Best practices of a DCF tarp and guylines in a snake skin?

[chef4]

I prefer to keep guy- and ridge lines attached and store everything together in one stuff sack, including the stakes. This way, the shelter system is a complete unit and it is almost impossible to forget anything, either at home or at camp. I've been backpacking with and storing DCF tents, tarps and other items for a long time with no abrasion issues. Of course the stuff sacks show some minor abrasion, but that's their job. I don't use bling but I wouldn't worry at all about it causing abrasion while stored in a stuff sack.

As Rolloff alluded to, here's my method for stowing my tarps. Makes take-down quick and easy, virtually eliminates tangling of cordage, and the finished bundle is compact.

And while I happen to be a dedicated minimalist, per chef4 there really isn't a 'wrong' way to do things. With practice and repetition even the most complicated setup becomes easy once muscle memory kicks in.

You’ve definitely got a bulletproof system, and your point is well-taken about keeping everything together. I agree there’s a huge advantage to not varying from what works for you, particularly on long trips. In addition to 5 or 6 stakes I found numerous orphan tree straps still attached to trees on the AT, and I was fortunate to be able to reunite one set with a young section hiker near Fontana dam. I used a hammock sock from SLD and the best part was it had an attached pocket for straps, so they were always in the same place. Another thing you do that l like is having a core set of knots and minimizing hardware, hence less to pack or lose.

[cmoulder]

You’ve definitely got a bulletproof system, and your point is well-taken about keeping everything together. I agree there’s a huge advantage to not varying from what works for you, particularly on long trips. In addition to 5 or 6 stakes I found numerous orphan tree straps still attached to trees on the AT, and I was fortunate to be able to reunite one set with a young section hiker near Fontana dam. I used a hammock sock from SLD and the best part was it had an attached pocket for straps, so they were always in the same place. Another thing you do that l like is having a core set of knots and minimizing hardware, hence less to pack or lose.

Thanks chef4. Means a lot coming from you after all the knowledge and experience you've gained in your trail journeys.

Reminds me of my packing mantra, "a place for every thing, and every thing in its place"

Very cool that you were able to reunite a hiker with his/her gear! Over the years I've collected quite a few stakes, although none I'd use in my kit. One time in the Catskills I found one of those Swiss knives with about 30 different implements that I was able to return to its owner at Diamond Notch Falls. I once reunited a young hiker with his iPhone in Harriman, after a Korean hiking group found the phone at Fingerboard shelter while I was inspecting the water source down the hill. They thought it was mine and were gesturing for me to come get it, but I knew it wasn't mine so I took my sweet time climbing back up the hill, then realized when I got there it probably belonged to a young guy with a blue pack who I had seen up there about 20 minutes earlier. It had one of those little stick-on sleeves which contained all sorts of important documents like DL, CC and student ID (he was a MD intern!) etc, etc and I knew it would be super-inconvenient for him to lose it, so I ran like a banshee for about 3 miles and finally caught up to him. He hadn't yet discovered it was missing and was very grateful.

[cougarmeat]

3 miles out - that’s 3 mile back, six total added to your day.

[cmoulder]

3 miles out - that’s 3 mile back, six total added to your day.

Haha, I did look at it as sort of a bonus... a very high quality aerobic session!

Fortunately, it was a scouting trip for a group so I just decided to change my route, which was easy to do since Harriman SP is a virtual rabbit warren of trails in many areas of the park.