Anytime I’ve seen the question asked here if a “factory footprint” for a UL tent is worth it, there’s been a resounding no – the consensus is that tent floors don’t need the additional protection. For those that disagree, the answer has historically been Tyvek or polycryo, because they’re $5-10 instead of $50. You can of course buy Tyvek precut and even grommeted to the exact size for various tent models.
However, it seems that rarely is the footprint appreciated for the “fast fly” setup that the manufacturers tout. All aftermarket ideas are simply groundcloths that, while attaching to the poles, won’t support them and the fly without the tent. I can’t find a single DIY/MYOG example for a rig that will allow a “fast fly” setup without the manufacturer’s footprint.
I thought about making this footprint with PU nylon or Tyvek, then saw somewhere here someone suggested doing away with a groundcloth entirely and just tethering the poles directly with a grosgrain “skeleton”. Then I can use my polycryo sheet as usual – should be lighter than either of those materials.
I have a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 – the poles anchor in grommets set in grosgrain webbing coming out of three corners of the tent, and the fly clips into buckles on the same three webbing straps.
(This is the goal)
I asked for, and received, a few “replacement” buckles from BA, and got some 5/16″ grommets to duplicate this functionality at the ends of three long pieces of grosgrain, and attached them into a “Y” shape harness.
(Original is orange, mine is black)
I’m calling it the “Fly Y” and it weighs 1oz. Along with my polycryo groundsheet that’s 2.63oz, instead of the 4oz BA claims for their footprint. Cost me $12.50 in materials. I can now set up the Fly Creek UL1, fully guyed out and protected from rain on all sides, for 1lb6oz, which was the weight of my CF tarp and trekking poles. But this is better because now when bike touring I don’t need to take trekking poles, and a fully enclosed cover is more luxurious than an open-ended tarp :)
