Footprint/Ground sheet protector which way up/down

[mercalia]

The solution is to buy a tent with a homongusly robust floor - TN do them - its no biggy - but as it has been repeated ad hominum they weigh more - something like - you cant have your cake and eat it - tent makers accept this - that why they sell footprints - personally I use a cheap lightish tarp that i bought from Homebase - cuts down on wear and tear on the the tent and doubles as a groundsheet if im wild camping and decide its nice enough to camp out under the stars - if im wild camping and the weather isnt nice enough to camp under the stars it makes it possible for me to camp in places that would destroy an old school "robust" tent floor - when it gets tatty and horrible i bin it and buy another for £3 - plus when im camping in bad weather it enables me to keep the tent inner dry for most of the time - for me carrying a "footprint" is a win win

Strange how the floors in my Vaude tents are both light, waterproof to float quality and flexible enough to not need anything to protect them from anything less than a razor. Both tents are under 2kg so I don't have to spend any extra whatsoever or find space for something of little use.

And as for keeping the upper tent clean - what? A bit of mud will dry and brush/wipe off, I'm certainly not prissy enough to be worried about my tent getting dirty when I use it. (shrug)

Enjoy your carpets

how long u had them for and how often do you use them?

[ossie]

I only ever had issues with my Vaude Taurus UL when using a ground sheet of the home made variety. Water was pooling on the ground sheet and I was getting what looked like damp patches but was probably just discoloration ...used nothing since and its been fine.

[RickH]

I picked up a Vango Zenith 300 & the matching footprint for under £60 for both in 2015, so I'm not complaining that I have one.

The tent will work fine without the footprint - I've got a Banshee 200 which appears to made of near identical material which I will happily use without a footprint (as I don't have one). Maybe I'm just fussy, but I don't like putting a tent away damp &/or muddy if I can help it. If conditions are right, the Zenith can be packed away clean & dry in the morning (& if it is dry then I will leave the inner & outer joined together to make subsequent pitching easier) & the underside of the footprint dried out/ cleaned easily at a convenient time, either before setting off or at a break (or just left - if it eventually dies then an alternative can easily be made, as suggested above). A flat sheet is easier to deal with out on the road.

No a footprint is not an essential. But it is a choice that you have if you want it.

On the original topic - I've not had the Zenith out yet this year so I'd have to dig it out to check which way up the footprint goes (I know it is sided as it has clips fitted to attach to the tent).

[pjclinch]

Which way up/down... compare and contrast with the way up/down the tent floor is, and you have at least a good answer. That will typically be shiny side up.

As to how necessary is a footprint, as with most other things the answer is "it depends". A tent is a general purpose shelter built for some, but not all, possible pitches. The more situations a tent is viable in, the more over-engineered (for which read variously "expensive" and/or "heavy") it will be for more common and mundane situations. if you only intend pitching on formal campsites you only need to cope with grass and mud and you don't need a Force 10 Classic gauge groundsheet to do that. A footprint gives a tent an optional extra to extend the ground conditions one can pitch on, so if you're a paddler and typically find yourself on shingle beaches you might well want to up-rate an otherwise okay tent in the groundsheet department. I really don't see anything wrong with that.

What does strike me as odd is the number of people who assume they must have one of these things or their tent will fail in short order. I have come across quite a few folk who seem of to think that if they're spending a fortune on a premium lightweight tent it's a no-brainer to look add a footprint on every use to protect the expensive thing, not really factoring in part of the expense in the first place is to make it lighter.

We have footprints for our two Hilles because they're used for paddling trips where pitching on shingle is quite likely, weight is a non-issue and bulk not much of one. The one we use on foot or by cycle, the footprint comes off for those as we're less likely to be on rough, marginal pitches and the weight and bulk are issues. I would agree a polythene sheet is a remarkably cost effective way of going about adding protection, but having paid a small fortune for a tent that's easy to put up with one person in a gale it makes some degree of sense to have an extra groundsheet that just pitches as part of the tent. If you're willing to pay in inconvenience for getting a plastic sheet in place in a storm then that's a fair choice too.
The Hubba, Hubba Hubba and Spacepacker don't have footprints even though their groundsheets are lighter than the Hilles because they're only used on foot or bike where a grass/mud pitch is a reasonable expectation.

The trick is to remember that they're optional extras because not everyone needs them all of the time (a bit like sand pegs, say). I'd say that a tent where an extra groundsheet was necessary on every occasion is either a bad choice or being used on particularly unusual pitches, but that's not the same as it being a bad idea to use it if you've got it but don't need it. Aside from anything else, a double thickness floor tends to reduce condensation.

Pete.

[Ivor Tingting]

Some tents such as MSR require a footprint should you wish to pitch fly only. Personally I think they are a good idea. Most are light and take up little space and give an additional layer of protection. I would much prefer a separate FP to a much heavier reinforced and sewn in ground sheet. Tents have massively improved in the materials manufacturers use and ease of putting them up and taking them down.

[mercalia]

Some tents such as MSR require a footprint should you wish to pitch fly only. Personally I think they are a good idea. Most are light and take up little space and give an additional layer of protection. I would much prefer a separate FP to a much heavier reinforced and sewn in ground sheet. Tents have massively improved in the materials manufacturers use and ease of putting them up and taking them down.

such as my tarp-tent

[pjclinch]

They require something to anchor the poles at the corners. You could create an alternative out of line if you wanted, though I'd think the convenience of a decent floor would be worth just going with the footprint.

[Gattonero]

The reason of using fabric vs a continuous laminate/sheet, is that weight per weight, the fabric has better tear and abrasion resistance because is made out of fibers.
So once you've done a decent coating you can have a tent floor that is quite waterproof yet resistant, note that often the fabrics have a DWR on the opposite face of the main waterproof coating. The two faces of the fabric are easy to spot, as the PU coating gives the fabric a plastic/shiny finish.
Because you don't want the coating to be worn, then you keep the heavy coated face inside.

I am surprised of the debate against the use of groundsheets. Is not like they are compulsory, but since they are independent from the body of the tent, they are sort of "expendable" layer: if SHTF you want an external layer -the additional groundsheet- to be damaged and not the tent itself.

Two more bonus points for using a groundsheet is that you keep the body of the tent fairly clean from mud and dirt, thus easier to stove away. And you may get an XL groundsheet that would leave you additional space in front of the tent, to sit down, cook, etc.