cheap foot print material

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mercalia
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cheap foot print material

Post by mercalia »

with the very thin tent bases these days you want to protect it as far as possible?

plastic/polythene sheeting is what you want but where to get it that is a reasonable thickness.

What comes to mind is those dust sheets for covering furniture, but most I have seen are too thin for many uses

My B&Q in West Norwood have some worthy of the name - 10' x13' so you can cut down to what size you want and is a decent thickness and not very heavy.

The label is Diall 3m x4m and costs £6 Folded Dust sheet made by Kingfisher International Products Ltd

2017-11-08-0001.jpg

thats just the bag by the way


( they also had some of the one time use utra thin stuff - you dont want that, @ £1.85 though I wonder if it could be useful should you get caught out in the rain as it is very light )
Last edited by mercalia on 8 Nov 2017, 2:01pm, edited 1 time in total.
PH
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by PH »

If you're camping on sites and just want something to keep the tent clean and dry, then plastic sheet is fine, you could try a bed shop, mattresses tend to come wrapped in something of suitable thickness. For this sort of camping I use a very lightweight sheet of ripstop nylon.
If you're camping off site and also looking for protection from stones and sharp vegetation, then something with a close weave will be more suitable, I use the manufacturers protector which despite the price has been great, but something made from this would probably do just as well:
http://www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk/p9-pvc-coated-polyester
pwa
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by pwa »

If you have an old worn out tent that really isn't going to be used again, cut out the groundsheet to use under the groundsheet of your better tents, if it is big enough.
Warin61
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by Warin61 »

Tyvek or similar building wrap - used on walls - is popular for this task. You might be able to get some from a new building site as an off cut.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Those cheap tents and beach shelters that use that blue (mainly) woven pvc encapsulated stuff , is as tough as old boots and very light.
First started using it in a Campari tent I used walking the pennine way 40 years ago.
Those cheap tarps you see in LIDL etc are the stuff.

Very light 70 - 100 grams a sq mtr and impossible to rip, penuts to buy too, will fall apart exposed to sun constantly, but a ground sheet won't see any sun.
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crazydave789
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by crazydave789 »

Tyvek is good and light while being durable enough, I've got some ripstop heavy sheet they used to under roofing tiles that is next to indestructable.

I got a roll end of tyvek off some builders that turned out to be abut 12m. it can be cut to shape and left without sewing.

simple polytarps are light and cheap enough
nirakaro
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by nirakaro »

Bubblewrap? Light (though bulky). Cheap. Easily replaced. Bit of insulation and cushioning.
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andrew_s
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by andrew_s »

What some people use is what's known as "polycro" - cross-linked polyolefin.
Apparently this is the same stuff as is sold by the likes of Wickes as secondary glazing film
MarcusT
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by MarcusT »

Cheap shower curtains. I like the one with the fishies
I wish it were as easy as riding a bike
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meic
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by meic »

That is what I use too. Though they dont extend to the last few inches at the toes, but no weight on the groundsheet there. I use old shower curtains I dont go out and buy them for this.
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Gattonero
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by Gattonero »

andrew_s wrote:What some people use is what's known as "polycro" - cross-linked polyolefin.
Apparently this is the same stuff as is sold by the likes of Wickes as secondary glazing film

Very light and completely watertight, but one has to be careful 'cause one thorn can rip it all the way across. This is exacerbated by the high tension one can pull this material, it is very strong when in one piece.
OTOH, normal gaffer-tape makes a permanent fix in seconds (in fact, is almost impossible to remove)

nirakaro wrote:Bubblewrap? Light (though bulky). Cheap. Easily replaced. Bit of insulation and cushioning.

bulky to carry around, the amount fonr a 2-man tent would take a whole pannier :? also easy to crush when sitting or kneeling down, so there's no adavantages after a short while

crazydave789 wrote:Tyvek is good and light while being durable enough, ...
I got a roll end of tyvek off some builders that turned out to be abut 12m. it can be cut to shape and left without sewing.

AFAIK, Tyvek is about 1000mm HH so it's not very waterproof but good enough. Light and packable, strong enough and you can dye it in colours if you wish so (after all, it serves also as a material for printing).
Gaffer-tape works wonderfully on it, to make side-ties with strong rubber bands.
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ndmbike
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by ndmbike »

I was about to throw out an old shower curtain then realised that it would be quite handy for a groundsheet in my tent vestibule.
I also used a metre square piece for standing on when I struggle out of a wet suit.
It would be ideal for a footprint and also a 'stop the muck getting into the tent' thing.
Tougher than the orange survival bags but surprisingly lightweight.
Hope this helps!
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Sweep
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by Sweep »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Hi,
Those cheap tents and beach shelters that use that blue (mainly) woven pvc encapsulated stuff , is as tough as old boots and very light.
First started using it in a Campari tent I used walking the pennine way 40 years ago.
Those cheap tarps you see in LIDL etc are the stuff.

Very light 70 - 100 grams a sq mtr and impossible to rip, penuts to buy too, will fall apart exposed to sun constantly, but a ground sheet won't see any sun.

Yes i am pretty sure that's the stuff i use. Bought from B&Q for around a fiver. It has eyelets which i don't need/could do without. Often used by builders I think. God knows why blue seems to be the standard colour. Perfect for my various 2 man used as 1 man tents, a bit tends to extend beyond the main tent to cover part of the porch, which is handy. Can't see that I will ever need a cedicated footprint.
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ossie
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by ossie »

I gave up on a groundsheet having tried various materials . I find that water usually pools between the tent and the groundsheet and that in itself presents issues . Add on drying the thing / weight (dependent on material) and storage when cycling. The lighter efforts as posted by the OP and Polycro etc never lasted the length of a tour,they always ripped - the heavier stuff was just that - too much weight if your'e attempting to keep weight down. That said I'll probably regret it but I carry a repair kit and if I can (weather and light permitting) absolutely scrutinise my pitch before chucking the tent up.
gloomyandy
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by gloomyandy »

I use a cut down bit of this to cover the area in the porch of my tent. Comes from go outdoors but I'm sure you can get it cheaper from other places. Works pretty well, a small section is light enough and it's green!
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