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Ultralight Backpacking Tent Footprints

How Much Does Your Tent Footprint Weigh?

Most tent footprints are unnecessarily heavy. But there are some easy ways to reduce the weight of your footprint using ultralight footprint alternatives.

Backpackers and campers use tent footprints to protect the bottom of their tents from sharp rocks and sand that can rip or puncture their tent floors, improve their floor’s water resistance, or keep their tent clean and mud-free, making it easier to pack.

While some would argue that tent footprints are unnecessary gimmicks sold by manufacturers to extract more money from your wallet or that you can usually find a campsite where a footprint is not needed, let’s give tent footprint users the benefit of the doubt.

There are numerous circumstances where an additional layer of protection under a tent floor can be beneficial: desert camping on abrasive sand, alpine campsites with sharp rocks, old tents that have pre-existing holes in their floors, and even new tents with absurdly thin 7 denier polyester or nylon floors. Backpacking tents are expensive and replacing a manufacturer’s tent footprint IS less expensive than buying a new tent.

Tent Footprints Are Heavy

But what if you could get the same level of protection using an ultralight groundsheet that weighs substantially less or costs less?

The two most popular ultralight groundsheets are made using an industrial plastic called Polycryo (sold by Gossamer Gear) and Tyvek home wrap.

Window wrap plastic insulation makes a great tent footprint substitute. This piece weighs just 1.3
Window wrap plastic insulation makes a great tent footprint substitute. This piece weighs just 1.3 ounces.

Window Wrap

Window Wrap is the plastic covering that you blow dry over your windows to insulate them in winter. A single piece will last one season or longer depending on the frequency of use. The most popular brands are Duck Brand Window/Door Shrink Film and Frost King Stretch Window Kit. Several cottage manufacturers also sell it under the name Polycryo, with a significant markup. It’s the same stuff. They just get it in big sheets, cut it up, and resell it.

Tyvek HomeWrap
Tyvek HomeWrap is heavier but more durable than Window Wrap.

Tyvek HomeWrap

Tyvek HomeWrap is a building material that is used to create a vapor barrier between your house’s interior walls and external siding to prevent drafts from blowing through. It’s lightweight, waterproof, and puncture-resistant, which is why people use it as an ultralight groundsheet. It will also last for multiple seasons because it’s so tough.

Zpacks.com sells ultralight 9′ x 5 Tyvek groundsheets but you can also buy Tyvek by the foot on eBay. You can also trim it to fit your shelter to save more weight if desired.

The weight of a Tyvek groundsheet ranges from 2 ounces to 5 ounces for a one-person tent and 5 to 8 ounces for a two-person tent. While you’re likely to experience some weight reduction by using a Tyvek groundsheet instead of a manufacturer’s footprint, the chief benefit over a manufacturer’s footprint is lower cost

Conclusion

If conditions warrant using a tent footprint, but you want to reduce the expense of buying one, or you want to eliminate extra gear weight in your backpack, consider making an ultralight groundsheet out of window wrap insulation or Tyvek. Some of the lightest and least expensive backpacking gear isn’t backpacking gear.

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50 comments

  1. I made my groundsheet out of kite Tyvek (1443R). So far it has been pretty durable and reasonably light. It weighs 3.1 oz. cut to the size of my tent. One side is water proof and the other side is cloth like. So, my tent, groundsheet, and stakes weigh a total of 21.2 ounces. As an added bonus, this kite Tyvek is an excellent material for fly rod socks, small bags and organizers. It sews up well and is light. For my fly rod case I put the cloth side in and the water proof side out. It’s a good material for many applications. Thanks

  2. That’s actually a great idea. Nice!

    (I do cringe every single time I see a scale with these lb/oz/whatevers and waaaaay too many commas.. ;-) )

    • Thats what I bought off amazon to use as my groundsheet. As a side benefit, its softer, without that crinkly noise one finds with housewrap.

  3. I have over 100 nights in my Alps Mountaineering 1.5 Mystique tent. I have never used a footprint. I have camped in rain and snow, never an issue. Just my 2 cents.

  4. Out west and now especially in the South I needed a Footprint to protect against Pine Needles and Sap. I remember the fight I had looking for a way to remove the Pine Sap from the bottom of my brand new Eureka! Timberline 2 back in 1977. Plus the numerous tiny punctures. Since then I have used various disposable Garbage Bags cut to size and bought a Roll of really thick plastic from Home Depot and cut it to size and usually replace it about every 4th trip due to Pine Needle and Cactus Punctures.

    But first of all one must spend the time preparing the ground they are going to sleep on more carefully than one would in choosing a Bride… I usually obtained between 8 an 10 pieces per roll at $12.00 per Roll.

    Then when I went to a OR Bivy bag and the Eureka Solo when it was dark Green, I started using the Sportsman Blanket in Olive Drab which I found in a Military Surplus Catalog, which also served as a light weight Tarp if needed.

    Now that I use a Bivy Tent I still carry that Blanket, in fact, I have one in every one of my Hiking Packs and Boat Box. In some areas I still carry the Thick plastic, again because of Pine Trees, but the Sportsman Blanket is still is my goto Ground Sheet of Choice.

    Most of the Stores Carry the Sportsman Blanket in that horrible, horrible, nightmarish Blue color and some in bright Orange for emergency use, but if you look around or go to Amazon you’ll find one…

  5. Tyvek or similar brands can be acquired at many home construction sites. There is usually some left over after every home is finished being framed. If you locate the site Forman and ask nicely you will get enough to make a ground sheet for you and your friends.

  6. Been using the Tyvek as my groundcloth/footprint since 1999 (before the turn of the century…I love being able to say that). The piece I presently use is at least 8 years old, still puncture free, still waterprooof and soft as the sheets on my bed at home now. On my latest trip I tried a piece of the polycro and found it to be VERY strong and it survived sticks in the duff and decomposed granite. I can see where it may not last more than a few trips before needing to be replaced, though. For the price, I’ll go with the Tyvek. For the weight and volume in the pack savings, the polycro seems the better deal. With only about a 2oz difference, I’ll stick with the Tyvek.
    Thanks for another great review, Phillip.

  7. Crafted a DIY Tyvek footprint for my new Big Agnes HV UL2 Fly Creek for $5. OEM footprint is $70. Got the dimensions from the website. Installed grommets and web loops. Weighs 7.4oz (a 2oz penalty) and performs great!

  8. The Duck brand kit for patio (sliding glass) doors is available in a “double thick” version that is pretty much indestructible. $12 for enough to make 2 footprints for my ZPacks Duplex. Each one weighs 2.5 oz.

  9. I used to use a home made Tyvek footprint but I found it was really bulky to pack up. How do you pack yours? As well, do you install grommets in your home made footprints? When I used to use a Tyvek footprint I found that I had to work to line it up with the tent bottom and not have some sticking out.

    • Throw it in the washer and it’ll be softer then just fold it up. Cut it a little smaller then your tent floor and your good !

  10. I’ve always used the light weight thin plastic drop cloth plastic that we usually have left over after a painting project. Use it a few times and pitch or recycle.

  11. Years ago, I had a roll of Tyvek banner material in the shop and quit using it for customers because some thought I was producing banners on butcher paper. I made various footprints out of it, some for cowboy camping. I switched to Polycryo and like it for its price and durability. In the Southwest, there’s always something trying to poke through the floor and the film is pretty tough.

  12. I use the Duck brand with my BI Copper Spur 1 tent. To make life easier and deal with the cling wrap like hassle of this light weight material, I cut the material slightly undersized to the footprint and attached small squares of Velcro to each tent corner and the polycro – the weight penalty is virtually zero, but now I can leave the polycro on when I roll up the tent or remove it if wet / dirty and quickly reattach the next time.

  13. One point I think that’s important missing from this comparison of window wrap versus tyvec is tents that are designed with a fast pitch option (fly and footprint only). If you’re careful with your measurements this is possible DIY with tyvec, but I can’t imagine the polycro holds grommets… I’ve never used it though. I made a footprint that was larger than the tent (usually a no no) so I would have more ground cover in a marmot eos 1p, actually quite a spacious setup in fast pitch. The manufacturer footprint only covers the area of the inner tent, and I wanted to take advantage of my extra space!

    • I’ve heard of a couple people making grommet’ed polycryo sheets by doubling over the sheet at the point where the grommet is going to be made and putting an oval of HDPE from a milk jug to reinforce the plycro where the grommet will be placed. Tape everything up and it should hold nicely.

      • Yeah, after making that comment I read a BPL thread on that topic where this guy really goes to town torture testing the stuff, and using different methods to secure tie outs. Still, the durability of polycro makes me think it’s not worth the work for fast pitch option versus tyvek or manufacturer footprint.

        • I can’t say I put my groundsheet under much torture-testing. Mostly it just sits there under a bit of tension at the corners. Polycro is cheap enough that even a failed test does not cost you more than a couple of over-priced coffee’s and a bit of time. And many of us have spent way more that that to save less than an ounce of weight (I’m looking at you, titanium cup!).

        • My snowpeak mug and I stand guilty as charged.

          That being said, if you’re using your footprint to support the pole structure sans inner tent, it will be under continuous tension. Even if the grommets hold up and the tension is not enough to make the polycro stretch, having it drawn tight will make it more susceptible to puncture from the ground. Measuring all that out for a few uses for 3 to 5 ounces… sigh. Yeah, I’ll probably try it.

    • I used a window sheet for my tent. I took some heavy duty packing tape and taped all 4 corners and then punched holes through that. They hold up just as well as grommets. I also ran an “X” of two long runs of tape going from corner to corner so that there is never any stretch in the ground sheet and would set the tent poles in the exact right spots.

      With that said, I never use it because I don’t like the added weight compared to just laying my tent right onto the ground. I think if I was doing more pitches without the inner tent, it would make more sense, or if I was camping on rougher surfaces.

  14. Also, I’m pondering replicating tyvec that covers the entire ground area under my rain fly for fast pitching with my big agnes fly creek UL2, which I do have the manufacturer footprint for… but the gain is not as much with that tent.

  15. I must agree that a “foot print” may save your tent floor but, in my experience put your ground cloth inside your tent. Cut a little larger you and all your grear will truly stay dry,holes or no holes. mega-game 94

    • I actually kind of agree with this way of thinking. I’ve never bought a footprint for any tent I’ve owned (I’ve made a couple), but I did buy a manufacturer-made “floor saver” for our 8-man Cabela’s Alaskan Guide tent. It goes on the inside of the tent rather than under it. It not only provides a waterproof barrier if there are holes in the bottom of the tent (which there currently aren’t that I’m aware of), but you never have to sweep the inside of the tent. You simply take the “floor saver” out, shake it, and fold it up. Clean tent, and dry you (and gear).

    • Was thinking of this after using my Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo LE for the first time and taking in water from a mistake in pitching. Mainly, I left a piece of the polycryo footprint out past the tent edge. The floor is standard nylon, and probably tough enough to go without a footprint.

      I’ll give using it inside a try. Hell, polycryo is so light that I could do both inside and outside,

  16. Be clear about Tyvek behavior. It is NOT a (water) vapor barrier. It’s reason for existence is that it is water proof and (relative to plywood and sheetrock) completely vapor permeable. For the use described here, that’s usually not a problem, but if you use it in a situation where there is standing liquid water on its underside, expect that some dampness is likely to get through. It will usually keep going, but I would expect dampness on the underside of a sleeping pad since they are often waterproof.

  17. I don’t use a footprint anymore. I used to use the one that came with my MSR Hubba, but now only use a Mylar blanket as a groundsheet in shelters. With our Tarptent we don’t use one either. I have used Tyvek in the past, but it’s been my experience that tents honestly don’t need them.

  18. I’ve heard of people using Tyvek for everything hiking related. I think people even make home made waterproof jackets out of them. Personally, I have a cut sheet of thin 7 mil or something painters drop plastic. I had some left over from when I used it to block off sections of my house from getting dust everywhere when I sanded the floors in my old house. Works good when I can repurpose things that I would otherwise have to spend more money on!

  19. I stopped using a groundsheet years ago, when using typical, somewhat-heavy tents. Now that I have a Z-Packs Duplex, I may use one again, at least in more hazardous locations. It may or may not be necessary, but the cost of the tent makes me extra cautious.

    I carry one of these emergency blankets (link below). It should make a good groundsheet, being tougher than mylar. It is listed as 3.2 oz. I carry it anyway, so there is no extra weight.

    https://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/survival/shelter/survive-outdoors-longer-survival-blanket.html

  20. I got the thinnest possible plastic drop cloth from Home Depot and cut out the appropriate size chunk. They last surprisingly long.

  21. I have been a fan for years of using Tyvek house wrap as a cheap and light ground cloth under my various tents and tarps. I feel the insignificant weight of such is cheap insurance to protect my tent floors from puncture.

    That being said, I no longer use nor endorse its use for ground cloths in camping and backpacking because of its proclivity to get fuzzy surfaced and have grass and weed seeds stick to it. Some of these seeds are extremely tenacious to sticking to fabric. Removal by hand is maddening and time consuming. Washing is often ineffective depending on the species. The seeds can fall off at your next camping spots and take hold.

    Invasive plant species are are scourge in most parts of the world, including the western U.S. Inadvertent spreading of viable weed seeds have altered and decimated local and regional ecosystems, out competing natives. I have seen this first hand on western rivers and wilderness areas.

    Use of plastic sheeting eliminates this problem. I like to use Duck Brand window insulation with Gorilla tape reinforced holes in the corners to match the bottom of my tents.

    https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Duck+Brand+284352

  22. Tyvek will lose it’s water repellence after 3 to 4 weeks of use and it’s somewhat heavy. Over the last several years I have used the SOL survival blanket double person one. It’s tuff and light weigh. I have a Solo Mid tent and the blanket works well with it. I have tried Mylar but you have to be careful using it. The elements that make up this material are laid down in a symmetrical order when it is processed and if you tear accidentally the wrong way the blanket will split along the tear.

  23. I’m working on a new polycryo sheet and was brain-storming about a top and bottom layer of the normal sheet with a mylar layer in middle to reflect heat back into the tent. Any thoughts or experiences trying this?

    I was thinking of using a fine coating of spray adhesive to hold the layers together and then tape or melt the edges. Duct tape reinforced HDPE gromets would hold short shock cord loops to go around the tent poles to keep it stretched out.

  24. I have been using the SOL survival blanket as my footprint and ground sheet when cowboy camping. I use the double surival blanket and trim it down for size.

  25. I use a cheapo shower curtain from the dollar store, cut to size. Thicker and more silent than polycro, less bulky than tyvek. Cost $1.50

    • Funny, that’s what I did a thousand years ago in the Boy Scouts, when our tents were made of cotton canvas and the poles were wooden. Nowadays I don’t often use an added footprint, but when I do I use a plastic painter’s drip tarp, like Wanda Rice (above.) They are effectively free, since I always have them left over from projects around the house.

  26. Just cut up a trash compactor bag for a 1 month trip since I had an extra one. hope it works out. Haven’t seen any one bring this up but would appreciate feedback

    • I have always carried one of those contractors trash bags in my pack, it can serve as a pack liner, a dry bag, a tarp, a ponch, an emergency shelter, a bag for gathering firewood, making a debris mattress, whatever… 4± years ago I saw a couple tears in my tent floor so I cut it up and used it as a footprint, and have ever since. I just cut my 3rd bag ever into a new footprint – the old one is still in great shape, but my new tent is wider.

  27. Can anyone tell what should be the size of the footprint? (Smaller/bigger then the tent ground?)
    Should it will comes to the tent’s poll to be tense or not? Thanks

  28. The trash compactor bag is a great idea and works well. Used it on a few occasions where the ground was really saturated.

  29. Hi Phillip. Can you spray Tyvek with Permethrin? Or would it just bead up and not absorb? Thanks.

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