Cowboy Camping as a Fastpacking Strategy

Sometimes the best piece of gear is on you don’t need.

I’m relatively new to cowboy camping, but when it comes to fastpacking I’ve started forgoing a tent for the sake of weight and pack bulk. It isn’t really a romantic idea of doing it like the old days, but instead more of a practical trade off of weight and comfort while moving for some comfort and coziness while sleeping.

Not having a tent doesn’t seem to affect my sleep quality much (since I routinely sleep poorly anyway), otherwise I might be less inclined to go tentless. I’m also not going for many days at a time where stacking poor sleep multiple nights in a row could play an effect.

Doing it for the first time did feel quite strange however.

Luckily for me, the Southern Los Padres National Forest is quite dry and finding a sheltered spot beneath a tree to protect from moisture isn’t a problem. There are not a lot of bugs or other critters to worry about either.

I did have one time where the trees started dripping dew on me which would have made for a rough night, but luckily my friends let me go in their tent.

All that said, I do envy backcountry regions with a system of refuges and huts and wish we had more of them locally.

My fastpack cowboy camping “sleep system”:

Groundsheet: I think I have the Gossamer Gear polycro one
Sleeping pad: Static V Ultralight Inflatable Insulated Sleeping Pad
Pillow: Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Pillow