Tarp

Tarp: one flat sheet, two very different jobs

A tarp is a rectangle or triangle of coated fabric with reinforced corners, and what it becomes depends on how it is rigged. Strung between trees it is a camp roof; tensioned across a patio it is a shade sail. The range covers both: triangle and square garden sails from four metres up to eight, alongside camping tarps and kits supplied with lines and pegs.

Is a shade sail the same thing as a camping tarp?

They share a shape and differ in purpose. A garden sail sits under tension between fixed points, sized to one area, and is often woven so a breeze passes through instead of ballooning the fabric. A camping sheet is lighter, packs small and carries a grid of tie-out points, so it can be pitched many ways on whatever is available. Anyone rigging a roof over a pitch wants the packable designs in camping tarps; anyone covering a seating area for the summer wants the sail.

Which size and shape suits the space?

Measure the area to be covered, then add margin, because a tarp loses coverage the moment it is angled. A square sheet pitched flat covers its full footprint but pools water; tilted to shed rain, it covers noticeably less. Triangles suit corners and awkward gardens, and need three solid anchors rather than four. For camping, pitch height decides more than sheet size: low and steep sheds weather, high and flat gives headroom and catches wind.

How is a tarp pitched so it does not sag?

Tension across the diagonals, not just along the edges. A tight ridge line between two anchors, with the sheet over it and the corners pulled out and down, holds shape far better than four level lines. Every panel wants some load: slack fabric flaps, and flapping tears an eyelet out. Leave one corner lower so rain runs off, and keep the guy lines at a shallow angle so they pull along the fabric rather than lifting it.

What makes a tarp last longer?

• Corner hardware: D-rings or bonded eyelets take the strain; a punched hole in unreinforced fabric is where failure starts.
• Edge finish: a rope sewn into the hem spreads load along the whole edge instead of concentrating it at the corners.
• Fabric: woven shade cloth breathes and filters sun, coated fabric sheds rain and traps heat underneath.
• Fixings supplied: some sails include turnbuckles and rope, others arrive bare.
• Weight and pack size: irrelevant on a patio, decisive in a rucksack.

For covering a woodpile, a trailer or a stack of materials, the thicker sheeting in waterproof tarpaulin stands up to being dragged in a way that a light camping sheet does not. Slept under rather than cooked under, a tarp asks more of the pitch than the enclosed designs in tents & shelters.

How should a coated sheet be stored?

Dry, and folded along different lines each time. Coated fabric left damp in a bag grows mould that stains and softens the coating. Folding on the same creases wears a line that eventually splits, so a loose roll beats a neat rectangle. Rinse grit off first: dirt caught in a fold abrades the coating every time the sheet moves.