Accidents happen. You burn a hole in your tarp with your cozy campfire, or rip your tarp when folding it up for storage. It’s not the end of the world. Luckily, most tarps aren’t stupid expensive which means it shouldn’t be a huge financial burden to replace in the event of something catastrophic happening to it. However, they are also fairly easy to repair. So if you have some relatively minor rips or tears, or if something happens in the field or even if you just have a massive emotional attachment to it, all you need is a handy tarp repair kit and a little bit of know-how to get started.
Tarp Repair Kit
On every camping trip, bring along a trusted tarp repair kit. This doesn’t need to be anything fancy, and can be comprised of materials you are likely to be toting along anyway. Among them, make sure you have Tarp Tape, the best tarp repair tape that money can buy. Tarp Tape, similar in texture and purpose to duct tape, is designed specifically for tarp repair. It can fix rips, join tarps together in a pinch, or even reinforce stress points (such as flexed areas where your cords or poles are passing through).
Tarp Repair Tape
While you can also use Gorilla Tape or duct tape in a pinch, Tarp Tape is designed specifically for tarps and has more bend and flex than other types of tape. Besides the tape, you will also need something to cut it with. Consider bringing along a multitool, which is a good idea for camping in general, as you can use it for other repairs and tasks along the way.
If you notice a hole, tear, or other sign of damage, mend it right away. There’s no point in sleeping under a damaged tarp if you don’t need to. Simply stretch a few layers of Tarp Tape over your hole, and make sure to press it down on all sides. That’s all you need to do!
