Harbor Freight Tarp

[Gannoli]

Just got a catalog from harbor freight with a couple tarps in it. I'm thinking of picking up a 9' 4" x 11' 4" tarp for only $6. Thought it was a pretty good price for my first tarp, just to get me sleeping outside. Went on their website and they have quite a few tarps on sale if anyone is looking for a cheap pickup.

[wisenber]

Lowes and Home Depot carry similarly priced items, I'm just not that keen on carrying them.

[JohnSawyer]

If it fits your budget, go for it...

That size is HUGE... Don't expect it to last too long, as the grommets will pull out if you're not careful.

If CHEAP is your requirement, many have used Tyvek... $20 on ebay and it's a little lighter than your HF tarp.

The bottom line is, if $6 gets you camping, and you wouldn't go otherwise.... it's $6 well spent.

John

[Itsamescott]

I used the 9 Ft. 6" X 7 Ft. 4" camo tarp from Harbor Freight on my rainy two night trip to McAfee Knob last weekend. It worked great as a cheap asym tarp.

I put it up in the yard for a few days before hand to see how well the grommets would hold up. After about 5 full days of relatively calm weather you can see where the are just starting to slip so take some extra line and know how to do the pebble wrap if it comes to it.

Mine folded and rolled up to slightly larger than a Nalgene bottle (slightly thinner and a bit longer) and I kept it strapped to the outside of my pack. Not a bad solution for $6 as long as you are prepared to deal with possible grommet failure.

That being said, I've been keeping an eye out at construction sites for some Tyvek to play with.

[RovinIIA]

I have been on two separate hangs with two different sized tarps from Walmart. They work just fine for what they are. They will keep you dry. However they do take up some extra space.

[fishbait]

The HF Tarp in Woodland Camouflage, was my first Tarp. I used it for two years and had no issues. In fact the tarp kept me very dry during to torrential storms. My first set up was Asym, the second standard, the only issue was the weight. A 9' 4" x 11' 4" tarp weighs a little over 2 Lbs and doesn't pack small. I usually rolled the tarp up and packed it outside my backpack.

[Gannoli]

Thanks for the pointers/comments. I almost got the 7'4" x 9'6" camo one but ended up getting the same size Farm quality tarp. Its a little more heavy duty than the camo, so hopefully it lasts me a while. and was actually a buck cheaper than the camo.