Tarps under the tent vs. inside the footprint: which side are you on?

I used to ALWAYS put a tarp UNDER the tent, like my dad taught me. Then last year in Shenandoah it rained for 36 hours straight and water pooled between the tarp and the tent floor. Everything got soaked. My buddy swears by putting the tarp INSIDE the tent under the footprint instead. Says it stops the pooling issue and adds a layer of puncture protection. I tried it on a 4 day trip in the Smokies and honestly, no leaks. But it feels weird to me, like I'm doing it backwards. So who's right here? Anyone else make the switch or stick with the old way?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_rose22d agoTop Commenter

Wait, you mean people actually put the tarp between the tent and the rain? Because I did that for years too, until my tent turned into a wading pool in a downpour in Maine. The inside tarp thing sounds backwards, but honestly, it makes way more sense once you see the water just slide off the footprint instead of sitting there like a puddle. I made the switch last season and haven't looked back, the floor also feels a bit more padded on rocky ground. My dad still gives me grief about it, but he also uses a tarp from 1987 with duct tape holding the corners together. So yeah, I'm firmly on team inside now, and I'm never dealing with that soggy sandwich of doom again.

kai_park21d ago

@soggy sandwich of doom, that's exactly what @the_rose nailed, tarp inside is the only way to go.