Tyvek footprint for Cuben Fiber Tent

[Rich J]

Hi. I have lucked upon a Skyscape X CF tent. I do a lot of camping in rocky areas (e.g. on Mount Hood) and I am concerned about a rock poking a hole in the floor. I cut a Tyvek footprint that is nearly ideal for this type of protection. However, it weighs in at 4.2 oz. This puts me squarely on the horns of a dilemma. On one hand I want to protect the most expensive item in my pack. On the other hand it seems a bit silly to go to such extremes to get a low weight item only to give back nearly 30% of the weight with a footprint. Some of the things I’ve thought about:

– Only bringing the footprint when I’m pretty sure there will be a rocky pitch.
– Bringing a few of the Tyvek scraps and placing them directly over the most troublesome rocks
– Just using the tent as-is and patch punctures with CF tape if they occur.

I’m curious what others with these expensive tents are doing.

Thanks in advance for your inputs.

[michael levi]

Your footprint only needs to be the size of your sleeping pad. If you go polycro you can get it under 2oz. I have a 25 x 75 piece that weighs under 2 oz I think, I can weigh it when I get home.

[Dale Wambaugh]

Polycryo is the way to go. I like more coverage to protect from mud and dirt so I cut it to fit the per emitter of the tent. I have a pet theory that a full ground cloth in a floorless tarp/tent will reduce condensation from evaporating moisture in the ground. In a floored tent I would at least cover from doorway to the sleeping area to protect from sharp stuff and my weight on top.

You can buy window film kits in most hardware stores if you live in an area with cold winters; otherwise, on line.

[Rich J]

Thanks for the comments. I do have a polycryo sheet. This does a good job for water/mud protection. But, it won't do much in terms of puncture resistance. The Tyvek, on the other hand, is very strong.

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