Backpacker Magazine SkillsCast: Build A Tent Footprint

[militaryman69]

Awesome, just bough a Drifter 2 and will be making my own footprint soon!

[ludicrousracing]

will the tarp fray if you just cut it w/o finishing the ends?

[alexthesubscriber26]

LOL WHY IS THE TENT SO SMALL

[mimatt007]

@alexthesubscriber26 It's a backpacking tent that's used by single person. Large tents are heavy and harder to fit in a backpack.

[rhorwat1976]

Painters plastic sucks for the effort you are gonna put into this. Buy a tarp and cut it up.

[SUPERKENDALL93]

thanks for nothing faggot



[pussycatgirls99]

bitch

[whaaaaateverful]

Let's film this in the least sound-treated room we can find.

[blugularis]

four ml. plastic is better

[mememe123xyz]

Thanks. Video helped me out a lot.

[chasehammock]

I like this kind of DIY instruction. It makes building a new footprint or replacing an old footprint easy. Lots of tents are out of manufacture and you can't get footprints for them any longer so this works well for this type of application. Plus, you get to use the grommet system to attach it just like a fancy factory custom footprint.

I recommend Harbor Freight Tools for the grommet kit and the tarp as they are dirt cheap there if you have one nearby.

You can build your footprint for cheap!

[anjonjp]

I have always used a 'blue sheet' or tarp as a footprint. It works well. When I have cut the tarp, I have always folded over the edges to create a seam and also therefore a stronger hold for the grommet/brass eyelet. Using a tea towel or such cloth and an iron on medium will help to put a crease in the fold to make it easier to handle and keep it looking neat. Obviously the idea is to make the footprint last that much longer.

[HunaWoman]

@anjonjp - you can also cut out a square or circle from your scrap tarp pieces and place it over the tarp corner where you are going to put your grommet. As you said, make your tarp patch look neat - it will wear better! Your webbing would go on top of the 2 tarp pieces, then grommet away! I'm with you on a second layer of tarp to help get a little more life from your tarp.

[anjonjp]

@HunaWoman - yes, exactly! I have done this (not with the same material, but rather an old tent) when I built my own very, very, VERY simple trailer tent. It does work well. In Japan, we rarely need to peg down the groundsheet too. For others reading - it is important to cut the groundsheet to be slightly smaller than your actual tent. This does two things: 1) Prevent the sheet from being blown away 2) If it sticks out from underneath, rainwater will be able to flow beneath the tent and the tarp

[tplife69]

@anjonjp I've found cutting it smaller than the tent lets the tent get dirtier than if the tarp is larger than the tent. 1. Never had the tarp blown away in 4 decades of camping, 2. Rainwater under the tent is no big deal since my tents don't leak and have "bathtub" floors. Just an advantage of careful shopping I guess!

[stee1face]

After watching this I'm for sure buying one.

[kc7fys]

Nice video, too bad about the echoic audio. But it's still quite helpful if you listen two or three times.

[mtngritz]

Use Tyvek. SUPER durable, lightweight, waterproof, and pretty cheap (4'x8' sheet ~ $10 shipped) from sellers on ebay.

[bizzarrogeorge]

Why do you even need grommets? Can't you just lay the footprint flat on the ground, and then erect the tent on top of it? And why would the tarp footprint need grommets but the painter's plastic footprint not need grommets? I am so confused. I'm new to all of this high speed camping technology. Please help. I just got a solo tent and was going to just cut the tarp and be done with it. No good?

[holywarbirhtday]

the reason you must attach it to your tent some how is if the wind picks up, and you are not there, it can blow the footprint out from under your tent and when you get back it wont be there. A cheap alternative is double sided take and that way you can just roll it up with your tent.

[holywarbirhtday]

sorry, double sided tape, not take...

[nhkirk4]

@bizzarrogeorge

@bizzarrogeorge

Yes that's fine, you can put the tarp down ontop of the footprint. But if you do decide to put in gromets then:

- One can then use just the tent "fly" with poles as an ultra-lite shelter and not setup the tent. (it's an option).

- If you need a quick fast shelter... you could setup the footprint as an overhead tarp as it's got useful gromets in it.

- So gromets are optional, but can be useful

[bizzarrogeorge]

@nhkirk4 Thanks for the ideas. That is pretty clever stuff there. I never thought about just using the rainfly and a grommeted footprint. I'll have to give that a whirl and see how I like it. Have a good one.

[dedicated2outdoors]

if you have a decent tent you should not need an extra footprint. I have put my Marmot through some very wet rainy conditions and have yet to get wet while inside it.

[holywarbirhtday]

the main reason you make a footprint is to prevent dry prickly reed grass and other small pokey things from making holes in the floor of the tent.

[QRPisFun]

Nice video!

How about a part number for the webbing or where it was found (dept.)?

[vanderslagmulders]

Guys, do NOT use normal plastic for your footprint if you like your tent.

Normal plastic contains weakeners that will decrease the lifespan of your tentfloor. I am amazed that Backpacker magazine does not warn about that.

There is special footprint material that does not contain weakeners. Other than that, useful workshop.

[DownOnwax]

Weakeners?

What are you talking about?

[vanderslagmulders]

look it up if you don´t believe it.

[holywarbirhtday]

weakeners in cheap plastic tarps if i'm not mistaken is to make the otherwise rock hard material flexible, otherwise it would crack. i think it is a polymer added to the mix in production. Using tarps for footprints is not a new idea, i have never had a problem, nore have heard of it ruining tent floors.

[mortenkongsfelt]

@vanderslagmulders

Weakeners? Haha, that's a joke.

There's nothing "special" about footprint material, likely there's no standard either...

[vanderslagmulders]

it's not a joke.

it's true..

[Darmuuk]

Very helpful, better to make my own then pay the 55 dollars for the prefab one.

[doggymcnuggets]

Thanks for the helpful video. Made a footprint for my new tent for much less than the manufacturer's would cost and now have a grommet kit in the tool box. Sweet!

[cha1ny]

In the UK we call the 'gromits', 'brass eyelets'. Hope this helps.

[CurtNN]

рак папуга

[pr0n3]

Meh, you can make one just as good or better than manufacturers using his technique. Thats what I THINK.

[rongallant]

They are nice looking, expensive and usually more heavy then say a Tyvek one. Outside if the weight and cost, they are fine as well. Some are designed to work with the tent fly as a lightweight tent. So they could have multiple uses. Of course, having both is nice for options.

[280az]

I was going to buy the footprint for my tent sierra designs gamma , but I couldn't find it so I will make one myself

[curtiswiens]

Is it better to buy a footprint that was made by the manufacturer for your tent, or is it better to make your own?

[santosrocks]

I would say to get the manufacturer's footprint because it only costs a few more dollars than this and it is made specifically for your tent model. On the other hand my footprint for my tent did not cover the vestibules floor. If u make ur own u can make it how you like

[greggregoryvigilant]

I never use a FP. It seems my upper tent wears out just as fast as the bottom from Ozone. And I'm ready for a new tent anyway by then. Saves weight to.

[888zzz]

why attach the fp to the tent or anything? with the tent on the fp the fp will not move.

[babbbsy]

I found this to be amazingly helpful. I bought this enormous tent that appearantly does not have a footprint. Basically the measurements are 27'x22'. It is in the shape of a T so I have some excess to cut and piece together. I wanted to know the best method for attaching the plastic together and keep it's waterproofing. I am using 6 mil contractors plastic. I have only found it in our area at 10'x25'.

[tcabner]

I prefer the classic sheet of tyvek, easily obtainable from about any construction site. No need to steal it either. Every time I've needed a sheet, I've drove by a construction site and asked the workers if they had any scrap pieces they were willing to part with. I've yet to be turned away empty handed :) Quick tip for tyvek users, if you want it a bit softer and not as noisy, wash it a few times in either straight cold or mildly warm water with no detergent...works like a charm!

[dickenine]

oh, and yeah, only turn it up side down for tracing, when you're using clear plastic for your footprint...otherwise it's a little challenging : - )

[BackpackerMagazine]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions.

[dickenine]

Not to be a pain in the ass, but you can also turn your tent upside down (groundsheet up), on top of something soft, and trace almost exactly three inches inside the perimeter to make the footprint. Again, a footprint is a really good idea and I am definitely going to use the grommet set up for my next one...thanks.

[dickenine]

The blue tarp certainly will protect the groundsheet. In a pinch it's great, but if you have the time to look around you can find a more flexible material that will help for packing it smaller and lighter. Not that I'm a weight freak, but the blue tarps are also loud and generally the quieter the better. Even my plastic was a little loud for me. I suppose other wouldn't care as much, but I do like to arrive and go unnoticed.

[dickenine]

I camped all throughout Europe and the UK (mostly, Scotland) daily for six months using a clear plastic footprint. I personally would not use such a thin sheet as is shown in the video, but I suppose for short outings this would be okay. Thing is I never installed grommets simply because I always imagined I'd just be throwing it out...it lasted the whole trip, though now it has a lot of taped areas.

[AthmanUk]

So a footprint is another name for a groundsheet then.

[dickenine]

I don't know if the actual term is so important unless you're trying to identify certain parts of tents in descriptions, but the "ground sheet" usually refers to the sheet that is sewn to the tent walls. This is meant as extra protection between the groundsheet and the ground.

[dickenine]

The FP is a good practice for a few reasons. The FP can be cleaned easier than the rest of the tent (when you store the tent, you don't want to fold all the dirt from the ground into it, the FP enables you to avoid that), among others it helps protect the groundsheet from abrasion and general wear, you can fold the dirty side into itself thereby never touching the groundsheet with the dirty side of the FP.

[Sled505]

good information and presentation, but you can buy fitted footprints from the manufacturer for not alot of money. the advantages; flyweight and compress well.

[superbooks7]

There are also awesome "temporary" grommets they sell to attach to tarps; no tools needed. Two plastic pieces that click together with the tarp material between the two grommets.

[superbooks7]

To save time, work, use long cable ties linked together to tie the footprint to the tent poles. You can use light cord or string and cable ties, instead of using gromets and webbing, if you want to do it quicker.

[countingmx]

Superb videos. I suggest you invest in a wireless lapel mike, though, as the audio can be a bit muffled. You've got me stoked on this DIY approach to gear, though.

[Group51]

Sorry what Plastic is that - painers plastic?

[gultar4]

i think painters

[BackpackerMagazine]

Yes, the video refers to "painters plastic," a thin plastic ground sheet normally used to protect floors during painting. You can find it at most hardware stores in various thickness levels.

[roberuzca]

Hi, I'm from Merida-Venezuela. I found this video very useful because i'm a beginner backpacker. I hope i can find some more information in your videos. Greetings