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  1. #1

    Advice for packing away a big stiff blue construction tarp

    Hey,

    Does anyone have any advice for keeping a blue construction tarp neat and ready to rig?

    For my silnylon tarp, I pull a python skin over it, just stuff everything in while it's still suspended, and then handle the whole skin, tarp, ridgeline bundle like a big fat rope.

    But the blue construction tarp is so stiff that it doesn't go into a python skin readily. Instead, I take it down and fold it and then have bits of ridgeline flipping around. Very messy and inconvenient.

    Unfortunately, this is for hanging on my porch, where my landlord requires new to take everything down when I'm done. So I rig and unrig this thing a lot..

  2. #2
    New Member
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    Not sure what you mean by "bits of ridgeline", but having been in the roofing business for a while, I found that folding a tarp to the width you want, then ROLLING it tightly was far faster to deploy than folding. In the event that rain showed up unannounced, I could tack a corner at the ridge of the house, let the tarp unroll itself down the roof, grab the opposing corner, stretch staling the roof, tack it, then work my way around the tarp. Never folded a tarp again after trying rolling it. I roll all my tarps to this day.

  3. #3
    Senior Member
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    hmm. for your purpose, i'd honestly consider negotiating some "compromise solution". for instance: can you maybe detach one end of the ridgeline, and just loosely fold the tarp courtain style, and stow it in a corner somewhere where it's not in the way/visible? this would likely make everyone happy (including you, as it would take seconds to set it up/take it off)

    on a side note: if you end up rigging and unrigging a lot, it might be a good opportunity to test knots, rigging systems or ideas you're interested in. might make you an expert rigger in no time, why not take advantage?

  4. #4
    Senior Member cmoulder's Avatar
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    When you stuff something into a snakeskin you're basically 'wadding' it along an axis, which creates a lot of wrinkles and countless little pockets of dead air space... which means increased volume.

    This effect is reduced greatly with thin silpoly/silnylon because of their pliability, but even these materials will pack smaller if folded. A stiffer material like DCF takes up more space when skinned vs folded. I've never even considered what might happen with the cheap, heavy tarps but I have no doubt they'd take up a LOT more volume when skinned.

    For my DCF tarps, I do as born2climb suggests and fold them along the ridge line and then roll them from ridge line to hem, which forces out the air as I roll. Very quick and results in a very compact bundle.
    Five Basic Principles of Going Lighter (not me... the great Cam Honan of OZ)
    “If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.” ~ Gen. George S Patton

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