Tent skirt

[UCONNMike]

I will be hiking the CT, MA, and VT sctions of the appalachian trail during which time there has been sig. rain in the forcast (Aug. 16 - ?) I have been accumulating my gear with being as ultra light as possible, and wasnt planning on bringing a skirt for my bivy, how important would you say it is to bring one, taking into consideration that i will hit sig. rain, and any suggestions on what type or how to make one?

[The Will]

Please define what you mean when you say a "skirt" for a bivy. A tarp/awning?

[UCONNMike]

The thing you put your tent on top of, to protect it from the ground, sorry if i got the lingo mixed up, i'm a new guy :)

[Lilred]

The thing you put your tent on top of, to protect it from the ground, sorry if i got the lingo mixed up, i'm a new guy :)


It's called a 'footprint' and you can make one out of Tyvek. You want to be sure to cut it just a little bit smaller than the size of the floor of your bivy so the rain doesn't get up under it. Some people say you don't need one, some say better safe than sorry. I have one for my tent.

[Frosty]

you can make one out of Tyvek. I used a piece of TYVEK for the first time this past weekend. It was loud and crinkly. Very rustle-ly.

Do they quiet down after more use, or is there something I can do?

[Alligator]

I used a piece of TYVEK for the first time this past weekend. It was loud and crinkly. Very rustle-ly.

Do they quiet down after more use, or is there something I can do?
I've heard that washing Tyvek softens it up. I use 4 mil plastic as groundcloth for my tarp though. I had a roll laying around.

[Streamweaver]

I used a piece of TYVEK for the first time this past weekend. It was loud and crinkly. Very rustle-ly.

Do they quiet down after more use, or is there something I can do?

If you run the tyvek through the washing machine a couple times it will soften it up and make it less crinkly. Painters plastic drop cloth is also good for making footprints. Just set your tent up on top of the drop cloth and trace its outline onto it with a marker pen and then as mentioned in the previous post cut it a bit smaller by a couple inches than the outline of the tent to keep water from running up under it. Both tyvek and drops cloth plastic are lighter ,cheaper and easier to replace than commercially made footprints. Streamweaver

[kncats]

If you use Tyvek for your footprint either mark and cut it AFTER you run it through the washer once or twice or cut it a little larger than what you need before. Once you wash it it'll be so wrinkled that it's going to be considerably smaller than when you initially cut it.

[The Will]

The rationale, as I understand it, for using a footprint is to protect the bottom of your tent or bivy from abrasion and puncture from sharp objects. In the case of using a bivy (or a tent for that matter) I’ve never found it necessary to use a ground sheet and I generally consider it extra weight. However, this doesn’t mean than I am in any way careless with my equipment (I’m sure my friends consider me to be way over the top when it comes to pampering my gear). I inspect the ground I am going to set my tent or bivy on very closely, removing all pinecones, sticks, etc.; This is a pretty simple endeavor if you're using a bivy since its floor space is so minimal. Also, whether sitting, kneeling, sleeping….I make a conscious effort to stay on my sleeping pad to disperse my weight as much as possible across the floor in an effort to avoid punctures.





Just some opinions