeping bag under the open sky often gets wet even though the air is not yet saturated. A canopy of leaves slows this heat loss, so you usually stay drier under trees.
What you need
Groundsheet: Also called a ground cloth. It separates you from the ground, blocks ground moisture and keeps your sleeping pad and sleeping bag clean.
Sleeping pad: It insulates you from the cold ground. A groundsheet cannot do that.
Sleeping bag or quilt: Plan for a little more warmth than in a tent, because there is no wind protection.
Shelter or rain plan: Keep a tarp or tent within reach, or know where the nearest cover is.
Optional: A bivy sack helps against wind and dew, a head net against insects.
The groundsheet: size and material
When you cowboy camp, the groundsheet is your whole campsite. It should be larger than your sleeping pad so your pack, shoes and clothes stay dry and clean too. For one person, about 1 × 2.2 m (3.3 × 7.2 ft) is enough. The XFOIL groundsheet in 1.6 × 2.4 m weighs 67 g (2.4 oz) and can be cut to this size with scissors.
This is what that area weighs in different materials, calculated from the data sheet values:
XFOIL (18 g/m²): about 40 g (1.4 oz)
Silnylon 20D (36 g/m²): about 79 g (2.8 oz)
Tyvek 1443R (43 g/m²): about 95 g (3.4 oz)
You can read more about the differences in our comparison of ultralight groundsheets and in the article Tyvek vs XFOIL.
XFOIL is waterproof, so ground moisture does not come through. A sheet this light will blow away as long as nothing is lying on it, though. Weigh down the corners with shoes, your pack or stones while you set up. More about this ultralight groundsheet is on our home page.
Choosing the spot
Avoid hollows: Cold air flows downhill at night and collects in dips and valleys. It is colder and damper there.
Distance from water: Near streams and lakes there is more dew and there are more mosquitoes. Leave No Trace recommends camping about 200 feet (60 m) away.
Wind shelter: A spot behind bushes or rocks saves warmth.
Look up: Check for dead branches hanging above you.
Look down: Do not lie in channels where water runs off when it rains.
Setting up in five steps
Clear the area: move sticks, cones and stones aside.
Lay out the groundsheet and weigh down the corners right away.
Put the sleeping pad and sleeping bag on top, with your head slightly uphill.
Place your pack and shoes at the edge of the groundsheet, shoes with the opening facing down.
Keep your shelter, headlamp and stakes within reach next to your head.
The rain plan
Before you fall asleep, think about what you will do if it starts to rain during the night. Three options:
Prepare the tarp: Spread the tarp out next to you and push the stakes into the ground already. Then it is up in a minute or two.
Fly only: With many tents, the rainfly can be pitched quickly on its own.
Bivy sack: It gets you through a short shower.
You can also build a tarp from XFOIL. Our article ultralight tarp made from XFOIL shows how.
Leaving tent and tarp at home
Some people leave the tent and tarp at home entirely when the forecast is good, on hikes as well as on bikepacking trips. We do this ourselves when the weather is reliable. There are two ways out if it does rain:
Pull the groundsheet over you: In a short shower, pull the groundsheet over yourself and your sleeping bag. XFOIL is waterproof, and that bridges the time until the shower has passed.
Sleep near cover: Choose a spot close to a picnic shelter, a trail shelter or a roof overhang from the start, and move there if it rains.
This works especially well for bikepacking. Weight and pack volume matter on a bike, and you can reach the nearest cover, a roofed bus stop for example, within a few minutes.
It works when three things are true:
Forecast: Stable, dry weather is predicted.
Planning: You know in the evening where the nearest cover is, before you lie down.
Reserve: You can pack your sleeping bag and clothes waterproof, so that not everything gets wet on the way to cover.
In remote areas without any cover, and when the forecast is uncertain, a shelter belongs in your pack.
Insects and animals
A head net helps against mosquitoes. In tick areas, check yourself in the morning. Food does not belong next to your head. Keep it packed and a few yards away, because mice and other rodents go after food, and follow local food storage rules in bear country. Shake out your shoes and clothes in the morning.
In the morning
The underside of the groundsheet is often damp in the morning, because ground moisture condenses on it. Shake it out or wipe it off. A sleeping bag wet with dew usually dries in the sun over breakfast. If you have to pack it damp, air it out during your lunch break.
Is cowboy camping allowed?
The rules depend on the country, the region and the type of land. Check the local regulations before your trip, especially in national parks and nature reserves.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a bivy sack for cowboy camping? No. It helps against wind and dew, but it can get damp on the inside itself.
What do I do if it rains at night? You pitch the shelter you prepared, or you move to the cover you picked out beforehand. A short shower can be waited out under the groundsheet.
Will my sleeping bag get wet? On clear, humid nights yes, especially in meadows. Under trees, and when there is a wide gap between temperature and dew point, it usually stays dry.
How big should the groundsheet be? Larger than your sleeping pad. For one person, about 1 × 2.2 m (3.3 × 7.2 ft) is enough.
In short
Cowboy camping is worth it on dry, calm nights. You need a groundsheet, a sleeping pad, a sleeping bag and a plan for rain. If you check the dew point and your spot beforehand, you will usually sleep dry.
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