Bought a $30 tarp after years of using a fancy tent, now I don't know what to do with myself

I always thought those cheap blue tarps were for broke college kids, not serious campers. But after a night of sideways rain at Hocking Hills last month where my $400 tent leaked anyway, I rigged up a tarp as a secondary fly and stayed bone dry. Has anyone else ditched their expensive shelter for a simple tarp setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jessica20d ago

Dig into that bug thing though - are you honestly getting chewed up under just a tarp? I feel like mosquitos would find their way in no matter what you do. A decent bug net adds maybe $20 to the setup and weighs practically nothing, so it's not exactly a dealbreaker for ditching the tent. But the real question is whether you're actually sleeping better without four walls around you, or if it's just the thrill of being a rebel with a tarp.

taylor1224d ago

And yeah same here, I switched to a basic tarp last year and honestly can't believe I spent so much on tents before.

clark.alex24d ago

Tents keep the bugs off you and don't collapse in a gust of wind.