Make Two Ultralight Polycryo Ground Sheets For $10 - Ultralight / Ultracheap

Here's a link to the kit: amzn.to/2tpVCPH
Polycryo makes for a great ground sheet. Mine survived the CDT with me and is still my go to ground sheet.
Check out some of our favorite backpacking gear here: amzn.to/34QK7mt
Subscribe and follow me on social media for more updates like this.
Or, support me on Patreon and get access to even more content!
Website: www.BackcountryBanter.com
Patreon: / joebrewer
Facebook: / backcountrybanter
Twitter: / backbanter
Instagram: / backcountrybanter
Music in this video is by Strange Music. Check out their music here: / strange-music

[@BackcountryBanter]

Here's a link to the kit on amazon: amzn.to/2lsaUQ5 (IT'S CURRENTLY ONLY $5!!!) Thanks so much for watching! Check out our instagram page for more updates between videos: instagram.com/backcountrybanter/

[@CabinetOfCuriosity]

I had this on my list for awhile as it was an Amazon add on. On Prime Day I knew I'd have enough to use it as an add on. Also, it went down in price a few cents, so I ordered it and it arrived today. Stored with my hiking stuff for now.

[@davidzallis7623]

Only $4 rn

[@neontreefrog1]

I just got the kit and it comes with a roll of double sided tape. I laid out a tarp rectangle with the tape, 3’6”x9’6” then cut down the center of the tape to reduce the width. Next I folded the tape over back onto the tarp material. Makes for a clean 1/4” wide perimeter strip around the whole tarp. 61gms, or 2.1oz. Not sure how the tape will hold up but the edges now seem very tear proof. Give it a try

[@mitch60mccoy]

Great review. Just what I needed. I was looking at Tyvek versus Polycryo and you summarized the pros and cons perfectly. Good work and it's much appreciated.

[@Smilin_Don]

Thank you Joe Brewer for another great video.

[@cjsoutdoors4412]

Thank you for posting the info video and the link! Cheers!

[@jeff13148]

Saw this at Walmart in spring on clearance. Bought 5 kits 84"x120 for $1 ea. I have since decided to go camping this Winter in the South and will use it. Thank you for the video and the suggestion!

[@brenthelton5674]

Thank you for the word up ordered it today take care.

[@robingood62]

Thank for this helpful information! In Germany it is available as tesamoll Fensterfolie about the same price. I baught it and it works really good.

[@ihikefar]

I just got the Max version of this product which is 2 mm thick ($8 on Amazon) and used a rotary cutter. Worked perfectly for a nice clean edge. Thanks.

[@Raevenist]

Exactly what I was looking for. Thank you

[@bretthikez6567]

Great idea dude..love the thriftyness to this..good idear

[@georgewatson4946]

Just adding a new ground sheet to my old Cannondale, tapered design (8X6), double-walled 3 season tent. 10" works for vestibule! Perfect!

[@thomasnugent3836]

Very informative and educational, thank you very much

[@YehudaUngerNepal]

Thank u for the great idea, the video and the link - that will be my solution!

[@martarivas6760]

THank you for very simple useful video, nicely done.

[@DitchingTheSpotlightPodcast]

Never thought about this but yeah, this is cool!

[@mccandless1]

Top guy and great advice, thanks.

[@mycocoaone]

Awesome, thank you.

[@MegaMastiffman]

Ordered it thank you great vid

[@stargypsysoul604]

I find these kits at Walmart and amazon for about .85 to $2 post winter (so now going into spring).

[@jhonyermo]

SMART IDEA. GREAT PRICE. I love this kind of stuff. I have been BRANDED way too much. My fault, let it happen. No more. Thanks AGAIN big time.

[@Hapharzardly]

Great tips and demo videos you've been doing. Used the link to get this and some ti shepard's tent stakes. Thank you. Looking forward to more tips.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Glad you've enjoyed them. Thanks a lot!

[@sinfonianbarelytone9191]

Great idea for a "floor" for my hammock. Love your videos.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Thanks!

[@joshfelts1349]

- Great overall lecture on polycro! I love this stuff, I found that making gromets helps me to stake down the groundsheet when cowboy camping so it ain't blowing in the wind so easily. - Can be easily added by just taping a corner with tape and a hole puncher. Adds some durability to the edges. - Also, these holes can act as a bathtub floor when used to attach to an internal tie outs on a tarp.

[@zachariahlee3393]

Yea that sounds good ..for cowboy camping. ..but not so good when use for tents or tarps. Usually you don't want your ground cloth extending pass your tent or tarp setup. Dew or fog will undoubtedly collect and puddle..making a not so enjoyable morning.

[@sheltermonkey6065]

The Duck Brand 7x10 foot Window Kit is currently about $4.50 on Amazon. Different sizes are available too from various brands. The thickness of the window insulation films seem to be standardized across several brands (Duck, 3M, Frost King) at 0.75 mil (19 um). My 7 x 10" (2.1 x 3 m) Duck Brand sheet weights 4.1 oz (117 g). Most brands also sell heavy duty versions of the film which is twice the thickness (and weight). Great video.

[@sheltermonkey6065]

p.s. I made my own video about the topic and linked to this video.

[@HikingFeral]

Just bought a kit off the back of this video thanks mate.

[@nadimi]

Thank you for this video man. I made the purchase with the link in the description.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Thanks Abe!

[@tomsaunders7281]

Thanks for the great tip

[@Tipster49]

great idea! I’ll buy enough to do the old windows in house also 😂

[@DonMilligan]

Thanks for the video and the amnzn link 👍👊

[@YehudaUngerNepal]

Great Idea, I just bought the Duck Brand Indoor Extra Large Window Shrink Film Kit, 84-Inch x 120-Inch, from Amazon for $2.91 !!.....This will be my Footprint for the Kanchenjunga Circuit (Nepal) OCT 2019 - thank you for the Video!

[@WillN2Go1]

Great video. Top marks for useful clear concise information. The way you handled the Polycyro made me understand what it's like. (How many camping gear videos are kids in khakis standing in front of a blank wall reading a script (REI....)?

[@loyameser2563]

What a resourceful man. Good husband material.

[@ericgaffin5697]

awesome tip!!!!

[@karihemmert2437]

Thanks for sharing! Im primarily a hammock camper when I can be. Something about going to ground gives me insomnia.... but you cant depend on finding hammock spots on every trail. I've been trying to come up with a lightweight ground sheet/sleep pad combo that I can carry with my hammock system for when I've gotta go to ground. This is probably it! Hell at such a light weight I'd probably regularly make use of it under the hammock itself as a dry place to store gear.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Perfect! I hammock camped along the AT and had the same issue. I was carrying Tyvek back then, but polycryo would have been nice. For a pad I'd recommend a cut down NeoAir. Super minimal but enough support the few times you need it. I used a Klymit inertia x-frame back then but I wouldn't really recommend it.

[@karihemmert2437]

Thanks for the suggestion. I had been reading some pretty mixed reviews on the Klymit Inertia and I hadnt even bothered to look at the specs of the Neo Air because of the price, but now that I do it seems worth it! How did you like through hiking with a hammock? (aside from the aforementioned issues). Did you ever switch to a tent or anything?

[@l.nguyen860]

Thanks for this info. I've been using it for couple trips. I just noticed that it shrunk a bit, perhaps due to heat ?

[@kenbothman746]

shoot. my kit literally came today, or I would have ordered through you...also, I like the little nude sculpture.

[@Hvn1957]

Great video. I’ve often wondered as someone else asked, if the thicker window plastic could be used as a tarp. It’d be a riff on Colin Fletcher’s Old Visqueen stuff, and an excellent item for an emergency daypack shelter. Also, love ❤️❤️❤️ the statue, and I’m glad to know David’s head will be with us soon 😊.

[@BackcountryBanter]

Thanks. I'm going to try to make a polycryo tarp this week :)

[@as4tik]

@@BackcountryBanter Hi, did you managed to make a tarp vith polycro?

[@ttracemusic]

Very cool

[@jeremyboothe8620]

Thanks for making this. Imma get me some!

[@jeremyboothe8620]

Update: Amazon won’t let me purchase unless I spend a total of $25 or more

[@BackcountryBanter]

Ahh lame. You may be able to get it from another seller on Amazon but it probably won't be with prime shipping.

[@denischasse3567]

Hé merci bonne idée !

[@jeffcmo1957]

Just buy plastic sheeting at any box hardware store or walmart they come in varying thickness.

[@Tanko3691]

I have a question, How would the properties of the Polycryo change if it was heated (pre-)shrunk before you cut it to size??

[@NikolajFreiesleben]

I wonder if it could be used to repair my tent?

[@marciomarcelogross6353]

Parabéns pelo vídeo, conheci esse material recentemente, vou usar ele! Brasil!

[@leonardodelimanoronha7558]

onde achou aqui no brasil pra comprar?

[@iantheriot7005]

On amazon u can get it for $4. Can’t wait to make mine!

[@WILDONTHETRAIL]

Great vid. I think it’s time to ditch my tyvek footprint👍

[@zachariahlee3393]

Can you use permethrin on polycaryo for bug deterrence?

[@mikaeladonges9102]

Oh to use a tarp in Australia. 😂 you guys have it good. Bugs spiders, snakes, lizards, naughty birds..I’ll have a tent thanks haha.

[@adventureswithfrodo2721]

I use it for a ground sheet. What do you think of using it for a tarp?

[@Arthur-Silva]

Always good to save about 100g and cash at the same time!

[@Lottahops]

Has anyone used duct tape or lighter tape around the perimeter of their ground sheet. Even though it may add a little bit of weight, it seems it would help in reducing edge cuts that may travel.

[@38201270298]

It's a good idea at first sight..hmm

[@chuckstreich7777]

Cool video and info. May be able to minimize the number of jagged spots by using a rolling style fabric cutter

[@BackcountryBanter]

Definitely!

[@mrwes100]

Chuck Streich pizza cutter ;) with a 2x4 underneath the plastic

[@thomash7573]

Would it help prevent tearing if you ran the double sided tape around the perimeter and folded it over on itself?

[@BackcountryBanter]

Definitely! Only downside would be weight, but it couldn't add that much. Great idea!

[@MountainParameters]

@@BackcountryBanter When I used this material for a greenhouse 'hoop house' I got the impression that it was stronger after you used a heat gun to shrink it. It would still tear in strong winds, so the precaution about the smooth edges would still apply and that double sided tape seems like a great idea. So now I'm contemplating pre-shrinking a large sheet before trimming it to footprint size and see if that offers any improvement, and how much it increases the weight as a result. One great feature is these kits have the tape already as well. THis also make me wonder if anyone has made a bivy sack from this?

[@versusgravity]

@@MountainParameters A bivy would be condensation hell and a CO2 death bag, but there are some tent and tarps out there. Super light, but very fragile. kzbin.info/www/bejne/laumaKiVhqp-jqM

[@jayh9313]

would this stuff be good to use for the front of a super shelter?

[@got2kittys]

Black roll plastic doubles as sun shade in daytime.

[@Joe_Serious]

Hey Joe, I was wondering if you could give some insight. I've seen a few backpackers store their polycro ground sheets crumpled up in their pack and some stored neatly folded. Can you think of any factors that would make one way better than the other? Thank you for the great content!

[@BackcountryBanter]

Either is fine really. I fold then roll mine up. The issue with crumpling it is that it takes up far more volume in your pack. Rolling it helps get the air out.

[@Joe_Serious]

Gotcha. Thank you!

[@pgreenx]

What do you think about using a trash compactor bag vs polycryo?

[@BackcountryBanter]

It would have a little more “give” to it, so it might last longer but it’d be a little less protective against sharp objects and heavier. 🤷‍♂️

[@JustinMcKinneyhiker]

I tried this stuff a couple of years ago. Half way through my trip, my neo air thermarest punctured. I'll stick with my Tyvek, which I've used for years with no problem.I haven't had a puncture since. Just not a fan of this stuff.

[@bereantrb]

Sounds more like an unprepared site.

[@landflame]

can i use it to make a tarp?

[@BackcountryBanter]

It can definitely be done. The downside is that the tarp will be very delicate and if it tears it can be catastrophic haha.

[@attar81]

What were you 3d printing back there?

[@BackcountryBanter]

The head for the purple statue on my desk haha. I miscalculated and made the statue a bit too tall for my printer.

[@CT-1214]

Can you use polycro as a tarp? Or is it not durable enough

[@BackcountryBanter]

You definitely can but it will be a bit delicate. I suppose you can keep a roll of repair tape in your pack though and repair any cuts before they become huge holes.

[@flashmanv3260]

This is on sale at Amazon for $2.91 each.

[@k0ba_]

Dam only one on amazon in uk is at £30

[@bnjmnalan]

I found that DUCK makes that same material in 1.5 mil thickness (Max Strength Heavy Duty) (http:amzn.com/B015PY2BTS) as opposed to the .75 mil thickness of the standard stuff you show in the video. I suppose the thicker stuff would be heavier, maybe more durable? Any thoughts on that?

[@sheltermonkey6065]

Most of the brands offer heavy duty film which is twice the thickness and weight of their standard film... but for a lightweight hiker, it's just not necessary.

[@RichardBuckerCodes]

what about making a tarp out of this stuff

[@BackcountryBanter]

It is possible and it's something I'm working on as we speak :) They certainly aren't the most durable tarps, but they work surprisingly well from what I hear. There's a thicker version of this kit available (called MAX) that might make a better tarp.

[@schnickschnack2090]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mZzJfX2Kmb6phq8 Polycro Tarp 😊

[@Lue_Jonin]

Cool video.. Gave me an idea of my own. ✌ 👣 👑

[@Reason919]

Hi there, I have tried to order the Duck Window kit from Norway from ebay (and anywhere else)- and no one will ship to Norway..??? !!! (Typical) ..Are there any kind souls that could post one over for me? I'll pay of course : ) Thanks in advance! : ) Sincerely - An outdoors loving Kiwi

[@brettfaver5871]

I hear it's a little noisy

[@BackcountryBanter]

It's really not bad once it's on the ground. Very minimal crinkling. It is a bit noisy when you set it up or if it is blowing in the wind though.

[@MonthlyCramps]

Home Depot Order Duck 286218 Order Total: $4.41 5/30/2020

[@tracingtheblueridge]

Yo can we be friends? you're the bomb

[@blacksunapocalypse]

It's pronounced polyCRO, right? Or have I been saying it wrong all this time? :P

[@nickgerstenlauer4111]

Or buy two already made ones for $7+$4s&h at gossamergear

[@williampennjr.4448]

You could just buy a real ground tarp for $10 on Amazon, but it wont make a good window treatment.

[@kliether33]

Can not focus on what you're saying with that bright ass purple naked headless man statue just chilling on your desk.