Packing up my tent - pole splint/stuff sacks/footprint?

[SharkWeekGirl]

Hi folks. After a ton of weekend trips, I'm finally taking my first big multi-week backpack through SNP next month. Since this is the first time I've REALLY had to worry about shaving off ounces, I was wondering -- what tent accessories do you take or leave behind? Do you ditch all your stuff sacks and just stuff the tent into your pack? Do you bring the extra pole splint in case something snaps, and if you do, have you ever actually had to use it? And how necessary do you think the footprint is, or are you just careful with your site selection?

Thanks for the advice!

[daddytwosticks]

I do ditch extra stuff sacks, if able to. Replace heavy tent stakes w/lightweight titanium. My tent uses hiking poles so no splints. I bring a very lightweight plastic drop cloth cut for my tent bottom as a footprint.

[colorado_rob]

No footprints (never, ever used them, never had any problems at all, footprints are a scam; one extra sale the outfitters love to make)), a cuben fiber stuff sack (0.3 ounces), Titanium stakes (0.2 ounces each), when I use a tent that has poles (my lightest uses a trekking pole), I do carry a tent-pole repair sleeve (0.3 ounces)... it's just a short tube of aluminum that you slide over the break and secure with duct tape (I always carry a few feet of duct tape wrapped around my trekking pole).

Ounces really count. Shave them!

[Another Kevin]

I bring the stuff sack for my tent so that it can go on the outside of my pack if I have to pack it wet. I bring a bit of Tyvek for a footprint sometimes. It depends on the sort of surfaces that I expect. If I'm going to be on nice duff, I just trust the tent floor. If I'm going to be on quartz conglomerate, I bring the footprint. That rock eats tent floors, crampons, boots, gloves, trouser seats, and anything else that it comes in contact with. My tent is trekking-pole supported, so no splint.

I bring the wind guys if it looks as if I might need them. The last time I did, I didn't bother with stakes for them. I just half-buried my snowshoes and tied out to them. I also occasionally tie out to bushes or rocks.

[Another Kevin]

No footprints (never, ever used them, never had any problems at all, footprints are a scam; one extra sale the outfitters love to make))

Agree, for the most part. On unusually abrasive rock, they're useful. I get some of that where I am. Also, they give you the option (in a bugless season) of carrying just the rainfly and footprint and leaving the inner tent at home. If I expect a decent surface to tent on, and i'm bringing the bug tent, the footprint stays home.

[StealthHikerBoy]

This is very non UL of me, but when I use my double wall tent, I actually pack it up in two stuff sacks. I use one for the fly and one for the inner. The reason is when the fly is wet, which is often, I have some chance of keeping the inner dry that way. It also packs better for me, as two little sacks fit better in my pack than one bigger one.

[Coffee]

I have around 30 nights on my zPacks cuben ground sheet (the only floor of my shelter) with not a single hole or tear. Most of the use was in the Sierra Nevada and there were some rocky sites. That being said, I think that the cuben ground sheet is tougher than the floors of many tents.

The OP mentions that the hike is in SNP. I would not worry about ground sheet issues in Shenandoah as I've always found areas to camp where I could just move any rocks or twigs aside.

I use a trekking pole supported shelter but I did carry the included pole splint when I had a free standing shelter briefly, before I purchased my current hexamid shelter. I'm not sure how I would repair a tent pole without a splint. If I lose my trekking poles, I think that there are many sticks where I could improvise to set up my hexamid.

[Shonryu]

I take the tent, some TI stakes, and a 1.4oz GG poly ground sheet. Use my trekking poles for set up so no issues with poles. The poly also serves incase I decide to stay in a shelter to keep my pad an quilt from getting dirty. I leave everything else behind. Depending on the season I will also detach the bug netting and leave it behind to shave a few more ounces.