Today, a quality backpacking tent can cost anywhere from $300-$600. That's quite a lot of money, and after spending that kind of cash, you may be thinking of protecting your investment and deciding on whether or not to buy a footprint for it.  

So, is it necessary to get a footprint for your backpacking tent? 

A tent footprint isn't always needed. If your tent's floor thickness is 30-denier or higher, you can often go on a backpacking trip without one. With that being said, you also need to consider what the surface conditions will be like where you're going to be camping. Is the ground rocky or full of roots that could cause damage to your tent? If so, even with a thicker tent floor, you may still need to use a footprint. 

What is a Tent Footprint?

A footprint is a piece of fabric that you lay on the ground under your tent. It provides a protective barrier for your tent. Footprints are usually made out of thick nylon or polyester material and cut to match the shape of your tent's floor.

What Does a Footprint Do?

This is something that's often misunderstood in the backpacking community. Many people think that a footprint is designed to make the floor of your tent more waterproof. However, this isn't true. Here are three actual purposes of a footprint.

Protects the Tent: If your tent's floor is constantly rubbing against rocks this can eventually wear a hole in your tent's floor. Or if there are sharp sticks underneath your tent they can potentially puncture a hole in it. What a footprint does is add an additional layer of protection against these things and therefore extends the life of your tent.

Keeps Your Tent Clean: Whether it's mud, wet leaves, or sand the ground can make your tent a real mess at times. That's where a footprint comes into play. It can act as a barrier and keep your tent clean. When it's time to pack up you can then disconnect the dirty footprint from the tent and put it in an exterior pocket away from your other gear.

Helps with Campsite Selection: The last thing you want to do is to start setting up your tent to only find out when you're nearly finished, it doesn't fit the spot where you have it. There might be trees in the way, roots, or just not enough level ground. Laying out a footprint first can help in determining a good spot for your tent and take a lot of the guesswork out of it. 

How do you use a Tent Footprint?

Step 1: You first need to look for an area to pitch your tent. If you need some help in determining what makes a good campsite check out my article, 8 tips on choosing the perfect backpacking campsite.

Step 2: When you think you've found a good spot, lay out the footprint to see if your tent will fit in that location. If it does, now you can start to set up the tent body on top of the footprint.

If your tent has a tapered floor design make sure you match it correctly with the taper of the footprint.

Step 3: Once the tent is erected, insert the tent's pole tips into the footprint's grommets at each corner. Then stake out the tent along with the footprint's corner tie-out loops. This will secure it to the tent. 

Step 4: Now make sure that the tent is completely covering the footprint with no material sticking out. This is very important because if it rains and any part of the footprint is exposed it can encourage water to pool underneath your tent. Then, any pressure on the tent floor can cause water to pass through the fabric and potentially get everything inside your tent wet including yourself.

This isn't usually so much of a problem with footprints that are cut to match the shape of the tent's floor.

After inspecting the footprint, now you can finish setting up your tent with the rainfly, and then you're finished. 

How Much Does a Footprint Weigh?

When it comes to deciding on a footprint for your tent, weight is usually a big factor. As backpackers, we're always trying to keep our packs as light as possible. 

So, a footprint can weigh anywhere from 4 ounces to about 8 ounces. Factors such as the size of your tent and what materials the footprint is made from dictates how much it will weigh.

With all things considered the weight penalty for a footprint isn't that bad when you take into account that it helps to protect one of your most expensive pieces of gear.

How much does a footprint cost? 

Footprints generally cost between $40 and $90. Again depending on how big your tent is and what material the footprint is made from will affect how much you'll have to spend. 

With a quality backpacking tent costing several hundred dollars, it can sometimes be hard to justify spending more money on a footprint. However, there is another more affordable option to consider. 

You can make your own DIY Footprint that is cheap and also lightweight.

How to Make Your Own DIY Footprint

Tent footprints are simple things. They're basically a protective sheet under your tent. Name brand companies add extra stuff like grommets, clips, and buckles so the footprint can attach to your tent. This makes the footprint unnecessarily heavy and more expensive.

So, when making your own footprint don't worry about these attachments. The weight of your body or gear will keep it in place if there's any wind when you're backpacking.

Which material Should you use? 

Polycryo is a cheaper and lighter material option costing only $19 and weighs in at 1.6 ounces. However, the one downside is that it’s less durable. That's probably why Six Moon Designs includes two in a pack if you purchase from them.

Tyvek on the other hand is more durable. However, its downside is that it’s heavier, weighing in at 7 ounces, and costs a little bit more at $22.

Steps to Make Your Own Footprint

When you buy these types of footprints they come in a square sheet and need to be cut to fit your tent. The added benefit to doing this is that it will reduce the groundsheet's weight even more. Below are the steps to guide you through that process. 

1. Choose your material

2. Lay out the sheet of material on the ground and set your tent up on top of it.

3. Trace the floor of your tent with a marker

4. Finally, remove your tent and cut with scissors 1-2 inches inside the outline of your tent. The whole idea is for the footprint to be smaller than the tent's floor. The reason for this is to prevent any of the groundsheet from sticking out beyond the edge of the tent which could encourage water to pool underneath.  

Pro tip: if you're going with Tyvek make sure to prewash it before use. It will make the material softer and easier to fold. In addition, there will be less of a crinkly sound when you sleep on it. 

In Conclusion

At the end of the day, tent footprints are not always necessary. However, if you have a tent with a low denier floor, I highly recommend you to have a footprint protecting it. Whether you decide to buy one or make your own it's up to you. But, by having a footprint, your tent will be able to endure through many years of backpacking adventures.

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