Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting ??s on tent footprint

sorry I miss placed my inquiry in the wrong forum ...
https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbth...11336/gonew/1/s_on_tent_footprint#UNREAD

not knowing how to relocate it, I make the same question here:


I have noticed that some tents (I am looking at the Easton Kilo and the Agnes Fly Creek UL2) are offered with a separate footprint that has to be purchased separately.

My questions are: What is exactly a "footprint", if those tents do not have a floor already (or at least one that serves it purpose?, and if I really need to buy the footprint?

Thank you.

BBerg

The footprint is a protective sheet that goes under the tent to protect the floor from rocks, sticks, etc. You don't need it but it will make your floor last longer if you camp on rough ground. It can also be used for a floor in floorless tents.
If you can sew even a little, check the price of nylon. You might be able to make one a lot cheaper than you can buy one. (It should be noted that I'm an inveterate DIY'er)

The footprint is a lightweight sheet of the same material as the tent floor. It is cut to dimensions just a bit smaller than the tent itself as to not accumulate water in a storm. The idea is that you will wear out the footprint before your floor - and the footprint is considerably cheaper than a new tent.

If you are using the tent in areas with soft ground cover, you might be able to get away without it, but I almost always use one when camping - I don't really do any true backpack hunting.

An option to consider is going floorless, with a tarp-type tent. I did this for a few years and it worked great at high elevation, but not so much fun down low where the bugs live. Mine was a little one made by Bibler and marketed by Black Diamond. I know there are many other quality options out there as well and this is the route I would recommend if you are wanting to get into backpack hunting - my entire sleeping setup was approx 3.5 pounds true (not advertised) weight.

You can also cut a piece of Tyvek for a inexpensive and lightweight footprint.

That's how I do it... nice thing about a footprint is you can use it alone as a groundcloth to sleep under the stars.

Thank you all for your replies. I think I'll follow Ed's advise and make one out of a piece of Tyvek.
Regards,
BBerg

BBerg, just make sure you cut it about 1" smaller on each four sides than your actual tent... keeps it from sticking out from under the tent and acting as a rain collector.

Also, if you wash the Tyvek before using it it will soften and become less loud.

+1 for Tyvek

One problem here... on most tents a ground cloth is not an option if there is water involved. On a dry trip, not a problem. But if you have water under your tent and no ground cloth it can come right thru. The typical tent that we use has a polyester or nylon floor, treated for water resistance. 1500 pu is typical for a light weight tent, though some are rated higher. If there is water under your tent (or even under the floor but on top of your ground cloth) if you knee down your pants will get wet! The pressure exceeds the treatment.

Cheaper tents sometime have a tarp material as a bottom, and that's actually better. But much heavier.

So if it might rain, have a ground cloth... whether it's a full footprint or not.

Tyvek is great. On some trips with my floorless tents I take a survival blanket for a truly light weight solution, though. Cheap and tough. It can break down to 14 oz. per person for the whole tent/pole/stakes/groundcloth, with two people.

You really don't want to make one from nylon or polyester. You need a truly waerproof barrier... plastic or Tyvek. So with a floored tent you have to carry two floors, with a floorless tent only one.

The hydrostatic head of Tyvek is 1270mm for the sake of comparison. Also, if I recall correctly Kerlon (Hilleberg) has a hydr. head approximately 3 times that of 1.3 oz. silnylon.

Where can you find tyvek in sizes smaller than 10 tents worth?

ebay. There are sellers who will sell you whatever size you need.

Prolite also has it for $0.90 per foot (for 24" wide); you just enter the number of feet that you want in length in the "quantity" box.

The best answer is to find a friend who builds houses, and ask for a piece of his scrap. That's typically 9 feet wide.

I am also cutting on a 10 foot wide roll, and would be willing to sell some at $3 per foot plus shipping. I won't make much on this deal. Send me a note or contact me thru www.appytrails.com.