Stainless Steel Zip Ties
Steel ties for outdoor work where UV kills plastic ones, and the tensioning tool that pulls them tight and shears the tail flush.
Fold a Tarp in Half Twice With One Pull — Grab the Grommets and the Center
Bring the two middle-edge grommets together, then reach down, grab the center of the tarp, and pull back — the tarp lands folded in half twice, square and flat, ready for quick folding the rest of the way.
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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
- Find the middle grommet on one long edge and the middle grommet on the opposite edge.
- Bring the two together in one hand. The tarp is now hanging folded in half.
- Reach down, grab the center of the hanging tarp, and pull back away from it.
- Lay it down: the tarp is folded in half twice — quartered — square, flat, and air-free in one motion.
- 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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