Fold a Tarp in Half Twice With One Pull — Grab the Grommets and the Center

The Problem

Folding a tarp the intuitive way — corner to corner, walking back and forth, fighting the air trapped under it — takes two people or one annoyed one. Most of that walking is unnecessary.

The Technique

  1. Find the middle grommet on one long edge and the middle grommet on the opposite edge.
  2. Bring the two together in one hand. The tarp is now hanging folded in half.
  3. Reach down, grab the center of the hanging tarp, and pull back away from it.
  4. Lay it down: the tarp is folded in half twice — quartered — square, flat, and air-free in one motion.
  5. From there it's a few quick folds to storage size.
Pro tip: The center-grab works because the tarp folds itself around your hand along its own natural creases — the same move scales from a paint drop cloth to a big camp tarp, and it works alone in wind that would make the walk-and-flatten method comedy.

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