How to Make a Tent Out of a Tarp in 3 Steps?

Making a tent out of a tarp can be an inexpensive and easy way to stay dry while camping or hiking. If you are going to any outdoor activities and consider living in a tent, you may be looking for the simplest way to make your tent.

In this regard, tarp tent makes the best sense as it requires less effort and is perfect for staying safe from rain, dust, and wind. The best part about setting up a tarp tent is that it doesnt require any expensive materials. All it takes a few easy to find items and a little effort to set up the tarp tent.

In this article, we will go through the different types of tarp tents and how easily you can build one for your purpose. 

Let’s jump into the discussion below:

Different Types of Tarp Tents You Can Make

You can make a tarp tent in different styles and shapes to suit different purposes. Depending on the type of activities, you can choose to make any of the following types of tarp tent:

• A frame tarp tent
• Basic fly line roof
• Basic lean-to
• Bivibag cornet
• Body bag
• Ground tarp sheet
• Envelop
• Hammock diamond tarp
• Ridge line lean to
• Square arch
• Etc

Note that some methods may make it very difficult to assemble the tent, while some techniques are easy and effortless. Depending on the conditions, you’ll need to decide what kind of tent you want, but it’s a good idea to know multiple types.

Materials You Will Need to Make a Tarp Tent

To make a tent out of tarp, the main thing you will need is a tarp. The other essential materials you will need to build the tarp tent are:

• Pole
• Rope
• Tent stakes or spikes
• Tarp

These are the basic materials you will need to make a tarp tent. According to the type of tent, you need to decide how many poles, ropes, and stakes you will need.

Additionally, you may need some other materials for making the tarp tent. We will show the easiest method of building a tent out of tarp in the following section.

Three Simple Steps to Make a Tent Out of Tarp

For your convenience, we are showing the easiest way to build an  A-frame tarp tent. Unlike other tarp tents, an A-frame tarp tent is easy to build, and you don’t need to put so much hassle into building one.

Once you have gathered all the necessary materials, you can instantly build an A-frame tent.

Here are three steps to build an A-frame tarp tent.

Step – 1

First, find a free space to build your tarp tent. It is best to find a place where two trees are parallel if you are camping outside. It will make the job easier as you won’t need to stick poles to establish the tarp tent.

In case you don’t find a place like this, don’t worry, you can use poles instead of trees. Making an A-frame tent will require you to use two poles in the same line.

Once you find a perfect place to build your tarp tent, you should stick the poles. Tie a rope as ridge line between the poles, and you are half done with the A-frame tent.

Step – 2

When you tie the ridge line, the next thing you will need to do is laying the tarp on the ridge line. This will make a shape like A and create the tent’s structure. The next thing you will need to do is make the structure durable and weather resistant.

Step – 3

To make the tent withstand rain and wind, you need to post stakes in each corner. Stakes are essential materials for making a tent. You will need multiple stakes to make your tent structure more sturdy and durable. When done, you can see the tent has been built.

Final Words

Finally, making a tent out of tarp is absolutely easier if you know how to do that. As you can see there are different ways to build a tarp tent, the above discussion will help you know the easiest way to build one for your purpose.

Whether you want to build a tarp tent indoor or outdoor, A-frame tarp tent will be the best option if you looking for a quick and effective method.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions to help you learn more about building a personal tent.

Can you make a tent out of a tarp?

Yes, you can easily make a tent out of a tarp using materials like poles, stakes, and ropes with tarps.

How do you make a tarp like a tent?

To make a tarp like a tent, you need to consider a tarp tent structure first. Think about the type of tarp tent you want to build, and then follow expert guidelines to understand how to build one. You can follow our blog and the process of preparing an A-frame tent.

How do you make a homemade tent?

Making a tent at home is similar to building one outdoors. You can use the same techniques but may require different supplies as the tent is for indoor use. For instance, you need to use poles designed to build a tent at home. The other materials you will need, such as ropes, canvas, or tarps, are all readily available in the market. Now, prepare the space and build the tent as you want.

How big should a tarp be for a tent?

A tarp for a tent should be at least the same size or slightly larger than the floor area of the tent. To determine the tarp size for your tent, consider if you want to build a single tent or larger one if you want to build a tent for many people. For single purpose, you can consider 6×8 feet for the floor and 9×12 feet tarps for the shelter.​