So you’re making a checklist for camping and realize tarpaulin is a necessary requirement. You don’t mind getting it, but there’s just one problem. You don’t know how much tarpaulin you need to cover your tent.
Tarpaulins (tarps) are made of polyethylene, canvas, or PVC materials and are heavy to carry. So getting a tarp too big for your tent might just be an additional weight for you. Whereas, getting a tarp smaller than your tent would mean a waste of time and resources in the end, as it’d be of no use.
But there’s no need to stress yourself over the tarp measurement for your tent. After reading this article, you’ll know how many tarps you need.
Factors to Consider When Getting a Tarpaulin for Your Tent
Several factors determine how much tarpaulin you need for your tent. Chief of them is the number of people it’d contain and weather conditions. Consider the following factors when choosing the tarp size you need for your tent:
Tarp Design
The design and configuration are important considerations when determining how much tarpaulin you need for your tent. An A-frame tarp won’t be the same size as a learn-to tarp. The same can be said of a square arch tarp and a half-box shelter. There are many tarp designs and configurations; knowing the one you need would save you a lot of time for tarp size calculations. Here are a couple of configurations to look at
- A-frame configuration
- Lean-to configuration
- Half-box shelter configuration
- Square arch configuration,
- Flat roof configuration.
Before settling on the tarp configuration, you must be sure of what you need the tarp for. But you should remember that you’ll always need a tarp bigger than your tent.
Purpose of use
The intended use of a tarp is another size determinant. You might get a tarpaulin just to cover your tent like a rainfly, especially if the tent leaks. Or maybe you need the tarp as extra protection for your tent.
Whatever need you have for your tarp would determine the size you should get.
Tarp Cut Size
Before you get a tarp, it’s important to know the difference between a cut size and the actual tarp size. Taps come with hems, eyelets, and seams. Most people make the mistake of getting a tarp without considering those features.
The cut size of a tarp is the size before sewing and attaching hems and eyelets. The actual size comes after the attachments have been added, and it’s always smaller than the cut size.
Number of People
The number of people that will use the tarp is another factor to consider when determining how many tarps you need for your tent. The more people you intend to accommodate, the bigger the tarp should be.
The normal rule is to have a 15 sq. ft. space per person. Considering that, you can determine the size of tarpaulin you need.
Weather Conditions
The size of tarpaulin you’d need to cover your tent during the winter won’t be the same in summer. During the snowy winters, you’d need an enormous tarp, big enough to cover your tent from all corners and give you extra protection against the cold. But your concern would only be about the harsh sunny weather in the summer. Therefore, you’d need a tarp that covers the roof of your tent and gives you enough ventilation and an air passway by the sides.
How Much Tarpaulin Do You Need for Your Tent?
Get a tarpaulin bigger than your tent, and you’d have no regrets. But to be more accurate, calculate the tarp size using the 15 sq. ft. benchmark given for each person. Therefore, if your tent is to occupy four persons, you should look at a tarp size bigger than 50 sq. ft.
Another way to know how much tarpaulin you need is to measure your tent base and get a tarp 4 feet longer than it. Using that metric, you can easily get a tarp to occupy any number of persons. This table will serve as a visual guide to the illustration.
| Tent Capacity | Tent floor size (ft.) | Required tarpaulin size (ft.) |
| 1 person | 7.7’ x 3.2’ | 10’ x 6’ |
| 2 people | 7.2’ x 4.6’ | 10’ x 8’ |
| 3 people | 7.6’ x 7’ | 12’ x 12’ |
| 4 people | 9’ x 7’ | 13’ x 11’ |
| 6 people | 10’ x 9’ | 13’ x 13’ |
The bigger the tarp, the better the coverage for your tent, and consequently, the easier it is to be blown away. Therefore, you should ensure you have enough tools to set it up firmly to the ridgelines.
Benefits of Having the Actual Tarp Size Needed
Saves you the pain of carrying extra weight you don’t need (in the case of having a tarp bigger than needed). Similarly, it saves you the pain of carrying around a tarp that you won’t use (in case the tarp is smaller than needed).
It provides much-needed protection and is easy to set up.
It saves you money. The bigger the tarp, the more expensive it is. And the smaller the tarp is, the more money is wasted on a material you won’t use. The best thing is always to have the right fit.
Where to Buy Tarpaulin in Nigeria
Tarpaulin vendors like Nestken Masters will help you determine how many tarpaulins you need for your tent. You only need to measure your tent accurately, and the perfect tarp size will be provided.
Nestken Masters have offices in Aba and Lagos, Nigeria. The Aba office is at No. 4 Boundary Street, off Faulks Rd by Seven Deck, Aba, Abia State. The Lagos office is at No 2. Ladipo Street, Mushin, Lagos, Lagos State
Visit Nestken Masters today for quality and right-sized tarpaulins for your tents.
Conclusion
Not having the right size of tarpaulin to cover your tent for camping or any outdoor activity can be challenging. It’s enough to limit the fund you’d have for the event. Apart from having less protection due to a small tarp or struggling with the wind to hold down your oversized tarp, the discomfort of having it in the first place would make you unhappy.
Therefore, knowing the right size of tarpaulin to cover your tent for any camping or outing event would save you lots of stress. Hopefully, this article has given insights into the best way to determine how many tarpaulins you need.
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