Re: Govt. tarps for temporary storage?

Storage of equipment is always a problem. For what it's worth our experience at Strasburg has been as follows. Tarps don't work. In a low humidity area they might do better but provision for adequate ventilation is a must unless you want to create a terrarium. Pole barns must be sealed to bird entry or be constructed in a manner to prevent any roosting areas above equipment. I don't know what some birds eat but after running through their systems the resultant concoction is murder on paint. We have found that the method of construction and the treatment of cross-grain joints on wooden equipment is critical. Our humidity varies widely from winter to summer and the wood moves alot. Most damage occurs in joint areas that allow moisture to penetrate the skin through capillary action. Paint is always a problem as the manufacturers continually change formulas to meet safety standards. We use a marine paint - Interlux - on all equipment. It is expensive but we are finding that we can get 6 year maintenance cycles with very little deterioration. We hope to be able to turn equipment regularly in the future which will add 1-2 years to the cycle.
For cars that are to be stored for longer periods while awaiting restoration or repair a cocoon of plywood and asphalt roofing has proven highly successful and is relatively easy to ventilate in a predictable fashion.