Footprint fly quick pitch?

[sum41punk91]

i have read ow most have this option however never was woyied about an extra 2 pounds now im skeptical because i think this leaves you way to exposed any opinions on the matter?

[sum41punk91]

some typing corrections as my keyboard is stupid
how*
worried*

[Ridge Rat]

I have tried this with my tent and hated every minute of that night. The problem with it is, the lower 6 inches of the tent is open. No blocking of the wind or the elements. It rained the night I tried it and I also made the fatal mistake of setting the tent up on an exposed ridgeline. Needless to say, I spent the night wet and shivering all because the exposed area on the tent is exactly where my body was. I would not reccomend (sp?) it to anyone. But to each his/her own.

[sum41punk91]

thanks thats prettymuch what i figured the only time of use is in perfect weather but at that point i would just sleep under the stars

[Toolshed]

What I do like about it (I have the ultraflash and fastpack footprint option) is that when it is hot and later in the season (or anytime in PA) when there are no bugs around, it is a nice option. If you are going out for a week and the weather forecasts don't call for torrential rains (like we have now), then it works great. I see it only as extending the options of using my tent, for little more money (the footprint). 'Course they see it as soaking me for another accessory that I would never normally buy.

[sum41punk91]

thank i figure thats the only good time to use and being out here in florida there are always bugs but places like tenesse i geuss it would be great and fast however i find the foot print is neccesary on every tent i have owned i paid the extra 30 dollars or so it lengthens the life of the tent unless of course your backpacking and u wanna drop all possible weight

[Toolshed]

however i find the foot print is neccesary on every tent i have owned i paid the extra 30 dollars or so it lengthens the life of the tent unless of course your backpacking and u wanna drop all possible weight
This was my first footprint. I have always used an old 4ml or 6 ml sheet of plastic, and then a few years ago, a scrap piece of tyvek.

[sum41punk91]

is the weight of a little piece of plastic that big of a deal, the footprint comes in a nifty little case and packes small and easy maybe its over kill but i would rather have easier set up than lose 2 oz

[Blaf]

How is it to setup? Is it complicated? That is my biggist concern.
I am getting SD Light Year in a week or two. I ordered footprint too, just for purpose of going as light as possible.

[Toolshed]

is the weight of a little piece of plastic that big of a deal, the footprint comes in a nifty little case and packes small and easy maybe its over kill but i would rather have easier set up than lose 2 oz

I beleive you misunderstood my point. Whether or not I used a footprint had nothing to do with weight. I always use a footprint. My concern is cost.
I have 8 different tents and a tent-specfic-manufacturer-recommended footprint for each at $30-$40 bucks a pop? That's a lot of cash to outlay to simply protect the floor of a tent. I bought a huge 50'x10' roll of 6 mil plastic back in 1992 from Walmart for $4.99 and still have plenty of it left.

And back when I got my first tent, I don't even think footprints were even manufactured/marketed.

Up until last year, I saved my money for more useful things than overpriced accessories such as tent footprints. However, My original point was that to use my 3 year old SDUF in the "fastpack" mode I needed an SD footprint and I finally shelled out the money and bought one - As I said weight of a footprint was never an issue.

Also, I admit to not being a good sewer myself, otherwise I would just buy an outdated older Kelty model footprint at outdooroutlet.com, cut it down to size and sew some tent pole attachments rings to it. I have purchased a couple of out of stock PU-coated nylon tent footprints at closeout prices at that website ($5.99 for a 99"x99" kelty footprint) which make great all-purpose tarps at a fraction of the price of a normal tarp. (and if you really really felt you needed a nylon footprint under your tent, instead of el-cheapo all-purpose plastic, this is the place to get one and cut it down to size.

[Toolshed]

How is it to setup? Is it complicated? That is my biggist concern.
I am getting SD Light Year in a week or two. I ordered footprint too, just for purpose of going as light as possible.
Blaf, the setup is very easy. I thought it might be complex, but I've set it up 4 times now (aside from jsut setting it up for practice) and I can do it in about 2 minutes. I really like the fact that I don't have any poles in the middle of my tent, like I did with my Megamid & Betamid.
I also found that for ventilation with the UltraFlash, I can roll up the sides of the tent walls about 8 inches in a heavy rain (and hold them in place with a small piece of duct tape) and still be far enough away from each side that I have no splashback, but plenty of cross-ventilation.

[sum41punk91]

ahh yes tool you have a very good point and i wasnt aware that you have 8 tents, i only have 2 and i got the foot print for both, my 4 man tent and 2 man

[Alligator]

is the weight of a little piece of plastic that big of a deal, the footprint comes in a nifty little case and packes small and easy maybe its over kill but i would rather have easier set up than lose 2 ozI bought my footprint on clearance for around $12, so that I could fastpack if I chose to. It weighs 13.7 ounces. If I were to make a footprint out of kite tyvek, it would weigh 5.25 ounces. I haven't got any weights on 2-4 mil plastic. To be honest, I still bring the footprint in the winter though as I worry about ice puncturing the tent bottom.

I have never fastpacked the tent because I have other shelter options that are lighter. I think the idea was a nice try, but that due to the the poles, the weight is always going to more than other systems.

[NICKTHEGREEK]

I have tried this with my tent and hated every minute of that night. The problem with it is, the lower 6 inches of the tent is open. No blocking of the wind or the elements. It rained the night I tried it and I also made the fatal mistake of setting the tent up on an exposed ridgeline. Needless to say, I spent the night wet and shivering all because the exposed area on the tent is exactly where my body was. I would not reccomend (sp?) it to anyone. But to each his/her own.

It might be helpful to mention what type of tent you use so as not to mislead others who might like to try the concept.
With a Walrus Zoid I and the factory footprint it worked well, no gaps. The footprint has properly located grommets for pole ends and buckles for the fly and pitches pretty tight when guyed out properly. I doubt that it would be possible to fabricate a footprint from tyvek that would work as well as a good factory ground sheet for fastpacking.

[sum41punk91]

Both keltys, the quartz 4 and the gunnison 2 the quickpitch option is nice bu as ridge rat said it will be miserable because the part you are sleeping in is totally exposed however on a nice bug free night it would be good