Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

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Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby Son of a Beach » Mon 21 Sep, 2009 4:17 pm

I generally do not use a tent footprint or ground sheet. My current tents have very waterproof floors, and moderately tough. My old tent was a bit flimsy and not terribly waterproof, but I didn't bother with it then either.

The only time I've put a hole in the floor of a tent was when I pitched in on a large piece of broken bottle hidden in the grass. I think that would have gone through most footprints anyhow (maybe not tyvek, but I don't know).

Of course I always check the ground fairly carefully before pitching the tent and remove any sticks or sharp hard objects before pitching the tent (although I obviously missed that large piece of glass once).

Do you trust your tent's floor fabrics to be waterproof? Do you trust it to be tough enough to cater for the sticks and stones that you might pitch it on?

I do think it's odd that most tent manufacturers brag about how tough their floor fabrics are, and then try to sell you a footprint to protect the floor.

(NB: I know that some people get a footprint to also cover the vestibule area. This makes more sense to me, although it's not something I'm personally interested in).
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby Nuts » Mon 21 Sep, 2009 4:30 pm

Iv'e never bothered with a 'footprint', afterall, we spend so much for a tent that is very light only to add another layer to what should be a strong enough floor to last a decade and stay waterproof, the good ones very rarely need and are not difficult to repair (even quickly with tape).

To me it goes in the same category as - spending a fortune on postage and then being offered an even more expensive option to ensure the package will get actually get here, spending extra on a service that should have been there in the first place...
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby Ent » Mon 21 Sep, 2009 4:39 pm

As per the post on vestibules. A groundsheet for covering the vestibule is the way to go as it turns what could be a muddy area into useful storage space. The main advantage outside this is cleaner packing up as you can keep the tent clean and restrict the mud to the groundsheet. As for strength I think if you are relying on a groundsheet to provide protection then you are saving weight falsely. Better to have the weight in a good floor than in a groundsheet. Though many modern tents appear to be skimping on the floor in the race to post the lightest weight. Would not want a floor any lighter than the MD Kaon one

It is mainly for cleaner setting up, using and packing up that I use a groundsheet. Might help look after the tent floor and possibly provide some installation on the ground but I think they are minor to points that a decent floor and care would normally take care of. For the Akto it is 250 grams penalty and 455 grams on the Kaitum that I am happy to incur. If not planning to use the tent I would chuck them out of the pack or consider it and just the fly as my tarp type experience. Bit like a towbar on a car. Nearly never needed but boy do you miss it when the event happens.

The mad desire for cleanest is due to living in a unit in Launceston so not much option to pitch the tent in the backyard and wash it down and then store it in the garage to dry. More a lifestyle thing for me. Still have not got one for the MD Kaon and probably will not bother unless some kind person helps me make one to suit the floor area neatly.

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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby Jellybean » Mon 21 Sep, 2009 4:55 pm

Hi,

I haven't used one in the past but decided to buy one with my recent tent purchase to provide more pitching options (e.g., full tent; inner only; fly and footprint only). Time will tell whether it was worthwhile. I figured for an extra $40 odd (vs $80+ here) it worth a trial.

Cheers,

JB
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby eggs » Mon 21 Sep, 2009 5:07 pm

Our footprint came in handy in the desert conditions of the Northern Flinders.
We just had the footprint and the outer - with no inner erected. A nice easy setup and a comfortable sleep.

I am also happy to get a little bit of extra protection for the inner which keeps things a bit cleaner as well.

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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby norts » Mon 21 Sep, 2009 6:46 pm

I use tyvek for a foot print. After awhile it is not as waterproof as I would like, but it sure does make packing up the tent easier.
It keeps every thing alot cleaner.

I also use it as a ground sheet when sleeping in huts.

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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby Lady McGuyver » Mon 21 Sep, 2009 6:52 pm

I’ve always endeavoured to use a footprint with my tents, even if it’s just a cheap bit of tarp cut-off.. Then I was introduced to those US made reflective safety-blankets. They’re expensive, but claim to either reflect or retain heat/cold, depending which way up. They’re quite tough and great to use the next morning, to keep stuff clean & dry while I pack stuff, lose stuff, re-pack again, re-arrange and generally dither about!! :roll:
I discovered a couple of years ago that the Spinifex grass on Flinders Island will pierce anything; no matter how careful I was choosing & clearing a tent site I ended up with several holes in the footprint, tent floor and even the fly. Luckily it never rained during those 2 weeks.
Last Summer I was camping at Ross and woke up during the night with crawlies crawling all over me. I discovered the ground in the caravan park was full of those ground-dwelling grubs. Apparently nocturnal since they werent there when i arrived...
I don’t know their exact name, but I called them some really colourful names when I realised they had chewed right through the footprint and the tent floor!! :evil:
Yeah I like footprints!
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby tasadam » Mon 21 Sep, 2009 11:13 pm

One word.


Tyvek!


Can't beat it!
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby corvus » Mon 21 Sep, 2009 11:41 pm

Tyvek rools Eh!! pleased to have introduced it to this forum way back when :lol:
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby tasadam » Mon 21 Sep, 2009 11:52 pm

Yes, I thought of you when I posted that... :wink:
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby Macca81 » Fri 25 Sep, 2009 6:13 pm

back when i was in college, i used a 'footprint' all the time, mainly because the schools olympus tents all had them.

now days, i never use one. have thought about it at times, but i have yet to find a time that i have felt iv needed
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby photohiker » Fri 25 Sep, 2009 11:42 pm

Tyvek. Mostly to keep the tent cleaner and to make the packup easier.

The tyvek I have came with the tent. It's noisy as anything in the wind, is it all like that?
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby stepbystep » Sat 26 Sep, 2009 9:03 am

Have noticed some online sellers are throwing the groundsheet in for nix, on certain models, http://campsaver.com was one from memory.
I got one for nothing and the tent price from $US plus postage was as cheap as I could find anywhere. :)
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby tasadam » Sun 27 Sep, 2009 9:20 am

photohiker wrote:The tyvek I have came with the tent. It's noisy as anything in the wind, is it all like that?

If you see this post by Nuts, and the one after it by Corvus, you will see that it can be softened.
And as indicated earlier in that topic it deteriorates after time. Good thing it's cheap - easy to replace.
Mine was very noisy for the first few uses, but after being folded up really small a number of times it has softened and is nowhere as noisy, yet it doesn't appear to have weakened it at all.
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby photohiker » Sun 27 Sep, 2009 10:24 am

Cool.

mine ears thank you! :)
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby Mulga » Wed 30 Sep, 2009 8:19 am

For may years I have been using an old nylon 3x3m tarp which is very light some of the new silnylon ones look good too. It is big enough to be used as a ground sheet (folded) and covers the vestuible area, makes living in the tent easier and cleaner. Also it is good to have as just as a tarp set up to sit under, to cook, or socialise with other trampers on those wet days or used as a wind break. Wouldn't leave home without one.

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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby frank_in_oz » Wed 30 Sep, 2009 9:13 am

Black poly from a garden supply place,(the thinish stuff) cut to the tent footprint (not the vestibule)

Must try Tyvek sometime...
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby rucksack » Wed 30 Sep, 2009 1:24 pm

I have used a space blanket cut to shape (tent footprint and vestibule) for three Olympus tunnels (1984, 1990 & 1999) and now have a Footprint for a new 2009 Nallo2. I think that everything stays that much cleaner and it's easier to pack and not lose anything in the morning. The tent floor is also much less likely to be abraded by grit and the like. I haven't had a single floor leak in any of the Olympus tunnels (and they have all had heavy use), but then again, I wouldn't really expect to. The extra weight is not so important for me. I'm convinced. Groundsheets get my vote. Clean is good!
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby GBW » Fri 23 Dec, 2016 6:35 pm

When my tent was new I was unsure how durable the floor was and used a footprint but after a time I've grown confident it's durable enough to withstand some punishment if you're careful about site selection and clean the area as best as possible the chances of a catastrophe are smallish. I carry a tape that will stick to the floor and do a temp repair but I've never needed it...the tent is practically as good as new after 100+ days @ $4.50/day. A good thing about footprints is they can serve as an emergency bivy.
Last edited by GBW on Mon 26 Dec, 2016 10:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby north-north-west » Fri 23 Dec, 2016 6:40 pm

Like SoB, I've only ever had the tent floor damaged once, by some unnoticed glass. But, if the ground is wet enough and has sufficient pressure on it for long enough, moisture will eventually seep through.
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby GBW » Fri 23 Dec, 2016 7:26 pm

north-north-west wrote:Like SoB, I've only ever had the tent floor damaged once, by some unnoticed glass. But, if the ground is wet enough and has sufficient pressure on it for long enough, moisture will eventually seep through.


Stay on your mat and avoid kneeling or elbowing to create pressure points. The floor in mine has a hydrostatic rating of 10,000 somethings of pressure...it's never leaked and I doubt a Hilleberg is much different. It's an Exped, The bucket floor works just as designed and it's been bombproof in rain so far.
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby north-north-west » Fri 23 Dec, 2016 7:37 pm

Staying on the mat simply spreads the body weight over a slightly larger area.
The fly is still weatherproof. It's withstood everything Tassie can throw at it through many nights. But the floor will let in a degree of moisture where there is sufficient pressure for long enough if the ground is wet enough. Maybe there's a degree of degradation in the fabric from abrasion after all those nights.
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby shoarthing » Sat 24 Dec, 2016 7:37 pm

The only tent I *don't* use a footprint with is the Wilderness Equipment Dart2 UL - its inner has a really tough, thick floor. Fairly convinced by Tyvek for an aftermarket solution & wish more makers of lightweight tents would supply tailored Tyvek footprints - I had a maker-supplied footprint in that stuff for a LightHeart Solo.
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby RonK » Sat 24 Dec, 2016 8:36 pm

shoarthing wrote:The only tent I *don't* use a footprint with is the Wilderness Equipment Dart2 UL - its inner has a really tough, thick floor.

Perhaps not so tough. The floor of mine has delaminated.
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby andrewa » Sat 24 Dec, 2016 9:44 pm

Never used one in 30 yrs. Never had an issue with puncturing the tent floor.

However, recently did sleep in my Hilleberg Nallo2GT without the inner, using my Zpacks hexamid floor as a "groundsheet".....and thought it would be really good to have a dedicated footprint to have slept on, and also a footprint dedicated to cover the vestibule area in certain circumstances, so I'll make one of each.

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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby South_Aussie_Hiker » Sat 24 Dec, 2016 10:07 pm

Use the tarptent tyvek footprint if it's an overnight hike, or camping with the kids in the backyard - anytimes weight is not a consideration.

On a multi day bushwalking trip I leave it behind, particularly if there's platforms.
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby andrewa » Sun 25 Dec, 2016 6:56 pm

Never ever been camping on platforms....

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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby drakkar » Mon 26 Dec, 2016 4:26 pm

I've just purchase a terra rosa net tent dealie.

I requested the base be made of heavier duty material. Overall it saves a few grams. And less stress.

If something where to go wrong, I've got tape on hand.
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby Drew » Tue 27 Dec, 2016 2:33 pm

I never used one with my Mont Moondance. It has a pretty tough floor, but after about 5 years of moderate use it now leaks (the rest of the tent is still perfect).

I'm not sure that I'd suggest using a groundsheet all the time, but I certainly regret not using one all the times I was car camping or on walks where I knew that rocky ground was likely.

I just got a Tarptent SS2, which has a less durable floor than the Mont. I'll definitely be using a tyvek groundsheet most of the time.
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Re: Do You Use a Tent Footprint/Ground-Sheet? Any Regrets?

Postby Johnnie Walker » Tue 27 Dec, 2016 8:55 pm

I've used the footprint for my tent on every trip. Replacing the footprint is a lot easier and cheaper then replacing the base of the tent and a footprint is easier to clean / keeps the tent clean.
My footprint is 180 grams, doesn't really bother me. My pack is always around the 15 kg, if 180 grams is going to be a a show stopper I'll lose some weight myself ;-)
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