In a 2-person tent, the tarp or groundsheet maybe ultralight and easy to carry along. The "tent part" was the same shape as any number of rectangular base 2 man tents you see that has two poles crossing on top, but was only 3' by 2' or so, and about 2' high. It was the best of both worlds. Here are 6 great reasons you need to buy a tent footprint: 1. But for a 12-person tent or for even larger tents, the tarp you’d use to waterproof the bottom of your tent may not be feasibly portable without some kind of vehicle. If the tent is an odd shape or larger than the tarps you buy, just cut to the shape of the tent and join the pieces with duck tape. Gossamer Gear's Polycryo sheets weigh just 1.6 ounces each—a far cry from the 8 ounces of the Nemo footprint mentioned above—and you may be able to lighten that up a bit more by trimming the sheet down to the dimensions of your tent. 1. It is covered by the tent so it doesn't matter what it looks like. While it is not absolutely necessary to place a tarp under your tent on certain terrain, sometimes it is impossible to go without one. Is a tarp necessary if you have a tent with a rainfly and a footprint? Unless you have an unusually small camper, you will need more than one tarp or a large tarp to cover everything.

MLD also makes the 1-person Solomid and the two-person Duomid, two pyramid style tarp tents that are lightweight like a tarp but as easy to set up as a tent. So, is the tarp really necessary? It can also cover your gear when you leave it outside and in some cases may even be a replacement for tents to save weight. If the ground is rugged, rocky or could potentially have sharp objects, then that tarp is going to provide a great deal of protection for your tent, perhaps preventing punctures or damage to the tent floor. Attempting to wrap your entire vehicle in a blue tarp or tarps can be a headache. I have always pieced bits of tarp together in this way and never had a joint fail. Prolong the life of your tent. Many ultralight backpackers use these sheets as their only ground cloth beneath a tarp, while others use them as footprints for tents. This means patchwork, tucking the tarp into tire wells and more bungees than you’d like to deal with. The tarp is available in either a less expensive silynylon version or a Dyneema version that costs $50 more but cuts the weight in half. Besides, it may protect your tent from pine needles and acorns.

Viewed 6k times 5. Keep in mind … My tent has a rainfly, but I'm wondering if I need to carry a tarp for the extra rain protection. Ask Question Asked 6 years, 2 months ago. You should put a tarp over your tent since it will allow you to improve the tent water resistance and wind durability. Groundsheets and tent footprints call for much consideration.

Active 2 years, 5 months ago. There was a bivy sack sewn into the "back" of the tent part, and that's where the majority of the sleeping bag went. With 90% of tents being made with a sewn in groundsheet these days, buying a footprint has become even more essential.