Storing silnylon

[natureboy68]

How are you guys storing your tarps in between trips? Loosely packed, hung up, rolled, folded...etc...does the coating break down when stored packed too long??

[Zilla]

For me, as long as it is clean and dry then rolled up in its skin is just fine .

[Jtupnsmoke]

I keep my super fly stuffed in the stuff sack. It'll stay that way for a few months sometime and always smooths out after hanging it up.

[Pioneer]

I keep mine compressed in mesh snake skins and the tarp has been fine so far as long as it's dry when I store it.

[pgibson]

As long as you put it away dry and preferably clean....wipe it down with a damp cloth if you get dirt on it....then your just fine to store in in the stuff sack. No the coatings on sil do not break down from being packed.

[skinnerback]

In the snakeskins...

[silentorpheus]

I have a CRL strung up the length of my garage. When I get home from a trip, I hang my tarp in the garage, unroll it from the snake skins, and let it dry/air out for a few days (as much as it can inside the garage). Then I roll it back up nice and neat, pull the snake skins back on, and hand the tarp from a peg on the wall until next time.

[OCDave]

I store my tarps...always with a little sadness, a touch of regret that the are relegated to the gear closet, and a longing to get them back to the woods where they belong.

[lckeeper1]

I know I'm a bit late to the thread, but I actually have the same question. I usually store my tarps (WB Superfly and Edge) in their snakeskins and stuff sacks, always clean and dry. However, my last two trips when I've strung up the tarp and gone to take it out of the snakeskins, the tarps stick to each other something fierce. I live in an apartment, so I'm not able to hang the tarps to dry, but I do spread them out across the balcony where they fully dry.

I don't think there is any damage to the coating (not gummy, no smell, etc) because I was in some pretty heavy rain and the tarp kept me quite dry, but I was wondering if there is a better way to do this. Would some talc powder ease the sticking, or am I doing something that I can improve upon? Thanks!

[IRONFISH45]

I wonder if you might be getting some pitch or sap on your tarp. I have a piece of chammy I wipe down my tarp with before I break camp. When the expedition is over, I hang my tarp to be sure it is dry, put it back in its sack.

BE AWARE, talc can cause a mess. If you use talk I suggest you find something that does not smell like baby, unless you just love "baby smell". Talc has some very fine particles which can cause breathing problems in some people.

I wonder if you have a bit of excess silicone on your tarp, that would cause it to be a bit sticky. I know there are threads on sticky DIY silicon treatments.