PSA: That $50 tarp from Amazon failed me in a downpour near Mount Rainier last June

I was camped at Cougar Rock campground when a steady rain turned into a full-on storm at 2am. My cheap blue tarp ripped at the grommet seam and dumped water right into my sleeping bag, soaked everything before I could grab my headlamp. The quick fix was tying a knot in the corner to salvage the ridgeline, but now I'm debating between a silnylon tarp for $120 or a heavier poly one half the price. Anyone else had a budget tarp let you down in a real storm, or am I just unlucky?

3 comments

3 Comments

gracej9910d agoMost Upvoted

Is it terrible that I used to think a tarp was just a tarp and the expensive ones were a waste of money? I mean, I figured if it kept the sun off at a BBQ, it would work for camping. After reading your story and what @aaronroberts said about his buddy's tarp folding, I think I was completely wrong. I had a cheap one start leaking at the seams in a light drizzle last spring and just patched it with duct tape, telling myself it was fine. But your cold, wet 2am disaster really drives the point home that those budget tarps are only good for covering a wood pile, not keeping you dry overnight. You can't beat having a proper shelter that works when the weather turns mean.

aaronroberts10d ago

Ripped at the grommet seam and dumped water right into my sleeping bag" - oh man, that made me wince just reading that. I've had cheap tarps let go in a light drizzle, but a full-on 2am storm failure is next level bad luck... or maybe it's just what you get for fifty bucks. I remember a buddy of mine had a similar thing happen, his grommet tore out on the first real gust and the whole tarp just folded over on him like a soggy blanket. Honestly, you're not unlucky, that's just how those budget ones are made. They're fine for a sunny picnic but not for real weather. I'd go with the silnylon if you can swing it, because that extra weight you save and the strength is worth not waking up soaked.

dianawilson10d ago

Happened to me with a cheap cooler once, thought I was being smart saving money but it cracked on the first real trip and leaked melted ice water all over my car trunk. It's like everything these days has a "works fine until it actually matters" version and a "built for the real deal" version. You see it with tents too, those $40 specials from the big box store hold up in your backyard but fold like paper in a mountain wind. Same with camping stoves, the off brand one I had barely boiled water on a calm day but sputtered out when I needed hot coffee in a cold drizzle. It's always the 2am moment or the bad weather test that separates good gear from junk.