Floating Groundsheet

A place to chat about gear and the philosphy of ultralight. Ultralight bushwalking or backpacking focuses on carrying the lightest and simplest kit. There is still a good focus on safety and skill.
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Ultralight Bushwalking/backpacking is about more than just gear lists. Ultralight walkers carefully consider gear based on the environment they are entering, the weather forecast, their own skill, other people in the group. Gear and systems are tested and tweaked.
If you are new to this area then welcome - Please remember that although the same ultralight philosophy can be used in all environments that the specific gear and skill required will vary greatly. It is very dangerous to assume that you can just copy someone else's gear list, but you are encouraged to ask questions, learn and start reducing the pack weight and enjoying the freedom that comes.

Common words
Base pack backpacking the mass of the backpack and the gear inside - not including consumables such as food, water and fuel
light backpacking base weight less than 9.1kg
ultralight backpacking base weight less than 4.5kg
super-ultralight backpacking base weight less than 2.3kg
extreme-ultralight backpacking base weight less than 1.4kg

Floating Groundsheet

Postby damoprz » Mon 10 Oct, 2016 8:25 pm

I recently came across this groundsheet while looking for a new summer pack at Appalachian ultralight, it looks simple and light weight bathtub floor. I was thinking of making my own out of Sil-Poly, for use with my cat tarp, is there a reason why more people don't do ground sheets like this. Something I am overlooking?

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Re: Floating Groundsheet

Postby andrewa » Mon 10 Oct, 2016 8:40 pm

I presume it's using shock cord on the corners. Sounds a nice idea, but I'd still make sure it is a tub floor, which that one doesn't appear to have. All well to have everything dry when the thing is set up and you're not in it, but better still if it stays dry when you're in it!

Z packs stuff hexamid a are a bit like that - Cuban floor "suspended" inside netting inner. Works well, as long as it is suspended, but I have had a damp night when the edge of the floor got too low, and water ran in. Not happy, but still like the tent a lot.

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Re: Floating Groundsheet

Postby damoprz » Mon 10 Oct, 2016 8:56 pm

I thought with sil-poly it might stretch enough the bathtub would form itself?
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Re: Floating Groundsheet

Postby Gusto » Sun 16 Oct, 2016 8:28 pm

That looks like a great design. Nothing new, but your right it's not particularly common. Wilderness Equipment have sold suspended tub floors as an option on their shadow tents for decades. Same for Black Diamond Megamids.

I used to regularly sleep under a mid or tarp with just a plastic ground sheet. Provided your tarp is big enough It's actually quite rare for their to be enough water for it to run over the top of a ground sheet. Of course this would depend on a variety of factors.

If the edges of the ground sheet are still suspended when you are lying in it then it wouldn't matter if the ground sheet was really a three dimensional bath tub shape or not.
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Re: Floating Groundsheet

Postby Franco » Mon 17 Oct, 2016 9:10 am

possibly it isn't popular because once you are on that sheet everything will move towards you .
Before I go to sleep I can have several items around me (water bottle,torch,glove,hat,clothing,reading material) that I would not want to be right against or under my mat.
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Re: Floating Groundsheet

Postby GPSGuided » Mon 17 Oct, 2016 11:12 am

Obviously it's a compromise some UL users are willing to accept.
Just move it!
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Re: Floating Groundsheet

Postby damoprz » Mon 17 Oct, 2016 12:28 pm

I usually put my pack at my feet and was thinking a small pouch near my head would solve the wandering equipment problem for a small weight penalty.

That said I have only had one occasion where I have needed a bathtub inner tent and that was caused by to poor site selection after arriving late. Since I started using just a sheet of window insulation I have been a bit more careful.

This also seems like it would be more annoying to couple with a mosquito net.
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Re: Floating Groundsheet

Postby Mark F » Mon 17 Oct, 2016 3:58 pm

Personally I would do it properly if you are going to the trouble of making a groundsheet. Creating a bathtub floor is exactly the same as creating the one in the photo above. All it requires is a little more fabric and remembering to make the folds for the vertical corners as you hem the material. They save small items going awol in the night and not making it into the pack in the morning and we all have ended up in poor pitch at some stage.
"Perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove".
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