Dropped $85 on a "fort kit" from a fancy site, and my couch cushions did a better job
So last month I got suckered by an Instagram ad for a $85 blanket fort kit that promised a "magical reading nook in 5 minutes." It came with these flimsy plastic clips and a tiny tarp that couldn't hold a sheet over two chairs without collapsing every time my cat walked by. I ended up using the clips to hang holiday lights in my garage instead. Save your money and just raid your linen closet plus a few binder clips from your junk drawer. Has anyone else bought one of those overpriced kits and felt completely ripped off?
Just raid your linen closet plus a few binder clips" is close but not quite right, because binder clips alone will chew up your sheets and slip off the chair backs. The trick that actually holds is the cheap spring clamps from the hardware store, the ones with the wide rubber jaws, because they grip the fabric without tearing it and they clamp onto almost any chair or shelf edge. Binder clips are fine for thin stuff like a light blanket, but a real sheet pulls them right off in my experience. The $85 kits fail for the same reason, those tiny plastic clips just can't hold any real weight. So yes, skip the kit, but grab a bag of spring clamps for a few bucks and your fort will actually survive the cat.