Non-custom tent footprints
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Non-custom tent footprints
Anyone just use a sheet of tyvek or something for a tent footprint? How did it go? Where did you get it from? Does the sizing matter much?
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,062
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18320 Post(s)
Liked 15,299 Times
in
7,231 Posts
I use a simple blue tarp like these:
https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keyw...20poly%20tarps
Think mine is 5x7. It can double as a shelter. String it up between some trees and stay dry while cooking in the rain. Also comes in handy when you are forced to sit on wet/muddy/dirty ground.
https://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&keyw...20poly%20tarps
Think mine is 5x7. It can double as a shelter. String it up between some trees and stay dry while cooking in the rain. Also comes in handy when you are forced to sit on wet/muddy/dirty ground.
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Yuba City, CA
Posts: 152
Bikes: Cannondale M300 mountain, '72 German Kurfalz touring
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I use a piece of visqueen plastic, somewhat cut to size.
#5
aka Phil Jungels
I use heavy visquene, cut slightly smaller for the outside, and another cut slightly larger for the inside. Easy to clean, quick to dry, cheap and easy to replace. Has worked great for years.
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,112
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times
in
1,122 Posts
Heavy plastic, I do not recall if sold as painting drop cloth or what.
Make sure you cut it slightly smaller than tent floor. You do not want water to fall off the tent (or tent fly) and then land on the plastic sheeting and flow under the tent. That could happen if the plastic sheet was too big, it would prevent water from flowing into the soil and there is a greater chance that the water will get into the tent. If cut slightly smaller, there is a greater chance that rain water will not fall onto the footprint.
I have camped on soft beach sand and was unhappy with my choice to not have my plastic sheeting in the vestibule area, that would have kept more sand out of the tent.
Purpose of the footprint is to protect the tent floor from sharp objects. If I am camped on soft lawn grass without sharp twigs, etc., I do not use a footprint.
Make sure you cut it slightly smaller than tent floor. You do not want water to fall off the tent (or tent fly) and then land on the plastic sheeting and flow under the tent. That could happen if the plastic sheet was too big, it would prevent water from flowing into the soil and there is a greater chance that the water will get into the tent. If cut slightly smaller, there is a greater chance that rain water will not fall onto the footprint.
I have camped on soft beach sand and was unhappy with my choice to not have my plastic sheeting in the vestibule area, that would have kept more sand out of the tent.
Purpose of the footprint is to protect the tent floor from sharp objects. If I am camped on soft lawn grass without sharp twigs, etc., I do not use a footprint.
#7
Senior Member
These days I do not use anything. One day on a long tour in a weight reducing purge I pitched the ground sheet and never looked back. I decided that groundsheets are just not necessary. I figure that I let the tent bottom take some abuse I can patch or recoat it as needed, which it turns out has been seldom. If it ever gets too bad I would start using a ground sheet after the bottom is beyond patching, but so far I have never had a tent bottom be the reason for replacing a tent. My take is that if I spend more money to get a lighter tent, the last thing I want to do is add the weight of a ground sheet or worse yet spend even more money to add the weight of a fancy footprint.
I have used Tyvek and plastic ground sheets in the past, but I have never used a manufactured "footprint". When I did use ground sheets, I always made them just a little (maybe 2") bigger than necessary and then folded the excess under so none showed.
I have used Tyvek and plastic ground sheets in the past, but I have never used a manufactured "footprint". When I did use ground sheets, I always made them just a little (maybe 2") bigger than necessary and then folded the excess under so none showed.
#8
Cycle Dallas
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Land of Gar, TX
Posts: 3,777
Bikes: Dulcinea--2017 Kona Rove & a few others
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 197 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 10 Times
in
5 Posts
I use an SOL Emergency Blanket. It's lightweight, folds down well and costs less than $5.
#9
Senior Member
Ive always just used home made cut ones, using a reasonably thick plastic sheet, have never actually weighed them, but unlike Staeph, I prefer to use them to keep pokey stuff being in direct contact with the tent floor. Im pretty careful about clearing the pitching spot of rocks, twigs or whatever, but there have been times where circumstances dont give a lot of choice, ie cement or lots of gravel or whatever, and so its been nice to keep the tent floor directly out of contact with this stuff.
For a 1, 2 or 3 person tent, its not much extra weight to carry--but as Staeph says, it comes down to you deciding if its worth it (if I can avoid pinhole punctures that need to be patched, Ill take it, plus who wants wet stuff in a tent in the middle of the night in a huge downpour)
For a 1, 2 or 3 person tent, its not much extra weight to carry--but as Staeph says, it comes down to you deciding if its worth it (if I can avoid pinhole punctures that need to be patched, Ill take it, plus who wants wet stuff in a tent in the middle of the night in a huge downpour)
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Bay Area, Calif.
Posts: 7,239
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times
in
6 Posts
A friend uses one cut from Tyvek and it works fine. I think he got it from one of the big home-improvement stores.
But I agree with staeph - never use a ground cloth and have never had a problem. When I've had wear issues with tents it has either been with zippers or due to UV damage - never had a problem with the floors.
But I agree with staeph - never use a ground cloth and have never had a problem. When I've had wear issues with tents it has either been with zippers or due to UV damage - never had a problem with the floors.
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Golden, CO and Tucson, AZ
Posts: 2,822
Bikes: 2016 Fuji Tread, 1983 Trek 520
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 669 Post(s)
Liked 725 Times
in
422 Posts
I used to scour building sites for Tyvek scraps (not so many of those any more, certainly not around here). But I have eschewed ground sheets of any kind for the past few years and my tents have not shown any more wear than they used to. In fact, Tarptent's website doesn't even recommend using them (but says if you feel you must, Tyvek is a good solution). My current tent, a Tarptent Contrail, has 6000 hiking miles and one Northern Tier ride on it, as well as numerous overnighters (hundreds of nights total), has never been pitched on a ground sheet, and the floor actually shows less wear than the rest of the tent.
#12
Cycle Dallas
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Land of Gar, TX
Posts: 3,777
Bikes: Dulcinea--2017 Kona Rove & a few others
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 197 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 10 Times
in
5 Posts
As a kid, my dad always insisted on a tarp under the tent. I never much thought about pitching a tent without footprint of some kind.
If I thought about my reasoning, now, I guess it's not to preserve wear-and-tear on the tent but to keep moisture from wicking up through the bottom of the tent. So, if my tent's floor is waterproof, then I might rethink using a footprint of any kind. Hmmmmm.
If I thought about my reasoning, now, I guess it's not to preserve wear-and-tear on the tent but to keep moisture from wicking up through the bottom of the tent. So, if my tent's floor is waterproof, then I might rethink using a footprint of any kind. Hmmmmm.
#13
Count Orlok Member
I cut an old shower curtain to fit under my Remington Timberline copy. I've met some people who insist the ground cloth should be used inside the tent, not out.
#14
Banned
Builder's Moisture barrier , thicker, .. or a painters , disposable drop cloth , thinner .
lots of square feet in the package.
get a hole/ tear on the trip, clear packing tape . and then a new piece when you get home.
Smaller than the tent outline or you get a lake on top of the moisture barrier, under your tent.
I used loops of packing tape to hold the plastic on by the stake out loops on the tent.
lots of square feet in the package.
get a hole/ tear on the trip, clear packing tape . and then a new piece when you get home.
Smaller than the tent outline or you get a lake on top of the moisture barrier, under your tent.
I used loops of packing tape to hold the plastic on by the stake out loops on the tent.
Last edited by fietsbob; 01-30-13 at 12:37 PM.
#16
-
https://www.ebay.com/sch/Sporting-Goo...R40&_nkw=tyvek
Tyvek is much lighter and packs easier than plastic sold at HD or Lowes.
It is very stiff and "rattles" with a lot of noise when new. One trick to improve this is to cut footprint to desired size, then put in washing machine with a bunch of fabric softener. It's hard to get it in the tub, and it doesn't seem like it will work when you're doing it, but it does. It will come out with a million wrinkles and then will forever be softer, less noisy and pack easier.
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,441
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 33 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
3 Posts
Footprints are silly, a kind of belt and suspenders thing, assuming that one camps on relatively benign surfaces. I'm sure there is some place that some people camp that shreds tents. But for fields through to smooth rock they are not necessary. Even if one wore a hole into the floor it is easily fixed, but in decades of camping I have never had to do that.
#18
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: columbus, ohio
Posts: 895
Bikes: Soma Saga, 1980 Schwinn Voyageur 11.8, New Albion Privateer
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 76 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 9 Times
in
7 Posts
I made a footprint for my tent using a blue tarp with grommets and all. I followed the video instructions below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RueJ7t2J6t0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RueJ7t2J6t0
#19
Real Men Ride Ordinaries
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 3,723
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 17 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
Footprints are definitely a bit unnecessary. Tent floors are made to be puncture resistant and waterproof (or at least highly water resistant). The only reason to use a footprint, in my opinion, is if you want to ditch the inner tent and just pitch the fly.
I've used painters drop cloth, the 2 mil plastic variety, cut to size, and it works, but it lacks durability. In about a week, it's so full of holes that it needs to be replaced.
Tyvek housewrap works well; it's light and durable, but it can be a bit loud, and it doesn't pack all to well. It's still cheap and works well.
I've heard really good things about Polycryo, the stuff used to insulate windows. It's supposed to be lighter and more durable than even Tyvek.
I'm not a fan of the blue tarp stuff; while it's really durable, it's far heavier than it needs to be. Unless you're camping on a bed of nails, you don't need a floor that bombproof.
I've used painters drop cloth, the 2 mil plastic variety, cut to size, and it works, but it lacks durability. In about a week, it's so full of holes that it needs to be replaced.
Tyvek housewrap works well; it's light and durable, but it can be a bit loud, and it doesn't pack all to well. It's still cheap and works well.
I've heard really good things about Polycryo, the stuff used to insulate windows. It's supposed to be lighter and more durable than even Tyvek.
I'm not a fan of the blue tarp stuff; while it's really durable, it's far heavier than it needs to be. Unless you're camping on a bed of nails, you don't need a floor that bombproof.
#20
HomeBrew Master!
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: West Central Illinois
Posts: 2,208
Bikes: Aegis Aro Svelte, Surly LHT, Cannondal R3000 tandem, Santana Triplet.
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I used a blue plastic tarp which I cut to fit. It worked very well. The most crucial time was while camping at the Knott County Historical Society in Hindman, KY I chose to stay in the tent that was already set up. My ride partner did also. I used my home made footprint as an added shield under my sleeping bag, and my panniers. My partner elected not to use his. It rained very hard that night. The floor of the tent leaked badly, I stayed dry, but my partner was soaked. My footprint doesn't weigh much, nor does it take up much room.
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Hollister, CA
Posts: 455
Bikes: Bianchi San Jose, Mercian King of Mercia
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Ask for a scrap of Tyvek at a construction site, or buy it. We don't use a footprint, and when it's damp I sometimes wish we had. Before washing (it's really noisy and cumbersome if you don't) sit down in front of the television for an hour or so and crumble it up every way you can, wringing it out frequently as if it was wet. Then wash it. It will come out soft, covered in creases and nearly completely quiet when you roll around on it. In my view, it's much better than those you purchase, both for its durability and its cost.
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,485
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1182 Post(s)
Liked 830 Times
in
433 Posts
The primary reason I use a light weight footprint(6' X 8') is to keep my tent dry and clean. With out a foot print I would be stuffing my tent with a wet and perhaps muddy bottom into a compression sack. I just tuck the access under the tent so that it does not collect water during a rainstorm. Unless you are in the desert, the part of the tent or the ground cloth will collect moisture on the bottom side even in "dry" weather. I would like to keep a relatively dry clean tent clean and dry if possible. It is a lot easier to pull out a light weight sil-nylon tarp that I use for a ground cloth during to day to dry out than it is a tent. It also makes a nice floor for the vestibule.
I've also used our ground cloth as a shelter while waiting out downpours and hail storms. It is also a good cover for the eating area if needed in wet weather.
I even carry the groundcloth when I actually have to carry it!
I've also used our ground cloth as a shelter while waiting out downpours and hail storms. It is also a good cover for the eating area if needed in wet weather.
I even carry the groundcloth when I actually have to carry it!
Last edited by Doug64; 01-30-13 at 10:05 PM.
#24
Dirt Bomb
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,857
Mentioned: 64 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5398 Post(s)
Liked 280 Times
in
233 Posts
I like a 5 x 7 tarp under my Keilty tent. It keeps things clean and it packs away in the stuff sack with the tent. I won't go camping without a tarp of some kind. They are just too handy.
__________________
#25
Senior Member
Thread Starter
These days I do not use anything. One day on a long tour in a weight reducing purge I pitched the ground sheet and never looked back. I decided that groundsheets are just not necessary. I figure that I let the tent bottom take some abuse I can patch or recoat it as needed, which it turns out has been seldom. If it ever gets too bad I would start using a ground sheet after the bottom is beyond patching, but so far I have never had a tent bottom be the reason for replacing a tent. My take is that if I spend more money to get a lighter tent, the last thing I want to do is add the weight of a ground sheet or worse yet spend even more money to add the weight of a fancy footprint.
The new tent is much more expensive, so I'm keener to protect it. I don't think I'd take the footprint on weight-critical trips, but not all trips are weight-critical...