Ditch your Snakeskins!!

[cmoulder]

Very clever. I'm not a continuous ridgeline dude (hangs head in shame!)

Well you've got me thinking of how to do accomplish the same thing with split ridge lines. Any technique of this sort would require pitching the tarp first to made sure all is set up properly, then unclipping. To me, the CRL certainly makes it easier.

I tried a similar method a few times - using the guy lines (instead of bungee) to wrangle the tarp around the ridgeline. But for me, the snakeskin isn’t about tidiness, it’s about being able to deploy a little bit of the tarp at time in highish winds. Of course every method isn’t for every condition. On a clear night/day, absolutely no rain, no-fly zone for birds, no overhead pine cones reaching terminal velocity - maybe a tarp isn’t needed at all and can be gathered up in a wide variety of ways.

For me, the challenge is stakes. If I figure I won’t need the tarp, but want to be read if I do, then I’d stake it all out to get the distances and lengths of guyline set - then roll the tarp out of the way. But that leaves those “tripping devices” in the ground. I suppose running into them a few times, especially in front of “friends”, would make a person more aware to memorize their location. Or maybe a little dayglow survey tape could be attached to the stake - just as a reminder that it’s there. Bottom line, If I need to put the tarp out quickly, I just want to unroll (un-sheath) it and hook the guylines on their stakes. No finding the right distance/angle (oops. there’s a rock under the soil there) - homework already done.

Another method would be just to unhook one tarp side and flip i over the ridgeline. That opens the front of the hammock and, assuming you don’t trip over them, usually only leaves two stakes in the ground requiring reconnection.

I thought about the stake issue, i.e. using pre-set stakes to make deployment even faster, for which a small rocks could be placed right beside the stakes to remind us they're there, and to help re-locate them... many times the small shepherd hook stakes can be very hard to find.

[chef4]

Well you've got me thinking of how to do accomplish the same thing with split ridge lines. Any technique of this sort would require pitching the tarp first to made sure all is set up properly, then unclipping. To me, the CRL certainly makes it easier.


I thought about the stake issue, i.e. using pre-set stakes to make deployment even faster, for which a small rocks could be placed right beside the stakes to remind us they're there, and to help re-locate them... many times the small shepherd hook stakes can be very hard to find.

I tried this out in my backyard, and I think setup is about equal in time to using my snakeskin, if you factor in deploying the tarp first to set the 4 stakes. I tied a couple of loops of glowire to the free stakes; since rapid redeployment of the tarp is likely only in the dark of night, I’m going to have a headlamp out, easy to see the glowire marked stakes, even with a lot of leaves around. Having half the tarp already staked makes this quick and easy; time to retire my snakeskin for a while, and save some weight. Highly inventive solution, as we expect from cmoulder.

[cmoulder]

Glad it worked for you, chef4!

Here in the NE it is usually a good idea — snakeskins or not — to fully deploy the tarp anyway just to make sure you can get the darn stakes into the ground. Many times I've had to spend several minutes on one stake just to find a crack in the rocks to permit insertion, or give up entirely and use a rock (or pile of rocks) to pin that guy line, or find a bush or log to tie off. It can be very frustrating at times, as I'm sure you experienced in your thru hike.

[stevebo]

Great idea!!!!!!

[Draketake]

Nicely done.

Thanks for sharing.

[cmoulder]

Great idea!!!!!!

Nicely done.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks much, and please post some pics and your impressions if you have a chance to try it.

[Cali]

If you are not worried about weight and like your snakeskins for storing your tarp like I do, I have an idea. The pic shows the tarp from side to side instead of along the ridgeline. Use your snakeskins from stake to ridgeline and up from the other stake to the ridgeline. Leaving out your ends for attaching to the ridgeline. When you arrive on site you can run your ridgeline and then attach the two stakes. When you want to deploy your tarp, drop your snakeskins down and pull the tarp to the other side, hook it up and then stake it out. Just my thoughts. I hope I was clear.

[possum daddy]

If you are not worried about weight and like your snakeskins for storing your tarp like I do, I have an idea. The pic shows the tarp from side to side instead of along the ridgeline. Use your snakeskins from stake to ridgeline and up from the other stake to the ridgeline. Leaving out your ends for attaching to the ridgeline. When you arrive on site you can run your ridgeline and then attach the two stakes. When you want to deploy your tarp, drop your snakeskins down and pull the tarp to the other side, hook it up and then stake it out. Just my thoughts. I hope I was clear.

You are referring to the “possum skin” method, first described in post #10 jk


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[Cali]

I didn't understand post #10 to know what a "possum skin" is. I have been away from the forum for several years. My first day back.

[cmoulder]

If you are not worried about weight and like your snakeskins for storing your tarp like I do, I have an idea. The pic shows the tarp from side to side instead of along the ridgeline. Use your snakeskins from stake to ridgeline and up from the other stake to the ridgeline. Leaving out your ends for attaching to the ridgeline. When you arrive on site you can run your ridgeline and then attach the two stakes. When you want to deploy your tarp, drop your snakeskins down and pull the tarp to the other side, hook it up and then stake it out. Just my thoughts. I hope I was clear.

Yep, people are free to modify and have fun with the idea!

Weight of snakeskins is around 35g, which doesn't bother me nearly as much as the bulk that results from using them. A much smaller "package" results when the tarp is stowed using the zig-zag fold-n-roll method, which also reduces ridge- and guyline tangling.

Also dovetails nicely with the UL concept that nothing always weighs less than something. And it's one less thing.