Tricks for setting up tyvek groundsheets under tents

[Endthe S]

I have a 2016 Scarp 1 as shown in the pic below.  I find the most fiddly part of setting it up is aligning the tyvek ground sheet when first setting it up-especially when it’s windy.  When i setup my tent I drop the groundsheet first then toss my pack and top and set the tent up then pull my back out from under it.  Anybody know a faster way?

[Endthe S]

[Franco Darioli]

I don’t use a groundsheet but if I did I would set up the tent first then slide the groundsheet under it.

Make sure that the groundsheet does not protrude from the fly.

BTW, if you don’t use the external X poles you can remove those ribbons , they can be inserted again later on if you need them.

[BC Bob]

I use a Tyvek ground sheet with my Tarptent Notch and put the ground sheet down first.  I sewed Tyvek loops to the corners and clip the 4 end corners to the tent with little Nite Ize plastic double-gate S-biners, and the side loops loop under the poles.  I just picked up some double-ended mitten hooks that should work as well (smaller and lighter).

[JCH]

My solution is very similar to Bob’s.  I made a polycro groundsheet for my Duplex that has grommets (small nylon washers) installed in the corners and dedicated 1.25mm z-line guys attached.  I throw down the groundsheet and stake it out. This achieves several things, 1) fine tune the tent placement, 2) pin the groundsheet to the ground and 3) the 4 corner stakes are now in the correct place for pitching the tent.  The tent then goes up very quickly…the corner guys slip over the in-place stakes, poles get inserted and the 2 ridgeline guys staked out.

I think this approach will work with pretty much any tent, but definitely works well with non-freestanding shelters.

[Ben H.]

I don’t usually use a ground sheet, but I help my buddy, who does use a gs, set up his tent.  We’ve always gathered a few rocks as we clear the spot and use those to hold down the groundsheet as we setup the tent.  His groundsheet is a bit bigger than yours though.  If I had a gs I would want it to extend to the vestibule.

[Endthe S]

Yea it doesn’t quite extend all the way, this is the one that HS included with the tarptent(I bought it when I bought the TT).

 

Thx for the tips guys, I will try them out.

[Todd T]

I’m another who’s decided groundsheets are more hassle, weight, and risk than they’re worth. I sure wouldn’t want one extending into the vestibule–there’s enough risk of an edge protruding and catching water as is, and I want to be able to have the door open in a calm rain without adding a water layer between the floor and groundsheet. But back when I used to use them, setting up in the wind usually involved a few rocks to hold down the upwind side(s).

[jscott]

I use a polycryo ground sheet. For sure, wind is an issue if you want to set down the ground sheet and then stake the tent. I use rocks too, but polycryo is delicate and it takes some experience not to have the groundsheet rip at the rocks. The grommet idea is brilliant, if I had the skill and patience.

I find that on wet ground the polycryo keeps the floor of my tent dry and so keeps it from adding any water absorbed weight in the morning when I pack up. It’s far easier to shake out and dry a ground sheet than the wet floor of a tent. Tucking the edges of the sheet UP and under the tent ‘should’ keep water from under the tent floor.

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