Tent foot print

[roundisland]

Hi, not sure weather I should take a tent foot print with me to France, any thoughts from others that have camped in France would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[vernon]

Hi, not sure weather I should take a tent foot print with me to France, any thoughts from others that have camped in France would be helpful.

Thanks

I take a thick sheet of polythene that got from a builder's merchant. I have trimmed it to use as a footprint. Several times I have had to use gravelly pitches so it earned its keep..

 

[samid]

Depends on your tent I think. I have a Hilleberg Akto - and would not take it anywhere without the dedicated footprint, simply because it makes the tent so much more convenient to use (it attaches to the tent and the tent and footprint can be pitched and taken down as one - so I never remove it at all; the extra weight is minimal).

 

[andym]

I used to carry a tent footprint but this year I've left it at home. It's very unlikely you'll put up your tent on a rock sharp enough to puncture the tent floor and if you did it would be easy to repair with gaffer tape. I know this is heresy but I can't see the point of them myself.

 

[asterix]

I take a thick sheet of polythene that got from a builder's merchant. I have trimmed it to use as a footprint. Several times I have had to use gravelly pitches so it earned its keep..

Yes, it's called bache in France and can be found in DIY sheds here very cheap and weighs next to nothing. It's what I use under my Hilleberg. Some campsites are bit gravelly ay the very least.

 

[Brains]

I always use a footprint - the weight is minimal - other than protecting your ground sheet it also makes the damp packdown faster, as your tent is dry, the footprint may not be but it's easy to dry.

Also in rain pack downs it gives you somewhere to keep your stuff dry

 

[psmiffy]

Up to my last tour I never used a footprint but as the tent was getting a bit tired and I had a long way to go I made one out of a cheap tarpaulin that I got from homebase – if it was not useful then I would ditch it enroute.

Pros:-

· After a nights heavy rain the inner was to all intents (not in”tent”ional) and purposes dry and I was able to pack it separately – made managing the wetness of the tent much easier through prolonged periods of wet weather.

· In both wet and warmer weather I noticed that condensation under my sleeping mat and anything else was significantly reduced

· Definitely added to the longevity of the groundsheet and made it possible to wild camp several times in places that I would not have for fear of ripping the groundsheet.

· Added another degree of comfort to the floor of the tent and a small but significant degree of thermal insulation.

· Used it on its own several times when wild camping sans tent on warm nights – not its intended use but ended up being packed in a convienient place for those occasions.

Cons:-

Another thing to carry around

I am definitely converted to using a footprint – but I would probably stay with a home made version – the purpose supplied ones seem a bit flimsy to me.

As to whether you need one in France – I ve toured France lots of times without one – In retrospect I have managed quite happily without one – but similarly there a quite a number of occasions I can think of when it would have been a Godsend.

 

[roundisland]

Thanks for the excellent replies, its looks like the pro's out way the con's. I will be making a footprint this week.

Many thanks to all.