Thoughts on snake skins.

[Cypher]

So I made a set of DIY snake skins from some material scraps I had that are a PVC coated nylon I think. They work great and when I had my Sportsman's warehouse tarp it seemed good enough but now with my new tarp I am wondering if I should remake them out of a more breathable material?

I guess I am worried about my tarp not drying out if I leave it in the skins.

Thoughts?

[raiffnuke]

If you like your skins, I wouldn't bother. Even in mesh skins the tarp's ability to dry is limited. The Tarp is either rolled up or scrunched in the skins, and in either case, there are too many layers of fabric with moisture trapped where air can't get to it, to dry. In my experience, a wet tarp packed away stays wet until you hang it to dry.

If my tarp gets wet, and it is not raining when I pack it for the next day, I use my pack towel to dry it as best I can before I pack it. Besides having a much drier tarp, I don't have to carry the weight of the water on the tarp...and you would be suprised how much water can collect in all of those little drops on a tarp!

[Cypher]

Thanks raiffnuke. I do like these skins so I guess I will hold onto them. Also think I will try that pack towel trick.

[raiffnuke]

So far, this is the best pack towel I have found. You don't need to dry it, just wring as much water out as you can and store. Although I repackaged it into a large freezer bag instead of the hard tube.