Re-asking a well-worn question - mesh sleeve for dyneema tarp, yay or nay?

[CVKealey]

There are a number of historic posts/threads on this topic, but most are at least a couple/few years old. What's the current sentiment on using sleeves/snakeskins with dyneema tarps?

Last fall, I splurged and got a 12' rectangle tarp in one of Dutch's sales. All my previous tarps have been sil-nylon, sil-poly or some other less exotic material. On all of those, I love the convenience of HG mesh sleeves to make setup and takedown very easy.

I know that "best practice" for dyneema is to roll/fold rather than stuff, so storing one in a sleeve would mean rolling from the bottom edge up (which kind of limits the takedown benefits a bit). I've also watched CMoulder's "Z-fold" video a few times, but have not tried that technique myself.

So, for those of you with dyneema tarps, how many are using sleeves/skins? How does using one impact the longevity of the material? I paid quite a bit of money for this tarp, so I want it to last.

[iceman857]

I'm using a 12' HG DCF standard tarp with doors and use a Dutchware tarp sleeve. I basically roll the tarp to get it in the sleeve, then roll the two together by folding in half first, then start rolling from the fold out toward the tarp ends. Hope that makes sense.

The tarp will wear, but pretty evenly. I've used the tarp for ~3.5 years with no issues from that perspective.

[Twistytee]

I’ve sold my Dyneema tarps, but I’ve used both methods while I owned them. I found CMoulders method fold method the most convenient and packable. I used Lawson glowire on the tie-outs and they easily tucked within the folds without tangling. And while I could slip the snake skins over the DCF tarps, I found it bulkier to place in my pack this way. Also, the Dyneema doesn’t fly all over in the wind the way silpoly or nylon do so I didn’t really see the benefit of the skins aside from leaving it “non-deployed” above my hammock on clear nights. Bob has some videos about replicating quick deployment too without skins.

[FinneganMcBrisket]

I use a mesh snake skin for my DCF tarp and I like the setup. The rolling up is fast and my corner guy lines can roll up inside the tarp w/o getting tangled. I even run my CRL through the snake skin and this is pretty convenient as it speeds up setup and take down. I also like this setup because my tarp can be in the snake skin and ready to deploy quickly if it starts to rain. I also don't have to try to roll up a wet tarp by holding it, I just leave it attached to the CRL and roll up from each corner. Only my hands are getting wet. I would not want to go without snake skins anymore.

[cougarmeat]

My use and choice of skins (nylon or mesh) has nothing to do with the tarp material. I use a skin because twice I was unsuccessful in putting up a tarp in the wind (maybe that should be WIND). Now, with the skin allowing me to expose a little bit of the tarp at a time, it's easy-peasy. Also, it's easier than a stuff sack for packing the tarp away. I use mesh because once I had to skin a wet tarp, and when I got home to dry things out, I saw how long it took for my nylon Hennessy skin to dry out (separate from the tarp). I switched to mesh because the mesh dries so much faster than the nylon skin.

I understand the DCF tarps can be bulkier than Silpoly or SilNylon. Perhaps a Bliss SunShield would work. It's cut a little bigger for use with a tarp, or hammock, or maybe both.

[joe_guilbeau]

There is a lot of "it depends" involved. Kayak camping on rivers and extended trips (120-miles or more) offer varying degrees of take-down and deployment options.

A half frozen/half wet tarp might offer less headaches if stuffed into a drybag.

Hiking or paddling will result in differing options. Mesh is nice if on long trips/high winds/and stormy or freezing conditions.

Just too many variables to choose from. I opt for mesh rather than nylon due to windy sand born aerial deposits, nylon is not my cup-o-tea in those conditions, dyneema would fare better in these conditions.

Kayak camping might have me using a stuff sack for ease of deploying or ease of packing.

I would venture that a sleeve of DCF with a DCF tarp would be optimal for the obvious benefits of lightweight, lubricity, and techni-cool.

Just offering some of these observations to illustrate that it really does "just depends".