I been rained on a lot while hiking this summer (been a wet year here in the midwest) and I've been toying with my rain gear/shelter set up. I got a poncho tarp that I like pretty well. It fits over me and my pack and keeps my upper body dry. Now so far I haven't used it for shelter on the trail. That's because for the summer I've been using a hammock and the poncho is not quite big enough to cover a hammock. This fall and winter I may do more ground camping though so I may try it for shelter in connection with a bivy.

My question is what to do with the guylines for a poncho-tarp. For my other tarps I just keep the guy lines tied to the tarp all the time (and carefully wrapped up to avoid tangling) so when I go to set it up it's ready to go. But with a poncho-tarp I will sometimes be hiking while wearing it. Obviously I don't want my guy lines trailing behind me while I hike. What do poncho-tarp users do? I can imagine keeping the guy lines separate from the tarp and taking them out when I need them. But that involves a lot of tying/untying everytime you set up or take down. Or I can imagine keeping the guylines on the poncho all the time but tied up in a bundle at the tie-out points.

Anyone want to weigh in on the best strategy?

Heber