Using a ground-sheet for AT thru-hike?

[Subie Love]

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forums. I'm going to be a NOBO thru-hiker starting in early April 2014. I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts or opinions on whether or not to bring a ground cloth. I feel like it might be a good thing to have but I'd rather not carry the weight if its not necessary. I'm using a Tarptent Rainbow. I imagine as long as I'm selective about where I pitch up, I should be fine but I'd like to see what others have to say. :)

[ChinMusic]

I never use a ground cloth on the AT

[jeffmeh]

There is really no need for a groundsheet with the Rainbow, but as you stated it's a good idea to make sure that your pitching site is clear of any sharp objects.

[HikerMom58]

I believe the tent footprint is useful but mine got left at home..

Found this for ya. :)

http://www.backpacker.com/gear/ask_kristin/418

[max patch]

I didn't use a ground cloth on my thru and had no issues. But you should carry something - which may be a groundcloth or may be something else - to use in those nasty shelters if you end up using them. And a lotta people who say they don't use shelters sure make a beeline for em when its raining.

[Subie Love]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

max patch, I thought about that. I think I'll bring something to fit under my neo-air and call it good. Awesome, 8 ounces saved!

[chall]

You could go with Polycro from Gossamer gear. They have two sizes: medium and large. The medium comes in a pack of two. http://gossamergear.com/shelters.html I use the medium under my tarp. They are surprisingly durable. Either option is less than $10.

[HeartFire]

I make and sell tent (LightHeart Gear) - here is my take on it - I have had tents come back for repairs and I've seen the floors after a thru hike on the AT not using a footprint (essentially the same floor material as Tarp Tent) - now, I don't know ho careful this kid was in setting up, but there was a lot of abrasion, and small holes in the floor.
On a personal note, I once (and once only) had to take down a tent that I did not use a foot print with, it rained over night, and the place was a mud bath - this was one of the first shelter sites on the AT, I was set up on a 'tent' site.- the bottom of the tent was so nasty, I'll never do that again.

As someone else said, if you plan to ever cowboy camp, or sleep in shelters, a footprint comes in very handy to put down on the floor of the shelter and helps not only keep the dirt off your pad, but keep the wind from blowing up through the floor boards.

I sell tyvek for my tents, and I have used it- it's very durable, but I have also used a 2ml plastic (painters drop cloth) it's lighter than tyvek and packs up smaller.

[chall]

The medium is 1.6oz!

[4eyedbuzzard]

I've used a small piece of tyvek and also one of those emergency blankets (2 oz) in the past on short hikes. Tyvek is 4-5 oz, tough, but not completely waterproof. Emergency blanket is 2oz, waterproof, but noisy and very fragile. I don't think I'd take either on a long hike where the weight of all the little nice but not absolutely necessary things is a bigger concern.

[michaelosborne]

I have a Zpacks Solo Plus and what you sleep on is your groundsheet. The entire bottom of the tent is mesh and you clip in the groundsheet on the inside of the tent creating a bathtub style floor/groundsheet. Groundsheets aren't exactly necessary but they do help.

[Subie Love]

You could go with Polycro from Gossamer gear. They have two sizes: medium and large. The medium comes in a pack of two. http://gossamergear.com/shelters.html I use the medium under my tarp. They are surprisingly durable. Either option is less than $10.

Wow, that stuff is super cheap AND light. On the reviews, someone said they have 1500 miles on one. :eek: I didn't think it would be that durable. I'll probably pick up the mediums and give them a whirl.


I make and sell tent (LightHeart Gear) - here is my take on it - I have had tents come back for repairs and I've seen the floors after a thru hike on the AT not using a footprint (essentially the same floor material as Tarp Tent) - now, I don't know ho careful this kid was in setting up, but there was a lot of abrasion, and small holes in the floor.
On a personal note, I once (and once only) had to take down a tent that I did not use a foot print with, it rained over night, and the place was a mud bath - this was one of the first shelter sites on the AT, I was set up on a 'tent' site.- the bottom of the tent was so nasty, I'll never do that again.

As someone else said, if you plan to ever cowboy camp, or sleep in shelters, a footprint comes in very handy to put down on the floor of the shelter and helps not only keep the dirt off your pad, but keep the wind from blowing up through the floor boards.


This actually was one main reason I wanted to bring a groundsheet. Even if it doesn't rain, the bottom of my tent is always stuck with dirt and mud from the morning dew and its a pain to clean off. I'd rather be able to roll my tent up on the ground cloth and have it be clean and deal with a dirty groundcloth. Is that worth the weight though? I'm kinda thinking it might be worth it to take the G.G. cloth at 1.6oz.

[chall]

Also, since you're using a Rainbow, the medium Polycro will fit perfectly width-wise; they are both 40".

[Starchild]

I have a Zpacks Solo Plus and what you sleep on is your groundsheet. The entire bottom of the tent is mesh and you clip in the groundsheet on the inside of the tent creating a bathtub style floor/groundsheet. Groundsheets aren't exactly necessary but they do help.

Same here, Well the Solo tent with the Solo + bathtub. I also am under the impression that groundsheets are not needed but could prolong the tent floor life, in my case if that fails I could just buy another floor. I'd rather do that when I need to and not have to carry 2 floors.

In some instances, when it was getting colder as I headed into VT and I have not yet gotten my sleeping bag back, I resorted to using the bathtub floor as a additional 'blankie'. I had the Neoair ontop of the mesh without any ground cover other then the mesh then.

[jeffmeh]

Polycro is the same material used in the plastic window and door film insulation. Be aware that it will shrink with heat.

[ChinMusic]

.... if that fails I could just buy another floor. I'd rather do that when I need to and not have to carry 2 floors.

Same here.

With good, not even great, site selection for a tent, minor pin-point holes in the floor of a tent are no big deal. Tarp folks don't even have floors and survive.

[Rolls Kanardly]

The web site for light heart gear said the footprint is cut slightly smaller than the footprint.
I am just asking why is it smaller. I want to know the mechanics of the fit. Rolls

[Nyte]

The web site for light heart gear said the footprint is cut slightly smaller than the footprint.
I am just asking why is it smaller. I want to know the mechanics of the fit. Rolls

So that water doesn't get on the top of the footprint at the edges, and then sit between the footprint and the floor of the tent, and force through into the tent.

[ChinMusic]

The web site for light heart gear said the footprint is cut slightly smaller than the footprint.
I am just asking why is it smaller. I want to know the mechanics of the fit. Rolls

If the footprint is larger rain water can, and will, get between the footprint and the floor of your tent, making things worse. It is traditional to have your footprint a couple inches smaller.

[HeartFire]

So that water doesn't get on the top of the footprint at the edges, and then sit between the footprint and the floor of the tent, and force through into the tent.

What he said - you don't want the ground sheet to 'gutter' rain under the floor (between the tent and the ground sheet). If your ground sheet is bigger than your tent floor, you should fold the edges down UNDER. If you fold the edges UP, and water did manage to get on top of the ground sheet, then the edges folded up would trap it there.

[Old Hiker]

I have a piece of kite-grade Tyvek for under my LightHeart SoLong 6. I was going to cut it slightly smaller than the tne for the above reasons, but decided not to. I pull it over into my vestibule under the awning for putting my pack to keep it out of the tent (stinks more than me) and out of any wet ground, etc. I bought 3 (?) yards, I think.

I may cut it down with a small piece just for the vestibule.

http://www.amazon.com/E-I-DuPont-Tyvek-Kitemaking-Material/dp/B001TO4QVA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386191386&sr=8-1&keywords=kite+tyvek

[Slo-go'en]

A Tyvek ground cloth has many uses. If you fold over the corners and put metal gromets in it, you can use it as a tarp. Or hunker under it during a bad thunderstorm down pour. Use it as pinic blanket at lunch time so you don't have to sit on wet grass or mud. Use it as a sitting pad while folded up. Wear it like a togga while doing laundry.

And of course, it keeps the bottom of your tent clean and prevents abrasion. I spent a lot of money on my tent and want to keep it in good shape for a long time. A ground cloth is one thing I never leave home without. It's just too handy to have.

[Leanthree]

If using an inflatable pad in the shelters, I'd make sure there is something between your pad and the floor. Sometimes nails stick up or there are splinters of wood. It doesn't have to be a groundsheet as a combined pack cover, liner, map, etc can work too.

[Chris10]

I've used a shower curtain from Wal Mart ($1) and cut it to size. To me a few ounces is worth it when protecting the tent floor, but everyone is different. I think it's like Bear spray, you don't really need it, but you probably wish you had it if a bear was headed your way!:)

[July]

Save the tarptent rainbow for a gathering, and go light.

[jeffmeh]

Save the tarptent rainbow for a gathering, and go light.

　

The Rainbow is pretty light for what it offers.

　

And regarding the polycro sheets, my son took one with his Rainbow, and ended up ditching it because he found it was much more difficult to clean off than the tent bottom. He did have a Gossamer Gear Thinlight Pad 1/8" to put under his Synmat UL 7 in the shelters, and to add some insulation for the cold nights.

[Subie Love]

Save the tarptent rainbow for a gathering, and go light.

It's a whole tent weighing in at 2lbs. I like going as light as I can while still being comfortable. Using just a tarp is something I'm not into doing right now.


　

And regarding the polycro sheets, my son took one with his Rainbow, and ended up ditching it because he found it was much more difficult to clean off than the tent bottom. He did have a Gossamer Gear Thinlight Pad 1/8" to put under his Synmat UL 7 in the shelters, and to add some insulation for the cold nights.

I feel like I wouldn't really worry about getting it clean. Shake it off as good as I can and then fold it up so the clean part will be on the inside when folded. Strap it to the outside of the pack somewhere, probably the bottom and call it good. I haven't used one so maybe its not that easy...

Also, how many times should I expect to be sleeping in shelters? Enough to warrant bringing the thinlite pad just that specific use?

[jeffmeh]

It's a whole tent weighing in at 2lbs. I like going as light as I can while still being comfortable. Using just a tarp is something I'm not into doing right now.



I feel like I wouldn't really worry about getting it clean. Shake it off as good as I can and then fold it up so the clean part will be on the inside when folded. Strap it to the outside of the pack somewhere, probably the bottom and call it good. I haven't used one so maybe its not that easy...

Also, how many times should I expect to be sleeping in shelters? Enough to warrant bringing the thinlite pad just that specific use?

The polycro sheet only weighs about 1.5 oz., so go ahead and bring it if you like. As far as the 1/8" pad is concerned, my son started in February, so the primary reason he took it was for extra insulation. That said, it was good protection from the shelter floors, and its only another 2.6 oz. It's difficult to say how often you will be sleeping in shelters, but as much as you may want to avoid them, they become much more attractive when it is cold and rainy. :)

[chall]

I feel like I wouldn't really worry about getting it clean. Shake it off as good as I can and then fold it up so the clean part will be on the inside when folded. Strap it to the outside of the pack somewhere, probably the bottom and call it good. I haven't used one so maybe its not that easy...

Also, how many times should I expect to be sleeping in shelters? Enough to warrant bringing the thinlite pad just that specific use?.

Debris will definitely cling to the Polycro, especially when wet, but it's never been a problem for me. Doing exactly what you said will work: give it a good shake and fold it to keep the clean side clean. When laid out, it dries pretty quickly and any debris left over on it will be easier to shake off.

[Nooga]

I went through several ground sheets on my thru hike. I used it to protect the floor of my tent and to protect my Neoair Xlite when sleeping in shelters. Started out with tyvek. Had to replace it and found a light weight shower curtain liner at Dollar General worked well. As has been previously stated, make sure the ground sheet is small than the floor of your tent.

[Don H]

If using an inflatable pad in the shelters, I'd make sure there is something between your pad and the floor. Sometimes nails stick up or there are splinters of wood. It doesn't have to be a groundsheet as a combined pack cover, liner, map, etc can work too.

Leanthree makes a good point. I use a NeoAir pad and always carry a piece of Tyvec. In the rare event I need to sleep in a shelter I use it to keep the rough floor and splinters from puncturing the pad. When using my tent it's an extra layer to prevent sharp objects from poking though. After over 300 nights with my Lunar Solo tent and NeoAir combo I've yet to have hole or leak in either.

[Rolls Kanardly]

Thanks for all of the above. I figured it was to keep the flooding down between the tent bottom and the footprint or ground sheet but just wanted confirmation. Rolls Kanardly

[M C]

A Tyvek ground cloth has many uses. If you fold over the corners and put metal gromets in it, you can use it as a tarp. Or hunker under it during a bad thunderstorm down pour. Use it as pinic blanket at lunch time so you don't have to sit on wet grass or mud. Use it as a sitting pad while folded up. Wear it like a togga while doing laundry.

And of course, it keeps the bottom of your tent clean and prevents abrasion. I spent a lot of money on my tent and want to keep it in good shape for a long time. A ground cloth is one thing I never leave home without. It's just too handy to have.

Totally agree with Slo-go'en on all of these good uses - esp. the toga while in the Kent laundromat. I want to get one, I just can't decide between the polycro or Tyvek. I want to put grommets in it to use as a tarp for quick shelter in rain to cook under etc. So, what material is best for this? (which will handle
the grommets better than the other?) Any suggestions on where to get the grommets (are there different sizes/materials for those things - I'm clueless)?

[CarlZ993]

I have a Zpacks Solo Plus and what you sleep on is your groundsheet. The entire bottom of the tent is mesh and you clip in the groundsheet on the inside of the tent creating a bathtub style floor/groundsheet. Groundsheets aren't exactly necessary but they do help.
I used the same setup. I also used the bathtub ground sheet when I slept in the shelters. This was added protection from my NeoAir Xlite sleeping pad. Didn't want to snag it on something & develop a leak. My pad lasted the entire hike w/o any leaks.