High Sierra Topix

If you've read this blog much, you know that we spend a fair amount of time trying to pack light. Lighter packs mean happier hikers in our book, and we definitely enjoy the benefits of leaving heavy items at home. On a recent 8 day trip, our packs weighed a total of about 58 pounds---that's for TWO people. P carried about 35, and M another 23. And the good news is that each day they got even lighter!

But we have a bit of an ethical dilemma. We use a very light (3ml) ground cloth under our tent as a vaopr barrier. It keeps the tent drier, and also keeps it a lot cleaner. And usually it lasts for a season or so before the holes get large enough that we trade it in on a new one.

But that means we throw out the old one---and that isn't exactly sustainable hiking. Leave no trace? Every year we leave a sheet of 3ml plastic in our garbage can at home. And we're not happy about it. SO this year we are looking at a slightly heavier ground cover--one that would last for more than one season. Maybe forever? That would be perfect. But it will weigh a bit more. hmmm.

Anyone else fighting these battles out there?

Paul,

Try Tyvek or similar product. It is fairly stiff but folds okay. Some people wash it to make it softer. I started using it when I went to the exped downmatt air mattress that has no insulating property if it deflates. I've been using the same piece since 2007 for my contrail tent.

Mike

balzaccom wrote:...But that means we throw out the old one---and that isn't exactly sustainable hiking. Leave no trace? Every year we leave a sheet of 3ml plastic in our garbage can at home. And we're not happy about it. SO this year we are looking at a slightly heavier ground cover--one that would last for more than one season. Maybe forever? That would be perfect. But it will weigh a bit more. hmmm.

Anyone else fighting these battles out there?

a sheet of 3mil plastic sounds small compared to what else one might throw away at home. Tyvek isn't any better, cuz it's still hitting a landfill at some point. LNT at home is hard, depending on habits. Think of all the gear you have including even your tent. What do you think is going to inevitably happen to all that stuff when you're finally done with it?

But Russ!

the tyvek is still working, don't know the lifespan yet, and it was left over from a job a friend was doing. So I diverted it from the landfill and if it lasts 5 or more years that probably is considerably less for the landfill than a similar size sheet of plastic contributed for 5 consecutive years.

Mike

I to have used a Tyvek sheet as a ground sheet for several years now, and it still going
strong.
Like OR mentioned, it sure beats throwing one away every year.

i'd go along with that concept if one could recycle it..

this is the best pointer i found on wikipedia for Tyvek:

Recycling
Though Tyvek superficially resembles paper (for example, it can be written and printed on), it is plastic, and it cannot be recycled with paper. Despite the fact that some Tyvek products are marked with the #2 resin-code for HDPE, it is not usually collected with plastic bottles as part of municipal curbside recycling programs. Instead, DuPont runs a program in the United States where disposable clothing, coveralls, lab coats, and other Tyvek disposable garments can be recycled, as well as providing a mail-in recycling program for envelopes.[11]

Still.. I use no groundcloth for my tent. she's a bathtub and heavy.. 25 years under her belt and no leaks. When i cowboy camp, it's a full on 12x10 tarp.. another 20 years..

Pick your poison..

@ Balzaccom- Most tents have an optional "foot print" ground sheet available. My dad still has his in great shape for his Sierra Designs tent; im thinking he's had that tent for 10 years, give or take a year or two.

@OldRanger- How do you truthfully like your Contrail? What are the pro's & con's of the tarp tent? Im seriously debating getting a Tarptent (Moment or Sublite model)!

Evan,

I like it except that it cannot be used as a midday escape from mosquitos on a sunny day. Just not enough ventilation. Also it is an art to set it up because I pitch it as an A shaped tent not flat at the foot as displayed on Henry's site. But it weighs only 1 1/2 lbs and is bug proof! It has held up to 2 inches of wet snow and kept me dry in big downpours. Of course condensation is sometimes an issue. But that is the case with double wall tents. I think I wrote more extensively about it a couple of years ago on a post.

mike

Paul,

I use my rain poncho as a ground cloth and have been using it for over 20 years and there is still many years left in it. I haven't had to throw away anything. The nice thing about a poncho is it is dual purpose. If it rains, you can use it as a poncho. I've even used it as a canopy to keep me dry over the campfire when it was raining really hard.

I used to put an old poncho under the tent, but that thing was from the early 80s and lost it's water proof coating a long time ago. I recently washed it and the rest came off. Now it's just a sheet of nylon and won't keep any moisture away from the tent. Since we don't use ponchos for rain wear any longer, we packed pretty heavy tarp this summer. It worked fine but was overkill, so next time around it'll be a lightweight piece of Tyvek from Home Depot I guess.