Tent footprint or no?

[Fur Queue]

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]

Not for me.

[shakey_snake]

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]

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.

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

[Drybones]

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]

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]

...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]

My take:
A definite no to expensive footprints. A less firm no to ground sheets of any type.

[gizzy bear]

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]

For 1.6 oz., very worth keeping the mud off the tent floor. http://gossamergear.com/shelters/she...th-medium.html

[gizzy bear]

For 1.6 oz., very worth keeping the mud off the tent floor. http://gossamergear.com/shelters/she...th-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]

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]

Footprints are an anachronism. Most modern tents don't need them, unless you anticipate rough or very wet terrain.

[ChinMusic]

I have noticed that folks with footprints on the trail this year don't like getting their tent wet either.

[bfayer]

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]

...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]

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]

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]

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]

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