Tent footprint or no?
Tent footprints? Any real advantages? It seems to me like its 12 unnecessary ounces? Thanks in advance!
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.
Double Wide is now BLUEBERRY
Northbound (2nd Attempt) March 2017
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 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.
I do what Double Wide posted!!!Originally Posted by Double Wide
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.
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.
2,000 miler. Still keepin' on keepin' on.
It prolly doesn't weigh 12 ounces...it just seems like that...I am purging!! Ha!
I use one on gravelly car camping sites, never in the back country.
"It's fun to have fun, but you have to know how." ---Dr. Seuss
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).
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.
This. Def not needed on the AT
Fear ridges that are depicted as flat lines on a profile map.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning
it ain't about the weight, it's just not needed
5 months on the AT....tented almost every night with Tarptent Moment....no footprint...no regrets
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