Tyvek Ground Sheet/Cloth for Tent?

Also don't overlook Gossamer Gear's polycyro groundsheets. Just as cheap (if not cheaper), tough, completely waterproof, lighter, and more packable than Tyvek.

http://www.gossamergear.com/cgi-bin/gossamergear/polycryo_ground_cloth.html

Tarptent sells tyvek groundclothes cut to fit a tarptent footprint. I have heard of suggestions to ask for leftover material at home construction sites. I have never tried it though.

I agree with the previous poster and suggest using another material. I used the tyvek groundcloth with my tarptent for some time. Tyvek will wet out as it is not 100% waterproof. It is also comparatively heavy for a ground cover. If you launder it to reduce the "crinkle factor" small fibers appear that tend to hold dirt and duff. I suggest using a simple plastic painters cover available at the hardware store. Definitely not as durable as tyvek but easy to find, waterproof, cheap and very lightweight.

I bought some Tyvek from someone on eBay. Do a search, there are several people selling it by the foot so you can get just what you need.

I still prefer Mylar….don't overlook Mylar! The GG polycro only comes in certain sizes…you can buy a huge emergency Mylar blanket, and cut to fit your needs. Mylar "seems" to be slightly tougher than regular visqueen for comparable thickness/weight…and I prefer over Tyvek by a long shot. Tyvek is too heavy for a non-waterproof cloth.

Ah yes, Gossamer Gear, thanks, I should have thought of them!
Their medium sheets would be a bit narrow, leaving me with 4" of tent floor exposed on each side, maybe even more with the hot-weather shrinkage they note, although then again the edges along the width of the tent would presumably not be the places most prone to abrasion?
Alternatively, even their heavier material in the large version would still be only 2.9oz when cut to fit. And given their prices, I can just buy both sizes!
Re mylar, isn't that in general kind of noisy/krinkly and prone to ripping?

If you have any new housing developments being built in your area cruise through there and go through the trash. I know that sounds nasty, but usually there will be some piles of wood and other debris that is going to get thrown away. Sometimes you can find some scrap Tyvek in there if that is what they wrap the house with.

I got lucky cause I moved in to a house next to an empty lot. Once they started building there was always a trash heap there, and there was plenty of pieces of Tyvek in that heap. Many of them were much larger than the footprint of a large 2-man tent.

All that being said, I use 2-mil plastic sheets (painter drop cloths) from Lowes. Light, cheap, waterproof, and a single roll will yield multiple footprints for when you wear one out.

I also use it for my Tarptent foot print. I love the durability, no problems with not being 100% waterproof, I washed mine in the washing machine in cold water and it folds up nicely.

John

> If you launder [Tyvek] to reduce the "crinkle factor" …

I bought some Tyvek from an eBay seller and indeed found I had to launder it because it was too stiff otherwise. Surprisingly it shrunk nearly 10%! I actually ironed it then to get it a little flatter and regain some of the length. Even assuming I got it back to just 5% shrinkage that would mean it was ~11% heavier (in area) than it started. Gah!

Now if I need a ground cloth I generally take polycro.

Colin,
Sorry, you got your Tyvek too hot. That's why it shrunk. That may have altered other performance characteristics in addition to size and weight. If you try it again use no heat. You can soften it by wringing it by hand. It's tedious, but you will get buff forearms out of the deal.

> Sorry, you got your Tyvek too hot. That's why it shrunk. That may have altered other performance characteristics in addition to size and weight.

Thanks Vick. But I'm confused, as I only ran it through the washing machine … on cold. I didn't bother drying it as it basically hadn't absorbed any water. Because it had then shrunk, I ironed it on a very low setting just to get it to flatten back out. Could that have altered it?

> If you try it again use no heat. You can soften it by wringing it by hand. It's tedious, but you will get buff forearms out of the deal.

Wow, how did everyone learn I have no upper body strength?

Wow, how did everyone learn I have no upper body strength?

It's the Down jacket in your profile photo. It's a dead giveaway!

Rod