cheap foot print material

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mercalia
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by mercalia »

ossie wrote: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.


well not the one I suggest - it wont rip very easy at all is a nice middle way between weight and thickness
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Gattonero
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by Gattonero »

ossie wrote: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.


If you get the water to pool and ripping the groundsheet, the problem is not in the materials but the wrong spot chosen!

Polycro and Tyvek are surprisingly resistant to be ripped apart, take two man an pull a length that is held flat, it will need some good force to be done. same for punctures, try to rub a normal stone, it won't break trough right way but will need some time.
And any small hole, can be patched immediately with normal gaffer-tape (and the repair is very resistant).

I really cannot see one been able to wear down a piece of Tyvek in one trip! Perhaps the ones that do the Tour Divide, but not the normal camper that is supposed to look after his own stuff.
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andrew_s
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by andrew_s »

It should also be remembered that a footprint isn't there to be waterproof or puncture proof, but to add a layer of protection to the expensive to repair tent floor/groundsheet.
Sure, it's nice if it is waterproof - you can stand on the part on the porch before putting your shoes on, but the odd hole is neither here nor there.
ossie
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by ossie »

Gattonero wrote:If you get the water to pool and ripping the groundsheet, the problem is not in the materials but the wrong spot chosen!



Its impossible to pick a spot that would ever prevent water pooling between a groundsheet and the tent. As for a ground sheet getting damaged, I'm talking Polycro .It wouldn't last a month long tour without a healthy application of gaffer tape . I've used heavier materials without issue but there's a pay off with weight, practicality and packing.
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Gattonero
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by Gattonero »

I've had no less than 40 nights on my piece of Tyvek and cannot see any damage.
Polycro is an extreme choice for weight & bulk, use accordingly :wink:

And a said above:
andrew_s wrote:It should also be remembered that a footprint isn't there to be waterproof or puncture proof, but to add a layer of protection to the expensive to repair tent floor/groundsheet.
Sure, it's nice if it is waterproof - you can stand on the part on the porch before putting your shoes on, but the odd hole is neither here nor there.

what's the problemn with the odd hole in the groundsheet? :?: good to see it, is telling you: without me you'll have the tent floor damaged
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,
since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.
Thus you remember them as they actually are...
ossie
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by ossie »

Gattonero wrote:I've had no less than 40 nights on my piece of Tyvek and cannot see any damage.
Polycro is an extreme choice for weight & bulk, use accordingly :wink:

And a said above:
andrew_s wrote:It should also be remembered that a footprint isn't there to be waterproof or puncture proof, but to add a layer of protection to the expensive to repair tent floor/groundsheet.
Sure, it's nice if it is waterproof - you can stand on the part on the porch before putting your shoes on, but the odd hole is neither here nor there.

what's the problemn with the odd hole in the groundsheet? :?: good to see it, is telling you: without me you'll have the tent floor damaged


The reality is that very few tent floors of a reasonable quality get damaged. They are designed not to and most people hiking for example wouldn't even consider this stuff unless they were in a tarp without a tent floor . These companies put more into floor protection than rain protection. All you are doing is creating a barrier between the ground and your tent that will without fail result in condensation on the floor of your tent / your mat your possessions if water pools between the layers. A cold layer of water without a means of draining away isn't ideal when you are chucking 8 hours of hot air out of your lungs overnight.

That said you are free to do whatever you like. My tent is still going strong but it was probably designed for that.
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Sweep
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by Sweep »

ossie wrote:
Gattonero wrote:
The reality is that very few tent floors of a reasonable quality get damaged. t.


You confident you can spot every sharp bit when pitching?

Maybe in the dark?

Maybe wild camping?

Maybe in a wood?
Sweep
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Gattonero
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by Gattonero »

Blimey, if something makes such damage to a tent floor, what's gonna do with your body?
Does people set up camp on broken glass? I always spend a couple of minutes waving a foot on the grass, the odd sharp wood branch or pine cone comes up easy to see. Ain't that difficult.
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,
since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.
Thus you remember them as they actually are...
Warin61
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by Warin61 »

Gattonero wrote:I always spend a couple of minutes waving a foot on the grass, the odd sharp wood branch or pine cone comes up easy to see.


No caltrop plants or similar there? Sometimes called puncture vine, devil's-thorn, cat's-head will give you the idea that these things are not kind to bicycle tyres nor tent floor. Large ones go through a 12mm thick EVA foam mat... they are not easy to spot in grass.
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Gattonero
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by Gattonero »

Well, I won't sleep on them! Please destroy the tent floor but I'm not up for unauthorized piercings, thank you! :lol:
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,
since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.
Thus you remember them as they actually are...
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meic
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by meic »

Meanwhile cyclists are riding on till 3am searching for an ideal site.
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Gattonero
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by Gattonero »

meic wrote:Meanwhile cyclists are riding on till 3am searching for an ideal site.


Just bivy then
It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best,
since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them.
Thus you remember them as they actually are...
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meic
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by meic »

A rather extreme over reaction compared to just adding an old shower curtain to your tent bag.
My tent has a few minor perforations in the bottom it is a part of the risk that my sort of camping involves. Certainly still a far nicer place to spend the night than under a tarp or in a bivy, the groundsheet would need to be shredded for things to be that bad.
Yma o Hyd
ossie
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by ossie »

Sweep wrote:
ossie wrote:
Gattonero wrote:
The reality is that very few tent floors of a reasonable quality get damaged. t.


You confident you can spot every sharp bit when pitching?

Maybe in the dark?

Maybe wild camping?

Maybe in a wood?



Have you tried wild camping at 11pm ? If you have the luxury of sticking out a shower curtain, polycro or anything else as a footprint under the light of a headtorch when the rain is falling, the wind is howling ,you cant control this flailing beast, car headlights or barking dogs are doing there thing on nearby farms then fair play to you. :D

That said when my tent floor gets as threadbare as some say I may well go back to flapping around a bit of plastic that pools water, causes condensation and is just a complete pain in the arris. But I wont- I'll just buy a new tent.
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meic
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Re: cheap foot print material

Post by meic »

My shower curtain gets rolled up with and laid out with the tent. It takes no additional time or effort.

Also it doesnt pool water and the last few inches of the tent where the shower curtain doesnt reach is always the only bit that is wet with condensation.
Yma o Hyd
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