Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters ??s on tent footprint

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 foot print is usually heavy duty plastic to provide protection to the floor from the rock and twigs underneath the tent. The tent is set up on top of the foot print. Some companies also make a floor protector that goes inside the tent over the floor for protection from boots, cots, etc.

Only you can decide if you need the extra protection. I certainly would not buy it for a backpacking tent.

An extra protection from dirt, water, ground and adds comfort in the tent. I use footprint on my tents, would not like to be without it.

Plus, many tents can be set up with the footprint and fly only for an even lighter option.

Thank you very much for your replies.

I intended to place my question on the Back Packing forum, so I have just put it there too.

BBerg.

Can be worth their weight in gold when used properly on wet ground. But....some tents are built well enought to not require them to stay dry.
Not worth so much in dry country, but can reduce abrasiveness (wear and tear on your floor) on that sort of ground.
Easy to make your own out of plastic or tarp material, depending on just what your needs are.
I don't think many folks use a tent enough to wear them out, seems poor storage usually get them. So...can be arguable just how useful a footprint really is for many folks.

I use a good foot print on all my tents. The small weight penalty is offset by the protection.
Good tents can cost a LOT of money. A small twig or sharp rock can rip through the tent bottom. I like the insurance a foot print gives.

I disagree with about 60% of the masses on footprint use.

I typically put nothing beneath my tent. When one's in torrential rains for days, he wants the moisture to run down the sides and wick into the soil beneath. With an impermiable barrier beneath the tent, water will puddle beneath unless that barrier is tucked in well past the drainage tracks coming down the sides.

We have put barriers beneath in some instances when snow camping, but they too are tucked in well beneath. ,

Normally, we put our footprints inside the tent to protect bags etc from moisture that might evaporate up through the floor. This comes from months and weeks in Oregon, Washington, and western Alaska. Just my two cents,