New person question: Fly in the snake skins or seperate

[mraw12]

I am watching a bunch of YouTube Videos, they seem event divided between people who wrap up the fly in the snake skins and people who have it separate.

I can see the advantage of keeping it together - in inclement weather, it is all together and still keeps the hammock dry if you are starting fresh. My assumption is that if you are on a multi-day trip, keeping it seperate would keep it smelling fresh.

Any other pros/cons?

[SilvrSurfr]

My assumption is that if you are on a multi-day trip, keeping it seperate would keep it smelling fresh.

I don't think that assumption is correct. A wet rolled-up tarp without snakeskins is going to be as wet as a wet, rolled-up tarp in snakeskins. And personally, I don't think either one will stink because you're deploying the tarp every day on a multi-day trip. Then again, there are some who think that mesh snakeskins somehow help a rolled-up tarp dry out better, even though you're only talking about four or five inches of tarp that might be better exposed to the elements with mesh. So yeah, mesh helps dry out five more inches of tarp than you would get using silnylon, silpoly, or cuben fiber snakeskins. That doesn't do much to sell me on mesh snakeskins!

When I first started, I didn't see the need for snakeskins and just used three pieces of velcro around the tarp. Let me tell you, that's a royal pain in the butt! You roll up the tarp, reach for your velcro, drop it, and the tarp unrolls. Start all over again. And rolling up a tarp in the wind without snakeskins? What a pain - that alone makes snakeskins worth it!

[j-Fish]

I never separate my tarp from the snake skin. If you are on a multi day trip it will air out every day when you put it up.

I do however always air out my tarp for a day or two after a trip before I store it long term.

To me removing the snake skin from the tarp every time you take it down takes away some of the convenience of having the skin.


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[SilvrSurfr]

I am watching a bunch of YouTube Videos, they seem event divided between people who wrap up the fly in the snake skins and people who have it separate.

Maybe I misunderstood. Are you saying there are videos of people removing the snakeskins from the ridgeline? I can't imagine why.

[TxAggie]

Are you asking about having your tarp in the same skin as your Hammock? If so, I think only those that Put the tarp on the same suspension as the Hammock, like Hennessy Hammocks, put both in the same skin.
I use skins for my tarp separate from my hammock. My Hammock I put in a stuff sack or I use a lazy slug and just keep my quilts inside my hammock and stuff straight into my backpack.

I now consider a single skin an absolute must simply because of how quickly they make deploying a tarp in the wind and also they greatly speed up takedown.

As others have mentioned, a wet tarp in multi-day hikes: it doesn’t matter if they’re skinned or not. If they’re rollup up even in an outside pocket on your pack, they ain’t drying out much until you redeploy them in dry weather.

Good luck!

[Vryce]

I use a Typhon Hex fly on my hammock and I always keep it in the snakeskins when it's packed up. It's a tight fit but it makes for an easier setup and take down than if the fly was on a seperate ridgeline. In the end it's a matter of personal preference, but if you don't keep it together you'll have to have a seperate storage solution for the fly.