For me personally it's a must for tents/swags, reduces condensation under the tent/swag. And keeps the tent/swag cleaner. Specially when packing up in sandy environments.
we use a groundsheet under our tent. It is simply a piece of shade cloth, extended out the front to clean off sand etc. off shoes and feet. Most times the bottom of our tent is clean and dry so no need to unpack an entire tent when I get home, only need to get out the ground sheet.
Exactly what I wanted to say. The bloke who put the wet mesh in the back of his Patrol and on his drawers for the drive home, isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.. Surely you would know that it would leak water when it’s soaking wet!? Maybe he should’ve put it in a bucket or plastic bag first..🤔
Yep, this is why I like using a groundsheet, if I can avoid having to unpack the tent again when I get home then that's the cherry on top at the end of a camping trip. ~ Ben
I always use a ground sheet. Keeps the floor of the tent clean, protects the tent floor, helps in packup, easier to clean than a tent floor, helps in finding a suitable spot for the tent as you can put it down a lie on it to check for lumps and bumps. Also once the ground sheet is layed out you can run your hands over the sheet and find all those rocks and sticks the before tent is put up.😊
We use the Oztent shade cloth floor and have cut up sizes to fit our other tents. Shade cloth dries in 5-20mins and is undoubtedly the best, in all situations. We only peg the porch area as its a bad trip hazzard. As for doorway wear and tear, we now carry a couple of door mats, one for doorway and one for porch. ;-)
@@SnowysOutdoors a very old peice of green shade cloth used to peel occasionally and I might blame the deviating cut along its weave for that. Newer cloth we tried was thicker and never has come apart. Some cloth the weave hole is too big, tighter weave is best. I can imagine a situation where a tarp is needed under the shadecloth due to so much mud. No need for a hem at all.
Best intro ever...lol... Like Lauren we didn't use ground sheets, now we use one and its only to protect the grass underneath now as most places enforce this..My old Tourer 9 Plus of 20years without a ground sheets is still like it was back then.....Cheers... Michael..
Haha, we are getting in the habit of moving off topic before the intro is even done... sets the tone for the conversation though. I reckon Lauren will be converted once she jumps on the groundsheet bandwagon. ~ Ben
I've used mesh mats under my tent and swag. All was well until it rained thr day we were leaving. Trying to get water out of it was impossible and having to put it in the back of the patrol on the drawer ended up with the water leaking out on the drive home and making a mess. Changed to a stretcher and no mesh for the large tent now
If you use a polyester or synthetic mesh then it shouldn't take long for most of the water to run out, Boschy. I'd suggest strapping the groundsheet to your roof rack or put it in a wheel bag when it's wet or dirty, or at least put it in a tub or bag before stowing it inside your car. ~ Ben
We have a Katmandu Reatreat 360 (for family of 5 - awesome tent, just super heavy when packed) and dont use a ground sheet, we do use a few carpet tiles in the door to stop dirt, grass, water... dont have issues with condensation under, just use towels if wet, but never has been (camping mainly in summer)
Thanks for your feedback, Chris. Condensation is usually an issue in the colder months, so you can probably do away with any mitigative measures during summer. You also don't need to worry as much about mud on the bottom of the tent if the ground isn't wet. ~ Ben
Putting the wet tent, or ground sheet in the dirty gear bag is a great idea. Never had to so far. We have Scotch guarded all our gear bags, but I wasnt impressed with the results.
As long as it's seam sealed then you shouldn't have any issues, you may find that that's the first part of the tent that will need maintenance at some stage down the track though. ~ Ben
I haven't had any experience with them, James, Zempire don't cut any corners with their products so I'm sure they do exactly as promised. They are woven polyethylene tarp material rather than a mesh, and they are cut to fit each tent model exactly with cutouts in the middle where required to allow pegging of the add-in accessories such as bedrooms. This means they cost a lot more than your average tarp but are more functional. ~ Ben
For me personally it's a must for tents/swags, reduces condensation under the tent/swag. And keeps the tent/swag cleaner. Specially when packing up in sandy environments.
It seems that keeping things clean for pack is the most common reason for a groundsheet, Josh. ~ Ben
we use a groundsheet under our tent. It is simply a piece of shade cloth, extended out the front to clean off sand etc. off shoes and feet. Most times the bottom of our tent is clean and dry so no need to unpack an entire tent when I get home, only need to get out the ground sheet.
Exactly what I wanted to say.
The bloke who put the wet mesh in the back of his Patrol and on his drawers for the drive home, isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed..
Surely you would know that it would leak water when it’s soaking wet!?
Maybe he should’ve put it in a bucket or plastic bag first..🤔
Yep, this is why I like using a groundsheet, if I can avoid having to unpack the tent again when I get home then that's the cherry on top at the end of a camping trip. ~ Ben
I always put mine in my wheel bag, or just strap it to the roof rack. ~ Ben
Always use a ground sheet but it’s never to prevent damage to the floor, just keeps it cleaner and easier to handle during the dreaded pack up!
Yeah, that's one good reason for me using a groundsheet. ~ Ben
Ground sheets the green mesh one rock!!
Cleaner campsite 😊
I'm coming around to the idea!
~ Lauren
I always use a ground sheet. Keeps the floor of the tent clean, protects the tent floor, helps in packup, easier to clean than a tent floor, helps in finding a suitable spot for the tent as you can put it down a lie on it to check for lumps and bumps. Also once the ground sheet is layed out you can run your hands over the sheet and find all those rocks and sticks the before tent is put up.😊
I use a groundsheet for these reasons too, Jeff, I think they are an important part of a camp setup. ~ Ben
We use the Oztent shade cloth floor and have cut up sizes to fit our other tents. Shade cloth dries in 5-20mins and is undoubtedly the best, in all situations. We only peg the porch area as its a bad trip hazzard. As for doorway wear and tear, we now carry a couple of door mats, one for doorway and one for porch. ;-)
Do you get the cut up sizes edged @DOCWHOK9? Wondered if it pulls apart.
~ Lauren
@@SnowysOutdoors a very old peice of green shade cloth used to peel occasionally and I might blame the deviating cut along its weave for that. Newer cloth we tried was thicker and never has come apart. Some cloth the weave hole is too big, tighter weave is best. I can imagine a situation where a tarp is needed under the shadecloth due to so much mud. No need for a hem at all.
Best intro ever...lol... Like Lauren we didn't use ground sheets, now we use one and its only to protect the grass underneath now as most places enforce this..My old Tourer 9 Plus of 20years without a ground sheets is still like it was back then.....Cheers... Michael..
Haha, we are getting in the habit of moving off topic before the intro is even done... sets the tone for the conversation though. I reckon Lauren will be converted once she jumps on the groundsheet bandwagon. ~ Ben
I've used mesh mats under my tent and swag. All was well until it rained thr day we were leaving.
Trying to get water out of it was impossible and having to put it in the back of the patrol on the drawer ended up with the water leaking out on the drive home and making a mess. Changed to a stretcher and no mesh for the large tent now
If you use a polyester or synthetic mesh then it shouldn't take long for most of the water to run out, Boschy. I'd suggest strapping the groundsheet to your roof rack or put it in a wheel bag when it's wet or dirty, or at least put it in a tub or bag before stowing it inside your car. ~ Ben
We have a Katmandu Reatreat 360 (for family of 5 - awesome tent, just super heavy when packed) and dont use a ground sheet, we do use a few carpet tiles in the door to stop dirt, grass, water... dont have issues with condensation under, just use towels if wet, but never has been (camping mainly in summer)
Thanks for your feedback, Chris. Condensation is usually an issue in the colder months, so you can probably do away with any mitigative measures during summer. You also don't need to worry as much about mud on the bottom of the tent if the ground isn't wet. ~ Ben
Howdy peeps thanks for all your hard work
You're welcome, Big Juice. ~ Ben
Putting the wet tent, or ground sheet in the dirty gear bag is a great idea. Never had to so far. We have Scotch guarded all our gear bags, but I wasnt impressed with the results.
Yeah, not sure Scotch guard is quite up to protecting camping gear. ~ Ben
My tent has the ability to be set up fly first. Really handy when setting up in the rain and requires the groundsheet to hold the poles in place
Yep, that's definitely a good use case for a groundsheet, Peter. ~ Ben
What if your 2 person tent has a seam running down the middle ( seam is sealed ) of the floor
As long as it's seam sealed then you shouldn't have any issues, you may find that that's the first part of the tent that will need maintenance at some stage down the track though. ~ Ben
Hi, I see Zempire have groundsheets. Do you have any thoughts on their ones?
I haven't had any experience with them, James, Zempire don't cut any corners with their products so I'm sure they do exactly as promised.
They are woven polyethylene tarp material rather than a mesh, and they are cut to fit each tent model exactly with cutouts in the middle where required to allow pegging of the add-in accessories such as bedrooms. This means they cost a lot more than your average tarp but are more functional.
~ Ben
Lauren: No-one needs a groundsheet
20 mins later: Full disclosure i'll be purchasing one next week.. 🤣🤣
Haha, I showed Lauren this comment and she went into full defensive mode. ~ Ben
For clarification, I said I was considering an annex mat - not a ground sheet for under the tents!
~ Lauren
Po-ta-to Po-tah-to 🤣🤣
@@SnowysOutdoors Ben your comment made me lol.. love the content guys!
🤣🤣🤣🤣