Wet Weather Hiking question

[Boomer]

Stuff my tarps back into the Snake Skins & go. Hang everything out for a couple of days when I get home.

[jons4real]

Between being out of work and living so close to great trails I usually hike around three weather.

[olddog]

This coming weekend is my first anniversary at hammock hanging and surprisingly I have yet to hang in a rain. What the hell, I live in Florida where it rains all the time. My DIY tarp has been tested under a sprinkler but that never equals what mother nature has to offer. With our short season here in Florida we go when we can, come hell or high water, we hang. Therefore I hopefullly have everything covered. Wet or dry my tarp goes on the outside of my pack.

[nothermark]

Thanks for the great responses! I wonder if it would be worth it to carry an extra waterproof bag to stuff a wet tarp into on those rainy or wet days?

I'd say depends to no. If you try to put a wet tarp inside a waterproof bag inside your pack in the rain then it will get the inside of the pack and anything else in there wet. If you keep your tarp on the outside of your pack you can keep the pack closed while striking the tarp and packing it on the outside of your pack. In that case a waterproof bag hold in the water instead of letting things dry if the rain stops. If the rain keeps up you will not pick up much water while hiking but you will be able to get your tarp up again without opening your pack.

[jameyt]

I am up in the PNW. If you don't hang in the rain you don't hang.

[TomsBackwoods]

For some reason I stopped getting updates to the thread...But thanks again for all the great info guys!

[mophead]

Many have already pointed this out, but I have to cast my lot in favor of tarp on the outside. If its raining its going to be the first thing I want to put up at camp. Why not have quick access to it while leaving everything else in your pack to stay dry?

I will also sometimes carry a rayon-like material towel. These go by names like "ultra-absorbent towel" or "olympic swimming towel" and more popularly known as "the shamwow". Just a dish rag sized piece of this material is nice to wipe down tarps or other stuff that might have gotten wet. The material dries fast.

During the warmest months in WV every day is sunny, then once the temp drops at night so does all the humidity that was hanging in the air. So its a nice mix of sun/rain/sun/rain about every 12 to 8 hours. Its nice to be able to wipe the tarp down and be able to fold it up dry when you get the chance.

[Shewie]

I use a small pack towel to wipe my tarp down, if it's the last morning of a trip I'll just carry it out wet and dry my kit at home.

[NickoftheWoods]

I am up in the PNW. If you don't hang in the rain you don't hang.

I'm going to get 10 days hanging in the rain in the ONP. I have been soaked before but this will be the ultimate test for my gear. If all holds up then I can check off rain prep from my things to do list for my AT 2013 trek.

[FLRider]

Got a MMP-inspired DIY pack now, so everything is on the "outside" of the pack.

The hammock and insulation go into a water-resistant set of oversized snake skins, keeping them dry enough against rain, while the tarp is bundled up with its cordage in Velcro cable ties (tiny, and one of 'em doesn't even measure on my scale). The tarp dries as much as is possible, the tree straps go around the outside of the snakeskins to help hold the bundle together, and everything that's supposed to dry is on the outside of whatever water resistance there is.

I throw a poncho on over the whole mess, and am good to go. It stays as dry as is possible under those conditions, though I don't expect it to dry the whole way.

Back when I was using a regular internal frame pack, the hammock and insulation went into a blackbishop sack, with the tree straps wrapped around the outside of the sack, all inside of a trash compactor bag, at the bottom of the inside of my pack. The tarp got strapped to the outside of the pack, and my poncho went over the whole thing.