Tyvek vs poly for tarp ground sheet...

[saltysack]

Never really used a ground cloth much as I've always used a tent with bathtub floor. Since I ordered the cuben duomid but not dropping the $ on inner or bivy just yet...curious what is better....I assume tyvek is heavier but more durable than poly....thoughts


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[Sandy of PA]

Tyvek is not completely waterproof, poly is but very slippery. Another type to consider is the window covering stuff polycro. I used a cuben bathtub floor, until I moved to a Solplex tent.

[Engine]

I experimented with a poly ground sheet and hated it. It's so light that getting it laid down in even a light breeze is a real pain and it also doesn't seem like it would add much protection. I'm considering either Tyvek or a Cuben ground cloth.

[MuddyWaters]

Polycro is good 1-2 oz
SOL PE space blanket works too and is pretty tough light 3-4 oz
mylar space blanket is replaceable at any walmart and is noisy, but dirt cheap and extremely lightb 1-1.5 oz
tyvek house wrap is 1.85 oz/sqyd 4-5 oz
lighter tyvek is 1.43 oz/sq yd

you can get cuben thats 1.1 oz/sq yd
You can rig a zpacks bathtub floor cuben to work

You can just bring a bug bivy

[Hosh]

I have used poly-cro for many years and it is very durable and light weight. Walmart has an off brand of patio door thermal window film that is wide enough for most tent footprints.

Tyvek is noisy unless ran through a washer several times, it is also heavier. I used it for several years before switching.

I have roll of Tyvek left over from building a house, if you want some, pay shipping and it's yours.

[MuddyWaters]

I have used poly-cro for many years and it is very durable and light weight. Walmart has an off brand of patio door thermal window film that is wide enough for most tent footprints.

Probably not in Florida.....Its a cold weather thing mostly I think.

My main gripe about polycro, is its hard to tell which side is the dirty side by looking at it. I put a few pieces of duct tape on it on one side, and dedicate that side to up . Does it matter? yeah, when you lay it on wood soaked with mouse urine and feces (lord knows what else) in shelters too, it kind of does.

[fghester]

I used a Tyvek sheet under my Lunar Solo on a long AT section hike last June/July. The Lunar Solo has a bathtub floor but I wanted the extra protection against the wet ground. It worked very well. Weighs almost nothing and, in the wind, I used four titanium pins to hold it down while I pitched my tent on top of it. Important to void having the Tyvek stick out from under the tent or it just channels rain water right under your floor.

[Venchka]

I used a ground sheet for the first time in Colorado. 2 mil painters drop cloth from Ace Hardware. I'm pretty sure I can get 4 4'x8' pieces. The piece I used for 2 weeks is fine. Plenty of use left in it. I didn't weigh it. I could weigh it if you care.
Wayne


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[colorado_rob]

I've been a polycro proponent for years, and so far, the only thing I've used for my zpacks tent floor (the solo+, with mesh floor).

But talking to a triple crowner recently (I met him on the Long Trail this September), he swears by 1443R Tyvek. Lighter than the Tyvek a lot of folks use, and makes zero noise, so I bought 3 meters of it, and cut it into a bath tub floor for my zpacks, and will try it out.

Here's the link:

https://www.amazon.com/Kitemaking-Ma...RDTGQ2HF8F9WS5

My polycro floor was 2 ounces, the 1443 Tyvek floor is just over twice that, basically the same as the cuben, around 4.5 ounces. We'll see how I like it, probably go back to polycro though, because that has always worked fine.

[Hosh]

Probably not in Florida.....Its a cold weather thing mostly I think.

My main gripe about polycro, is its hard to tell which side is the dirty side by looking at it. I put a few pieces of duct tape on it on one side, and dedicate that side to up . Does it matter? yeah, when you lay it on wood soaked with mouse urine and feces (lord knows what else) in shelters too, it kind of does.

Opps, it's 32 F here spitting snow so my frame of reference needs calibrated.

It is hard to tell which side was down. I use it mostly as way to keep my tent bottom clean and as a clean staging area for items waiting to go in the pack. The tape markings are a good idea.

[left52side]

As stated above I used tyvek for quite some time and still do on occasion.
I use polycryo now mostly all the time for my longer hikes though.
I have found that it holds up quite well surprisingly for how light and thin it is.
One piece lasted my A whole SHT thru hike and is still perfectly fine.
Yes it has its downsides like mentioned it is A pain to work with in the wind but I will set my tarp up first then it blocks most of the wind.
Also as mentioned finding the upside vs the side that is on the ground can be hard to decipher,but A small piece of tape works,what I did was put A mark in the right corner of mine with magic marker and I always knew that it was in the right corner so it was always the clean side/

[Dogwood]

If it's largely for use where you live nice to make arrangements for those FL torrential down pours with a bathtub floor and perhaps offering some protection from fire ants and palmetto bugs whatever fabric you use.

[cmoulder]

I've been a polycro proponent for years, and so far, the only thing I've used for my zpacks tent floor (the solo+, with mesh floor).

But talking to a triple crowner recently (I met him on the Long Trail this September), he swears by 1443R Tyvek. Lighter than the Tyvek a lot of folks use, and makes zero noise, so I bought 3 meters of it, and cut it into a bath tub floor for my zpacks, and will try it out.

Here's the link:

https://www.amazon.com/Kitemaking-Ma...RDTGQ2HF8F9WS5

My polycro floor was 2 ounces, the 1443 Tyvek floor is just over twice that, basically the same as the cuben, around 4.5 ounces. We'll see how I like it, probably go back to polycro though, because that has always worked fine.

I think you're going to like polycryo better because that kite stuff is kinda fuzzy and picks up dirt, twig and leaf debris. I found polycryo very slippery, even on grass and leaves, and just crazy slippery on snow. Maybe different with the mesh floor. I went back to using no ground sheet with my Duplex and have not had any problems. Gets a little dirty from time to time but washes off easily.

[TexasBob]

I like 3 or 4 mil plastic sheeting.
1. weighs about the same as tyvek but waterproof and stays cleaner
2. polycro works and is light but is so light that wind makes it frustrating to use

[Hosh]

It is easier to place the polycro underneath a freestanding tent after pitching if it's windy.

[Dogwood]

If you are going to have your boy and JRT in the DuoMid along maybe consider using something a bit more durable, a bit more stay put, a bit more heavier as a ground sheet for those times?

[Wil]

I experimented with a poly ground sheet and hated it. It's so light that getting it laid down in even a light breeze is a real pain and it also doesn't seem like it would add much protection. I'm considering either Tyvek or a Cuben ground cloth.

I like very thin poly for weight; it's tougher than it seems.

I put a dab of tape in each corner, doubled over so it grabs on each side of the corner. Then I paper-punch a hole through the tape. I then use shepherd hook stakes to hold each corner down, not tight but with a little slack. First thing I do in camp.

Makes it easy to lay down on it, both directions, maybe move the setup around in various spots to make sure I'm not going to be trying to sleep head downhill or rolling side to side. This would be a major PITA when the flimsy stuff blows around in the wind. The tape is felt-pen-marked so I know which side is "clean" and up.

This stable clean platform is nice to have to lay stuff on when I'm unpacking and packing up next morning. As I'm setting up I may remove the corner stakes for other purposes once there is weight on the sheet; if I'm cowboying that night I just leave the stakes in. Over time I have evolved to using four of those very thin titanium shepherd hook stakes for this purpose and leaving them in, those four stakes serving double duty as my extra "batten down" stakes for tent or tarp in a major storm.

The sheet usually lasts a very long time; a corner will tear or stretch out more often and require re-taping, maybe every 20-30 nights. Since the plastic is so light I cut it over-sized and spray all around the perimeter, top & bottom, with permethrin since I cowboy so often. The permethrin needs to be re-applied every 15+ nights or so because it doesn't "take" to the plastic as it does to fabric.

[naturlred]

Tyvek....cheap,light weight, and easy to find.

[fastfoxengineering]

I don't like how everything sticks to tyvek. At least in my experiences.

I have a gossamer gear polycro ground sheet that I haven't used yet.

If cuben floors weren't so expensive I'd prob go that route. However, as a ground sheet, what advantages do they have over polycro or tyvek?

Some companies out there make a nice silnylon ground sheet.

[Venchka]

I used a ground sheet for the first time in Colorado. 2 mil painters drop cloth from Ace Hardware. I'm pretty sure I can get 4 4'x8' pieces from the original package. The piece I used for 2 weeks is fine. Plenty of use left in it. I didn't weigh it. I could weigh it if you care.
Wayne


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So I got bored. I weighed my ground sheet.
2 mil plastic sheet. Nominally 4' x 8'.
3.62 ounces / 103 grams. Approximately $2.50 - $3.00 each from a larger piece of plastic.
Not bad for an impulse buy at the hardware store.
Wayne


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