Packing up a tarp in the wind

[Amber]

So, I pitched my tarp above my hammock last night, but since then, the wind has gotten…worse. I honestly can’t believe my stakes have held. Now I’m sitting here, dreading the process of packing up.

Anyone have any suggestions on packing up a 11’x8.5’ DCF tarp in 20-30mph winds without it becoming a giant, expensive kite?

[Kevin Babione]

I had a similar experience several years ago in Dolly Sods – It was so windy and rainy that I couldn’t put my hammock up.  I probably could have worked something out, but it was the night before we began our backpacking trip and we were in the Red Creek Campground so I slept in a car that night.

It won’t help you today, but after that trip I switched to using a Dutchware continuous ridgeline and his tarp sleeves (I prefer two 6-foot pieces).  A couple of advantages when putting it away in the wind:

• Your tarp stays attached to your ridgeline the entire time
• You can remove the stakes from part of your tarp and start pulling the sleeve over the tarp from that side
• Then you could remove your remaining stakes and start working on sliding the sleeve over the other side of your tarp
• When you’re all done you’re left with a tube containing your tarp and guylines that won’t catch the wind – At that point it’s pretty easy to disconnect the ridgeline from the trees without worrying about the tarp

With my “old” system I would have had the same stresses you’re now facing.  My only suggestion there is to remove the stakes from the side of the tarp facing the wind and let that half of the tarp meet its other half as the wind blows it.  Then remove the stakes from the other side and you can hopefully manage the tarp that way (depending on how it’s connected to the trees.  If you can get it to the ground perhaps you can use your pack (or other non-sharp object) to help hold it down while you get it back in its stuff sack.

Good luck and let us know what you did.  It will help someone in the future.

[Amber]

Yeah, I am using a continuous ridgeline this time (thought I’d give it another try), but snakeskins are something I’ve been meaning to make and just haven’t gotten to yet. I usually fold and roll, but right now I’m thinking about starting at one corner and working my way around, stuffing as I go. I’ll let everyone know how that works out.

I checked the weather before I left – I checked the precipitation. I checked the temperature. I did not check the wind speed. Here’s a lesson learned.

[Amber]

I made it. I took down the hammock first, so that didn’t also become a sail, and I started at one end, pulling stakes and rolling until I had enough tarp to stuff. The best part? The very moment that I’d finished getting the whole tarp into the sack and was cinching the drawcord, another hiker passed by and said hello. Classic. Lol

[Chris R]

I use a double end stuff sack and leave it attached to the tarp ridge pull out, I cinch one end of the sack up, detach the ridge line from the tree at that end and begin stuffing, working my way toward the other end. Once the tarp is stuffed the ridgeline at the other end is taken off the tree and stuffed on top. Cinch that end of the bag up and then open the other end of the stuff sack and stuff the other end of the ridge.

[Kevin Babione]

Amber – Well done, and we all could have expected the hiker to come by at the last possible minute.  They were going to see one of two possible outcomes:

• You finishing successfully up like taking down your tarp was no big deal, or
• Joining you as you watch your very expensive hammock tarp fly to the top of the biggest tree around while your still-attached guy lines knot themselves around branches, ensuring that you’ll never get it back

[Marcus]

Snake Skins (Tarp Sleeves) are 100% the way to go. Really they’re the only way to manage a tarp in high wind.

This reminds me, if you’re looking for one I have 11′ and 12′ one piece skins in mesh or DCF that I need to sell. PM me if you’re interested and I’ll get you details.

Also I recently got the Simply Light Designs Hammock/Quilt Catch all sack and really like it. Its basically an oversized snake skin for yout hammock, top quilt, under quilt, pillow, suspension, and sleep clothes. Just tie your suspension to the trees, clip on the hammock, pull off the sack, and Pow! your hammock is good to go! Im a fan as it makes pack-up and deploying faster. Plus the SilPoly is waterproof so if you had a catastrophic tarp failure mid-storm you could quickly pull the sleeve over your hammock and do some emergency damage control.

 

[Joshua B]

The very moment that I’d finished getting the whole tarp into the sack and was cinching the drawcord, another hiker passed by and said hello. Classic. Lol

That would have been my suggestion, use the buddy system :)  However, when no buddy is present in high winds, I prefer to tie or loop one of the guylines to my wrist or waist and fold/roll/stuff the item with the wind at my back.

[Amber]

Yep, Kevin, scenario 2 was definitely a possibility for a minute. I’m glad it didn’t happen. So is my wallet.

Snakeskins are definitely on my list, and after this morning, they’ve been bumped to the top. I tried a slug tube for the hammock and quilts, but I just couldn’t deal with the bulk. Maybe it won’t be as big of a deal with the tarp. Sounds like it’ll beat chasing a flying hunk of DCF down a mountain!

[Kevin Babione]

I’d never see a “slug tube” for the hammock and quilts and I thought about it for a bit.  My problem is that I’ll occasionally pull out my hammock to take a break and I don’t want to bother with my quilts when I do that (lunch at a nice overlook for example).

The snakeskins are working well – I have the 2-part and usually don’t bother going the whole way to the center.  It makes a big difference for me in the tangling of cords.  I now have only two lines coming out of the skins – my tarp ridgeline.

[Amber]

That was another issue I had with it – I couldn’t exactly stop for lunch and hang my hammock, without getting the whole works out. It was also a headache and a half to wrangle in and out of my pack. Just not worth the faster setup/takedown time for me.

[Matthew / BPL]

I have a different take on ridgelines. I’m not a fan of the continuous RL. I’d rather have one end still connected to the other tree so I can start to fold while keeping tension against a fixed point. It works with a Bishop Bag as well. YMMV.

[Amber]

I’d started out with a CRL, but I’ve been using a split RL for several months. Yesterday was the first time I’ve tried a CRL in awhile, just to see if it helped more with adjustments (I might just have to add some bling, as I’ve been stubbornly anti-hardware). I think the tarp was much more loose with the CRL than it usually is with a split ridgeline. I usually use a tent stake to hang my pack from the head end of my hammock. By morning, the wind had blown into the tarp enough that I’ve got a nice hole to patch from the abrasion of the DCF against the tent stake. Ugh, that hurt my heart.

It’s very possible that I just didn’t have it taut enough, high enough, etc. The jury’s still out about the ridgeline issue, but I’ll think twice before hanging my pack up like that again.

[Iago Vazquez]

I am a fan of these. Great adjustability.

https://loopalien.com/products/titanium-continuous-ridgeline

 

 

[Amber]

Thanks, Iago. I’ve proven enough that I can go hardware free, but – like snakeskins – some weight can have the advantage of convenience and faster setup. I’m not much of a morning person, so I’m usually setting up camp later in the day. It would be nice to not have to fiddle so much for a change.

[Iago Vazquez]

For me the hardware is the only way in the cold. Unlikely other setups, I have been able to use this one in pretty low temps.

[dirtbag]

Mesh snake skin on my tarp with Dutch stingerz. I can keep it attached easily above my hammock and not have to pitch it when not needed… and if something changes, I can easily slide it open and stake it out. ..

[Amber]

That pic is awesome! I’ve managed to get my base weight with a hammock kit down to between 11 and 12 1/2lbs, depending on conditions, so I’m not too excited about adding things, but if the weight’s worth it for speed and convenience, then I’ll happily carry it. I’ll have to give skins and a bit of hardware a shot. Can’t hurt to try and see!

[Chad S]

I have started to like the one piece snakeskins over the 2 piece, especially on my sil winter hammock tarps where the tarp likes to bulge out in the middle, but I find either style to be helpful in windy conditions. Although the folks who use a tarp for ground sleeping don’t seem to use them, why not? Is it that much easier to work with on the ground?

[dirtbag]

Here is another shot.. different trip..

This was a kayak camping trip down the Delaware River..

The snake skins are minimal weight added for you to carry..for the ease, speed and convenience.. for me personally,  it would be foolish not to use them when hanging.

[Amber]

I love photos like that. I’ve been eyeing those lights that Dutch sells, also. My husband’s more of a car camper, but he likes seeing pics I take on trail of my setup. Luckily, I’ve recently come into an extra 3 yards of noseeum, generously gifted to me from RBTR after an order mistake. Around 2oz for the 3 yards, before the cutting and sewing, so you’re right – the weight should definitely be minimal. So I’m-a gonna get to work on them, and hopefully I’ll have a brand new set of skins before my next outing!

[Amber]

Chad, before I get started on the snakeskins, what do you like better about the one piece? I keep going back and forth, trying to figure out which I should try (or try first). It seems like managing the tarp would be easier with 2 pieces, but I love the simplicity of only having one thing to keep up with. And I can’t speak for ground dwellers, myself, but I occasionally pitch my tarp on the ground at home to dry it out after a wet trip. After I get one corner staked down, I usually don’t have any worries about trying to manage it in the wind. When it’s up in the air and blowing everywhere though? Whole different story! Lol

[Chad S]

I don’t find that one is better than the other in regards to managing the tarp in wind. With the one piece skin I just slide the open end half way down the tarp and stake those 2 tarp corners out and then slide it the rest of the way to stake the last 2 corners. Opposite of that to put it away. It really does the same function as a 2 piece in that regard.
Where it makes a difference for me is on the slippery sil tarps. Where the 2 piece skins meet in the middle it will open up and the tarp tries to snake out of it when I am packing it up. The 1 piece can’t do that.  It’s worth noting that my DCF tarps don’t have that issue, only the sil tarps.

[Amber]

I’ve heard about those issues. From what I’ve read, it seems that most people start with 2 piece skins and end up going to 1 piece, for one reason or another. So for the sake of saving time, I’ll probably start with a 1 piece. Worst case scenario, I end up cutting it in half 😉

[dirtbag]

1 piece here.

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