Here at Mytee Products, we know the importance of flatbed truck tarps. We strive each day to provide the strongest, most durable, and most reliable tarps to our customers because we know they need to keep their cargo protected from the elements. We decided to do a tarp test to see how our tarps fare against water. Will the water soak through the tarp or will our tarps pass this crucial test? Let’s find out.
Truck Tarp Water Resistance Test at Mytee Products
We decided to compare our canvas tarps, parachute tarps, and heavy-duty vinyl tarps. We cut a small square of each tarp and used our Mytee Products rubber bands to secure them over a clear glass beaker. This allowed us to see exactly how much water passes through the tarp and into our collection beaker. We poured the same amount of water on top of each and commenced the tarp test.
What Happened Next?
Instantly, the water on each tarp formed a puddle. No water breached any of the three tarps after the first few minutes. We expected it to take some time for the water to soak through any of the tarps so we stepped away for 2 hours.
What We Saw After 2 Hours
We came back to our experiment after 2 hours to find that the water was still puddled on top of each tarp. Taking a look inside each beaker, we found that no water had soaked through any of the tarps, and thus no water had accumulated in any of the beakers. We postulated that it would take several hours for any water to soak through so we closed up shop and left the experiment in progress overnight.
Results Measured After 18 Hours
We came into the Mytee Products facilities and found a shocking result for our tarp test. Even after 18 hours, puddles of water remained on each tarp. We poured away the excess and removed the tarps from their respective beakers. To our surprise, there wasn’t any water collected in the beakers. Thus, no water passed through any of our three tarps after 18 hours of exposure.
What’s It All Mean?
Now that our experiment has concluded, what information can we gleam? Obviously, each tarp successfully combated water from passing through. These results speak to the immense quality and durability of our flatbed truck tarps. Each one is a great option for protecting your cargo from the elements.
However, in full transparency, this was not a completely scientific test. Obviously, in the real world, a tarp can be exposed to substantially larger amounts of rain than we could test within our facilities. Constant rainfall and the speed of rain falling will play a factor in soaking through the tarp. Additionally, each tarp will develop wear and tear over time, which also weakens the structural integrity of its threading. The stitching on tarps will also create tiny pin holes which water can soak through, we used pieces of tarp with no stitching or D-Ring so this was not a factor in our test.
In this experiment, each tarp withstood water from soaking through, but in the real world, certain tarps are objectively better for repelling liquids. The canvas tarp is the least water resistant of the three. As the test shows, it can repel water and keep cargo dry, but the inherent nature of canvas is that it is susceptible to large amounts of water. It is a great, lightweight option for flatbeds, but it is not the greatest option for water protection.
Our Parachute material tarp is second best at repelling water. The parachute material is lighter and easier to work with than heavy vinyl. However, on top, we still line the tarp with heavy-duty vinyl for water protection.
Lastly, our heavy-duty vinyl tarps are the king of tarps when it comes to protecting your cargo from rain or snow. It is thick enough to withstand large amounts of water over extended periods of time. If you need complete assurance that your cargo will stay completely dry for the duration of your travel.
Conclusion
In conclusion, every tarp Mytee Products sells is strong, durable, and a great option for protecting your cargo from the elements. Our at-home test showed a puddle of water did not penetrate any style of tarp for 18 hours. However, the material that forms each tarp has inherent qualities that make it better or worse for repelling substantial amounts of water over time. Canvas is the least water resistant, followed by our parachute material, and our heavy-duty vinyl is the tarp to choose from if you need complete water protection.
Check out this video to have a quick idea of how the tarp test has been conducted and what result we got.
