Tent footprint worth it?

[Taylor]

I am making last minute preparations for my SOBO hike starting in July.

I am using a Big Agnes Fly Creek tent. Is purchasing the additional footprint for $70 worth it? It weighs 5oz, alternatively I was hoping to just buy a knock of tyvek type material from a hardware store and cut it slightly smaller than my tent. I was wondering if this would work just as well to preserve the bottom of the tent and help with protection from water or if the specialized footprint is really worth the money.

Thanks!

[Lone Wolf]

no. i've tented hundreds on nights on the AT. never used a footprint, ground cloth, etc.

[garlic08]

Neither. The maker of my Tarptent actually has a FAQ about this and they don't recommend a ground cloth at all. I have not used one for my last 10,000 miles of hiking, over 7000 with the same tent, and that tent's floor was pristine when I retired it with guy line problems.

[Taylor]

Thank you both for the help.

The footprint that goes with the tent is advertised as helping keep the tent dry. However, the tent itself is waterproof so I would assume that should work well enough.

Additionally, I'm assuming the added extra layer would be minimal in increasing overall warmth during cool months?

[pauly_j]

Do you use an air mattress? Putting a pin-prick hole in a tent floor isn't the end of the world. Putting a pin-prick hole in your air mattress can be.

[Singto]

Carry an inexpensive ($5) and lightweight (1.5 oz) Polycro ground cloth. Survey your tent site before pitching and maybe don't use it any of the time. Options are important.

[colorado_rob]

Yeah, I've never used a footprint and never had any problems, thousands of miles of backpacking, 100's of nights. If you must use one (for some reason), go with that polycro Singto mentioned, cut to size (make sure it doesn't stick out from under the tent which would collect water coming off the fly!); half the weight of Tyvek, a two-pack on Gossamer Gear goes for 10 bucks.

http://gossamergear.com/polycryo-gro...th-medium.html

[Tipi Walter]

Do you use an air mattress? Putting a pin-prick hole in a tent floor isn't the end of the world. Putting a pin-prick hole in your air mattress can be.

Exactly. We just had a discussion of this here---
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...-a-Groundcloth

[Taylor]

Thanks for the advice everyone, it is much appreciated... and so is saving the $70!

I am using a closed-cell foam sleeping pad (at least to start off), so no danger of it puncturing.

I will look into the polycro and see if it is worth the added weight, thank you for the suggestion and link.

[Slo-go'en]

I wouldn't spend $70 on a foot print, but personally I always use a Tyvek ground sheet. It keeps the bottom of the tent clean and by keeping the bottom clean it keeps the rest of the tent clean when you stuff it into it's sack. It also prevents wet ground from seeping through the floor of the tent.

The ground sheet also has other uses. You can use it in shelters which some times have dirty or drafty floors. You can use it to hide under during a thunderstorm. You can use it like a picnic blanket on wet grass while taking a break. Folded up you can use it as a sitting pad.

[bigcranky]

$70 and 5 oz on a sheet of coated nylon is kind of ridiculous. I've used the same polycro groundsheet from Gossamer Gear for more than 5 years. It weighs about an ounce and a half and was cheap - even cheaper if you buy it a the hardware store and cut your own.

That said, I use the groundsheet for lots of things, but putting it under my tent has never been one of them.

[Another Kevin]

I bring a piece of Tyvek. I'll put it under my tent if I'm camping on a really abrasive surface (the sandstone in the Catskills can be murder), but it's really for keeping my gear out of the mouse droppings in the unlikely event that I put in at a shelter. It also sometimes gives me a dry place to sit. Most nights, I'm happy in my tent without the Tyvek under the floor.

[Singto]

Thanks for the advice everyone, it is much appreciated... and so is saving the $70!

I am using a closed-cell foam sleeping pad (at least to start off), so no danger of it puncturing.

I will look into the polycro and see if it is worth the added weight, thank you for the suggestion and link.

A multi-use Polycro footprint at 1.5 ounces is a no-brainer for me. Something at 3 or 4 ounces does get much more scrutiny, especially if it has limited applications.

[Taylor]

Glad I asked the question and got everyone's input! I purchased the polycro today and it should arrive just in time for the start of my hike. Thanks again all!

[greeter]

I like the Polycro option. It can do double duty as a rest stop ground cloth so you stay clean and can stretch out for a nap with your shoes off. Its the same stuff used for sealing up and stopping cold drafts on indoor windows, if I am not mistaken.

[Deadeye]

My Dad carried a rather heavy tarp for a footprint for years. The tarp outlasted the floor, and after 20+ years the tent floor delaminated and the tent was trash. Personally, I'll want a fancy new tent before my old one wears out, so trying to extend it's useful life is ineffective. Unfortunately, my original TarpTent Virga shows no signs of wearing out, and I want a Rainbow!

[booney_1]

Here's another use for the footprint. Many footprints (Big Agnes Fly Creek also), can be used with just the rainfly. You can save about 1/2 lb by ditching the tent, and using the footprint with the rainfly only. I'd guess you'd need the bug protection for the first half or so of your hike. (This is called fastpacking)

But by the time you hit Virginia, you won't need bug protection. You could mail the tent home for the rest of the hike.

So another question is..."is it worth $70 to save 1/2 lb?" (actually it's $55 at REI)

[swisscross]

Here's another use for the footprint. Many footprints (Big Agnes Fly Creek also), can be used with just the rainfly. You can save about 1/2 lb by ditching the tent, and using the footprint with the rainfly only. I'd guess you'd need the bug protection for the first half or so of your hike. (This is called fastpacking)

But by the time you hit Virginia, you won't need bug protection. You could mail the tent home for the rest of the hike.

So another question is..."is it worth $70 to save 1/2 lb?" (actually it's $55 at REI)

BA footprints also allow you to set up in fast pack mode and then install the tent under the fly keeping your tent dry if raining.
I bought my BA tent slightly used and it came with the footprint. I have never used it.
Sometime I take a tyvek one depending on weather and ground conditions.
I think some sort of sleeping pad protection should be used if you are planning on staying in shelters.

[Namtrag]

We used a footprint and still had our air mattresses punctured a couple of weeks ago. We set up our tent at dusk, unknowingly under a tree that had thorns, and a dead branch or two was mixed in the leaves. we woke up in the middle of the night with flat air mattresses. I prefer using a footprint, but now I am not sure it does any good!

I am amazed at how many people don't use them, and say they have hiked for years and never had anything like this happen. I guess we just had really bad luck.

[10-K]

We used a footprint and still had our air mattresses punctured a couple of weeks ago. We set up our tent at dusk, unknowingly under a tree that had thorns, and a dead branch or two was mixed in the leaves. we woke up in the middle of the night with flat air mattresses. I prefer using a footprint, but now I am not sure it does any good!

I am amazed at how many people don't use them, and say they have hiked for years and never had anything like this happen. I guess we just had really bad luck.

Don't feel bad.. I've never been able to make a polycro groundsheet last more than a week.

Same with Dri-Ducks. I've got at least 3 pair that either ripped or suffered zipper failure within a few days. Other hikers report using the same pair since Jimmy Carter was president.