Tent footprint what is

The vast majority of tents on the market these days use bathtub-style floors with reinforced, highly waterproof materials—usually silnylon—that protects against abrasion and leaks. First up, using a footprint can help prolong the lifespan of your tent by reducing the amount of wear and tear to your tent floor and providing added protection against potentially corrosive elements like sand, grit, animal scat, and tree sap.

Finally, a footprint can also provide extra protection against leaks. On the downside, using a footprint obviously means carrying more weight. While depending on the tent footprint material this may be negligible as little as The solution? Kieran James Cunningham is a climber, mountaineer, and author who divides his time between the Italian Alps, the US, and his native Scotland.

Subscribe Useful info for spending more time in beautiful places. Subscribe to: Hiking Fishing Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Article Categories: Gear. Article Tags: Backpacking Camping. What is a tent footprint? What is the purpose of a footprint? Why do you need a tent footprint? However, having a layer between your tent and the ground can provide you with a few benefits: Protecting and extending the life of your tent — replacing a footprint is a lot cheaper than replacing a tent Waterproofing — This one can actually go both ways.

When used incorrectly, a tent footprint can actually cause water to pool, and make you more wet. In damp ground situations, like soft grass or dirt, a footprint can add a layer between your tent that will prevent some upwards water movement into your tent. Most tents nowadays do a pretty good job of staying dry by themselves in any conditions. Tent Cleanliness — by having a barrier between your tent and the ground, your footprint usually gets the brunt of the dirt and wetness.

This makes it easier to dry out your tent, less likely for it to gather any mold, and keeps a bit of dirt off of it. Cushion and Insulation — now this is a very minor thing. They are so thin that the added cushion and insulation is very small…but it is still there! If, for some reason, you do have a tent footprint that's too big, then this isn't really an issue if you're guaranteed good weather, but if you think it's going to rain, you'd need to pack around the tent to stop the water or just not bother.

The fabric of a footprint can vary. You can also get some lighter weight groundsheets which are made out of an oxford or lower denier polyester material. Use a clean brand new is best cloth and simply use water to wash away any dirt. For substantial mud which is attached to the footprint, it would be best to use a scourer — being careful not to be too rough.

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