Going for the single piece 13 ft'er from SimplyLightDesigns.
PS: No 13 ft snakes were harmed in the process of this thread.
Going for the single piece 13 ft'er from SimplyLightDesigns.
PS: No 13 ft snakes were harmed in the process of this thread.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
A 13 foot snake would be more likely to hurt you...
Snake skins are one of the simplest DIY projects to get started on. Get some no-seeum netting, borrow a sewing machine and make one up. It will be you DIY gateway drug LOL.
>It will be you DIY gateway drug LOL
Actually I thought that was Amsteel. In fact, I'm thinking LFS Marine had to turn the list of those who bought their 600 ft spool into the DEA.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
Walhalla (Facebook) makes a really nice one if you ask. Just ordered a second one
~~~NJHEART2HEART Dawn~~~
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Sam, your first post - welcome to the forum.
We, in Bend, are JUST coming off winter (roads to the high lakes were plowed a few days ago - lakes are still snowed in) here so most of my gear is still stashed away in storage tubs in the garage. I sleep outside at night but under a cover so I don't use a tarp at home.
I think my last skins were from SLD (Simply Light Designs). You can ask for what you want - length and single or double. I don't recall a standard vs wide option but if it's available, the tarp is probably large in a long way, not a thickness way. That said, wider would probably slide on easier, especially if it needs to be pulled 13 feet.
I have some skins with pockets and don't use them. I prefer to keep my stakes - with pointy ends - away from the tarp. I used to keep my guylines attached to the tarp but it's just as easy, without the tangle issues, to have a ziploc bag-o-guylines I can take with any tarp - as long as I don't forget to bring it.
If a skin is tapered I still have to "anchor" the end of it so it doesn't pull down the tarp as I'm pulling it on. If I relied on the taper to keep it from sliding, that's unnecessarily stressing it.
The question mark issue is single or double. That depends on the day of the week you ask me. I go back and forth. In theory, the single seems simpler - just one piece. And with a double, initially, you can end up with this bubble/bulge of material in the middle. But in practice, it seems easier to side two shorter skins on rather than pull one long one on. And after a few times, you learn to roll and squeeze the tarp material as you slide the skin so you don't end up with a bulge in the middle. It's a very short-term learning experience.
If you want to play with an oversized skin for not much money, you can buy a Bliss SunShield from Amazon. It's just under $20. Its purpose is to skin up an outdoor hammock when not in use - a sacrificial UV absorber. Because it will swallow a hammock, it will easily swallow a tarp instead - probably both the tarp and hammock together (but you wouldn't want to do that if the tarp were wet).
"But cougarmeat - that Bliss shield is just short of $20 and I need $25 for free shipping." So you can buy Derek Hansen's "Illustrated Hammock Basics" book for $7.95. That will kick the total sale over $25 so you'll get free shipping. In other words, your total, Bliss Sun Shield + Shipping, will be about the same but you'll also have Derek's book with the cute pirates teaching you about hammocks.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
I've got one from Simply light design, but it is a two piece. I wonder "why" a one piece? It seems to me that the two piece is much easier to take appart and deploy the tarp if the rains come, than a one piece. Am I missing some point?
Pavel, count your steps. With the two-piece you are walking from one end to the middle, then you are walking to the other end and back to the middle. Then you may be fiddling with the middle because you developed a bulge of material there. Or the overlap of the two shorter skins isn't very much so they slide back a little in travel. And, if you don't anchor both ends to the tarp/continuous line you may have to pull them back if they start to slide down the tarp as you are pulling it center.
Those issues - if they occur - go away with a single skin (you still may have to anchor just one end). But you are right. If it's a 13 ft tarp, it is probably easier to pull two 7 ft-ish, skins to the center.
Or you could just fold it.
Reading the post after mine, I'll add this about mesh vs solid material like nylon or Dyneema. The drying issue is about the skin, not the tarp. The mesh will hardly make a difference with the tarp drying time - you'll still need to hang it out to dry and air out.
The Mesh makes a difference in the drying time of the skin. With a solid material skin, the interior will be wet from the wet tarp. You'll want that dry before storing it away for the next trip. You can mess around with turning the skin inside out, but the mesh isn't as fussy. That said, a nylon skin would probably protect the tarp just a teensy bit more, and it wouldn't snag as easily on something as mesh can do. So you see - no right answer; Just "... take your pick."
Last edited by cougarmeat; 05-27-2023 at 15:18.
In order to see what few have seen, you must go where few have gone. And DO what few have done.
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