At a festival, you may want to sit down on something other than dirt so you pack a blanket. Or you may need some shade from the sun in your campsite so you pack a tarp. This week, we were lucky enough to test out a piece of gear that does both with the the Epic Tarpestry! Started by a pair of seasoned festival fans and made in the USA, Tarpestry takes functional festival gear like tarps and picnic blankets and transforms them into decorative art. Let’s take a tour of our latest favorite festival gear:
Epic Tarpestry By the Numbers
Size: 7.5′ x 4.5′
Weight: 4 lbs
Base: Water Repellent & UV Resistant Polyester
Upper Material: Poplin
Price: $197
It’s Beautiful: Our blanket was a print called Sunshine Daydream by Phil Lewis and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Bold, bright colors highlight a trippy geometric design and is a perfect match for that music festival vibe. You’ll find even more hand-picked works of art in the Epic Tarpestry Collection.
Portability: Our Tarpestry was just under seven and half feet and four and half feet wide with a weight of four pounds. For travel, I was able to to consistently fold it to about to 14′ x 12′ x 4′ and have already brought it along on a boat trip, lakeside picnic, and weekend getaway. Especially with water activities, it’s a no-brainer to drop this into the bag as water just rolls right off it.
A packed Tarpestry in comparison to up and coming dog model, Sugar.
Built For Festivals: As someone who constantly ruins the perfect festival feast by knocking over a bottle of beer and completely soaking the blanket, I was looking forward most to the water-resistant fabric of the Tarpestry. And like clockwork, I almost immediately managed to spill a drink which just rolled off the fabric and was dry in seconds. It doesn’t soak up moisture! The Tarpestry also solved the issue of damp blankets from dewy grass. Our Tarpestry also came with a Velcro corner pocket that’s so low-key, I didn’t notice it for three days. It’s not very large, but perfect for stashing small items.
The Clean Dream: Unlike your typical picnic blanket, the Tarpestry is beyond easy to clean. Simply shake it off – we found it fairly resistant to dirt. If you pull a full festival mud camping weekend, all it needs is a hose and spot clean difficult spots with a small bit of soap.
It’s Still a Tarp! While I mainly tested out the Tarpestry as a blanket, it does have 4 grommets in each corner, perfect for stringing up in a campground if you need a sun, rain, or wind shade. Even better, when you are ordering there an option for six, eight, or even 10 grommet rings.
Charlie doing his his best impression of the fox in the design.
The Final Verdict: While some festies might balk at the price tag, we are loving the Epic Tarpestry and have been using it constantly all summer. The combination of blanket combined with super durable fabric and an eye-catching design gives a unique twist to this festival mainstay.