A reversible blue and orange all-purpose tarp for covering, hauling and protecting work in progress. At 8 mil it belongs in the light duty tier, which is the right tier for jobs that come and go rather than a cover left out for years. The two sides do different work: blue is the neutral face for anything you would rather not draw attention to, orange is the one you turn out when the cover needs to be seen from across a site or a driveway.
What it is for
Building work and DIY projects
Covers a half-finished deck, a stack of timber, bags of cement or an open trench between working days. Turn the orange face up on anything people might walk into after dark, and weigh the edges down rather than relying on the grommets alone when the tarp is lying flat.
Painting and interior jobs
The coated surface wipes clean, so it works as a drop cloth under painting, sanding or plastering. Tape the edges to the skirting so nothing creeps underneath, and lay it blue side up if you want to see where the splashes are landing.
Boats, trailers and vehicles off season
Covers a dinghy, a quad, a trailer bed or a motorbike through the months it sits unused. Build in a slope with a batten or a pole so the middle cannot fill, and pad any sharp fitting the fabric rests against, since abrasion at a hard point is what ends most tarps at this weight.
Moving and storage
Wraps furniture in a van, protects boxes in a garage or shed, and covers a load in a pickup bed. Tie the leading edge down hard before you drive: air getting under the front is what turns a covered load into a flapping one.
Hauling and ground protection
Drag brush, mulch, soil or leaves across a yard, or lay it down to protect a lawn or a driveway during a delivery. Every one of these jobs is abrasive and will wear out a tarp regardless of what you spend, which is exactly why light duty is the sensible tier here.
Temporary shelter and events
Light enough to rig overhead as a rain cover for a stall, a picnic table or a workspace. Run a ridge line through the centre so water runs off both sides, and pull the corners out and down rather than straight out, or the middle will sag and hold a pool.
Pools, sandpits and open containers
Keeps leaves and rain out of a paddling pool, a sandpit, a water butt or an open trailer over the winter. Bring the fabric well past the rim on all sides and secure it below the lip so wind cannot lift a corner.
Material and finish
The fabric
Two components make up the tarp: a woven polyethylene mesh that carries the load, and a laminated coating over both faces that seals it. The weave is where the strength comes from, and the ratio of strength to weight is the whole argument for this tier. At 3.84 oz per square yard you can throw it over a trailer on your own and fold it into a car boot afterwards. That is honest weight for 8 mil, and a well-coated light tarp will see off a thicker one with a thin coating.
Waterproof and UV-treated
Nothing passes through the material, so this is waterproof rather than water resistant. Rain beads and runs off, and the only way water gets past is by standing in a pocket long enough to find a grommet. Give it a slope and it will shed everything. UV treatment slows the surface damage that leaves an untreated tarp chalky and cracking by the end of one sunny summer.
Heat-sealed edges and rustproof grommets
Edges are heat-sealed instead of sewn. There are no needle holes along the hem, so water has no perforated line to track through, and there is no thread that can rot or come undone under tension. The grommets are set into that sealed hem in rustproof metal, so a wet winter will not seize them or leave rust streaks down the fabric.
Reinforced fabric, edges and grommets
Reinforced fabric, edges and grommets
