Flatbed Lumber Tarp 24x27, 8 FT Drop — 11oz RipStop

Seventy-six pounds. That is the whole argument for this tarp, and here is what it beats: the 14oz vinyl tarp in the same size weighs 92.6 lbs, and the combination tarp weighs 100.8 lbs. You throw this one twenty-five pounds lighter, every load, for the life of the tarp.

The weight does not come out of the strength. RipStop vinyl is woven in a crosshatch pattern, so when a board corner punches through, the hole stops where it started instead of running the length of the tarp. That is a different kind of toughness than thickness, and on a flatbed it is the kind that matters.

It is vinyl, so you repair it yourself. A patch and a tube of HH-66 cement fixes a tear at a truck stop in twenty minutes, permanently. An airbag tarp saves you five more pounds, but its nylon sides can only be sewn back together, never glued. Five pounds is a bad trade for that.

Lighter also ships cheaper, since carriers price freight by weight. Over a year of tarping, that adds up in both your back and your invoices.