Bought a $6 tarp from Harbor Freight and it outlasted my $80 tent footprint

I was tired of water soaking through my tent floor on wet trips. So last summer at Yosemite I tried just using a cheap blue tarp under my tent instead of the branded footprint. It handled rocks and roots way better and after 15 trips it still looks fine. Has anyone else found a cheap substitute that worked better than the real gear?

2 comments

2 Comments

black.jake1mo ago

and the best part is when that cheap tarp finally does rip you're out like six bucks instead of crying over an eighty dollar piece of nylon. I actually started doing the same thing after a buddy told me he'd been using the same harbor freight tarp for like three years straight. The only thing I'd add is make sure you poke a few tiny holes in it or fold the edges under so water doesn't pool on top of it between your tent floor and the tarp. learned that one the hard way on a rainy trip in the smokies when I woke up in a literal puddle inside my tent.

xenaf511mo ago

Whoa, I gotta disagree with this a little bit. I mean yeah the price difference is huge, but I've had those cheap tarps tear on sharp rocks after just one bad site setup. The fabric is just so thin and those grommets always rip out. I guess if you're gentle with it and always clear the ground first it works, but I like my footprint because it actually fits my tent shape and doesn't leave a bunch of extra tarp flapping around. Plus the grommets on the cheap ones always catch on things when I'm trying to fold it back up. But hey, to each their own, if it works for you in Yosemite then more power to you.