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My uncle told me to bring a tarp for my tent floor, and I'm glad I listened
He said, 'The ground in the Adirondacks is never as dry as you think.' I set up my new tent on what looked like perfect, flat dirt. Woke up at 3 AM to a weird squishy feeling because a hidden spring had soaked through. That $20 tarp saved the whole trip from being a soggy mess. Anyone have a favorite trick for dealing with damp ground?
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taraanderson18d ago
$20 tarp saved your butt, but that blue tarp bathtub thing is a classic rookie mistake. I did the same thing my first time out, woke up in a puddle with my tent acting like a kiddie pool. Now I just fold the tarp so it's a few inches smaller than the tent floor on each side. Water runs off, not under, and I stay dry enough that I don't have to sleep in a wet sleeping bag.
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the_mila27d ago
Oh man, that reminds me of the time I used a cheap blue tarp under my tent and it pooled water LIKE a bathtub. Woke up floating on a damp island. Now I always bring a footprint cut slightly smaller than the tent so rain runs off underneath instead of under me.
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seth_harris3627d ago
Yeah @the_mila, I've definitely made that same blue tarp bathtub. My sleeping bag was basically a sponge by morning. Cutting the footprint smaller was a game changer for me too.
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