I love a good summer picnic, but until now I’ve been underwhelmed by picnic blankets and tarps. The problem is that many picnic blankets are generally useless if there is any moisture on the ground, and if they get muddy it’s a bit of a process to get them clean. On the other hand, tarps are not terribly comfortable, and they tend to be visually underwhelming.
Tarpestry (tarp + tapestry) fills the gap in a wonderful way: by integrating aesthetically pleasing and interesting art and patterns into a tarp that is comfortable to sit on but which also provides great water resistance.
Earlier this year, I was trying out my Tarpestry and ended up caught in the rain. Three of us draped it over our shoulders and it was just as effective as a tarp – we were well protected from the water. Eventually, we hung up one of the ends on a tree using the tough integrated grommets, which worked well.
Tarpestry is also durable. I have the rugged edition, and wow does it live up to its name! I recently went through a major move and ended up using Tarpestry as a mat to cover the floor of my minivan. It fit well, was substantial enough that it didn’t slide around, and even after twenty-some loads, it was in great shape. It surprised me how well it stood up – no signs of wear even with heavy furniture, brush, and the trash being dragged across it. The heavy-duty edging is also reassuring.
When dirty, Tarpestry is easy to clean: spray it off with a hose and let it dry like a regular tarp. It’s comfortable to sit on, and we enjoyed lounging on it in the sun and shade. Despite being a fairly heavy material, it isn’t too awkward to move around.
I think the only thing that didn’t wow me about Tarpestry was that, like a picnic blanket or a tarp, it’s one more kind of awkward thing to have in the back of the car. A couple of times mine got wadded up in the Overall, though, it was totally worth it: good-looking, fun, and functional.