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Taking a tarp along with you on a camping trip is a great way to fix bad situations. If it’s raining, stretch a tarp over your tent. If there’s a strong side wind, make a tarp windbreak. If it’s sunny and too hot, make a tarp sunshade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without a tarp, you are way more exposed to the elements. If it’s nice weather, that’s no big deal. But if there’s one thing campers know, it’s that the weather is unpredictable.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Along with your tarpaulin, it’s a good idea to take something to use to hang it up. Bungee cords are awesome for this purpose, as is strong string like paracord.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most tarps have holes punched around the edge called eyelets or grommets. They tend to be reinforced with metal or plastic washers to stop the tarp from tearing. A handful of tent pegs come in handy for pinning down tarp corners.<\/p>\n
If you’re camping in a forest or near trees, you can string up your tarp in the low branches. Climbing trees is always fun on a camping trip, though, as always, be careful!<\/p>\n
If you’re camping in the open, a great solution is to take along a spare tent pole. You want to keep most, if not all, of the tarp off your tent at all times. If the two surfaces come together, there’s a much higher risk of water ingress.<\/p>\n
If there’s no way to keep your tarp off your tent, just chuck it over. A double layer of waterproof plastic is better than one, but it’s definitely not an ideal solution.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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<\/span>How do you set up a tarp canopy?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n
As well as rigging up a tent using trees or an extra tent pole, you can also get specifically designed tarp canopies.<\/p>\n
Like tents, tarp canopies come in call shapes, sizes, and prices. There’s everything from basic, square tarps with plastic grommets to double-peaked, multi-poled behemoths.<\/p>\n
The most common design is a simple A-frame tarp canopy. There’s usually a couple of end poles, a central pole, and lines to tie the corners down.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whether you’re using your own tarp or a tarp canopy, it’s essential to keep it taught rather than slack. Water accumulates in a slack tarp and you’ll get pooling.<\/p>\n
Even the best tarps tend to start leaking when there’s too much water pooled on top. Too much water can actually split a tarp because of the added weight.<\/p>\n
So, make sure you pull your tarp tight and secure it well using a combination of string, bungees, and tent pegs to pin it down.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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<\/span>How to put up a tarp without trees<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n
There’s no doubt that stringing a tarp over your tent is way easier with trees. You can use low limbs and trunks to fix bungees and paracord.<\/p>\n
However, campsites and spots aren’t always right at the foot of a few useful, well-branched trees. So, what to do if there’s no trees to use with your tarp? You’ll need a stick or pole, as well as a decent length of paracord and a few pegs.<\/p>\n
You want to create a ridgeline with your tarp. This should be at least a foot above your tent and ensure the rain drains over the perimeter of your tent.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The most basic way to put up a tarp without trees is with one stick or pole. Stand it up a foot or so in front of your tent door and drape the tarp over the top of your tent. Sticking the pole through a grommet is a great way to make sure it doesn’t slip.<\/p>\n
Now, peg down three corners of the tarp: two parallel with your door and one directly back from the pole. Now, your tarp should make a triangle shape.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You won’t get any side protection from this simple set up but it will provide plenty of overhead protection. It’s definitely the easiest, fastest way to erect a tarp over a tent without trees.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n