The $9 tarp trick that saved my soggy tent setup

I got tired of waking up with a damp floor every time it rained on my trips in the PNW. I tried footprint sheets and fancy ground cloths, but they all cost way too much for what they did. Then a buddy at a campsite near Mount Rainier showed me his trick: buy a plain blue tarp from a hardware store, cut it to fit your tent footprint, and fold the edges under so water runs off instead of pooling. I spent $9 on a 6x8 tarp and trimmed it down to match my 2-person tent exactly. Last weekend we got a solid four hours of rain and my sleeping bag stayed bone dry all night. It's not glamorous gear, but it does the job better than the $40 branded footprint I used for two seasons. Has anyone else found a cheap alternative that outperforms the big name version of something?

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hannah38522d ago

Ground cloths do more than stop puddles, they protect against punctures and mud too.