I tested a $30 tarp against a $100 tarp and the cheap one won

Got stuck in a freak rainstorm up near Lake Tahoe about 6 weeks back. Had my fancy branded tarp that everyone online swears by. Leaked right through the seams after 3 hours of steady rain. Buddy had this no-name blue tarp from a hardware store that he uses for everything. His stayed bone dry underneath. I mean, maybe it's just my luck with that particular brand, but I'm pretty convinced now that spending more on a tarp is just paying for a label. Has anyone else found a cheap piece of gear that actually outperformed the expensive version?

2 comments

2 Comments

kellyr1814d ago

Read somewhere that a lot of these expensive tarps are actually just rebranded versions of the cheap ones with fancier stitching. That might explain why a buddy's hardware store tarp held up better than your pricey one. Seems like the whole outdoor gear game is sometimes about marketing hype more than actual performance. Maybe we all just need to stop overthinking it and grab the $30 option from now on.

john_johnson7514d ago

Yeah but sometimes the stitching and grommets on cheap ones rip out after a season or two so you kinda get what you pay for lol.