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Bought a $40 tarp from Walmart and it ripped on the third night of a trip in the Smokies
Last month me and my buddy drove down to Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a week of car camping. I figured I'd save some cash and grabbed this cheap blue tarp from Walmart for like 40 bucks. Worked fine the first two nights as a rain fly over our table area. On the third night a storm rolled in around 2 AM, wind picked up to maybe 20 mph, and that tarp just shredded right at the grommets. Water poured in, soaked my sleeping bag and all my gear. I spent the rest of the night huddled in the car trying to dry off. Should have spent the extra 30 bucks on a proper tarp from REI or something. Anyone else had a cheap tarp fail on them like that?
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jordangibson12d ago
Man that sucks, I had a similar thing happen with a cheap tarp I got from Harbor Freight a few years back. It was supposed to be for covering some firewood but the second time I used it as a ground cloth under my tent the whole thing basically turned into confetti after one night of light rain. The grommets just pulled right through the fabric like it was paper. I actually use that tarp now as a drop cloth when I'm painting rooms inside my house because it's not even good enough for outside anymore lol.
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patricia_wright12d ago
Huh, that's rough man, but actually I think you might be mixing up your tarps a little. The blue ones from Harbor Freight are usually made of polyethylene, which is fine for covering firewood but not really meant for ground cloths under tents. The ripstop ones with the little grid pattern are better for camping because they're more flexible and won't tear as easily when you put weight on them. Idk, maybe it's just me but I've found the silver reflective tarps hold up better too, they're a bit thicker and the grommets don't pull out as fast. Still, yeah a painting drop cloth is a pretty good second life for a busted tarp.
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