As we have mentioned several times before on this blog, tarps can be made into tents with the right materials. Rather than purchase a tent that may be only water-resistant, opt for a tarp that is waterproof. No matter if the tarp is medium- or heavy-duty, it keeps out UV rays and is resistant to rot and mildew.

In camping or backpacking, tarps are useful in keeping a campsite and gear dry. However, rather than bringing a pre-made structure, the tarp itself can serve as a tent. Last year, we offered brief directions for setting up a tarp tent. Just to reiterate them, a tarp, to become a tent, needs at least a rope and stakes or rocks to hold the ends down. While rope can be strung between two trees in the woods, a city park may not have such features – or at least trees in such proximity – and two larger stakes may need to be brought. No matter if you drive two large stakes into the ground or attach the rope to two trees, the rope serves at the center point on the material, and the tarp needs to be draped over it. Stakes or rocks should then hold the ends in place. Because the ground may be wet, a second tarp should be placed underneath to keep you and your gear dry.

Realize, though, that not all parks and cities have the same rules, and if you do go to protest, you may need to remove your tarps at some point.

Although tarps can actually be made into tents, they provide protection in case of rain. A tarp can be set above the tent to prevent rain or moisture to seep through the fabric, and one can even be put below the tent to prevent the base of the tent from becoming wet, as well. Some suggestions on setting up a tarp covering can be seen in the video below:

Some points that this video brings up, aside from another perspective on securing a tarp for camping, is that, even if you’re not going on a heavy or intense backpacking trip, a tarp is still necessary and, because it’s a versatile, waterproof material, it is often stronger than a tent. The video also shows the speaker mentioning about forming a pulley with the ropes to tighten them just right and tying various knots to secure the tarp and keep it in place in case of rain or wind. The tarp, in addition, should be even with tension, as seen in this video, in case of rain or wind. The structure set up in this video isn’t a tent but the tent can be placed under it or it can be used as a covering for an outdoor area in the campsite away from the tent.

This particular article has other suggestions regarding summer activities and many of these can involve tarps or tents in some form. Out of the nine suggestions, going to the beach for a day trip, doing a neighborhood campout, and arts and crafts projects all involve tarps. How so? For example, you don’t need a tent for camping and, in fact, a tarp can be made into a tent. Or, if you want to make the campsite more rainproof, tarps can be secured above and below the tent to prevent water from seeping in. In fact, camping tarps have been covered previously in this blog for more details on how to set up a tarp for camping.

For arts and crafts, the tarp is involved indirectly in the activity. If paint is being used in the project, a poly or canvas tarp can be put on the floor or ground in case of paint splatters. A tarp is also indirectly involved in going to the beach, especially if a tent is brought along for shade. Some pop-up tents use medium-duty tarps instead of a polyester canopy and, if you take one of these structures with you for a full day trip to the beach, the tarp will be providing you and the rest of your guests with some shade.

Another issue concerning “tarp cities” has been in the news recently and that is about the homeless in Victoria, British Columbia using tarps for shelter, as the city does not have enough space in its shelters for its homeless population. This article mentions that, up until 2007, tarps and tents weren’t allowed to be used as shelter in Victoria, but this ruling was overturned and revised to accommodate the homeless outside at night because of a lack of space in the city’s shelters. The laws now regarding tarp and tent shelters in Victoria allow these structures to be used as night and only in parts of a park.

The argument against these tarp and tent “cities” in the park in Victoria, as mentioned in the article, concerns warmer weather and more debris – trash and leftover tarps – in the park. But, in terms of tarps, the tarps themselves shouldn’t be banned, especially if the city doesn’t have enough space in their shelters for their homeless. To cut back on debris, one option is increasing shelter space or having stricter litter laws as, even if the homeless in these tarp cities didn’t use tarps and tents for protection, trash would still be in the parks.

As this is a tarps blog, this news item – and two similar tarps articles in the same week, no less – is worth mentioning. Although this blog doesn’t condone using a tarp for a permanent shelter, tarps themselves have long been temporary shelter, as seen in camping and roof repair instances. To recap, a tarp, be it a poly tarp or a blue medium duty tarp, often makes excellent temporary shelter by being waterproof and allowing for air circulation at the same time. At the same time, many heavy and medium duty tarps are treated to be rot and UV resistant. On a camp site, a large size tarp can become a tent if prepared correctly and it can be a shelter in case of rain. For the latter, the tarp is tied to two to four trees over the camp site and another is placed under the bottom of the tent to protect the tent base from becoming soaked with water. In the aftermath of a hurricane, a blue tarp is often recommended as a temporary roofing solution for the same reasons mentioned above and, until a contractor can assess the roof damage, a tarp protects the inside of a house from further damage.

While the living situation and life experiences of everyone in a tent city can vary with each person, creating an effective shelter to staying out of the elements is one key to survival. A medium duty or heavy duty tarp can be an effective roofing material to keep out water and sunlight and, when combined with other structural materials, can become a protective shelter for a temporary period of time.

The tarp used to protect the floor of the tent doesn’t have a specific size, although it should be slightly smaller than the base of the tent. While this tarp can be used to protect the campers inside from rocks, it can be used, as well, to prevent the bottom of the tent from being soaked with rain. When below the tent, the tarp shouldn’t have any edges sticking out. If any edge of the tarp sticks out, this could cause the water to slide between the tarp and the tent and will still cause the base of the tent to get wet.

The larger tarp, which should be 25 by 12 feet, is positioned over the tent in case of rain and to protect the tent from condensation. The tarp, however, doesn’t only go over the tent but also the area in front in case the campers need to go outside of the tent during the rain and make a fire or cook food. To attach this tarp, the edges should all be attached by rope to four surrounding trees. In addition, this tarp should be set at an angle to prevent water from building up on its surface. The runoff from the tarp shouldn’t go onto the tent, and the tarp should be angled away from the tent.

For a demonstration of how to set up above tarps for camping, these YouTube videos give step-by-step examples involving trees and stakes to tie down the ropes supporting the tarps.