A proper tarp (as in woven cotton) will fray but just get a lighter or a blowtorch and seal the loose ends off and it'll be ok. the threads that the tarp is made out of will shrink as it gets wet and close up meaning that while it'll get damp water won't actually soak through it.Phil wrote:when you say buy some groundsheet, do you just mean tarp?Selous wrote:rcently talking to a mate he was after buying a footprint I told him to just buy some groundsheet & cut to size, as only for groundsheet protection.
i ask as i was going to buy a big piece of tarp and cut it to make a footprint for my Phad x3. but.....
what happens when you cut tarp? does it fray?
to me tarp is tarpso is there a special type i should buy? (dont want it too bulky)
Decades ago mountaineers used cotton jackets over the top of insulating layers because the shrinkage kept rain out but they didn't actually shrink so much that water vapour (sweat) couldn't escape through it.
