diff --git a/vcr/patch.py b/vcr/patch.py
index 169d194..83cd01a 100644
--- a/vcr/patch.py
+++ b/vcr/patch.py
@@ -44,14 +44,16 @@ else:
 
 # Try to save the original types for requests
 try:
-    if not cpool:
-        import requests.packages.urllib3.connectionpool as cpool
+    import requests
 except ImportError:  # pragma: no cover
     pass
 else:
-    _VerifiedHTTPSConnection = cpool.VerifiedHTTPSConnection
-    _cpoolHTTPConnection = cpool.HTTPConnection
-    _cpoolHTTPSConnection = cpool.HTTPSConnection
+    if requests.__build__ < 0x021602:
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            "vcrpy >=4.2.2 and requests <2.16.2 are not compatible"
+            "; please upgrade requests (or downgrade vcrpy)"
+        )
+
 
 # Try to save the original types for httplib2
 try:
@@ -407,36 +409,6 @@ def reset_patchers():
     yield mock.patch.object(httplib, "HTTPConnection", _HTTPConnection)
     yield mock.patch.object(httplib, "HTTPSConnection", _HTTPSConnection)
 
-    try:
-        import requests
-
-        if requests.__build__ < 0x021603:
-            # Avoid double unmock if requests 2.16.3
-            # First, this is pointless, requests.packages.urllib3 *IS* urllib3 (see packages.py)
-            # Second, this is unmocking twice the same classes with different namespaces
-            # and is creating weird issues and bugs:
-            # > AssertionError: assert <class 'urllib3.connection.HTTPConnection'>
-            # >   is <class 'requests.packages.urllib3.connection.HTTPConnection'>
-            # This assert should work!!!
-            # Note that this also means that now, requests.packages is never imported
-            # if requests 2.16.3 or greater is used with VCRPy.
-            import requests.packages.urllib3.connectionpool as cpool
-        else:
-            raise ImportError("Skip requests not vendored anymore")
-    except ImportError:  # pragma: no cover
-        pass
-    else:
-        # unpatch requests v1.x
-        yield mock.patch.object(cpool, "VerifiedHTTPSConnection", _VerifiedHTTPSConnection)
-        yield mock.patch.object(cpool, "HTTPConnection", _cpoolHTTPConnection)
-        # unpatch requests v2.x
-        if hasattr(cpool.HTTPConnectionPool, "ConnectionCls"):
-            yield mock.patch.object(cpool.HTTPConnectionPool, "ConnectionCls", _cpoolHTTPConnection)
-            yield mock.patch.object(cpool.HTTPSConnectionPool, "ConnectionCls", _cpoolHTTPSConnection)
-
-        if hasattr(cpool, "HTTPSConnection"):
-            yield mock.patch.object(cpool, "HTTPSConnection", _cpoolHTTPSConnection)
-
     try:
         import urllib3.connectionpool as cpool
     except ImportError:  # pragma: no cover
diff --git a/vcr/stubs/requests_stubs.py b/vcr/stubs/requests_stubs.py
index e547b81..eb70f1a 100644
--- a/vcr/stubs/requests_stubs.py
+++ b/vcr/stubs/requests_stubs.py
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 """Stubs for requests"""
 
-try:
-    from urllib3.connectionpool import HTTPConnection, VerifiedHTTPSConnection
-except ImportError:
-    from requests.packages.urllib3.connectionpool import HTTPConnection, VerifiedHTTPSConnection
+from urllib3.connectionpool import HTTPConnection, VerifiedHTTPSConnection
 
 from ..stubs import VCRHTTPConnection, VCRHTTPSConnection