Tarps: Help or Hassle?

I'm not sure where you are, but in Australia lots of people use tarps....myself included. They are very handy to have in the boot of the car and can be used for weather protection, sunshade and as a handy tent floor if your tent doesn't have one.....I wouldn't travel without one....hope this helps!

If we take the small tent we might take a tarp with us to put under the tent so we have less to clean up when packing up. We haven't had to cover our tent yet when it rains. Sometimes I will take one to cover things up on the table.

They are a pain, but they are also quite the help. After camping in a week of rain, I will never leave my tarps home again!

Where do I begin? Keeps the dew and rain off the tents, not to mention whatever the wind blows out of the trees. Makes a privvy private, makes a wonderful "shower" stall, covers up our bikes, wood and makes a roof over the eating area. Don't leave home without them. :)

When I used to do a lot of backpacking, I chose a lightweight tarp over a tent to sleep in. Nowadays, we use a tarp to just have a place to eat/cook/whatever out of the harsh rays of sun or to keep dry if it rains.