Ground sheets, are they necessary?

[thdoctada]

So, now that I am really working toward hitting the road, I am trying to really hone my gear kit. Clearly, lighter is always better, but I am pretty sold on a one person backpacking tent for shelter. The one I am looking at used to have an optional ground sheet available as well, but they don't seem to offer it anymore. Do you really even need one? Because my only option now seems to be to make one.

 

[ali]

I had one under my tent when i was traveling long term. It's probably worth it if you are going out for a while because everything you own gets beaten to shit if you're setting up and repacking it every day for months on end. It's just a bit of extra protection. I found that having it was somewhat useful for other stuff too, e.g. when i just wanted to sit or lie down on something "clean" i could just put the groundsheet, or when i wanted a bit of extra rain cover in a storm but wasn't in a position to set up the full tent. That said, for these secondary uses it would actually have been more useful to have a larger tarp and then just fold it to ground sheet size for overnight. I think if i went again i'd consider a larger tarp, but there is a downside to those too - if the tarp is larger than your tent, then rain and other crap can fall on the tarp and get between your groundsheet and tent floor, which voids the protection a bit.

As always, no perfect solution, you just gotta figure out what works best for you.

 

[Dmac]

I agree, a ground sheet helps to keep the every day wear and tear down on a tent and helps to keep it clean and servicable longer. If expecting rain or sun/heat having a tarp is an excellent addition. It gives you lots of options on camp set ups. If weight and space permits I'd take all 3, ground cloth, tent and tarp. I might add a hammock depending on where I plan on going.

 

[laughingman]

I'm also big on the ground sheet. If you can make yourself one in a waterproof fabric and a muted color it can also be a tarp to keep yourself dry. Toss over your kit to keep things dry. Use it as a bindal to wrap and carry things around in. If your looking for a square one a cheap blue or brown hardware store tarp or even something from a box store will be nice and easy to replace. And you cant beat it for utility. When I'm backpacking I make my groundcloths from tyvek. But otherwise the woven plastic tarp stuff seams quite durable and easy to replace if and when you do damage it.

 

[Groundscore]

Get the ground sheet; it's worth the protection. The first time you end up with a tear in the floor of a tent and spend time patching it, you'll wish you had gotten a ground sheet. Save yourself the stress. If you can't find one specific to your tent, compare dimensions with others; see if you can match it. If you get one slightly larger, no problem, just tuck any excess under your tent; that will keep it from becoming a funnel for water when it rains.