andrewt41•3d agoMost Upvoted

My buddy Craig swore by a $12 tarp from Walmart for rain protection

So we're out in the Smokies last October and a storm rolls in, I've got my fancy $200 tent and Craig's just using this blue tarp tied between two trees like some kind of caveman. He stayed bone dry while my tent leaked through a seam I forgot to seal, and now I'm wondering if I've been overthinking gear this whole time. Anyone else have a cheap trick that actually out performed your expensive stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

janac593d ago

Yeah, I was right there with you until I saw it happen firsthand. @loganburns that story about the goodwill poncho is exactly what changed my mind. I used to think spending over a hundred bucks on a tent was how you got dry and safe, but watching my buddy's cheap tarp setup while my expensive tent leaked made me feel like a fool. The stuff they market as "high performance" is just marketing hype half the time, and the simple solutions people have used for decades work just fine. Now I save my money for stuff that actually matters like good boots or a proper sleeping bag, and cheap out on everything else. That tarp guy probably thought I was an idiot with my fancy gear, and honestly he wasn't wrong.

loganburns3d ago

Used to be a total gear snob, thought spending more meant better performance. But then a buddy showed up with a $5 goodwill poncho and a contractor bag for a pack cover while I had a $200 rain jacket that wetted out in 20 minutes. That cheap combo worked way better in a downpour than my "breathable" membrane ever did, made me rethink a lot of stuff I bought.