If you grew up with a big blue tarp in your family, chances are you had a good childhood. It probably went down underneath the tent to prevent water and bugs from creeping in. It may have hung between a rusty suburban and a blue spruce tree to keep the sun out or shoo the rain away from firewood. It meant summer and adventure.
But looking back, those tarps weren’t too strong. They were riddled with holes and dad fought to get them to stay in place. They’re heavy and bulky.
Recognizing the need for the big blue tarp to come into this century, Matt Nelson brought Dragon Fly Tarps on the scene.
“Matt loves to go whitewater rafting,” said Oded Paz, general manager of Dragon Fly Tarps. “They went rafting once and there was a place where everyone settled down for the evening and there was a huge wind storm. All the tarps were picked up and flew away. The only one that stayed put was the Dragon Fly Tarp.”
The lightweight tarp that Matt engineered was intriguing to the people around him. Matt made one for himself, for his father, a friend, another friend, and soon a business was born. The Dragon Fly Tarp production site outgrew Matt’s basement and moved into a business incubator in Arco and finally to their current site in a former Arco drugstore.
“People are surprised to hear that we’re a small business making our products in a tiny little town that doesn’t even have a traffic light,” said Oded.
Access to the outdoors is important to the six-person staff of Dragon Fly Tarps, and Arco is in the heart of that environment. Surrounding mountains and rivers means the team can test the tarps exactly where their customers will use them, allowing Dragon Fly Tarps to continue improving and diversifying their offerings.
“The tarps are lightweight, durable and very easy to put up,” said Oded. “Our poles, ropes, straps and stakes are superior to anything else on the market. Everything we use is simply better.”
Dragon Fly Tarps are available in four major sizes at a reasonable price. Recently, the company created “dragon wings” that attach to rail systems on vans or Jeeps, and they’re currently working on a wing tent to be used with light aircraft for shade or with a privacy panel to sleep.
“Most of our tarps are used by outdoorsmen,” said Oded. “We allow people to enjoy scenic places and outdoor adventures without having to worry about wind, rain or sun ruining their experience.”
A Dragon Fly Tarp is what’s missing from your raft, your camping gear, your kid’s soccer game or your backyard picnic. It’s the addition you didn’t know you needed.
“We always hear that people have wanted something like this, but didn’t even know it existed,” said Oded. “Now they know!”
Learn more about Dragon Fly Tarps at https://www.dragonflytarps.com.