Tarp Re-packing

[poorboystooge]

... I've tried snake skins, stuff sacks, Black Bishop bags. Found them all to be more time and little benefit. Good luck.

I've had a similar experience. I started with mesh snake skins for my Superfly and then tried a cuben fiber snake skin from Hammock Gear when I got my cuben fiber standard. Now I don't use either of them.

I've found it's easier to just roll the tarp up and use a couple soft shackles to keep it together. Then I fold the long rolled up tarp in halves until I can stuff it on the outside of my pack. No issues with wind, easy to deploy, packs fast, and saves weight.

[goobie]

I've had ones from Hennessy, Mountain Goat and Wilderness Logics, and they are all tapered. The snake skins from these vendors are all two piece. On each piece, the hole on one end is greatly smaller than the other, and it must go over the tarp.

Why must it go over the tarp?? Mine stop at the RL tie out, as I believe they are designed to do. WL's are just long enough to pull one wide end of the skin over the other in the middle of an 11' tarp.

[Flounder]

Why must it go over the tarp?? Mine stop at the RL tie out, as I believe they are designed to do. WL's are just long enough to pull one wide end of the skin over the other in the middle of an 11' tarp.

In the photo below, the half of the snake skin in the red circle is narrower than the end of the snake skin that is at the center of the tarp. The narrower part of the snake skin makes it harder to slide over the tarp. I don't know how else I can explain this.

[goobie]

Yes it is, and with skins of the proper length there's no need for that to slide over the tarp. That's my point, skins are supposed to cover all of the tarp. Looks like 11' skins on a 12' tarp to me....

[Flounder]

Yes it is, and with skins of the proper length there's no need for that to slide over the tarp. That's my point, skins are supposed to cover all of the tarp. Looks like 11' skins on a 12' tarp to me....

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Each time I have bought the properly sized skins to my tarp, and each time, they are a pain in the arse, which is why I no longer use tapered skins.

[goobie]

Fair enough. That's why there are a few different styles.

I only asked because the trouble I've had with my DIY skins is when the small end isn't small enough and they pull onto my tarp, same as in your picture.

[LuvmyBonnet]

Yep! Contact Kat at Mountian Goat gear. She can make your snake skins. Ask her to make pockets at the end to store your ridge line. No charge for the pockets. She does great work and is really fast. I just got skins from her for my 13ft Winter Dream.

[LuvmyBonnet]

they are a pain in the arse, which is why I no longer use tapered skins.

I'd have to agree with goobie. You sure there isn't something wrong with your skins because they are easy-peasy! I wouldn't own a tarp without snake skins.

[jabraso]

You can also use 6-8 elastic hair ties spaced out along your tarp. They're cheap to buy or if you live within 5 square miles of a female you can probably find enough under your own couch.

[Flounder]

I'd have to agree with goobie. You sure there isn't something wrong with your skins because they are easy-peasy! I wouldn't own a tarp without snake skins.

I think it has to do with the way I "furl" my tarp. When I roll my tarp up in preparation for sliding the snake skins over, I don't take the end and roll it toward the center, which causes a big bubble of tarp material in the center of the tarp. See Shug's video below at the 10 minute mark for what I am talking about. What I mean by this is...I think when most people roll their tarp up, the corner tie outs end up being rolled up more towards the center of the tarp whereas I take the corner tie outs (the end of the tarp) and roll it straight up towards the ridgeline so that the tarp is evenly rolled up and to avoid that "bubble" of tarp material at the center, which I also find a pain in the arse. What this means is.....on the tapered portion of the snake skin...other people have less tarp material that is rolled up in that area compared to how I do it....uniformly. Does that make sense?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKW4SqJWgto