Buying Guide

A tarpaulin is one of the most useful items you could have in your camp kit. Not only can it be used as a ground cover to protect your tent floor, but it also serves as a clean and dry floor in your camp kitchen, can be used as a windbreak and if tied to trees or pitched over some awning poles provides extra shelter from the rain.

Tarps come in a range of materials and a multitude of sizes. Mesh tarps are great for used as a ground cover on the beach and in the campsite as a ground cover or can be strung up as a shade shelter providing good protection against the sun whilst allowing the heat to escape from underneath.

The traditional canvas tarpaulin offers excellent UV resistance and lasts a lifetime whilst poly tarps are probably the most versatile and affordable. Cheap tarps made with polyethylene have basic eyelets int he corners and are great for use as a trailer cover or over the kid's sandpit, whilst the heavy-duty tarps feature thicker polyethylene to prevent tears and heavily reinforced corners to stop eyelets from ripping out in the wind.