Tarps - The Secret Weapon to a Successful Camping Trip

Tarps can help turn even the most vehemently anti-camping people into veritable outdoorsmen or outdoorswomen by making the experience infinitely more comfortable. Before you even pitch your tent, lay down a tarp to protect your tent, and, by association, yourself, from the hard ground, which can be wet and rocky. A tarp helps prevent all that moisture and sharp edges from seeping through into the tent, which makes for much more comfortable nights.

Protection from the sun 

We highly recommend you bring along another tarp to use as a canopy, either to protect the top of
your tent as well, or to provide a shaded sitting area for lounging around outside your tent. In addition to shade, a tarp protects picnic tables and chairs from falling debris, which means you'll have to do a lot less cleanup and will end up with a much tidier campsite overall. And, if it rains, a tarp above your tent will provide an extra layer of protection and ensure the trip is a lot less miserable for all the campers trapped inside.

While you're out for the day, a tarp makes a great way to protect your supplies and gear. After all, you don't want to return to find that someone - or something - has rummaged through it and/or polished it off. And you never know when there might be a sudden downpour, which could make for a pretty uncomfortable night. You can also use tarps to help protect pets if you're leaving Fido behind for a bit. And you might even be able to help redirect wind and reduce the number of bugs around your campsite and/or help retain warmth from the campfire, if needed.

If you're staying at a crowded campsite, a tarp can help provide some much-needed privacy from the watchful eyes of other campers. Simply erect the tarp around your campsite to thwart prying eyes. This could be especially important if you are staying at a campsite that doesn't have formal bathrooms and you are stuck going in the woods.

Don't let the weather stop you

And, if you're really into roughing it, tarps can even be used to create a camping shelter in and of themselves. In short, tarps can help make everything from basic shelters to much more comfortable shelters.