Rant: Tried a cheap tarp for 3 nights in the Smokies and it was a disaster vs my old blue one

Okay so I've been using an old blue polyethylene tarp for years, figured I'd upgrade to one of those lightweight silnylon ones everyone raves about. Spent $40 on a budget brand from Amazon. First night, it sagged so bad after some rain that water pooled on top and nearly collapsed on my bivvy. Second night a gust of wind ripped one of the grommets right out. My old blue tarp has been through dozens of storms and never failed me like that. Has anyone else had better luck with silnylon or am I just doing something wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

stone.evan1mo ago

Oh man, I feel your pain. That sagging and pool water thing happened to me the first time I tried silnylon too. The trick is you gotta pitch it tighter than your old poly tarp and really crank down on the guylines, especially the ridgeline. Those budget silnylon tarps just don't have the same stiffness, so I started using a separate ridgeline cord instead of the cheap ones they give you. Also, grommets ripping out is a common issue on the cheap ones, I've had that happen on a windy night in the Rockies. If you want to keep using silnylon, get one with reinforced tie-outs, or just go back to poly if you want reliability without fuss.

sean_murray1mo ago

... yeah I guess I just expected it to work like magic like the internet said it would... stupid me for thinking a $40 tent tarp would somehow be better than my beat up old blue one that's been through a dozen states already. At least my mistakes make for good stories around the campfire though.