How do you store your tarp?

[smashdn]

I just folded mine over a couple of times then rolled it up, I used the excess guy lines that I didn't stow away to tie it once it was wrapped up.

That is what I do with mine. I have the same tarp by-the-way.

Might I make a suggestion to ditch the black guylines and find some reflective ones if you havn't already done so. Tripping over guylines at night is no fun.

[Boothill]

Mine are all in stuff sacks with a label tag on the drawstring to tell me what is what. Stuff sacks are then put into the "tarp dresser".

this is my goal in life......get enough tarps to have a tarp dresser

boot

[Law Dawg (ret)]

DRY is the real key, it doesn't hurt a tarp to stuff it. In fact, folding it may create stress points if it is folded exactly the same way each time.

Seems I recall a debate about the subject on stuffing (shudder) tents. The consensus was that the folds are more random when using a stuff method and should make the material last longer. I just had some no-seeum tarp tubes made and that will be the storage method though.

[Rowan65]

Might I make a suggestion to ditch the black guylines and find some reflective ones if you havn't already done so. Tripping over guylines at night is no fun.

Yeah, they suck, and they knot wayyyy to easily.

[jayo]

This takes a couple more minutes but works for me:

First I unstake the tarp. After pulling each stake, I wipe it off and pocket it. Then I roll up the guylines (6' reflective cord) into tiny little hanks tied off so they stay. Once all four cords are hanked, I untie one side of the ridgeline off its tree, wind the cord up into a hank, which I immediately start rolling into the tarp. I roll the tarp up under tension (very easy since the other side is still tied), occasionally folding the sides in as needed so that I end up with a nice compact cylinder with all guylines neatly inside when I'm done. I hold this cylinder with one hand, undo the last quick-release knot with the other, and wrap that final ridge line around and around the tarp to hold everything together. The final wrap goes under the previous wraps so it stays. Then I go and put both the tarp and the stakes away.

I re-pitch the tarp (without stakes) at home to dry, then refold in the same manner for long term storage.

[SwampSloth]

Mine are all in stuff sacks with a label tag on the drawstring to tell me what is what. Stuff sacks are then put into the "tarp dresser".

'tarp dresser'...now thats fancy!!

[Cannibal]

this is my goal in life......get enough tarps to have a tarp dresser

boot

'tarp dresser'...now thats fancy!!

Don't be hatin.

Spring cleaning is kicking my butt this year and something had to be done in the gear room. I could never find what I was looking for quickly, so I started hitting thrift shops for organizational tools. I actually found a Dutch Biner in less than 30 seconds Friday.

It really is a nice way to store stuff. Get a cheapo 5 drawer (or whatever) dresser from a thrift shop and you can organize gear by type in each drawer. I used to hang my tarps over a series of bars. After noticing there didn't seem to be any difference (in wear) between tarps 'hung' and tarps 'stuffed', the stuffed option became a no-brainer. Slap on some of those labels with a string attached and selecting the tarp/tarps for the weekend became soooooo easy.

Since I missed the other part of the OP's question, I leave my tarp unpacked in the outer mesh pocket on the back of my pack when on the trail. That way, I can access the tarp quickly and without opening my pack. I don't use a stuff sack for my tarp in my pack because it creates a large bulge that makes fitting stuff in a tight pack troublesome. By just stuffing it into the mesh pocket, I let it fill in the nooks and crannies and spread out nicely. It also allows some of the moisture from the night before to evaporate...but not much.

When it comes to my tarps, the stuff sacks are used simply for storage and organization. Works for me.