Call me crazy...But only if you have to ;) (Talking about a DIY tarp idea)

[BookwormStorm]

Hi all!
So I have been brainstorming recently about some DIY ideas and I think quite possibly one of those bolts of lightning may have fried my brain.

Has anyone on here ever used one of those wall panels for a pop up canopy as a tarp before? We have some around here that are for a canopy that the wind destroyed the frame of when we made the mistake of not staking it to the ground and leaving it out overnight. Anyway with the wheels churning I thought to myself "I wonder if I could turn those into a tarp..." This also led to looking up the ones that Wallyworld sells that are 12'x12' and behold they are CHEAP (I'm sure for good reason) I'm talking like $15 cheap. The specs say that it's made of "heavy duty 150D Polyester"

Is this even worth trying as an experiment? I have to admit that if it's possible for it to work, I'm tempted to get a couple and try it out, I don't have much along the lines of money to be able to buy gear or the supplies to make gear (not to mention time). If it gets me and/or the fam out in the woods camping faster and more often I'm game for that! I only got to camp twice last year and it's been maddening! Anyway, any knowledge that people have on the subject would be helpful.

I know that this isn't really something that could be used as a long term solution for tarps, but I thought that they could be something to use until we're able to make the investment in better quality tarps/materials/etc. and then maybe keep around as something to loan out to people who are curious, or to take car camping for some extra shade, or even to let the kids "play" with.

Thanks guys!

[Treebird]

Heck yeah i say go for it, I am always looking for new ideas. You never will know unless you tryq.

[BookwormStorm]

It's pretty much so affordable that it doesn't make any sense to NOT try it out lol, I think I'm kind of just wanting some validation that I'm not completely insane for considering it. Hopefully I remember to document the process so I can report back to everyone who wants to know.

[skater]

Being out there with a recycled panel, or a Wallyworld tarp, is better than not being out there. If that's what you can manage, then go for it. Better your kids get the outdoor experience now than wait until you can get the best. Speaking as a former kid, I can tell you they won't care as long as it keeps them dry.

[BookwormStorm]

Being out there with a recycled panel, or a Wallyworld tarp, is better than not being out there. If that's what you can manage, then go for it. Better your kids get the outdoor experience now than wait until you can get the best. Speaking as a former kid, I can tell you they won't care as long as it keeps them dry.

My thoughts exactly, I'd say a good 80% of my favorite childhood memories are from camping related trips with various family members and I want to nurture a love of nature in my kids early on so that it maybe sticks with them. I don't think I was ever really worried about the equipment any of us had either. Kids don't care lol, I'm pretty sure at one point in time I wanted to be a hobo that carried all my stuff in a bandana on a stick!

[Thiel]

It's worth trying. I use a green hardware store tarp with paracord tieouts and old fashioned steel stakes myself.

[BookwormStorm]

It's worth trying. I use a green hardware store tarp with paracord tieouts and old fashioned steel stakes myself.

I've used regular tarps from walmart or the hardware store many times in various ways while camping, no shame. I did notice though that it was really hard on the grommets to stretch it out and get it nice and tight when I strung it up for my tarp. I was wondering about this idea in particular because we are wanting to try out some overnight backpacking this year and need something a little more lightweight that takes up less room as well as being able to re-enforce all of the tie-outs on it. When I was younger I used to just hang a tarp up in the back yard and throw a sleeping bag out under it and see how many days I could go without going back into the house for anything, good times!

[Thiel]

I've used regular tarps from walmart or the hardware store many times in various ways while camping, no shame.

Indeed. It doesn't matter how ghetto your setup is as long as you get out there.

I did notice though that it was really hard on the grommets to stretch it out and get it nice and tight when I strung it up for my tarp. I was wondering about this idea in particular because we are wanting to try out some overnight backpacking this year and need something a little more lightweight that takes up less room as well as being able to re-enforce all of the tie-outs on it.

I use these hooks for the ridgeline. So far it hasn't been a problem with the guylines, but they'll work there as well. I put a couple of layers of brown packing tape down the centerline to keep the internal ridgeline from abrading it. A patch on each side will also do wonders for any small rips you might get. I used mine extensively from summer and into the late fall last year without any issue, though I'll probably have to replace it sometime this year.

[BookwormStorm]

Indeed. It doesn't matter how ghetto your setup is as long as you get out there.


I use these hooks for the ridgeline. So far it hasn't been a problem with the guylines, but they'll work there as well. I put a couple of layers of brown packing tape down the centerline to keep the internal ridgeline from abrading it. A patch on each side will also do wonders for any small rips you might get. I used mine extensively from summer and into the late fall last year without any issue, though I'll probably have to replace it sometime this year.

Thanks for the pic of the hooks to use with a regular tarp, I will definitely have to try some of those out, I remember seeing a video of someone using something similar that they had picked up from harbor freight to make some tie outs from the center of their tarp to give them some more space, I had forgotten all about them until you said something. Standard tarps are probably going to get us outside the fastest as far as money goes so this should hopefully help. When I hung last summer under a regular tarp, I used bungees instead of guylines and that was great when it got a little windy, very little stress on the corners doing that. Duct tape and packing tape are truly some of the great creations that man has come up with haha.

[SilvrSurfr]

I'd call that crazy. The only reason I do, is because I was crazy like that once too - I didn't want to spend the money for a decent tarp. I started out trying a tent fly - that was a disaster. Then I tried another tent fly, even put money into it with seam sealer, another disaster. Then I bought a couple of $25 Grand Trunk Funky Forest tarps off Amazon - they weren't a disaster but the coverage was inadequate for the weather we experience here in the Northeast, and they were heavy as heck (they were nevertheless waterproof, and suitable for my kids). Then I read here on the forums about the Guide Gear 12 x 12 tarps, supposedly the greatest tarp you could buy for $20, so I bought a couple. They leaked like a sieve, and are now relegated to use over the campfire when it's raining (don't really care if they get burn holes because they weren't waterproof anyway). You don't hear much about the Guide Gear tarps any more - I think the folks who thought they were a great deal here had never actually taken them out in a real rain storm.

I finally found a usable tarp, an HH Hex, for $20 off Amazon. Don't bother looking - I haven't seen that kind of deal in the last three or four years (and it was a GOOD deal, though the tarp is heavy). Eventually I made my own silnylon hex tarp using Ripstop-by-the-Roll fabric that I won, but I put at least $30 into that tarp, despite free fabric. I would guess that if I had paid for the fabric, I would have spent about $70 on the tarp.

You'll hear plenty of folks talk about $25 tarps on Amazon (Yukon Outfitters comes to mind), but they're tiny, and I've seen the quality - I wouldn't let my kids use them in a downpour, especially in blowing rain. Fair weather campers gravitate towards those kinds of deals. If you're a fair-weather camper, a no-name Chinese tarp might be fine for a drizzle, but I wouldn't trust it in a real rainstorm. And there's no way I would allow my kids to use some no-name tarp in a real rainstorm. I knew that one night of getting wet would sour my kids on camping for a lifetime, so I avoided the whole cheesy no-name Amazon tarp idea like the plague.

A Wallyworld blue tarp will work fine when first starting out. It's just that they're bulky, heavy, and not very durable (if you get 15 trips out of it before it leaks, you're doing better than me). A decent tarp is probably the single most important part of hammock camping, so look for some place else to save money (insulation, hammock, suspension, etc.). If you get wet, it is dangerous and you will be miserable!