Please comment on my tarp and ridgeline-setup

[Dinger-B2Z]

K, so I'm curious if anyone has tried this method or has any reasons why I shouldn't do this.
I know I'm overthinking this but I'm trying to find the best/most efficient setup.

This is my setup:
When I want my tarp ready to deploy just in case, I don't want baggy snakeskins blocking my view of the night sky. I keep my tarp in a stuffsack at one end of the ridgeline with the attachment points sticking out of the bag, then if I need to deploy I pull the stuffsack away, and slide the tarp out (attached to ridgeline via prusik knots) and center it over the hammock.
I'm thinking maybe sliding the tarp out every time I deploy it and sliding it together when I pack it will cause some major tear on the ridgeline, but I do love only having a near invisible cord hanging over me and not baggy snakeskins.
Also I'm unsure if the stuffsack will bounce around like a speedbag in windy conditions and cause any significant wear on the ridgeline or the tarp.

Thanks for any and all replies.

[cougarmeat]

Dinger-B2Z, looks like you are new (2 posts) to the forum - Welcome.

You will learn the benefit of those baggy (?) snakeskins the first time you try to set your tarp up in high wind. I completely understand your desire for a clear sky view and it seems simple enough to pull the tarp out of the bag and attach it to the tree as necessary. But if you expose the whole tarp to the wind, it will become a big sail. It’s fun; you should try it someday

The problem I’m working on is the guy lines. If I want to keep the tarp in skins (or stuff sack) but be able to deploy it quickly, I’d set it up strung between trees and guyed first. Then I’d undo the guylines and put the tarp - properly positioned on the it’s suspension line) back it it’s stuff sack or snake skin. Problem is - I’ve got those guyline stakes in the ground ready to catch an errant foot or toe. I suppose I could put day-glo survey tape on the stakes to minimize the possibility of “an encounter”.

But I can’t remember the last time rain snuck up on me. It was either already raining when I set up camp or because of checking the weather ahead of time, I was prepared for it to show up later on.

At night, I want the tarp anyway because the moonlight can get pretty bright. And other things fall from the sky besides rain. Just Say’n.

[Dinger-B2Z]

Thanks for the reply.

The ridgeline is in my case already tied up between the trees, so the main concern I have is friction of the prusik sliding back and forth every time I rig it, and the bag bouncing in the wind when it's not deployed.

You make a good point about the wind, whether it cones out of snakeskins or a bag, the second the wind gets a hold of it it can be a pain getting it staked out propper.

Your solution is interesting. Would you keep the guy lines on the tarp or on the stakes? My stakes are always deep in the ground

[cougarmeat]

I have found an interesting magnetic property, though I haven’t yet filed paperwork for a research grant. I have found, when there is a line on the ground, especially in the 1.75mm - 2.5mm (guyline) range, and I’m wearing flipflop sandals, that line is ALWAYS attracted to my toes/sandals. Usually I have the lines on the hammock or in a separate bag-o-guylines. For fast deployment, I’d think they should be on the hammock. They don’t tangle in a snakeskin. I’m still working out my "guylines attached to tarp are not" dilemma. May take a few years to settle on something.

[Shug]

Hello and welcome.
There are also several tarp pitches to see sky yet still have some protection.
Shug

[LowTech]

Here's something that I've done w/ my UQ, and the same could be done w/ a tarp if set up right.
Since your tarp is on prussics you could make one of the loops long enough to slide your skin onto, or both of them if you have a two piece. Then instead of having the ridgeline inside the skin w/ the tarp just put the skin on the tarp. Now there is room to slide the skin off the tarp when in use. While the tarp is in the skin you can slide the prussic all the way to the other end and the tarp will hang in a big U at one end.
You can also just unhook it from one end while in the skin and instead of sliding it just hook it at the other end w/ a mini binner or such.

[oldbiker]

Sounds like a good plan. I'm with Low Tech on not sliding the prusset & having both on one side. Just unclip one side & bag it @ other end. Leave that one hooked. You can the the cord from your stuff sack to your ridgeline for extra security if needed. I like your idea.

[nanok]

definitely no need to slide the prusiks.

one alternative to using a mini binner is to use something like this inline soft shackle i was playing with, and ditch the prusik in the process too, and use the blake hitch instead (which is a lot less jammy), see last pic at the start of this thread: https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...(uni-shackle-)

of course, you could also use a number of other soft shackle solutions, but whichever way you prefer (soft or hard binner/shackle), i'd definitely make the tarp easily detachable from the ridgeline somehow, for your stated purpose. once you do that, you can chose if you want snake skins or stuff sack, both solutions will work just as well, as you'd park the tarp at one end anyway. as cougarmeat pointed out, snakeskins have some advantages, it's true they are a little bit bulkier and heavier than a stuff sack, but marginally so, and those who use them appreciate the ease of use in high winds, and the speed and ease of setup and take down, as opposed to fidling with a stuff sack.

[Dinger-B2Z]

Some great replies. Hope I'll be forgiven for not replying individually, but much food for thought and ideas to try out.

To add, the legendary shug replying to my post. Might he the first time in my life I've been starstruck.