Ground tarps – should you go heavy-duty or cheap?
We’ve all been there. You get to camp, and there’s a slight breeze. You bust out your classic plastic blue camping ground tarp and try to roll it out.
It’s a folded mess. Better find a rock hold a corner while you fold the rest out. Ah crap. The wind!
It’s what I’ve done for years.
But I’m a changed man. I purchased a heavy-duty ground tarp, and there’s no going back.
I’ll compare a $100 Springbar tarp to a $30 basic tarp, but first, let me tell you why ground tarps are important for high-quality tents.
Do You Need a Heavy-Duty Ground Tarp Under Your Tent?
If you have a high-quality canvas tent, you will want at least some sort of ground tarp underneath your tent. [Related Article: Canvas Tent Accessories)
I made the mistake of not using one and was starting to see the wear and tear on my canvas tent’s floor after months of use (I spend a lot of my summer in canvas tents).
Why You Need A Ground Tarp Under Your Tent
- Water Barrier (mold & mildew prevention)
- Increase the life of your tent (abrasion protection)
- Dead Bug Barrier
Water Barrier and Easy Drying
Condensation will build up between the ground and your tent, even if it’s bone dry during the day.
I spent 10 days camping outside of Yosemite National Park with beautiful 70F weather with no rain. This was after a couple hours of drying the tarp.
The bottom of my tent was nice and dry. It’s much easier to dry out a tarp than your tent.
Heavy-duty ground tarps can help during heavy downpours as well. I think I would have been fine either way, but I think the water was able to flow beneath the ground tarp a bit and keep me nice and dry.
Increasing the Life of Your Tent
Most canvas tents that have floors range between 12 and 16oz. They can handle most terrain perfectly fine, but they are still not great with super sharp objects.
The Utah desert started wearing on my floor after one season (although, probably 50 nights).
Dead Bug Barrier
This was an unexpected benefit. The dead bugs seem to stick to the tarp more than the bottom of my tent. Anecdotal evidence, but there are a lot of dead bugs on the bottom of my tarp and not on my nice tent.
The tarp is also easier to clean with the hose.
Springbar Heavy Duty Ground Tarp vs Cheap Tent Footprint
I’ve owned several canvas tents and had several ground tarps in my life.
Springbar’s ground tarp is so far ahead of competitor tarps it’s insane. Yes, you are paying for it, but the magnitude of the quality difference is more than the price difference.
A Springbar 10×10 ground tarp is $84.95 compared to a 10×10 Teton Sports footprint of $32.99 at the time of this writing.
Here’s what it looks like up close (both tarps are folded in half because both have reinforced edges, which interfere with the comparison).
I like big grommets and I cannot lie. I once had a grommet rip out of a plastic tarp and it nearly hit me in the face. These look much nicer.
Here’s what you get for $33.
And a closeup image I took:
The Best Ground Tarps for Camping (Great for Canvas Tents)
If you’re looking for a great ground tarp, there’s Springbar, and then there’s the rest.
View on Springbar's siteMy Springbar ground tarp. It's the best tarp I've ever seen or used. I expect it to last a lifetime and protect the bottom of any of my canvas tents.
- $32.99View on Amazon
Not ready for a heavy-duty tarp? TETON makes some very affordable tarps that will protect the bottom of your tent. A great choice on a budget.
11/23/2024 05:33 am GMT
