Soaking Wet Tarp – What to do?

[Mak]

I'm glad someone asked this question...I've been wondering the same thing! Lots of good suggestions.

[American dream]

A good shake and wipe down does wonders.

[HangingOut]

Sil holds water and changes shape. Cuben will not.

[Stormstaff]

Yup, what Gargoyle said. The first thing I thought of when I read your post was condensation.

Condensation, dew and fog have a tendency to collect "wherever" they want to. When conditions are right (dew point, zero wind, temps, etc.), there is no way around it. Closing down the tarp at night can help with exterior moisture getting in, but it can also trap inside moisture, mostly from your exhausted breath.

Shake, wipe and stuff the tarp if you gotta hit the trail right away. Make sure it gets a good "dry" time at home. Never leave a wet tarp stuffed for more than a day or two. Hang it up outside, in the garage, or basement for few hours, sometimes a full day, a fan can help speed the procees indoors. This holds true with your other gear, dry your quilts, too.

[kk4df]

I carry a quick drying towel. Works great. Gets it dry enough to pack at least.

Good plan.

[Theosus]

I have a seperate dry sack for my tarp for this reason. No use to soak the hammock too! If it's wet it goes in the sack and gets clipped to the daisy chain on the outside of the pack.

[JaxHiker]

Good grief. This hasn't ever happened to me. I was hanging in the backyard last night and it felt like it was raining on me...under my tarp!

[MAD777]

The majority of the time, I my tarp is wetter on the bottom than the top. In my old tent days, there was usually more water inside the tent than outside. Of course, Jaxhiker and I live in the swamp called Florida!