Shape and tie-out count decide how many pitches you actually get
A tarp is the lightest roof there is, and what you are really buying is a shape and a set of anchor points. A rectangle is the most versatile and the noisiest in wind. A hexagonal or catenary cut tarp has curved edges sewn to pitch taut with fewer wrinkles, which is quieter and sheds better, at the cost of the flat-pitch options a rectangle keeps. Count the tie-outs and look at how they are reinforced, because each one is a pitch you can improvise and each one is also a stress point. Fabric divides three ways. Silicone-coated nylon is light and strong and stretches when wet, so a taut pitch needs retensioning after rain. Silicone-coated polyester barely stretches and is heavier for the same denier. Dyneema composite does not stretch or absorb water, weighs least, and costs most. Hydrostatic head in millimeters is published for most coated fabrics and is the comparable waterproofing figure. Finally, read what is in the bag: many tarps are sold without guylines, pegs or poles, and several are designed to be pitched on trekking poles rather than with poles of their own. We compare shape and cut, dimensions, fabric and coating, hydrostatic head, denier, tie-out count and reinforcement, weight and what the pack includes.
Flat cover sheet · 2 × 3 m (7 × 10 ft) · 240 g/m² PE weave, coated both sides · aluminum eyelet every 100 cm (39.4 in) · rubber-reinforced corners · nothing else supplied
A general-purpose cover sheet, sold at 240 g/m² (7.1 oz/yd²) with an eyelet every meter — the maker names a groundsheet use, and publishes no waterproof rating or weight.
Best for: A groundsheet or a gear cover at a camp reached by car, where a heavy woven sheet is wanted.
Camping tarp · 300 × 300 cm (118.1 × 118.1 in) · 150T ripstop polyester, 3000 PU coating · seam-sealed · webbing-reinforced load points · 1 kg (2.2 lb) stated · four ropes and four pegs supplied
A 3 × 3 m (10 × 10 ft) tarp with a coating figure, sealed seams, webbing at every load point and a stated 1 kg (2.2 lb) — and no count for the load points it reinforces.
Best for: A square tarp bought complete, where sealed seams and reinforced load points matter more than pack weight.
Camping tarp · 3 × 3 m (10 × 10 ft) · ripstop polyester, no coating named · 1.94 kg (4.3 lb) stated · 65 × 7 × 7 cm (25.6 × 2.8 × 2.8 in) packed · guylines and two poles supplied
A 3 × 3 m (10 × 10 ft) tarp that arrives with its own two poles and a stated 1.94 kg (4.3 lb) — and names no coating, no denier and no tie-out count at all.
Best for: A pitch on open ground — a beach, a pitch beside a vehicle — where poles matter more than pack weight.
Flat cover sheet · 3 × 3 m (10 × 10 ft) stated as 9 m² (97 sq ft) · 140 g/m² (4.1 oz/yd²) PP/PE weave · aluminum eyelets at 50 cm (19.7 in) · rubber-reinforced corners · ±5% stated tolerance
A woven cover sheet with the tightest eyelet spacing here at 50 cm (19.7 in) — and a stated ±5% tolerance on every dimension it publishes.
Best for: A groundsheet under a tent, or a cover where a close eyelet spacing gives more places to tie down.
Camping tarp · 300 × 300 cm (118.1 × 118.1 in) · 210T ripstop polyester, no coating named · reinforced corners and eyelets · no weight, no rating, nothing supplied
A 3 × 3 m (10 × 10 ft) ripstop tarp with reinforced corners and eyelets, published without a weight, without a rating and without a count of the attachment points it advertises.
Best for: A square tarp bought on cut size alone, by someone who already owns lines, pegs and poles.
Rectangular tarp · 210 × 140 cm (82.7 × 55.1 in) stated · 210D Oxford ripstop polyester · eyelets · packs to 12 × 7 × 2 cm (4.7 × 2.8 × 0.8 in) · 310 g stated
A small rectangular sheet with a published denier, a published packed size and a published weight — three figures at once, which is rare here — and no water column behind the word waterproof.
Best for: Going under a two-person tent, where the sheet has to be smaller than the floor and its weight has to be known.
Camping tarp · 210D Oxford, silver-coated inside · PU 3000 mm (118.1 in) · tie-out count published per size · six guylines and six alloy pegs supplied · 30 × 17 × 10 cm (11.8 × 6.7 × 3.9 in) packed
The only tarp here to publish a denier, a hydrostatic head and a tie-out count for every size it sells — and it never says which size the listing is showing.
Best for: A first tarp bought complete, where lines and pegs in the box matter as much as the canopy.
≈ $25
Hammock tarp · 3.40 × 2.80 m (11 × 9 ft) · title says ripstop nylon, description says 210T polyester · 0.8 kg (1.8 lb) in the title, 650 g (22.9 oz) in the text · 25 × 10 cm (9.8 × 3.9 in) packed · bag only
A hammock tarp that contradicts itself twice on the same page — nylon or polyester, 0.8 kg (1.8 lb) or 650 g (22.9 oz) — while publishing the smallest packed size in this hub.
Best for: A hammock that needs a roof, where the packed size is the constraint and the contradictions are read first.
This family belongs to the sleeping out kit — see everything that has to work with it.
Dimensions decide what stays dry: one person, two, or a camp kitchen.
Hydrostatic head gives the pressure the coated fabric holds. On a pitched tarp it is the only barrier there is.
The tie-out count decides how many configurations the same piece of cloth allows.
Published dimensions are compared against lying length plus room for a pack. Shape changes what is really covered.
The cloth itself and the treatment that makes it waterproof. Both are published because they age differently.
It covers, it does not close. Wind, insects and spray remain open questions.
Because all the tension passes through them. Published reinforcement is what separates a camp tarp from a builder’s sheet.
Trekking poles, branches or dedicated poles all work depending on the pitch. The published shape and cut guide the choice.
The published count fixes which pitches are available. Beyond quantity, their placement is what matters.
Waterproofing comes from the coating, not from the denier. The two are published separately.
Drying and storage instructions come from the maker. No method is prescribed here.
A tarp is an area, a hydrostatic head and a set of tie-outs. The reinforcement of those tie-outs decides its life, and the shape decides how many shelters you can get out of it.
The table keeps only what four items in five declare. A half-empty column hands an advantage to whoever kept quiet.
| Model | Price | Fabric and coating | Shape and cut | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unigear HU-XI-201 | $25 | 210D Oxford weave with a silver coating on the inside and a PU coating — stated | Flat rectangular and square cuts — the sizes listed are rectangles and one square; no catenary cut is described | Not published on the listing — the maker names 3 × 3 m (10 × 10 ft), 3 × 4 m (10 × 13 ft), 3 × 5 m (10 × 16 ft) and 4.4 × 4.4 m (14 × 14 ft) versions without saying which one is shown |
| AMAZONAS AZ-3080010 | — | The listing gives two answers — the title says ripstop nylon, the description says 100% polyester ripstop (210T), PUR-coated | Rectangular flat cut, 3.40 × 2.80 m (11 × 9 ft) — stated; no catenary cut is described | 3.40 × 2.80 m (11 × 9 ft) — stated in the title |
| FREE SOLDIER TM3X3 | — | 150T ripstop polyester with a 3000 PU coating, and waterproof treatment stated at the seams | Rectangular flat cut, 300 × 300 cm (118.1 × 118.1 in) — stated; no catenary cut is described | 300 × 3 m (984 × 10 ft) (300 cm) — stated |
| BERGER 328330 | — | Ripstop polyester — stated; no coating is named | Rectangular flat cut, 3 × 3 m (10 × 10 ft) — stated; no catenary cut is described | 3 × 3 m (10 × 10 ft) — stated |
| GardenMate 4260313267187 | — | PP/PE woven fabric at 140 g/m² (4.1 oz/yd²), coated on both sides and stated to be UV-stabilized and mold-resistant | Rectangular flat sheet, 3 × 3 m (10 × 10 ft) — stated; a general-purpose cover, not a cut camping tarp | 3 × 3 m (10 × 10 ft), stated as 9 m² (97 sq ft), with a stated tolerance of ±5% on all measurements |
| NORDMUT TRP | — | 210T ripstop polyester — stated; no coating is named | Rectangular flat cut, 300 × 300 cm (118.1 × 118.1 in) — stated; no catenary cut is described | 300 × 4 m (984 × 13 ft) — stated in the title, which also names a 3 × 300 cm (1.2 × 118.1 in) version |
| REDCAMP | — | 210D Oxford ripstop polyester, described as waterproof — stated; no coating is named | Rectangular, with eyelets around the edge — stated | 210 × 1.4 m (689 × 5 ft) (140 cm) — stated; the maker also lists a 210 × 210 cm (82.7 × 82.7 in) size |
| VOUNOT 9015528718685 | — | PE woven fabric at 240 g/m² (7.1 oz/yd²), coated on both sides and stated to be UV-stabilized | Rectangular flat sheet, 2 × 3 m (7 × 10 ft) — stated; a general-purpose cover, not a cut camping tarp | 2 × 3 m (7 × 10 ft) — stated; the maker also lists 3 × 4 m (10 × 13 ft), 3 × 5 m (10 × 16 ft), 4 × 6 m (13 × 20 ft), 4 × 8 m (13 × 26 ft) and 1.5 × 6 m (5 × 20 ft) versions |
Specifications: manufacturer sheets for camping and hiking gear and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure in this table names its source.
Most recent revision in this category: October 23, 2026.
Prices in these summaries were read on the dates each review gives. The live figure sits beside every product.
