Bought a $30 tarp from the hardware store after 5 years of using those fancy lightweight backpacking tarps

Always thought my expensive ultralight tarp was the best until I got caught in a storm last summer and that cheap blue tarp held up better and didn't tear on a single branch, has anyone else found that paying more for camping gear doesn't always mean better?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavin6921mo ago

Buddy of mine dropped $200 on a fancy silnylon tarp from some cottage company. First trip out with it, a gust of wind ripped one of the corner tie-outs clean off. He patched it with duct tape and it never held right again. Meanwhile his old blue poly tarp from the big box store is still going strong in his buddy's backyard after a dozen camping trips and a few bonfires.

mila_harris1mo ago

Is it possible that your buddy just got a defective tarp? I've had great luck with my cottage brand silnylon tarps, they've held up to some pretty nasty weather without any issues.