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Fur Queue
06-20-2013, 10:17
Tent footprints? Any real advantages? It seems to me like its 12 unnecessary ounces? Thanks in advance!

Double Wide
06-20-2013, 10:28
I have a footprint, but wised up and bought a piece of polycryo from Gossamer Gear. Cut it down to size and it weighs almost nothing. Granted, it's a pain in the arse on a windy day, but it keeps the bottom of my tent clean and protected. I also use it under my NeoAir when I've had to sleep in a shelter.

And as an added bonus, my cat really likes the taste of it, and licks it every time I'm sorting out my backpack at the house. :eek:

Namtrag
06-20-2013, 10:35
I would be shocked if our footprint weighed 12 oz, but then again I don't hike far enough often enough to have a problem with a little extra weight. Hell, I carry a Helinox chair on my backpacking trips!

I do love that we have the Big Agnes footprint that fits our tent, it makes it so easy to put up with the grommets built in

staehpj1
06-20-2013, 10:51
I used to carry a piece of poly sheeting, but after a weight shedding purge on a coast to coast bicycle tour I have never taken up the practice again. I have never used a proper "foot print" or even been tempted to.

hikingshoes
06-20-2013, 10:53
I have a footprint, but wised up and bought a piece of polycryo from Gossamer Gear. Cut it down to size and it weighs almost nothing. Granted, it's a pain in the arse on a windy day, but it keeps the bottom of my tent clean and protected. I also use it under my NeoAir when I've had to sleep in a shelter.

And as an added bonus, my cat really likes the taste of it, and licks it every time I'm sorting out my backpack at the house. :eek:

I do what Double Wide posted!!!

FarmerChef
06-20-2013, 10:54
I use a piece of tyvek. Not as light as polycro but perhaps a bit more durable? The advantage is that it helps to prevent sharp objects from poking holes in your air mattress, helps keep dirt out of your tent/tarp, keeps you somewhat dryer than nothing if it rains (especially if you have to set up in the rain) and, in the case of tyvek, can serve as a game board with a sharpie and some game pieces. ;)

Fur Queue
06-20-2013, 11:26
It prolly doesn't weigh 12 ounces...it just seems like that...I am purging!! Ha!

Feral Bill
06-20-2013, 11:38
I use one on gravelly car camping sites, never in the back country.

HooKooDooKu
06-20-2013, 11:41
If you want a footprint strictly to keep the bottom of their tents clean and dry, you could use those ultra-thin one-use platic painter's sheets. They are not vary durable, so people I know that do this simply get a new sheet for each camping trip (little less practical for thru-hikes).

I personally want a footprint that is going to help protect my tent and sleeping pad from punctures (keeping the bottom of the tent clean and dry is a secondary bonus). While I haven't tried it, I would think Tyvek would fit the bill well.

But I like the way custom footprints are designed to specifically fit your tent (and in some cases, the flexability of setting up the footprint & rainfly only).

litefoot2000
06-20-2013, 11:51
But I like the way custom footprints are designed to specifically fit your tent (and in some cases, the flexability of setting up the footprint & rainfly only).

Yes, oh yes, this is the only reason I would carry a foot print. As part of a fast pack. I believe that the general consensus is that tent bottoms are durable enough to be used without a footprint.

ChinMusic
06-20-2013, 12:02
I use one on gravelly car camping sites, never in the back country.
This. Def not needed on the AT

Cookerhiker
06-20-2013, 12:22
I like having a groundcloth but the footprints that accompany tents are overpriced. I had some nylon cloth cut to the approximate tent size at a fabric store for about 1/5 of what my footprint would have cost.

Re. the gravel campsite pads, I did a one-night car-camp last December the night before a trail maintenance outing and discovered I had forgotten my groundcloth for the gravel pad site. Didn't sleep too well - I'm too old for this.:D

rocketsocks
06-20-2013, 12:55
Mylar...it's multi purpose, pretty tough, and light.....I never really noticed the noise thing to be a biggie.

rocketsocks
06-20-2013, 12:57
Mylar...it's multi purpose, pretty tough, and light.....I never really noticed the noise thing to be a biggie.Tho i would like to try some tyvek so I could make a sign (hiker to town, hiker to trail) and a couple game boards.

leaftye
06-20-2013, 13:02
Yes. I'd carry window film for cowboy camping. The difference between that size and tent groundsheet size is tiny, so I go with tent groundsheet size.

Whack-a-mole
06-22-2013, 19:52
Go to Wally world and get one of their small coated nylon tarps. Take it home and set your tent on it, make a few guide marks with a sharpie, and cut out your new footprint. Inexpensive and light weight if you cut off all the useless grommets and stuff. I put it under my sleeping pad when I'm in a shelter. It just helps keep things a little cleaner and helps keep the splinters out of my air mattress. I think mine weighs about 5oz.

gussets
06-22-2013, 20:35
Unnecessary. The bottom of my tent is always directly on the ground, and I've never had any dirt/puncture problems. If you need to pitch in a really grimy spot, you'll either be packing up a muddy tent or a muddy groundsheet the next day- what's the difference?

garlic08
06-23-2013, 07:32
Unnecessary. The bottom of my tent is always directly on the ground, and I've never had any dirt/puncture problems. If you need to pitch in a really grimy spot, you'll either be packing up a muddy tent or a muddy groundsheet the next day- what's the difference?

Ditto this.

My silnylon Tarptent has seen over 200 nights, including lots of rock and desert sites, not once with a ground sheet. The floor is fine.

Leaving the ground sheet behind was one of the harder choices I had to make, after a lifetime of using one, but I'm glad I finally did. I don't miss it at all.

Lone Wolf
06-23-2013, 07:35
Tent footprints? Any real advantages? It seems to me like its 12 unnecessary ounces? Thanks in advance!
it ain't about the weight, it's just not needed

rusty bumper
06-23-2013, 08:16
5 months on the AT....tented almost every night with Tarptent Moment....no footprint...no regrets

Fur Queue
06-23-2013, 10:17
it ain't about the weight, it's just not needed

I'm leaving Tuesday...the total weight is helping me re-evaluate exactly what is 'needed'....Ha!....it has gone the same way as rain pants, a pack cover...and swimming shorts...

Rasty
06-23-2013, 11:26
Not for me.

shakey_snake
06-23-2013, 11:31
Footprints are like camping skillets. It's one of those "expert-level" pieces of gear manufacturers and REI conspired to sell you for a large markup--buy it and you're instantly a camping expert.

Great for car camping and people who "hike" about 1.5 miles off a trailhead to set up camp.

Wise Old Owl
06-23-2013, 11:34
I have a footprint, but wised up and bought a piece of polycryo from Gossamer Gear. Cut it down to size and it weighs almost nothing. Granted, it's a pain in the arse on a windy day, but it keeps the bottom of my tent clean and protected. I also use it under my NeoAir when I've had to sleep in a shelter.

And as an added bonus, my cat really likes the taste of it, and licks it every time I'm sorting out my backpack at the house. :eek:

how many times you used it and did it shrink much or get holes?

Drybones
06-23-2013, 14:09
I use a piece of tyvek. Not as light as polycro but perhaps a bit more durable? The advantage is that it helps to prevent sharp objects from poking holes in your air mattress, helps keep dirt out of your tent/tarp, keeps you somewhat dryer than nothing if it rains (especially if you have to set up in the rain) and, in the case of tyvek, can serve as a game board with a sharpie and some game pieces. ;)

Agree....I don't believe you can find a better ground cloth than Tyvek...wash it first to make it quieter.

Old Hiker
06-23-2013, 14:21
Agree....I don't believe you can find a better ground cloth than Tyvek...wash it first to make it quieter.

Bought a 9 foot piece of kite grade (thinner than construction grade) Tyvek - planned to cut it down, but I just fold it over and it fits under my LightHeart SoLong 6 just fine. Covers the entry vestibule where I stack my pack, etc. so I don't have to worry about wet ground.

HooKooDooKu
06-26-2013, 09:50
...If you need to pitch in a really grimy spot, you'll either be packing up a muddy tent or a muddy groundsheet the next day- what's the difference?
With a ground sheet, you can easily fold the dirty side in on itself.

I also find the ground sheet to be a "clean" spot to help roll up my tent the next morning (keeping in mind I'm talking 2 and 3 man tents for short trips, not solo tents for thru-hiking).

staehpj1
06-26-2013, 09:58
My take:
A definite no to expensive footprints. A less firm no to ground sheets of any type.

gizzy bear
06-26-2013, 10:51
this is a pretty interesting debate here... we were gonna go with tyvek (and still will) but i started to even wonder if we needed it at all...and i do think that overall it would be "area (ground) sensitive" ...camping in florida....meh, not so much of a need with the sand... but in the mountains and rocky areas, i think it could be helpful...and i have to say, given the cover is so light and the fact that it could prevent equipment failure, ie protecting the tent bottom AND also the matress, then i say why not? and i agree with hookoodooku... it is nice to be able to fold up a clean tent and easliy fold the cover up dirt side in :)

q-tip
06-26-2013, 11:10
For 1.6 oz., very worth keeping the mud off the tent floor. http://gossamergear.com/shelters/shelter-accessories/polycryo-ground-cloth-medium.html

gizzy bear
06-26-2013, 11:26
For 1.6 oz., very worth keeping the mud off the tent floor. http://gossamergear.com/shelters/shelter-accessories/polycryo-ground-cloth-medium.html

wow...that is a good deal if it holds up like the testimonials say.... i like that it is clear too! and the weight...well i don't think that can be beat!! thanks for sharing the link :)

MDSection12
06-26-2013, 11:47
Mine allows me to pitch the tent minus the tent; so rainfly and footprint only. That's really handy in a lot of ways, mostly that I can put those up first then pitch my tent inside of it while staying dry... But if it weren't for that I'd have never bought it.

I don't use a tent though. ;)

Game Warden
07-01-2013, 22:07
Footprints are an anachronism. Most modern tents don't need them, unless you anticipate rough or very wet terrain.

ChinMusic
07-01-2013, 22:15
I have noticed that folks with footprints on the trail this year don't like getting their tent wet either.

bfayer
07-03-2013, 19:15
Some folks are more worried about their tent than their backs. My tent I can replace, no so much with my back.

To me (and I'm a total gear dweeb) tents are just gear and gear is just a means to an end, in other words just tools to facilitate the hike.

I don't use a footprint anymore because I realized I spent more time with the tent on my back than on the ground. Holes can be patched with duct tape and duct tape is lighter than a footprint. If my tent gets muddy I dunk it in a stream and its just fine afterwords.

When I know I might stay in a shelter I take a tyvek groundsheet (because shelters are total pits)

Other than that I see no reason to take something extra to protect the thing I am already taking to protect myself. That would be like wrapping the tires on my car in rubber so they don't wear out as quickly, or wearing 2 pairs of underwear to keep first pair clean :)

Having said all that, I carry other stuff that some people think is insane to carry, so don't listen to me.

HooKooDooKu
07-03-2013, 20:05
...I see no reason to take something extra to protect the thing I am already taking to protect myself. That would be like ... wearing 2 pairs of underwear to keep first pair clean...
In my mind, that analogy doesn't hold up. To me, wearing two pair of underwear would be like putting a ground cloth under your ground cloth.
Otherwise, not using a ground cloth is like not wearing underwear under your pants. After all, your pants are protecting you from the elements, and your underwear is extra weight, right?

bfayer
07-03-2013, 20:50
In my mind, that analogy doesn't hold up. To me, wearing two pair of underwear would be like putting a ground cloth under your ground cloth.
Otherwise, not using a ground cloth is like not wearing underwear under your pants. After all, your pants are protecting you from the elements, and your underwear is extra weight, right?

The bottom of the tent is already your ground cloth, which is there to protect your sleeping pad which is there to protect you. A ground cloth/footprint adds a third layer (like a second pair of underwear or second pair of pants, take your pick).

If you want to pick on my underwear analogy feel free, but frankly I generally find that people who pick on analogies anywhere outside of a college classroom have either: missed the point, or are just trying to argue.

I was just giving my opinion while trying to use a small amount of humor. If you like tent footprints just say so and say why, no need to dissect my logic.

Aquaman12
07-04-2013, 00:21
How about all you cuben fiber users? Do you use groundsheets? I use one under my cuben Solong 6 because I don't want to have to pay another $650.

Mountain Mike
07-04-2013, 01:54
How about all you cuben fiber users? Do you use groundsheets? I use one under my cuben Solong 6 because I don't want to have to pay another $650.
Good point! to me is what you have invested in your tent & making it last. Then consider terrain you are camping on, weather conditions, mileage... Dpn't think there is one definitive answer. Chose of the many choices listed to meet the conditions you will encounter. On a thru you will be both right & wrong what ever choice you make, just chose & deal with it.

ChinMusic
07-04-2013, 08:02
How about all you cuben fiber users? Do you use groundsheets? I use one under my cuben Solong 6 because I don't want to have to pay another $650.
You should have chosen the sil floor

HooKooDooKu
07-04-2013, 13:13
The bottom of the tent is already your ground cloth, which is there to protect your sleeping pad which is there to protect you. A ground cloth/footprint adds a third layer (like a second pair of underwear or second pair of pants, take your pick).
Touche

BTW, sorry if I offended you. I'm not trying to argue. I just though my analogy of "no ground cloth = no underwear" was sort of funny too (guess I'm not very good at being funny).


I think everyone would agree that a ground cloth adds protection but also adds weight. Different types of ground cloths provide different types of protection. We each evaluate a combination of the conditions we face, the costs involved (monetary and otherwise), and our comfort levels and all come up with different solutions.

MyName1sMud
07-05-2013, 12:20
I would be shocked if our footprint weighed 12 oz, but then again I don't hike far enough often enough to have a problem with a little extra weight. Hell, I carry a Helinox chair on my backpacking trips!

I do love that we have the Big Agnes footprint that fits our tent, it makes it so easy to put up with the grommets built in

I bought the footprint for the Jupiters Cabin. It's the first footprint for a tent i've ever bought and on the first set up i was thrilled to see how easy it sets up with the footprint.

I also love the fact that you can combine the fly and the footprint to make a shade tent.

wornoutboots
07-06-2013, 23:23
no.................