snake skin and ridge line

[ccrowhurst]

If using a continuous ridgeline for a tarp, do you put the ridgeline inside your snakeskins or keep it outside?
Keeping it inside seems to keep it organized and less likely to tangle.
Thanks

[TominMN]

Inside if you're going to it leave attached to the fly.

I don't like any lines hanging off my fly, so I keep the fly ridgeline separate and store it with my guylines and stakes. One benefit, IMO, is being able to gather up the fly easily. I also like attaching the skinned fly to a pre-strung ridgeline. But there are plenty of folks that leave it all attached. Of course, you still have to deal with the ends.

BTW, where in MN?

[cmoulder]

If using a continuous ridgeline for a tarp, do you put the ridgeline inside your snakeskins or keep it outside?
Keeping it inside seems to keep it organized and less likely to tangle.
Thanks

Inside is the norm.

However since you're into the UL thing I'll mention that there are some alternative methods that provide quick deployment without snakeskin and a smaller package for the tarp. HF thread here.

What it looks like...

No_Snakeskin_Dutch_Tarp_Bonded_SMALL_02.jpg

[TominMN]

Skinless!

[ccrowhurst]

Inside is the norm.

However since you're into the UL thing I'll mention that there are some alternative methods that provide quick deployment without snakeskin and a smaller package for the tarp. HF thread here.

Thanks for sharing this. it is interesting. I am using 30g netting snake skins. What's the weight of your shock cord + stuff sack?

[OlTrailDog]

My CF tarp is attached prussic style to a ridge line so that I can adjust it to and fro over the hammock. This is stuffed inside a full length CF snake skin for storage, when the weather doesn't warrant deploying, and etc. It makes stowing the tarp and cords easy and compact for backpacking. This all goes in an exterior mesh pocket on the rear of my backpack.

[cmoulder]

Thanks for sharing this. it is interesting. I am using 30g netting snake skins. What's the weight of your shock cord + stuff sack?

The shock cord / stuff sack is about 15g or so, but the real advantage is in the decreased volume which, in turn, permits a lower volume pack. An extension of UL strategy for reducing overall weight.

I tried the skins early on but did not find the bulk acceptable when hiking with smaller packs.

And, to be frank, I just didn't need them because I am not the stargazer type anyway, since I'm typically snoozing within 5 minutes of hitting the hammock, and I sleep better with the tarp fully deployed if there's even a tiny chance of precip. Just last night, I was camping with a 2% chance of precip in the forecast and — guess what? — I got some light rain for about 20 minutes. I was using a tiny asym tarp and it was perfect.

Skins and no skins... I know which one I like better.

Tarap_in_snakeskin_SMALL.jpg 20220929_105922.jpg

[ccrowhurst]

My CF tarp is attached prussic style to a ridge line so that I can adjust it to and fro over the hammock. This is stuffed inside a full length CF snake skin for storage, when the weather doesn't warrant deploying, and etc. It makes stowing the tarp and cords easy and compact for backpacking. This all goes in an exterior mesh pocket on the rear of my backpack.

Where did you get the CF snake skins from ? mine are mesh, interested in the weight difference.

[cougarmeat]

ccrowhurst - think on this ... though the tarp has many uses - sun/bird protection, privacy (not so much with a CF tarp), and such, its usual raison d'etre is to keep you dry in the rain. That means the tarp gets wet instead of you. And in that case, when you put it in the snakeskin, the interior of the snake skin gets wet too. And at some point, you'll want to dry out the tarp and snakeskin before you put them away. My experience is a mesh snakeskin dries faster than a tube (nylon, poly, CF) with a wet interior.

I don't know about a CF skin, but I had to turn my HH skin inside out so that it would dry while I was drying the tarp. That's when I switched to mesh.

I don't use the skin to keep the tarp corralled while star gazing. I use it because twice I have had to put up a tarp in a strong wind and it was less than pleasant. With a skin, you can expose the tarp to the wind a little at a time and guy it out as you go. And, in such a windy environment, you may decide to change your location/orientation. It's much easier to slide the skin back on, relocate, and reset, than taking down an 11 ft or larger spinnaker.

Those are my reasons for having a snakeskin rather than not, and for using mesh rather than a solid tube of any fabric.

And slide the skin over both the tarp and ridgeline (kept attached to the tarp).

[ccrowhurst]

My experience is a mesh snakeskin dries faster than a tube (nylon, poly, CF) with a wet interior.

You sold me at this.