The Complete Handbook of Tarps
Selection, Installation, Maintenance, and Business Opportunities for Professionals, Businesses, and Serious Enthusiasts
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
The definitive practical guide to tarps: how to choose, use, and maintain them, and how to profit from them.
About this book
Forget the flimsy blue poly tarps that tear in a season. A tarp, when properly selected and maintained, is a high-strength, engineered fabric system capable of withstanding hurricane-force winds, holding thousands of gallons of water, or protecting critical machinery for years. 'The Complete Handbook of Tarps' is an operating manual for this critical asset, stripping away the marketing to focus on measurable specifications and field-tested techniques.
The book begins by explaining the fundamental differences in materials—from poly to vinyl, canvas to mesh—and the construction details like hems, seams, grommet spacing, and reinforcement patches that separate a quality product from a liability. It provides a clear decision-making framework for matching tarp specs to your specific application, whether you're covering a haystack, propping a shelter at a campsite, or building a temporary containment system on a job site. Subsequent chapters cover proper rigging to prevent wind damage, techniques for cutting and seaming custom tarps, and a maintenance schedule to extend the life of your investment.
Finally, this handbook looks beyond a single purchase, exploring the supply chain and the business opportunities available—from retailing and private labeling to repair services and rental fleets. It equips you with the knowledge you need to talk confidently with suppliers, evaluate costs, and identify a niche in the market. This is not a consumer guide; it's a professional resource for anyone who wants to master the tarp.
Reader Reviews
Matthew Perez
★★★★★I've been buying tarps for our family farm for twenty years and honestly thought there wasn't much to know. This book completely changed my mind. The initial breakdown of why a cheap 12 mil tarp is often a lie and how the scrim construction matters as much as the coating thickness has already paid for itself. I've switched the material we use for covering our equipment based on the first chapters. A truly practical, no-nonsense read.
Nicholas Anderson
★★★★★A solid, comprehensive resource. I'm an event planner and I deal with temporary structures all the time, and this is the first time I've seen the principles of load and wind sheeting explained with real numbers and examples. It reads a bit like a textbook in places, which I mean as a compliment, but I wish there were more photographs of the rigging set-ups described. The line drawings are helpful but get a little complex in the knot diagrams. Still, a very good primer.
Joshua Scott
★★★★★This is the book I've been looking for. As someone who runs a mobile car detailing business, I use tarps on almost every job for containment and over-spray protection. The opening chapter's concrete example of a trucker's tarp holding against highway winds versus a bargain tarp shredding instantly just makes sense. The material science is explained in plain English. It gave me the confidence to talk to my supplier and finally specify the right PVC board this handbook describes. An essential reference for my industry.
Karen Adams
★★★★★Finally, someone took the time to write the definitive guide on tarps. I run a small landscaping company, and we go through at least a dozen tarps a year. This book has already stopped me from wasting hundreds of dollars on cheap ones that fall apart. I love that it's not preaching to the choir or trying to push a specific brand. The focus is on hard numbers and practical testing. It's earned a permanent spot in my office, next to the safety manual.
Laura Young
★★★★★I have a lot of respect for the amount of research and technical detail in this book. It covers the manufacturing process and 'why' the materials perform the way they do with an authority you don't find elsewhere. However, I found the pace a little too slow in the beginning. I have a good background in this area, and I felt like I had to wade through a lot of definitions I already knew to get to the new information on rigging systems. It's an excellent reference, but I found myself skipping ahead a lot.
Paul Gonzalez
★★★★★A solid read — recommended.
Barbara Hall
★★★★★A solid read — recommended.