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 Back in better days when we still camped in tents, my deal was that I could string up a tarp to keep the rain off. You’d  be shocked at how many people can’t do this. They could tear down  quad or an engine, do healthcare work, or rocket surgery… but they couldn’t put up a tarp that would go up and stay up.

I decided right from the get-go to be serious about it. I went down to the UFA and paid through the nose for a hay stack tarp - the smallest they had. These were heavy duty tarps - not those stupid, cheap blue ones that’ll fall apart and have the grommets tearing out at the first blow of a storm. The wife gagged when she saw the price - but I was undeterred. 

Then I went down to the Reclusium, found some old 1” dowels… and cut them up and drilled them to make a couple dozen cheaters. They’re faster than knots and hold almost as well. Re-tensioning sagging lines was fast and super easy. Then a 2x10 centre pole with a simple slotted base held in place by tent pegs. Then I bought lots, and lots of rope.

The other couples we camped with were astonished. The huge tarp gave everyone a place to be dry, and it spread out. It kept the rain off the campfire and the wood and crappy weather was no longer a concern on rainy weekends. The tarp was huge but soon with picnic tables, chairs, dawgs, coolers… I had to buy another one. While the wives put up tents, we put up tarps. Mine were silver on one side and black on the other. In rain, they shed the water. In sunshine they provided cool shade. 

Most impressed of all was my father in law who was once a troop leader in the Boy Scouts. He loved stupid little projects like I did. On the second tarp, he helped. He went down to the lumber store to buy dowels for the cheaters, after we cut them and drilled them we got into the home brew and wood stained them just for something to do. Then the in-laws went camping with us too and had a ball.

During the weekend I watched one of the outdoorsmen on OyTube who was out in the rain and you could hear it pattering down on his tent… and it took me back to better days when the family still held and we were all better people for it.

I still have both tarps down in the Reclusium, carefully folded away and stored away with their memories… can’t remember the last time I used them. One of these days I am going to have a yard sale and blow all that junk out.