Why does nobody talk about learning astrophotography before auto-guiders were a thing?

I always saw extra tarps as useless until my dad's tent flooded

I used to think packing spare tarps was just adding bulk with no real point. On a recent trip, my dad came along and his old tent leaked during a downpour. We dug out our extra tarp and draped it over his tent to stop the water. That simple move kept him dry and let everyone sleep through the night. If we hadn't brought it, he might have gotten sick or we all would have packed up early. Now I get that having backup gear for family makes trips way less stressful. I always toss in an extra tarp now, no matter what the forecast says.