trying to find a new stuff sack for my rarp... would you suggest a black bishop bag or snakeskins and why?
trying to find a new stuff sack for my rarp... would you suggest a black bishop bag or snakeskins and why?
I prefer snake skins, much easiest to setup in the wind.
I recently got some "speed socks" from JRB and love them. Not exactly bishop sacks, but similar. I have snakeskins from Hennessy too, but over time I stopped using them. I find the long tubes a bit unwieldy in my pack. I still have to wrap up the tubes so I don't find them as helpful in the packing side. In terms of quick up and quick down the skins are nice, but it is only half packed in my opinion because I still have to wrap them and pack them.
Double sided stuff sacks, like the JRB speed sacks are convenient and have some of the same advantages of skins but without the extra steps.
Author and illustrator: The Ultimate Hang: An Illustrated Guide To Hammock Camping
Though I use a normal stuff sack now, I would choose the bishop sack. I liked my snake skins for simplicity of set up and take down, but honestly I think a bishop sack is just as easy. Since snake skins turn the hammock to a tube of fabric, theu take up a fair bit more spaces and stay awkward in your pack. As far as use around camp, I've never felt the need to "put my hammock up", even in high winds, I just throw some gear in the hammock. Also, the last bit of hammock to go in the skin is usually a pain.
As far as the bishop sack, I feel a stuff sack with a hole in the other side is just as useful.
I was using a double opening bag until recently and switched to skins. The skins are way easier to deal with for set-up and take-down. for me, the bag was a little "slippery" to stuff with my tarp which is pretty big (Superfly).
That being said, the tube of tarp is a little goofy to deal with, but I simply fold it over twice and strap it to the outside of my pack. It's first to go up and last to come down, so it works out well and actually gives me more space in the protected inside of my pack.
I had Mountain Goat build some mesh skins with ridge line pockets on the ends. They are super sweet and MG was great to deal with.
I won't go back to the bag for my tarp.
One more thought...
My son keep his HH Scout (with whoopies) and his tarp together in the same set of skins. He has his whole rig up in about a minute.
It takes the rest of the kids in his Scout troop longer to just get all the tent parts out of the bag .
For my tarp I like snake skins/ tarp skins. I always set up my tarp "just in case" above me but still in the skins. If it starts to rain or becomes too windy, I drop the tarp and stake it out: good to go. Packing it is just as easy for me, I fold it in half and then grab about 8" down from the first bend and begin wrapping it around itself. No worries: the tarp ridgeline acts as a tie up device.
For my hammock, I use a Blackbishop bag. It allows for easier packing and since I never put up my hammock while in camp, it's the way to go for me.
HYOH.
I prefer snakeskins for my hammock tarps.
I like to hang my tarp (still in the snakeskins) over my hammock for use if needed. If rain threatens, I merely pull my already hung up tarp out of the skins and push in a few stakes.
Putting the wet tarp back in a snakeskin is very easy and I like how the tarp tieout strings hang loose and fold into the snakeskin without tangles. (I also use a clove hitch knot at the stake end on all my tieout strings so I don't have any loops at the bottom that lead to tangling and birdsnesting.)
Storing a loaded snakeskin is a bit of a pain, but worth it in my view.
HYOH
Happy Trails
" . . . there's no easy trail to Cache Lake, for it is protected by distance, mile after forgotten mile of woods and water, and it is still clean and clear and safe from civilization." John J Rowlands from Cache Lake Country
Nothing is easier than setting up or taking down your tarp than using a snakeskin... I made a snakeskin out of no-seeum mesh material, I then made measurements for the snakeskin in a tight folded up position and made a no see-um bag for the snakeskin package. The combined weight of the no-seeum mesh bags was less than my regular tarp bag. It's easier to package your tarp in your backpack with this setup. It's also a great palce to store your tent stakes too.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/a...ictureid=12841
I also made a bishopbag out of 1.1 ripstock nylon to contain my snakeskin.
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/p...ictureid=12179
Last edited by uncle_ray_ray; 01-15-2012 at 20:34.
I'll let you know which one I prefer after this next trip. I use skins to hold my hammock together but up to now I've just crammed my tarp in a regular stuff sack. My HF buddy Raiffnuke was nice enough to make me a "python skin" which is basically one long snakeskin.
In the past I've rigged my ridgeline first, tossed on the tarp and attached it to the prussics, then staked down the edges. Now I'm planning to leave the tarp attached to the ridgeline and cram the whole deal inside the skin. This will get bundled up and crammed in the shovel pocket of my pack. Sounds good in theory but we'll see how it works out.
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