Best Camping Tarps 2023

When people start to geek out about the best camping gear, they’ll usually first start talking tents: "Just five pounds of trail weight, yet it's rated for four seasons!" Or maybe they’ll want to show you their fancy new collapsible camp chair, which packs away into a bag the size of a Nalgene bottle. Let's be honest: Most people just don't get that excited about tarps. But being equipped with one of the best camping tarps can mean the difference between a comfortable, enjoyable campsite and one that will leave you wondering if you should have just stayed home.

A great camping tarp creates enjoyable outdoor space. Here are the best you can buy for your next ... [+] camping trip.

After all, take it from me: I’ve sat huddled in tents during rainstorms and hiding out from the midday sun enough times to have learned that a camping tarp is an essential piece of kit.

There is a surprising amount of diversity when it comes to camp tarps, so I have included options that will serve a variety of uses and that are available at a broad range of price points. Once you have your favorite new camp tarp picked out, be sure to browse our other roundups of great camping gear, like the best backpacking cookware, best coolers and best sleeping bags.

REI

Covered area: 212 square feet | Weight: 19.4 pounds

Yes, the Snow Peak Takibi Hexa tarp is expensive. But you will use this tarp when camping in cold weather, hot weather and on all the mild days in between. And you’ll use it at the beach, in the park and in your backyard, too: It really will become an essential piece of gear for you. That's because this tent can be used to create shade, to keep you dry in a downpour and to help keep you warmer in the winter.

It does the warmth part chiefly thanks to its removable fire-resistant inner roof, which makes the Takibi Hexa safe for use over a campfire, fire pit or a camp stove. You will lose less heat thanks to the tarp, which also blocks some of the wind, only adding to the campsite coziness. I have used several tarps over the years and I have a few in my kit, but it's a Snow Peak tarp I always turn to first. And yes, that's partly because, somehow, Snow Peak managed to make a tarp with some sharp looks.

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Amazon

Covered area: 100 square feet | Weight: 2.9 pounds

This product from Unigear isn't going to win any awards for unique design or stunning style, but if there were an award for being a low-cost, reliably waterproof tarp that's easy to set up, it would be a shoo-in. I selected it based on its price point and on thousands of positive reviews and ratings.

This is a great tarp for adding shade to a campsite or for creating a dry outdoor play space in your own yard. It can be used to create a makeshift car port, or can be spread on the ground to add waterproofing to the base of a tent or as a beach or ground covering.

Just note that in order to get any use out of this tarp, you will need to supply your own rope and/or poles, as it only comes with stakes and guy wires for securing it to the ground.

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Amazon

Covered area: 107 square feet | Weight: 2.4 pounds

Any decent tent is designed with a floor that's waterproof and puncture-resistant, but in practice, those attributes aren't always on full display. And once your tent's floor is punctured or torn, even the finest waterproofing fabrics just don't matter. Experiencing wet tents—meaning wet gear, clothing and sleeping bags—is what taught me to never ever camp without a tarp spread out under my tent. In all seasons, if I'm car camping and gear weight and size doesn't matter, I spread out a cheap, tough tarp just like this one underneath my tent.

With this rugged, fully waterproof polyethylene tarp on the ground under your tent, you create a layer of protection against water, mud, bugs or sharp rocks or sticks. You even add a little bit of insulation against cold ground too.

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REI

Covered area: 85 square feet | Weight: 8.5 pounds

Kelty's Waypoint car tarp uses the back of your vehicle as its primary anchor point, along with a single pole and some guy lines. When properly affixed to your car, truck or SUV, it becomes one of the sturdiest tarps around—nothing but a gale-strength gust is going to send this puppy flying. The fact that the Waypoint secures snugly to a vehicle also makes it a great rain shelter—one that's comparable to the more-private covered spaces created by some of our other featured tarps.

While certainly a great camping tarp, this is also a great product for use at the beach or at a tailgate gathering; just keep in mind you may need to bring some heavy objects with which to secure the lines if you can't sink stakes in the ground. One satisfied car camper who uses this tarp had this to say: "You can't ask for anything more from a tarp and a pole. I set this up at camp in five minutes... [and] it held up through a night of steady 15 MPH winds no problem. For the price and the Kelty brand, you cannot beat this value."

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REI

Covered area: 200 square feet | Weight: 6.6 pounds

The MSR Rendezvous Sun Shield 200 Wing Shelter was designed with one purpose in mind: to block the sun, and to do it well. The "200" in the name refers to the 200 square feet of coverage the Rendezvous Sun Shield creates. That's more than enough space for eight adults to be lying down, fully outstretched. And a full dozen people can easily hang out under the tarp if they are standing up. The fabric of the "wing" is rated as UPF 50+, so you’re safe from UV light if you’re underneath it all day. And by blocking plenty of IR light, the tarp will keep you cooler, too.

This is a pricey tarp, but it's also one that comes from a trusted brand. The Rendezvous Sun Shield 200 is an update to an older MSR wing shelter that many seasoned campers have used and recommended for well over two decades, so you can think of it as a worthy investment.

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REI

Covered area: 94 square feet | Weight: 1.5 pounds

If you were to close your eyes and imagine a camping tarp, there's a good chance the first image that would come to mind would be of a tarp much like the ENO HouseFly. It sets up in a classic A-shaped design, easily secured between trees (or cars or cabin posts) or with poles. And once set up, the HouseFly is a perfect tarp under which to hang a hammock or set up a cot; anyone who wants to relax or even sleep al fresco owes it to himself or herself to get this covering in place over them. With it in place, you can count on staying dry, being protected from the sun and enjoying reduced windchill if you string the tarp up close overhead.

The HouseFly does afford a smaller coverage area than most of those on our list, but as its intended primarily for use by a single person, that's not so much a drawback as it is a mere fact.

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REI

Covered area: 39 Square Feet | Weight: 0.2 Pounds

Let's remember that any outdoor activity—from skiing climbing to hiking to camping—comes with some element of risk. You could, for example, find yourself cut off from aid and without access to proper shelter. To combat this, I personally always pack an emergency blanket in with my first aid kit, water filter, headlamp and other essential gear. My emergency blanket of choice is this one from SOL. (FYI: The company's name is an acronym for "Survive Outdoors Longer.")

While this large blanket's chief purpose is to wrap around one or two people and retain body heat—while also being highly visible to potential rescuers—it can also be strung up as a decent impromptu tarp to block rain or snow and to cut the bite of the wind. The blanket can also be used as a waterproof ground-cover tarp. Beyond shelter, you can use it for signaling or collecting water or food—or really however else may be needed to help you survive out there.

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REI

Covered area: 81 square feet | Weight: 0.62 pounds

If you want a good example of "less is more," just look at the Kuhli Ultralight Weather Shelter from Kammok. No other tarp in this article weighs less (with the exception of the SOL survival blanket). Assuming you leave its stuff sack behind, this tarp weighs just 10 ounces—legitimately light enough to bring on a long backpacking trek or a mountaineering expedition. And it's reliable enough to keep you dry even in downpours when you set it up in an A-frame arrangement. Want a larger patch that's protected from the sun? No prob, just pull the Kuhli tarp out taut and maximize the coverage area.

When you are dealing with fabric and hardware this lightweight, it stands to reason that it will be a bit more fragile than others herein discussed. Several users have reported tears at the guyline attachment points when big gusts of wind hit, but if you secure the tarp evenly and try to find area with some natural wind break features, you should be fine—and dry and comfortable, too.

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The tarps that made the cut here were primarily selected based on the same thing sound engineers do to mics before rock concerts. You know... "testing, testing." As noted, I have a Snow Peak tarp, an SOL blanket, a ground cover tarp (yep, from Amazon) and in the past I have used many other tarps, too. I also know a lot of other gear from brands featured here, like Kelty, Kammok and MSR; I’ve trusted them to keep me (and my friends and family) safe out there.

I know that in some cases, such as on milder days of fall or spring, a camp tarp may not be essential gear—you need a tent, sleeping bag and camp mat more than a tarp, no doubt about it. But believe me when I say once you start using a campsite tarp, you really will never want to go back. It's a roof right over your head that still affords you fresh air and fine views.

Ah, but how to choose the right camping tarp for your needs? Let's break it down.

With a tarp set up at your campsite, you can enjoy benefits including (but not limited to) protection from rain, snow or falling debris; a shady, cooler space to spend sunny hours; reduced wind; and added privacy. In a pinch, many tarps can be used to create a bivouac-style shelter, too, so should your tent become compromised, you can ride out the night with some level of protection from the elements. (Assuming you can't or don't want to just get into a vehicle you used to get to your campsite.)

Before you think about the kind of camp tarp you need, think about the kind of camping you do. As long as you’re willing to spend a few bucks to get the exact right kind of tarp for your primary use case, it's then very easy to select one.

If you tend to pitch camp right by your car, a vehicle-mounted tarp is a great choice. If you camp with a large group, size matters. If you thru-hike or push for summits, weight matters. You can thought experiment on through it for yourself, but here are a few general considerations when choosing a camping tarp.

A tarp that's too small to cover the folks in your camping party is just no good. Likewise, a tarp that's much bigger than you need isn't ideal either, as tarps occupy a lot of space even beyond their covered area because of guy lines and anchors. Try to pace out your ideal covered area—say, where you will prep and eat meals at camp—then measure the square feet.

If you’re car camping, the weight of your tarp does not much matter, though note that the Snow Peak tarp weighs nearly 20 pounds and takes up about as much space as a cooler even when packed down, so that may be a factor as y0u load up your trunk. If you’ll be on the move, then by all means look only to the lightest of tarps.

Is your tarp more about keeping you comfortable as you car camp, or is it about keeping you dry for safety as you backpack or mountaineer? In the latter case, you need a tarp that can be set up in A-frame tent style to offer maximum weather protection. Will you be camping where it may be wet, muddy or snowy? Then a ground cover tarp is a wise move. (And hey, maybe a tarp that you can pop up over your campfire, too!) And no matter where you’re going and what you’re doing out there, go ahead and spend the $8 on a survival blanket—you’re worth it!