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View Full Version : what to use for tent liner? (inside tent)



anarky321
05-14-2008, 12:26
what type of material would be best suited for using as a tent liner? i need something 4x7 feet that will protect the floor from walking on it with boots etc. , doesnt have to be water repellent... suggestions? also would like some suggestions of how to attach it to the tent corners if someone has done something like this; weight is kind of an issue, but anything up to 1.5lbs is fine

ok i confess i returned the nemo and bought a hubba hubba....sue me (*_*)

Two Speed
05-14-2008, 12:32
anarky, most folks take their boots off before getting into their tent. Tend to drag a lot of mud inside the tent if you wear your boots in the tent.

johnnyblisters
05-14-2008, 12:43
Never really heard of a tent liner for the inside floor, but a sheet of tyvek will provide durability and low weight if thats what your looking for. My grandpa used recall from his war days, "There are two rules about living in a tent, 1. No boots in the tent, 2. Don't fart in the tent."

Alligator
05-14-2008, 12:45
Clean socks.

Ghosthiker
05-14-2008, 12:45
....that will protect the floor from walking on it with boots ...... bought a hubba hubba

You can walk around in a Hubba Hubba? We're going have to start calling you Shorty. :D

Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-14-2008, 12:48
ok i confess i returned the nemo and bought a hubba hubba....sue me (*_*)Congrats on a wise decision.

As others mention, practically no one wears their boots inside the tent. He-Dino and I wear a cheap pair of croc-knockoffs in camp. Mine look like MaryJanes and his look like fisherman's sandals. Both are great for fording streams.

Grandma
05-14-2008, 12:49
I am with Blisters and Two Speed...not sure why you want to do this. But if that is what you want, you could attach velcro to the floor and whatever you decide to line you tent with. An easy fix would be to take your boots off and leave them in the vestibule.

Grandma
05-14-2008, 12:50
You can walk around in a Hubba Hubba? We're going have to start calling you Shorty. :D

HA. Funny how people get new names isn't it.

anarky321
05-14-2008, 13:00
i just used boots as a generic example but really its many things, like keeping sharp things on the floor, etc.

like i said this is for medium-long term hikes and it will be worth it in weight

i like the velcro idea; ill probably get some auot-glue-on velcro patches and velcro a tyvek on all 4 corners

whats the best (cheapest) place to buy a 4x7 tyvek cloth? maybe there is a good substitute i can get locally? (walmart dicks etc?)

Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-14-2008, 13:01
Find a place where they are building a house and ask them to give or sell you a piece.

DesertMTB
05-14-2008, 13:14
Home Depot

Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-14-2008, 13:25
Home DepotIt only comes in full rolls there and that is way more than he needs.

You can also buy it on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/TYVEK-groundcloth-sheet-9-WIDE-Backpacking-Hiking_W0QQitemZ200222982129QQihZ010QQcategoryZ361 20QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

anarky321
05-14-2008, 20:54
anyone know what those synthetic rubbery towels are made of that swimmers and divers use (i forget what its called...a dry-cloth or something?)

Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-14-2008, 21:00
Neoprene (http://www.seattlefabrics.com/neoprene.html#Neoprene)

sofaking
05-14-2008, 21:01
chamois?

anarky321
05-14-2008, 21:09
yep! couldnt that be used? im trying to figure out what the softest synthetic with the most grip would be

Ghosthiker
05-14-2008, 21:10
Why not get some plastic, such as painter's drop cloth. Cut it to fit and throw away when it gets too dirty or such.

anarky321
05-14-2008, 21:18
i want something that has a 'fabric texture' and some insulating ability too (just a little)

Skidsteer
05-14-2008, 21:24
i want something that has a 'fabric texture' and some insulating ability too (just a little)

Why?

You'll want to get rid of it after a few days of hiking.

Truly.

Tobit
05-14-2008, 21:26
You're outdoors camping and enjoying nature, why do you want shag carpeting inside your tent? This entire topic makes no sense at all. NO ONE practices what you are trying to do. :confused:

anarky321
05-14-2008, 21:28
You're outdoors camping and enjoying nature, why do you want shag carpeting inside your tent? This entire topic makes no sense at all. NO ONE practices what you are trying to do. :confused:

im sure SOMEONE has experimented with tent liners like that...im looking at microfibre and shammy-cloth right now...both are easily washed

Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-14-2008, 21:30
Anarky, perhaps shelf liner (http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/10338_shelf-liner-grip-it.htm) would work. It has a great grip strength and would provide a little insulation.

anarky321
05-14-2008, 21:33
also, what happened to HYOH? not everyone here is gearing up for the AT, i just want some extra comfort in my tent, i dont like the 'tent floor' feel and am willing to carry a good cloth to put on top, nothing wrong with that

Skidsteer
05-14-2008, 21:35
also, what happened to HYOH? not everyone here is gearing up for the AT, i just want some extra comfort in my tent, i dont like the 'tent floor' feel and am willing to carry a good cloth to put on top, nothing wrong with that

You're right.

HYOH.

Tobit
05-14-2008, 21:38
Nothing wrong with HYOH and go enjoy yourself Camping in Your Own Misery. I can't think of anything nastier I'd want on my tent floor but whatever. HYOH for sure.

anarky321
05-14-2008, 21:39
Anarky, perhaps shelf liner (http://www.stacksandstacks.com/html/10338_shelf-liner-grip-it.htm) would work. It has a great grip strength and would provide a little insulation.

you know that game me a great idea!! that stuff you put under carpets that prevent them from sliding around! thats what i want lol... whats it called? its kind of rubbery and has very high friction, its a mesh pattern

my mother has tons of those in her house..under every single carpet, but i doubt even she knows what its called

Frolicking Dinosaurs
05-14-2008, 21:47
That is the same material as shelf liners and it would probably work for what you want.

Foyt20
05-14-2008, 21:48
Thats heavy, and that is why you have a sleeping pad of some sort (closed cell, thermarest, BA Air core, etc. Are you going to the arctic? You dont need any more inulation on the floor than the pad will provide. Anything cloth is going to get NASTY quick, and a chamios that large is going to be heavy.

If you are worried about water leakage, get a painters drop cloth and cut it to size. Otherwise dont worry about it.

Im going to get off my soapbox now.

anarky321
05-14-2008, 21:52
ok lol ill reiterate the main reason for this is that i hate the bare tent floor feel, and want something that makes me feel like i dont live on top of a plastic garbage bag

the stuff frolick suggested is great and ill go get it tomorrow at home depot

http://cgi.ebay.com/non-slip-area-rug-pad-5x8-rug-grip-for-hardwood-suface_W0QQitemZ260240539840QQihZ016QQcategoryZ205 84QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

thats what i was talking about, i think it will work great for what i need and its very high friction so you dont even have to velcro it

Summit
05-14-2008, 21:57
Good luck with keeping anything in place while you move about the tent. I think it will be a lesson in futility. Just take your boots off at the door and use care with things in the tent and you'll get years out of it. My Eureka Dome (in my gallery) is 15 years old and still in great shape - no holes in the floor! ;) Just use a footprint underneath on the outside.

anarky321
05-14-2008, 22:02
no this rubber carpet grip stuff is insane; it just sticks to the surface, very high friction...ill pitch the tent behind Home Depot and if it doesnt work out ill just return it lol

Skidsteer
05-14-2008, 22:02
ok lol ill reiterate the main reason for this is that i hate the bare tent floor feel, and want something that makes me feel like i dont live on top of a plastic garbage bag

the stuff frolick suggested is great and ill go get it tomorrow at home depot

http://cgi.ebay.com/non-slip-area-rug-pad-5x8-rug-grip-for-hardwood-suface_W0QQitemZ260240539840QQihZ016QQcategoryZ205 84QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

thats what i was talking about, i think it will work great for what i need and its very high friction so you dont even have to velcro it

How do you feel about grass/leaves/duff/dirt?

Just cut the floor out of it and you can stomp around in your shoes to your heart's content.

ToyYoda
05-14-2008, 22:55
seems redundant. you'll be in your sleeping bag or on top of a pad at night anyway? why do you need to feel the tent floor at all other than to get in and get situated?

to each their own. that stuff will probably work best if you dont like the idea of tyvek.

TN_Hiker
05-15-2008, 08:39
In cold weather, I've spread a sportsman blanket reflective side up. I don't know if it really made any difference in warmth, but it did protect the tent floor. I've only done this car camping and not backpacking.

anarky321
05-15-2008, 12:59
anyways i just tried it out with 2 4x6 rug liners overlapped and its fantastic; its exactly what i wanted and both of them dont weigh more than 8oz and dramatically increase the "livability" of the tent; they also pack down to the same volume as my fly; they are very high friction and dont slide around in the tent at all and sitting on them feels like sitting on soft carpet, and they are rubbery so they are always warm to the touch

overall - very glad i did this

cheers

anarky321
05-15-2008, 13:09
sorry just to make it clear, i have 2 4x6 sections folded together into a 2x7 section since the Hubba Hubba is 4x7 feet and the other half of the tent is taken up by the pad so no need to have rug liner under that obviously; this makes the liner thickest at the 3.5x2 foot entrance of the tent and thinner at the 1.75x2 foot sections at the ends of the tent; i dont know if this is hard to visualize or not but i dont have a camera right now; at the entranceway its so soft and cushy i cant really compare it to anything else but getting in and out of the tent is a pleasure now and i can toss my pack on the floor of the tent without being worried that the metal parts on it will scratch anything

Two Speed
05-15-2008, 13:11
How do you feel about grass/leaves/duff/dirt?

Just cut the floor out of it and you can stomp around in your shoes to your heart's content.Sooo, you pickin' on anarky or taking a cheap shot at the tarp camping crowd?

Or both?

anarky321
05-15-2008, 13:20
one more edit: its not 2ft wide but actually 20 inches because although the stuff is advertised as being 4ft wide its only 40 inches wide, but 20 inches is perfect for the hubba hubba IMO

CBSSTony
05-15-2008, 13:23
I used to use one of those vinyl table clothes with the fuzzy stuff on the bottom. Nice and warm on the bare feet.

anarky321
05-15-2008, 13:27
the advantage of this stuff i think is that since its a mesh it weighs very little but yet is very thick and cushy when layered

mudhead
05-15-2008, 17:20
When you look for a tent site, look for pine needles. Now that is cushy.

NICKTHEGREEK
05-15-2008, 17:49
You're outdoors camping and enjoying nature, why do you want shag carpeting inside your tent? This entire topic makes no sense at all. NO ONE practices what you are trying to do. :confused:
Might be trying to solve the pad lips on the tent floor, and bag slips on the pad issue. Conventional wisdom suggested a few beads of RTV in each side of the pad to grip on both.

Skidsteer
05-15-2008, 18:13
Sooo, you pickin' on anarky or taking a cheap shot at the tarp camping crowd?

Or both?

Pickin' on anarky.

You know I have a floorless tarp.

Two Speed
05-15-2008, 19:18
When you look for a tent site, look for pine needles. Now that is cushy.Nice thick layer of mountain laurel leaves are better. Down south, anyway.
Pickin' on anarky.

You know I have a floorless tarp.Oh, yeah, now that you mention it . . .

Blissful
05-15-2008, 19:23
Don't worry about all that. Your sleeping pad insulates you from the ground. I did use tyvek under my tent if the ground was muddy or it was raining heavy on the tent platforms. Your tent will get dirty inside no matter what. Just shake it out.

Enjoy your tent.

Wags
05-15-2008, 22:30
he said it's not an issue of dirt or weight. he just didn't like the feel of the floor. glad you found your solution. i was just gonna suggest a twin bedsheet. my gal and i carry a cut down piece of one for trail sex purposes :D