Burned through a cheap tarp in one night at Big Sur last month

I was camping near the coast last month and slapped up a $15 tarp for rain cover. The wind picked up around 2 AM and the grommets ripped clean out, smacking me in the face with wet nylon. Had to pack up at 3 AM and drive home soaked and grumpy. I'm wondering if silicone coated tarps actually hold up better for coastal trips, or is that just marketing hype? Has anyone tested one against a standard poly tarp in real wind?

2 comments

2 Comments

elizabethwhite3d ago

OH man, I FEEL your pain on this one. I had a similar disaster at Point Reyes last spring and it still makes me mad just thinking about it. Tried to save a few bucks and ended up eating sandy granola bars in my car at dawn. The cheap tarps are basically glorified trash bags with holes punched in them, total garbage for real weather. I switched to a silicone coated one after that and it's been WAY better, the fabric is tougher and the coating actually repels water instead of just soaking through. Just make sure you seam seal the stitching if you get one, that's the weak point that always gets me.

casey8433d ago

Yeah @elizabethwhite that seam seal thing is the real kicker. Seems like everything's built to fail just enough so you gotta buy another one, from tarps to phone chargers to my damn coffee maker.