[Dante]

I sprang for the footprint for our Sierra Designs Mondo 5, but Jack Stephenson suggested a cool footprint alternative in his catalog a few years back. When the tent is new you spread the floor out bottom up. You then clean the perimeter with alcohol or the like. Then you trim a piece of plastic in the weight of your choice to fit and tape it onto the bottom of the tent with plastic packaging tape. You make repairs with packaging tape until it gets too trashed or heavy and then start over again...

[Tom]

I haven't actually weighed it. For a gear freak, I'm ashamed to say I don't have a scale and I'm too lazy to lug it over to safeway . According to the walrus site the zoid 1.0 weighs 3 lbs, 5 oz. and "minimum weight" is 2 lbs. 14 oz. (presumably without bag and stakes) Yep, side entry. That's the main difference between the zoid and the micro swift.

[Brian Curtis]

I don't see any utility in footprints for tents. The floor should be made out of a material that can stand up to the use it is made for. I've got a tent that I've been using for 16 years and I"ve never gotten a hole in the bottom and I've never used a footprint. Even back in the days when we had to replace the floor in a Stephenson it was because the coating wore off on the inside, not because of holes through the floor or wear on the outside.

[Backpacker Joe]

I use an Integral sil tarp as a footprint for my stephenson 2X, or Bibler Itent. The thing weighs oz's. Ultimately the tarp is way cheaper than risking the floor of the tent. Besides, my weight is so low it doesn't matter. These tents see the enchantments everyother year. That rock is hard on floors.

[Brian Curtis]

Don't forget to add 7 oz to the weight of your tent for the sil tarp. That starts to bring that 2x up toward the 3 lb category.

[Damian]

I'm personally not a believer in bringing a tarp simply to put it under my tent. I'm no light freak. But in 20 years I have never used one, have never been exceptionally careful, and never suffered a floor injury. As others have mentioned, tears are easily fixed, and add character.

[Backpacker Joe]

The thing about tarps is their versitility. You can use them for so many things. When my pack weight for three days is less than 20 pounds with water, I figure I can carry a 7 0z tarp to protect my expensive tent!

[Dante]

Put me in the "no footprint" camp for backpacking (but I've got one for out Sierra Designs Mondo 5 for car/family camping). I use a 4oz. Space Emergency Blanket as a ground cloth when tarping it. I wouldn't use SilNylon on the ground--too expensive... My $0.02

[salish]

I sometimes use a really light, cheap nylon footprint for my tent, or sometimes just a piece of tyvek I bought. But I hardly ever use a tent anymore since I bought my 8x10 Siltarp last year. And more often than not, I just sleep out in the open.

[Dante]

Me too--unless I'm hiking with Backpacker Joe. Then I sleep in one of his "gear freak specials" (e.g. Bibler I-Tent or Stephensen 2X).

[#19]

Happy New Year! I sent for a Bibler long ago when I think he (Todd) was only doing mail orders. Setting it up was such a pain (to me) because you had to get inside the tent to put the poles in. Seemed like it would be a disaster setting it up in windy and rainy conditions. Sent it back and bought a Sierra West Litehouse (now defunct). Just over 4 lbs which was very light then. I still love that tent because it's tunnel design is the same height at both ends and I can set it up by myself in 2-3 minutes if I race. Question for Bibler users: It is still necessary to get inside the tent to put the poles in?

[Dante]

You don't have to get inside the two-door I-Tent to set it up, but the poles do go inside. With two people setup is a snap. Open the doors and slide the poles in. Reach in and set a pole in the receptacle at one end. Push the other end in and snap it into the receptacle. Repeat with the other pole. Not too difficult, but I agree it could be a problem in a dounpour. I really appreciate my old Early Winters Light Dimensions (we have two ). 3lb 14oz and easy 3 peg 2 pole setup (with the door closed). If I'm not tarpin' it or using someone else's tent, I still bring one of them. Last summer someone mistook one for a Garuda. I didn't tell them it was 20 years old It will be a bummer when they die. Maybe I'll get a Stephenson 2R...

[Tom]

Jonathan, I was curious whether the macpac microlight comp was still being made, so I emailed macpac. This is the response I got back. Looks like you have a collectors item now.

[Jonathan]

This is interesting, I bought it over the regular microlight because it is 300 grams lighter. I've been looking at those Hennessy Hammock's, I would love to see one of them up close, perhaps they will be at the sportsman show this year???

[Dante]

REI sells the regular 2.5lb "Expedition" version of the Hennessy Hammock, but not the 1.5lb "Ultralight Backpacker" model. By the way, www.hennessyhammock.com still has a $89 "Christmas Special" on Green Expedition hammocks. They also have some with minor cosmetic imperfections for $79. Here's another lightweight tent: LINK