Packing Your Tarp

[lab72]

Snakeskin for me keeps it all ready for rapid deployment

 

[Ch@rlie]

I use hair bands, my teenage daughters donated them to the cause, I was using the type with metal tab in to complete the loop in the hair band, then realised they "could" rip the tarp, Now I have the type without the metal tab. To use, release all your guy lines, have the hair bands (3 each end on the ridge line) open with your hands slide along the tarp while still attached to ridgeline and leave where you feel it needs gathering. They work just like snake skins, except there is 6 used in total (thats what I use any how). Then feed into stuff sack.
heres a pic of it to try and show the effect in use during packing away process, sorry its poor quality.

 

[Trunks]

Trunks is this the same skins used on dd hammocks?

No mine are Hennessy Hammocks ones i bought from Tamarak, the blurb on the HH site is here:

http://hennessyhammock.com/catalog/products/snakeskins-xl/

They come in two sizes, but only one seems to be on the site.

As for being waterproof - yes & no! The material is and it will keep most of the water off your gear, but there are holes at either end & middle, so it will obviously seep out somewhere.

The snakeskins are great at getting the are out of the rolled tarp & compressing it - I then pack it into a small dry bag

 

[sandbender]

"...3. stuffing it into its bag.

I currently use meathod 3, as my thoguhts are folding it in the same place would wear out the areas where the material is folded but stuffing it in the bag makes it random/overall wear on the tarp..."

Option 3, almost.

Rather than stuff it into its bag, I stuff it into a binliner or rubble bag that sits at the top of my packs main compartment, into that binliner also goes a small stuff sack containing my cordage and my tentpags which are kept in a modified plastic drinks bottle to prevent damage to the tarp.

This arrangement keeps the rest of my pack dry if the tarp is wet and makes best use of the available space in my pack. The guylines are hooked to the tarp during setup using very small and light carabiners.

My tarp is a Hilleberg UL 10.

 

[charleslockerbie]

I roll my tarp to the ridge line, and secure it with 3 lengths of paracord onto the ridge line, then stuff it into the stuff sack. DD 3x3.

 

[drewdunnrespect]

I am the same as bilmo cos true north won't fit in five litre dry bag with out folding

 

[The Big Lebowski]

#3...

It helps to stop wearing and ultimatley fracturing the coating by folding it in the same place all the time... By all accounts.

And, I'm lazy!

The creases come out in half an hour, and it looks all 'man ironed' shorthly after.

al.

 

[Scipio]

I use method number two and then put it into a lovely little tarp bag purchased from Kit Monster. Using number two means that the excess ridge line acts as a great wrap around cord to keep it neat and tidy.

 

[Nonsuch]

Fold it then stick it in a small Exped dry bag as it is invariably wet here in sunny Scotland and I don't want it wetting the rest of my stuff.

 

[Loenja]

#2 then #3 just sort of happens naturally

 

[Harvestman]

Are your skins water proof Trunks? Really like that idea,

My wife made me some snakeskins out of a pair of old waterproof trousers. Even kept the pocket on it.

 

[Tank]

cheers for all your responces. think the only thing i will change is getting a dry bag to stuff my tarp into, had to pack my tarp away last weekend in the rain and will save me having to dry extra bits out that i dont need to get wet.

may also play with the snake skin idea. so do people just roll up the tarp while on the ridgeline and then slip over the snake skin?

 

[lab72]

Snakeskins run on the outside of it all well worth getting

 

[Partickpebbles]

If I have time I prefer Taking it down and folding it properly. I find if I am in a rush Method 2 of folding it on the ridgeline works pretty well.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

think the only thing i will change is getting a dry bag to stuff my tarp into

The Alpkit Airlok-Xtra's (when in stock) are cheap/hard wearing. I use a 5 litre for a 3x3 with plenty of room to spare.

Regards, al.

 

[Stringmaker]

I was shown the Uncle Ray method on a Woodlore course, and have never used a tarp since 'cos I don't own one.

Until just now that is when I ordered a DD camo 3x3....

Folding and wrapping seemed a good tidy method to me. I might revise that next month when I shall be bivvying out for the first time since then.

 

[Highbinder]

Fold it then stick it in a small Exped dry bag as it is invariably wet here in sunny Scotland and I don't want it wetting the rest of my stuff.

Similar to me, remove it from the ridgeline and stuff it into the xxs exped dry bag

 

[shaggystu]

i use a khatmandu trekking tarp (1.8X2.4m IIRC) and just stuff it randomly into its stuff sack, i've got another stuff sack with lots of paracord for ridge/guy lines etc. i tie the two stuff sacks to each other and shove them into a space somewhere near the top of my rucksack, they fit nicely into the most awkward of spaces. they're not completely waterproof but they're just about the only thing in my rucksack that isn't so i don't worry at all about my tarp wetting any of my other kit.

all that said, whenever i've lent a tarp out to anyone else they've always done a lovely job of folding and rolling the tarp up and i'm always really surprised by how small it can be packed up

stuart

 

[pango]

I usually do a bit of one and some of the other, meaning that I both fold and roll. I don't see a prob with stuffing into a sack other than Biker's observation.

The greatest influence in degrading a synthetic tarp is probably exposure to UV radiation which causes the fabric and coating to take on that crinkled appearance.
The only way of preventing that is to go out only in lousy weather... if that's what turns yer crank!

Off with my hammock and tarp for a couple of nights midweek to a bonnie -and forgotten- wee Fife den that contained a main road when General Roy conducted his Military Survey in 1747. The fact that it was once a main road is probably the reason for it being unmolested since the course of the road changed to higher ground about 200 years ago.
It's a place with a good feel to it, cool, crystal water and more firewood than ye can shake a stick at...


Cheers.

 

[subedarmajor]

I'm with Uncle Ray.

Cheers, Alan.