Z Packs Tent Question

[GolfHiker]

This is a specific Q. To ZPack tent owners. I have my Hexamid Solo+, circa 2014 model. Many nights of use with a few rainy nights in there. I have never used/ carried a ground cloth, as I have done with most of my other tents. No problems, which is good. I know the ZPacks mantra says to be careful where you tent, which I understand, and have been, just to avoid issues with the floor. But, going out for many possible rainy nights/days, should I consider a ground cloth? Hoping to avoid the weight, but asking for some other "real life" experience.

Side note..... I have a small, cut to size, tyvec sheet for use in shelters beneath my airmatt. I suppose I could carry a slightly larger sheet to use as ground cloth & shelter protection.

Thoughts from ZPack veterans. Thank you.

[cmoulder]

If you have to camp where it's already wet/muddy, seems some sort of ground sheet is mandatory. I have a Duplex and thus a built-in floor, which is made of the 1oz/yd Cuben. Holding up quite well thus far (~50-60 nights?) and I'm not super-particular about grooming the area where I pitch it. It has weathered a couple of bona fide deluges with no leaks.

If expecting a lot of rain, IMO a sizeable (about 1.5-2x your sleep pad dimensions) bathtub ground sheet is a good idea. I made one with Tyvek for my Duomid and the very first trip with it I encountered 3 straight nights with a lot of rain and was very happy the edges remained above ground so water could run under it. It would be easy to make something like this for a hex solo, using some shock cords and hooks to keep it in position.

tyvek corner duomid.jpg

[Starchild]

I used the Heximid (single) with a 1+ bathtub and was fine during very rainy weather. The bug netting itself puts a degree of seperation between you and the wet ground.

[bigcranky]

We have a Hex Twin, with the cuben groundsheet, and never used a separate ground sheet. Same with our SMD Lunar Duo. That cuben is pretty tough, and if you ding it, it repairs with duct tape. If it gets totally shredded, it can be easily replaced.

[MuddyWaters]

If you are pitched on soft duff , with good site selection, the area under your tarp will stay bone dry. Drops dont create much splash on the soft ground, and water sinks in instead of running under you.

Pitch on hard compacted frequently used ground, and its the opposite.

The best place for a groundcloth is inside a tent, to protect you from any leakage in the floor. Outside, it offers nothing if water runs over its edge

The hexamid mesh provides a great deal of protection for the cuben floor. Never used a groundcloth under mine, on any surface including rock. I would possibly be more careful with the "plex" shelters .

I like the hexamid design with removeable floor. I dont like the mesh attached at outer edge where water runs down it. Id like to see the canopy a tad wider/longer and mesh attached 6" inside from edge, with groundsheet still removeable. At hikers need a groundsheet for shelters usually, the fixed floor isnt great for this reason. Its obviosly the way it is because easy to sew.

[Vegan Packer]

Side note..... I have a small, cut to size, tyvec sheet for use in shelters beneath my airmatt. I suppose I could carry a slightly larger sheet to use as ground cloth & shelter protection.

I haven't used it yet, but I have a Duplex on order, and I got the ground cloth. If nothing else, it keeps the tent clean. It is a lot easier to rinse off the ground cloth than to deal with a muddy tent floor while you are on the trail. You can use the Duplex ground cloth in place of your shelter ground cloth, so the weight, also accounting for Tyvek versus the Cuben, would likely be around the same.

[firesign]

This is a specific Q. To ZPack tent owners. I have my Hexamid Solo+, circa 2014 model. Many nights of use with a few rainy nights in there. I have never used/ carried a ground cloth, as I have done with most of my other tents. No problems, which is good. I know the ZPacks mantra says to be careful where you tent, which I understand, and have been, just to avoid issues with the floor. But, going out for many possible rainy nights/days, should I consider a ground cloth? Hoping to avoid the weight, but asking for some other "real life" experience.

Side note..... I have a small, cut to size, tyvec sheet for use in shelters beneath my airmatt. I suppose I could carry a slightly larger sheet to use as ground cloth & shelter protection.

Thoughts from ZPack veterans. Thank you.

I did not use a ground cloth and I had the same tent. I got around 5 months of daily use out of mine without damage to the cuben bath tub.

The issue on my thru, even though I had the extended beak, was heavy rain splashing in to the tent through the meshing. For this reason, my next ZPacks tent will be the Altaplex which will allow me to close the front of the tent up.

I wish you well.

[colorado_rob]

I own and use the Zpacks solo+, bought in early 2014 myself.
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But I'm confused on the question. My solo+ has a mesh floor, and the "normal" way to use the tent is to put a waterproof ground sheet inside the tent on top of the mesh. Is this what you're asking? whether to do this or just use the mesh alone? OR, are you asking to use a separate ground sheet below the mesh, plus one on top of the mesh? If so, I'd say no. Just use a ground sheet inside the tent, nothing extra under the mesh. I used mine this way for 1/2 of an AT, the mesh is still in great shape. Yeah, it gets a tad dirty, but who cares. shake it off when it's dry, and wash it off when you get home.
..
FWIW, my inside ground sheet is a piece of Polycro, bought from Gossamer Gear for $10 for a two-pack. You can trim these down to fit perfectly. I then taped small pieces of cord (same cord that comes with tent for tie outs) to the 6 tie-offs to the tent interior. Total weight of this ground sheet system is 2 ounces, cost 5 bucks per. One sheet lasted nearly my complete 1000 mile AT stretch, then I ripped it somehow, started using the second sheet, still using the 2nd of the two-pack. the Cuben sheet you can buy with the tent is like 90 bucks or so and weighs twice as much. Tyvek also weighs twice as much. both the Cuben and Tyvek are more durable however. I "risk" using the polycro to save those 2 ounces and in the case of the cuben alternative, a bunch of money. If you want cheap and more durable, but heavier, go with tyvek.

[GolfHiker]

To be clear, my HS+ does Not have a mesh floor, but rather just the Cuben floor w/ mesh siding above it. If I'm reading some of the replies correctly, the best use of a ground cloth is on the inside if / when I see rain coming. So having a gc to double as shelter protection & inside tent protection as needed might work.

Thank you all.

[MuddyWaters]

To be clear, my HS+ does Not have a mesh floor, but rather just the Cuben floor w/ mesh siding above it. If I'm reading some of the replies correctly, the best use of a ground cloth is on the inside if / when I see rain coming. So having a gc to double as shelter protection & inside tent protection as needed might work.

Thank you all.

That sounds like a solplex, not a hexamid.
But Joe did make some custom hexamids for people who asked with mesh sewn to the cuben bathtub edge permanently to save weight. I recall a couple on BPL that had these made. I know one wasnt real excited about his for some reason and ended up getting rid of his. He was one of these types that always tried the latest and greatest and usually sold it right after .

[GolfHiker]

MuddyWaters. I believe you are correct. First of all, it's no big trick for me to confuse myself. That said, the tent label on front right corner clearly says Hexamid. Not sure what's up with that. But everything else points to the Solplex. I bought it from Joe & it was not a custom order. Anyway, I like it, it fits me, stupid light, and sets up easily. I just checked the ZPack site & I don't have the Hexamid.

Thanks for catching that & allowing me to get my info straight.