Shoutout to the tarp that saved my tent in a downpour

Last summer I was camped up near Loon Lake in the Sierras, middle of July, and this crazy storm rolled in out of nowhere. My tent was a decent one, but the rain fly started leaking bad right over my sleeping bag around midnight. Water was dripping on my face and soaking everything. I grabbed my cheap blue tarp I always bring but never use, tied it over my tent with some paracord I had in my bag. It held up the whole night, no leaks, kept me dry until morning. The wind picked up around 4am and I thought the whole thing would fly off, but those knots held. I learned that a simple tarp is way more useful than any fancy rain fly replacement. Has anyone else had a random piece of gear save a trip out of nowhere?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason_ward17d ago

Hate to be that guy but your rain fly was leaking through the seams not the fabric itself. A tarp is great for that, sure, but next time just seam seal the factory stitching on your fly before you go out. A tube of McNett seam grip costs like eight bucks and takes ten minutes to apply. The tarp trick works in a pinch but it's a bandaid for something you can fix permanent. Your issue was the needle holes from manufacturing letting water in, not the material failing.

james_martin9316d ago

Wait, are you saying I should've been seam sealing my gear this whole time? Yeah that makes way too much sense, I'm definitely that guy who learns the hard way.