A flash flood at the Mesa Verde dig site last spring washed out part of our trench.

We lost a whole day's work and a few small finds because we didn't have the tarps anchored properly. How do you guys protect your open sites from sudden weather?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_max1mo ago

We learned the hard way too. Our crew now uses heavy duty sandbags on the tarp edges, not just stakes. Stakes pull right out of mud. We also dig small diversion trenches uphill from the site to steer water away. It takes extra time each evening, but it saved us twice last season.

gavin_kim31mo agoMost Upvoted

I get the sandbag idea, but man, that sounds like a ton of extra work every single night. I've found that using longer, screw-in style stakes holds way better in mud than regular ones. The diversion trenches are smart, but I'd rather spend that time making sure my tarp is pitched really tight so water runs off fast. Have you tried those bigger stakes instead?

angelac633d ago

Three nights in a row last spring we had to reset the whole setup at 2am after regular stakes just slid out. The screw-in ones sound way better honestly, might have to try those.