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Groundsheet puncture resistance


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  • #1327809
    Dihnekis
    Spectator

    @dihnekis

    I've been using a small strip of tyvek, probably 2'x7', underneath my Neoair Xlite. Now I know everyone says oh just spend more time picking out all the sharp things and you'll be fine, but I just can't trust that to be honest. So options for things going under my pad are:

    tyvek + polycro + neoair

    or

    polycro + GG 1/8" pad + neoair

    or even

    tyvek + polycro + GG 1/8" pad + neoair

    I really don't want my neoair to pop. It's expensive. Looking for some other experiences, preferably from people who have used their setup extensively (thruhike, etc). I use my gear for work constantly (trail building and currently working as a ridgerunner) so it gets used 4 nights out of 7, year round.

    #2190670
    Tipi Walter
    BPL Member

    @tipiwalter

    I assume you're using a tarp for a shelter, otherwise a tent floor would be another barrier to protect your neoair.

    If you're worried about pinholes from the ground, the thicker the ground cloth the better, within reason. A ccf pad under the neoair sounds like a no-brainer but foam pads can pick up thorns like a pin cushion and remain unseen until pressure from you atop your inflatable pushes the thorn up from the foam pad into your neoair.

    So, special care needs to be done with both types of pads, i.e. Don't just hang them on the outside of the pack w/o protection.

    I use a heavy duty walmart-type tarp cut to the size of my tent floor (currently the Akto) and use it inside my tent to prevent ground water from pooling between the tent floor and an outside ground cloth.

    Here's an easy test you can do—Go find a rose bush and peel off a thorn. Now take that thorn and try to press it thru your tyvek and polycro. It will probably easily pass thru. Not good. Find something more beefy which stops the thorn. This is one of the purposes of a good ground cloth.

    Another important challenge for a good ground cloth is its ability to keep water out when pressure is applied as in a sitting person atop a ground cloth over a puddle of water. No sponge effect should occur; no water should seep thru.

    #2190678
    R Banks
    BPL Member

    @eddaka

    Locale: everywhere i guess

    I got about 1000 miles out of my polycro groundsheet on the PCT.

    I used a foam pad but a good friend I hiked with got about 1000 miles with his polycro also with a neoair pad.

    My .02 cents

    #2190695
    M B
    BPL Member

    @livingontheroad

    1 use a 1.0 cuben groundsheet
    and my raingear
    and my maps
    and spare ziplocks

    if I have a 1/8 ccf with me I use it too.

    Never had a problem, even camping on cactus needles.

    Waterproof paper maps are TOUGH

    #2190736
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    I hike mostly in the desert. Clear my site if needed and use a 1/8" foam pad. So far so good over several years with my NeoAir. The past couple of years I have been folding my pad into a small package and carrying it inside my pack so it is easy to use the pack as airline carryon and also hike is brushy areas.

    #2190912
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    I like that waterproof map idea : ) No immediate issues with the ink rubbing off?

    I had a rare opportunity to hang out with THE tent repair guy for one of the top 10 tent manufacturers. He had a real passion for material science. We nerded out about the new 10 denier tents coming out. I asked him though what he thought the impact of 10 denier tent materials was going to have on durability.

    His answer: The new materials are engineered to same/similar tensil strength etc. But a stick is still a stick. If you sleep on a sharp pointy thing, its going to poke a hole in your tent regardless of how heavy and "durable" your tent is. He said just mail it to your manufacturer and they'll repair it for free or a minimal fee. PS. he also said when folks ducktape 10 denier sil nylon and ask him to repair it, it makes him sad.

    My hiking buddy uses an inflatable pillow as a sit pad regularly around the campfire or on trail breaks. He's punctured it a few times from abraision with the rock he's sitting on. When he uses the reapir kit, he usually has the it glued, and reinflated before dinner has finished cooking.

    #2191007
    John Eyles
    BPL Member

    @johneyles

    I used to use Tyvek (building-wrap grade) as a groundcloth. (By itself – I desert hike and am almost never in a tent). Then one day I realized how heavy the stuff is. I bought a piece of kite-making Tyvek, and a piece of polycryo – lighter, and even lighter still, than the building-grade Tyvek. Next hike, my friend used one and I the other. It turns out the polycryo was more durable than the kite-making Tyvek, and it's lighter. It's what I'm using from now on. BTW, a rep at Gossamer Gear – where I bought the polycryo – told me that the large sheet they sell is a slightly thicker grade than the 2-pack of smaller sheets. And the stuff is so cheap, if it only lasts for a couple of hikes, I don't care.

    Also, FWIW, I use NeoAir too, and the thinness of it freaks me out. So I switched to the Trekker, which is a considerably heavier fabric (at least on the bottom). No way would I consider the light-weight version.

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