Pro tip: That $20 tarp from Walmart almost killed my tent in a thunderstorm

I was camping at Lake Tahoe last August, middle of the night, and a sudden storm rolled in. I had this cheap blue tarp rigged up as a rainfly, thinking it would save me. But the wind caught it like a sail, ripped one of the stakes out, and the whole thing flapped loose. Water started dumping straight onto my tent's mesh door, and I had to scramble at 2 AM to yank it off before my gear got soaked. The noise was insane, like a helicopter landing on my site. Switched to a proper silnylon tarp after that, and the difference is night and day. Anyone else have a cheap tarp fail on them in bad weather?

2 comments

2 Comments

wright.michael4d ago

Like a helicopter landing on my site" is the most accurate description I've ever heard. I had the same thing happen at a state park in Michigan. That cheap blue tarp turned into a giant kite and pulled three stakes out of the ground before I could even get out of my bag. Spent the next hour holding it down with my body while my buddy tried to retie the corners. Now I use a proper rainfly too. That Walmart tarp is good for covering firewood and nothing else.

brianm274d ago

Switched to thick polypropylene tarps with reinforced grommets after that happened to me. Sunk some serious stakes in at an angle and never had a repeat.