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Pro tip: I used to think a cheap tarp was fine for my tent footprint until a downpour in the Smokies last fall.
Waking up in a puddle because my $10 plastic sheet tore on a rock made me finally spend $40 on a proper Tyvek footprint, and now I'll never go back, so what's your go-to ground cover for wet weather?
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jordanblack2d ago
Honestly, waking up in a puddle sounds like a nightmare. I can't believe a $10 tarp tore on a single rock, that's brutal. I had a cheap blue one get shredded by just some pine cones once. That Smokies trip must have been miserable.
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tara_patel2d ago
Yeah those cheap blue tarps are basically tissue paper with grommets. I learned the hard way too after a wet night in the Adirondacks. What finally worked for me was getting a heavy duty woven tarp, the kind that feels like canvas almost. It costs more but I've had the same one for like five years now, it's been through branches and sharp gravel and just won't quit. That extra weight in your pack is totally worth staying dry.
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