Is it important to stake down a footprint?

[Lnj]

If there is no rain in the forecast?

[nsherry61]

No.

And it doesn't really matter about rain.

I have never staked out a footprint, I wouldn't want to unless it was staked out with the tent's corner stakes because you don't want the footprint sneaking out from under the tent where it will collect water running off the tent. Many footprints are designed to actually attach to the tent body, which should be fine.

Then again, I quit using footprints except when car camping, because, the tent floor is fine on it's own and the footprint adds weight. And, if something does happen to the tent floor, it's pretty easy to repair. So, why use a footprint? And, on another note, since a cheap tarp folded or cut to match the size of your tent works really well, why buy a footprint?

[HooKooDooKu]

The weight of your tent should be more than enough to hold the footprint in place.

[Siestita]

The real question is whether or not to use a footprint/ground cloth at all underneath your shelter. I personally do so, using a piece of tyveek to protect the floor of my Tarptent from abrasion and punctures. To prevent your ground cloth from collecting water, make sure it is smaller than your tent, so that it stays completely underneath the tent.

The weight of the tent, gear, and occupant(s) keeps that footprint in place. I've never seen a footprint that needed stakes. Are you possibly confusing it with some other component of your shelter?

[Casey & Gina]

Depends on your tent. I use a Big Agnes Scout UL2. In this case, the footprint and tent corners loop over the same pegs, so it is easiest to work with only the footprint first, only taking out the tent once the footprint is staked out.

[Lnj]

I have a Tarptent and to m knowledge, there is no official, specially fitted footprint for it, so I bought a generic footprint with the right dimensions. I wanted one to protect the tent floor both from damage and also from mud and stuff. I also hoped to have a little room just outside the floor of the tent, but still well inside the fly to make a sort of floor for the vestibule to keep things clean and dry as well. I think I will take it along and then decide on a case by case basis if it is needed or wanted.

[Just Bill]

Just click your heels together and say "Franco" three times and he'll be along shortly to tell you how to set up a footprint for a Tarptent. :D

(you don't need to stake them- but make sure it's a hair smaller all around so no water can land on the ground cloth and pool between it and the tent)

[Lnj]

Just click your heels together and say "Franco" three times and he'll be along shortly to tell you how to set up a footprint for a Tarptent. :D

(you don't need to stake them- but make sure it's a hair smaller all around so no water can land on the ground cloth and pool between it and the tent)

LOL! Thanks Bill. I have worn Henry out pretty well already. Will do.

[squeezebox]

I tied cord loops to the corners of my Tyvek footprint. When raining. That way I can put the footprint corners into the pole ends, that puts the poles in the right position, then I can attach the fly and attach it to the pole ends, now it's rain proof, then attach the tent under the fly. Last stake out. But the cord loops are for setting up in the rain not for clear weather.

[Vegan Packer]

I have used fabric anchor pegs a/k/a landscape anchor pegs. My main concern is wind that can keep interfering with the footprint's position while I am trying to set up the tent. Inasmuch as the ground cloth is under the tent, the pegs are flat like nail heads, so they go right under the tent without poking through. They are cheap, light, and you can buy a big bag of them from your local garden store or Home Depot.

[Another Kevin]

I have a Tyvek footprint for my TarpTent Notch. I don't bother to stake it. I use it only when pitching on an extremely abrasive surface, such as sandstone or sharp gravel, or on prickly vegetation. None of which are my preferred surfaces, but sometimes you take what you find.

As long as it doesn't stick out from under the rainfly, it doesn't have to be centered under the tent floor.

More often, the Tyvek becomes a sitting pad in wet weather, a bath mat, a door mat, or a ground sheet in a shelter. I certainly wouldn't go without it in warm weather, since it provides a place to bathe that isn't a mud hole, even after I've rinsed.

[SawnieRobertson]

Yes. Normally staking down is not even considered; however, once on a ridge during high winds, my Tyvek footprint flew out from under my gear-filled tent. I was standing next to it, saw what was happening, and so was able to catch the footprint before it got away.