DO YOU REALLY NEED A FOOTPRINT? | 6 GOOD RESONS TO MAKE UP YOUR MIND

Today it is all about footprints and the reasons to use, or not to use a footprint for your tent. I give you 3 pros and 3 cons plus some bonus reasons so that you can choose for yourself!
If the reasons for using a footprint is better than the one for not using them, well I DONT KNOW!! So I leave it up to you to choose. Sometimes it can be a good idea, sometimes not...and it is not always depending on what tent you have.
For more information on the products shown in the video, follow the links below.
Hilleberg Enan Footprint: hilleberg.com/swe/
Big Agnes Footprint: www.bigagnes.com/Copper-Spur-...

[@thomasgarrison3949]

I'm 69, I don't backpack anymore, so got a TETON Sports Mountain Ultra Tents - 3 Person Backpacking Tent & the TETON Sports Mountain Ultra 3 Footprint; Waterproof Tarp, for $205. The matching footprint cost only a little more than a Blue 6 x 8 Tarp from Walmart. I'm putting it in my Motorcycle tow behind trailer, when I go on a camping trip with my 2023 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Trike. I got a 3 person tent because both my young girlfriend & I are both 200+ lbs & we want room, just incase we get frisky in the boondocks.

[@stevenvarner9806]

I have a Tyvek footprint. I live in the southwest US where it can be hot in summer and autumn with no rain. So, some more pros: A footprint can be used when cowboy camping (no tent) to protect your inflatable pad. It can be used mid day to lie on to take a siesta in the shade. It can serve as a sun shelter tarp during breaks when there is no shade (using cordage and possibly also trekking poles).

[@roberthammenrudh]

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 four thumbs up for that, good points 😃

[@Juanlu.]

Yo utilizo polycro (50 ó 80 gramos, según si la tienda es de 1 ó 2 plazas). Me viene muy bien también porque con él envuelvo la esterilla aislante para protegerla de la lluvia, en la mochila...

[@chriseidam7319]

Here is another plus: You can use your groundsheet to protect your sleeping pad when using a shelter. I wish I had known that earlier, before I incurred a very slow, impossible-to-find leak in a barrly-used Big Agnes sleeping pad. Had I laid my pad atop of my tent groundsheet on the shelter sleeping surface I would not be stuck with a pad I have to reinflate a few times each night (until the leak gets large enough to detect and repair, that is). FYI, DCF and poly-cro ground sheets are virtually worthless I had learned from a comparative demo at another channel. Pins passed right thru them with ease. It took four or five times more force to penetrate a Tyvec groundsheet I suspect that silpoly is as poor as the poly-cro.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Yea you kind of change gear and correct small things based on failures right 😄 and absolutely, a groundsheet it also good for that and much lighter that bringing in a cell foam pad for same effect 👍🏻 no extra R but not always needed! And yea, I prefer the Tyvek myself as DCF is so expensive and polycro… well, a bit thin for my taste!!

[@Oldsparkey]

I always use a footprint for my tents. It helps to save the tents bottom from punctures. It keeps the bottom cleaner then not using one. Especially in sand or black earth we call muck. It helps to keep the bottom of the tent from adsorbing moisture. It's always an inch or two shorter then the tents bottom and always used under the tent , never inside. Hammock camping , which I do most of the time , It's under the hammock to keep my shoes and feet clean when entering or exiting the hammock. I even go one step further since I believe in the leave no trace philosophy. In the woods I always take pictures and only leave a different type of footprints ( Mine ) from each step I take.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Thanks for sharing, sound like logic and a good way of thinking 👍🏻

[@stephtraveler7378]

Eastern US: we have something called Radon. Its a natural occurring radiation gas that comes from the soil and rock. Quite common. So much so, most home purchases require testing as part of the purchase process. Putting an extra 6oz layer between you and the ground is fairly easy decision....

[@roberthammenrudh]

Yea we have it also but maybe not in that amount. Remember we tested our house when moving here but all was good. If is is an issue and it helps using a footprint, then off course a good idea.

[@davids9549]

Entirely agree. I've never used a footprint with any of my tents. It probably makes sense to carry a small instant repair patch suitable for whatever material your groundsheet (and fly) is/(are) made from, just in case, although in several decades of backpacking I've never had a tent puncture. An air mattress puncture yes (and not from below), but not a tent. Thus, if really concerned about damage to one's 'essential nylon', a thin CCF mat cut to appropriate size, placed beneath the tent floor and the airmat, will both protect and also provide additional comfort and insulation, plus give you something to sleep on should the airmat fail completely. Bulky though, which is why I don't.

[@klatlap]

another con is it can create a barrier for water in wet weather even if set up correctly.

[@farmkess1931]

If you are living in a small house it is easier to clean the groundsheet than the whole tent. Whith use of a groundsheet the tent stayes cleaner.

[@roberthammenrudh]

True 👍🏻

[@vanmore5124]

I'm in Scotland and thinking about buying my first tent and one concern is ticks. I can spray the footprint with permethrin which kills ticks and then not worry about leaving boots and the rucksack in the vestibule.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Sounds like an interesting idea, not sure how effective it will be though. Hate ticks myself but trying not to think about to much and search my body before going to sleep if hiking in such environments.

[@janis6321]

I use one on car and packrafting trips when weight is not a big issue. Another benefit of it - it's possible to pitch outer tent first when using footprint which is important in rainy weather.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Yes some tents like the BA have that as an extra function, good 👍🏻 myself I always choose tents where the inner is attached to the outer so for that reason no need for a footprint.

[@Surfer-727]

The camping store said just use a shower curtain, though the ones I saw in the store are cloth, I think it will get dirty easy. A shower liner I can punch my finger through. I bought a medium thickness tarp and after putting it under the tent it feels bulky, I will return it for a light tarp and I hope that works ?

[@roberthammenrudh]

Never heard of anyone using a shower curtain 😄 but a tarp works fine if there is no dedicated footprint to buy, or just buy a piece of Tyvek and make your own. Good luck.

[@Surfer-727]

Thanks ! If your German or Swiss then you like chocolate.🍫🍫@@roberthammenrudh

[@iainsharples1433]

The footprint with my Enan came free with the purchase at the time. It is very well designed and intuitive being able to permanently attach and cover the vestibule. However it has only been used on two occasions so far, one in a wooded area on a cycle tour, in which even after clearing the space of small sharp twigs, there remained the possibility that something sharp may still be there. Otherwise it is mostly not required, just adding to weight, bulk, contradicting what is meant as a light weight set up.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Great it followed with the purchase and I totally agree to your comment and my thoughts as well 👍🏻

[@jeffrey5961]

Suggest additional negative of a foot print is extra set up and take down time.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Yea, absolutely agree to that one 👍🏻

[@jantomaszrogala4230]

I would add in cons a hassle to deal with footprint, stretching it, laying it down often in the wind or in the rain and then packing it separately, shaking it off, folding, rolling ...just extra job, nonetheless I have been using footprints always, first nylon, then tyvek, then polycro, it was only 50gr for one person tent but still hassle until last year I got my first DCF tent. It's fun, not to worry about additional item and additional job :)

[@roberthammenrudh]

Yes I totally agree and yep, don’t think that Zpacks say you need anything underneath their tents so 👍🏻 super nice and I actually hope to get my hands on a free duo, if not now at least to next year!! 🙂 what DCF tent have you bought?

[@jantomaszrogala4230]

@@roberthammenrudh last year was stratospire li, I loved it because it was almost the only DCF double wall tent, changed pegs and came up with 850 gr, used it on solo hikes ad well as with my son, month ago I finally gave in and got Plex solo, 450 gr, didn't use it yet, but I know the issues with condensation, I have three lanshan tents, but weight and simplicity of Plex won me over, stratospire is a bit big and more complicated for one

[@roberthammenrudh]

@@jantomaszrogala4230 ok 👍🏻 all of them being great tents… was thinking about the Altaplex or Plex but since I just love freestanding ones the Free duo is my (without trying it even seen one) dream tent 😄 good luck with the Plex and looking forward to your review…because now you need to come back to me with one 😄👍🏻

[@jantomaszrogala4230]

@@roberthammenrudh 🤣

[@grahamhaines9931]

I do have footprints for all of my tents, but I only use them when I am car camping, not when I am back/bikepacking. My Terra Nova Solar is over 25 years old and is still in excellent condition. My other tents are relatively new. I think a bit of attention to detail when you are siting and pitching your tent will negate the need for a footprint. The additional weight and bulk are the deciding factors for me. Thanks for sharing.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Glad you liked this episode and funny you have a Terra Nova Solar… at the moment thinking a lot about my next tent and the Solar Ultra 2 is on the scout list! A bit expensive but we will see. What’s your experience with the tent? Especially in bad weather, stronger winds!

[@grahamhaines9931]

@@roberthammenrudh I bought it back in 1996 when it was probably the most competitively priced lightweight tent going at the time. The drawback is the single pole structure, which to be fair, has never failed, but the strong winds do hammer it a bit. I always pitch slightly offset to the side so the narrowest profile is into the wind. The door configuration gives lots of options, and the vestibule is a good size. The inner is very generous for a one man tent. It pitches inner first. I’m retired now and have recently bought the Wild Country Helm 1 Compact. I’ve bought this primarily as a bike packing tent. It pitches inner and outer together, and the pole lengths when dismantled are quite short which makes them ideal for fitting in my bike’s frame bag. Haven’t tested it in any difficult conditions yet (when you’re retired, you don’t tend to go out in bad conditions. 😀😀)

[@roberthammenrudh]

@@grahamhaines9931 thanks for feedback, great to hear you love your tent and have a good experience using it. I think the ultra version will give me a bit better wind resistance since it doesn’t stretch when pitched tight, even with the single pole structure, it will resist wind better compare to silnylon. I hope anyways 😄 other tents in my scouting is the FreeDuo from Zpacks and the Double Rainbow Li from Tarptent. We will see… need a bit of money first since they are all expensive tents. 🙂

[@wayofthehike]

I like this jacket, Robert. It is very cool and seems quite lightweight. The camouflage looks a bit like the German flecktarn, but perhaps it is Swedish in origin?

[@roberthammenrudh]

Yea it’s a great jacket, but it’s from a Swedish company (I think) called Craft (ADV jacket). Looks cool 😎, windproof and weighs about 100 grams in size large. Not the lightest, but coolest 😄👍🏻

[@hera5709]

I agree. Never used one and never needed one, even on relatively thin floor material like the ones on SMD tents. And a footprint might convert a ULW tent to ”only” a LW tent. Who want to do that?😱

[@roberthammenrudh]

😂 no one!! 🤷🏼‍♂️ if to choose any kind of protection it would be a 3mm EVA foam pad underneath the airpad! But I have the Xtherm and it has quite thick material as it is so no reason for that, in my opinion anyways.

[@kbcovingtonsr]

Some double wall tents require a footprint to pitch fly before/without the inner mesh.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Absolutely true

[@tanvach]

I use a mylar emergency blanket. Dual use, very light, cheap and mostly to keep the bathtub floor clean. So far so good, but not sure how long it will hold up.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Good tip and new idea, not sure how puncture resistant it is but time will tell…let us all know how it turnes out!! 🙂

[@uffa00001]

That's exactly my idea. I still have to buy my first tent, but that's my thought. I bring a mylar blanket with me in any case, so it's 0 weight, 0 cost, and it should protects from water, abrasions AND help with heat loss. Being mylar, that's basically DCF, although not in the form of "fabric".

[@robincole-hamilton9482]

A footprint also helps reduce the formation of condensation inside the tent.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Could be yes, but only if it also covers the vestibule…at least that’s my opinion. 🙂

[@robincole-hamilton9482]

@@roberthammenrudh Yes, I agree.

[@andersg262]

Jag använder oftast footprint när jag använder hängmatta som man kan stå och byta om under tarpen och lägga utrustningen på mitt tält ingår footprinten om man ska sätta upp tältet i regn//Anders

[@roberthammenrudh]

Ja men det är ju smart att ha något med när man kör hängmatta 👍🏻 skulle vilja prova det själv någon gång framöver, skulle passa perfekt i skogen på Sörmlandsleden eller östgötaleden 🙂

[@andersg262]

@@roberthammenrudh är rätt nybörjare på hängmattan men det är enklare med hängmatta bara att det finns träd//Anders

[@SebastianDaniec]

Hade också footprint i början med hängmatta men har slutat med det. Oftast är ryggsäcken tom så man kan stå på den när man byter om. Eller så kan man ha ett sittunderlag som även har fler funktioner.

[@jeffm6619]

A Pro: Tarp footprint can be used for an emergency, leaky/damaged tent or bad weather conditions.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Absolutely that’s true, I usually bring patches and stuff to be able to do minor repairs but sure… if using a footprint that can be used instead.

[@JonsDadHikes]

Jag har alltid varit rädd att inte använda en footprint. Vet inte om jag kan övertala mig att prova. Kostnaden är hög om jag har fel.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Ja man får vara uppmärksam på platsen innan man slår upp tältet, men klart att det är lätt att missa. Har klarat mig utan hål/problem än så länge utan så… jag har motsatt problem att känna vitsen att använda ett.

[@bernovanderwal]

Thanks for the tips. My tip for you: stop with the overload of sound effects 🥴

[@roberthammenrudh]

Hi and yes, I’ve taken away most of them since a while 😄👍🏻so take a look at the later videos, much less noise/effects 🙂

[@susanberkec8590]

I like all the sound effects ☺️

[@troytaylor1913]

I make a footprint before I set up a brand-new tent. I use my tent at work, stickers, glass, nails, screws, dog and cat poop you name it.

[@troytaylor1913]

In the case of painful goat head stickers. I have a roll of carpet that goes under the footprint. No Joke! LOL

[@troytaylor1913]

Goat Heads? kzbin.info/www/bejne/raHcfYNqmq57la8&ab_channel=KRQE

[@roberthammenrudh]

Had to Google the goat head stickers 😄 totally do understand!! These will easily destroy any tent for sure 😄👍🏻

[@troytaylor1913]

@@roberthammenrudh We've been dealing with them since I was a kid in the 60s' I got poked a few times in my kid's tent in the backyard. Anywhere near town is horrible. LOL Now I have a small cabin tent with a lot of ventilation to put the stuff I sell in so I have more room in my truck. Vendors can spend the night.

[@troytaylor1913]

I have a stick with a powerful magnet on the end. I drag that thing around where I'm working and got most of the metal cleaned up but sometimes I got to set it up in other places. There is about 50 years worth of metal things in the soil where people have dropped stuff just from heavy foot traffic every weekend where I set a tent up.

[@DanielOutdoors]

Footprints are pretty much useless, never have I needed one but i used on camping style tents in my 40 years of exp

[@bcamping1]

Free footprint with Naturehike tents! Perfect fit may vary.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Wow, that’s the first manufacturer I have heard of doing that 😃 thanks for that info 👍🏻 and thanks for Watching!

[@uffa00001]

Nothing in free in this world. They sell the tent and the footprint in bulk. You pay both. Quality/cost ratio for NatureHike seems to be quite good, people love those tents.

[@360Investigations]

Everyone needs to just shut the hell up with weight. Base weight needs to stop being used as some form of end all be all Whether it's a thru-hike, or camping trip, no one has a backpack that weighs under 15lb. On top of that, the total weight is always going to fluctuate. Whether it be, wet items, or more food, it will never be under 15lbs.

[@roberthammenrudh]

Well that depends, but yeah you’re mostly right unless it’s super warm and no extra clothes like puffy and such are needed. Myself I often end up around 17-18 so 🤷🏼‍♂️ one has to eat and drink.

[@360Investigations]

@@roberthammenrudh I'm just blunt about what I say. What's happening with all these videos flexing weight, is giving off weight is the only thing that matters, and the less weight the better. That situation perpetuates that mentality and it creates a false persona as shown in every KZbin gear video. Half the things talked about in KZbin videos don't even make sense.

[@roberthammenrudh]

@@360Investigations agree to some extent and something I talked about and the reason for last weeks episode “UL Exposed”. I believe a low weight is of importance for a better hiking experience with less risk of injuries, but with maintained comfort… and safety off course!! So I will probably never go much lower than where I am today and appreciate bringing a chair for example.

[@360Investigations]

@@roberthammenrudh Do me a favor, would you watch the video series in my channel I made called Survival correction. I think you may be surprised. I'm also making a video series on how all your gear needs to work together. This goes beyond gear ha ing dual uses.