The best camping tarps for 2024: Your ultimate lightweight camping shelter, tested and rated

Labelled confidently as ‘one of the world’s lightest portable shelters’, the Nordisk Voss 5 LW is an ultralight backpacker’s dream – a gram-saving solution for those whose number one priority is weight. It’s a minimalist, ultralight tarp weighing just 180g, or 240g with six removable guy lines and storage sack – although you have to pay a sky-high price for this low weight.

There are numerous attachment points, including four in the corners and four centred on each edge. Each of the tough, 2mm Dyneema guy ropes has a guy line slider and a mini aluminium hook, as well as a fabric loop into which pole tips slide. The 10-denier ripstop nylon (with silicon coating) has a 2,000mm hydrostatic head rating and the tarp’s size is 250 x 200cm, packing down to 20 x 15cm.

Perfect for beginners and budget-conscious campers, the Alpkit Rig 3.5 is an excellent, sensibly-priced tarp. Made from a 30-denier siliconised ripstop nylon, it weighs 300g and measures 240 x 140cm, including 16 reinforced Hypalon rig points – striking an excellent compromise between weight, size, features and performance.

Alpkit say the Rig 3.5 packs down to the “size of your hand” (14 x 10cm), so it won’t take up too much space in your backpack. The 30-denier, PU-coated silicon Cordura fabric is fully taped on the underside to prevent water ingress, while the siliconised coating on the top side reduces water build up. For more space, the Rig 7 is sized 280 x 240cm and suitable for two people.

This simple rectangular tarp (289 x 244cm) weighs 460g, including six ultralight pegs and six guy lines. Spacious for one but big enough for two, you get several attachment points and a 1,200mm-rated, 20-denier ripstop nylon with an Xtreme Shield PU coating, which sheds water superbly.

Pole tips fit securely into metal eyelets at each end, with the tension adjustable via guy lines; four sturdily-reinforced corners peg out using locking tensioner guys; and two further attachment points are available along each side. This ensures poles are stable and the tarp’s structure is taut. You can pair the Thru-Hiker 70 Wing with an optional mesh inner, if desired.

Using the same high-performing flysheet fabric found in its Laser Compact tents, this Terra Nova rectangular tarp provides a “lightweight reliable shelter”, capable of being pitched in “a variety of configurations” to protect you from the elements. You get reinforced eyelets and webbing tapes for a “flexible set-up”.

The Competition Tarp 1 is sized 245 x 148cm and weighs 290g, while a larger version measures 290 x 248cm and weighs 550g. Both are made from Terra Nova’s 20-denier ripstop polyester, with Watershed Si2 – a silicone/silicone-coating designed to ensure a fabric is “as light and as strong as possible”. This has a 3,000mm hydrostatic head waterproof rating.

The award-winning TrailStar has a cult UK following, with fans praising its weatherproofing and amazing wind resistance. The shaped, five-sided tarp weighs 428g (in the 20-denier Pro SilNylon version) and has a 6m2 capacity suitable for two people easily and their gear. Mountain Laurel Designs (MLD) – a small manufacturer based in Virginia in the USA – describes the TrailStar as combining “the high performance of a traditional pyramid shelter with the open multi-function pitching options of a tarp”.

It has five equal low-angle sides, no doors, and no zippers, flaps or vents to wear out or fail, thus increasing all-round reliability. Pitching options are plentiful. A wedge shape – which blocks wind from one or more directions – can be created by staking one or two sides tight to the ground and setting the others higher. For stronger winds, all 10 stakes points can be used to form “an incredibly stable, low, wind shedding, bombproof shelter...able to handle 60 mph winds”, as MLD claim. Seam sealing is available as an additional service.

In actual fact, being sustainable is just one aspect of the this tarp that we like. The Bali-based brand is a World Fair Trade Organization member, and this tarp is both recycled and PFC-free.

At 250cm x 250cm, it creates a generously-sized shelter, whatever way you rig it, and the 20D nylon material is very durable and has a perfectly adequate waterproof rating of 1500mm HH. We also like that it comes with pegs and guy lines. It's ready to go.

Ticket To The Moon is a hammock specialist, and its tarps are designed to be used with them. What this means is that the Lightest Tarp, like the hammocks, needs a tree or post to rig, rather than trekking poles.

This seven-sided wing tarp is made from a tough 75-denier ripstop polyester with a 5,000mm hydrostatic head rating. For improved waterproof performance in poor conditions, the outside of this fabric is siliconised, the inside has a PU coating and all seams are sealed. Weighing 700g and sized 300 x 280 cm, the heptagon shape provides ample room for two and you also get numerous attachment points.

Robens describe it as a “robust, reliable and versatile” shelter than can be “used in numerous ways to provide protection”, with a quick and easy set-up and a unique shape. Packed down, the tarp condenses pretty small to 37 x 9cm.

This well-priced, two-person, shaped tarp weighs 640g and is sized 320 x 190cm. Made from a strong and durable 70-denier, PU-coated ripstop nylon with 1,000mm hydrostatic head, the tarp features in-built cords, waterproof taped seams, double-stitched construction, four aluminium ground stakes and six rig points.

The six-point anchor system requires a simple, no-knots-needed set-up, and you also get LineLoc tensioners and aluminium ridgeline hooks for flexible pitching options. Reflective cords aid night-time visibility too. ENO describe the ProFly Rain tarp as “our jack-of-all-trades for sound protection from the elements”, with a streamlined shape that’s “ideal for weathering sudden downpours”. Packed away, the tarp measures 20.5 x 11.5cm.

Ok, we admit it – it’s not really a tarp in the true sense. But this superb ultralight tent is an example of a new breed of single-skin, trekking pole tents that have similar characteristics to a tarp – such as a low weight and minimalist style – yet provide the enclosed comfort and protection of a traditional tent.

The Zpacks Plex Solo is an iconic tent in the American ultralight thru-hiking scene - the kind of thing gram-counting adventurers will salivate over. Weighing less than 400g, this one-person tent is pitched with a single 132cm trekking pole, creating a spacious and liveable interior (132cm high, 230cm long and 97cm wide) plus a good-sized vestibule. It is made from a super-strong, waterproof Dyneema composite fabric and features a bathtub-style floor.

This spray was developed and tested in Scotland – home of the heinous midge horde. Smidge is our top pick because it's both effective and inoffensive. Insect repellents can have a seriously harsh burn on the nose, eyes, and even on certain gear! Smidge's formula is moisturising, water-resistant, and doesn't produce any nasty stenches – at least not to humans. You'd best believe no bug wants to catch a whiff of this.

Whack this over your face and feel smug as you storm through cloud after cloud of midges and gnats. Lifesystems have developed a rugged and reliably bug-proof head net that can be worn solo or stretched over a hat if you want to look stylish. Tried and true, we can't recommend it more heartily. Just make sure you don't accidentally trap a few little critters in there with you!

Sometimes supplied tarp pegs get pulled from the ground when the weather conditions get really windy or turbulent, or they will bend out of shape over time. You will not need to worry about your tarp discharging from the ground with these superb tent pegs from MSR. They are made from 7000-series aluminium and are 150mm long with a Y shape for easily piercing ground.