setting up floorless during or after rain

[Bonedalien]

I am no stranger to packing in and setting up during a drizzle or a squall. Plenty of stories doing both. This will be my first season going floorless. Obviously i will be setting up and living on wet ground.And by ground ,I mean grass and brush ect. I hunt alot of Aspen woods that are going to be saturated before i get there. I do have a oval stove ,but dont plan on carrying it every hunt. I also cut a piece of Tyvek House Wrap for under my pad. looking for more tips from you guys with seasons and years with these shelters.

 

[larryschwartz]

You really don't need anything other than the tyvek under your pad. Of course, you could cut it a bit larger if you wanted somewhere dry to put your bare feet. You really don't need to keep all the area under your shelter dry.

 

[snowcamoman]

I've had no problems as well setting up on really wet ground. If you set your shelter up and let air flow under the perimeter, the floor of mine usually will dry itself out with the convection action fairly quickly if it's relatively warm out.

 

[lintond]

I carry a Tyvek piece that is probably 4x9. Gives me room to set my gear and pad so I have some dry area. Works just fine.

 

[castandblast]

I am no stranger to packing in and setting up during a drizzle or a squall. Plenty of stories doing both. This will be my first season going floorless. Obviously i will be setting up and living on wet ground.And by ground ,I mean grass and brush ect. I hunt alot of Aspen woods that are going to be saturated before i get there. I do have a oval stove ,but dont plan on carrying it every hunt. I also cut a piece of Tyvek House Wrap for under my pad. looking for more tips from you guys with seasons and years with these shelters.

You'll be amazed at how quickly things dry out under your shelter. I've set up on a skiff of snow a couple times and it's gone quickly. I try to avoid setting up on grass though to limit condensation.

 

[charvey9]

I still use a bivy for my bag and pad. It adds a little warmth, keeps my sleep system dry, and adds versatility if I want to bivy out for a night. I don't use any other sort of ground cloth.

If ground is really wet, I install my pack cover on backwards (over the frame, suspension, belt) to keep it dry when I lay it down and still allow access to the back of my pack. I also usually have either a contractor trash bag or dry sack I can lay out if I need to spread out some items to air out.

Make sure you have enough ventilation, but using your cooking stove (jetboil, etc) inside the shelter even helps dry out the ground a bit.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

Like others said you should be fine with just the tyvek, it should dry out quickly. Obviously with a stove you can speed that process up.
I'm not a fan of setting up on grass due to the condensation.

 

[luke moffat]

Putting your sleeping setups (bag/pad) in a lightweight bivy seems to work well for me when going solo. Then just sit on top the bivy or if I am feeling froggy and packing the thermarest chair along like I often do I will sit on that.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Maybe I've turned into a big ol' pus, but man...i'm on year #3 with my ultralight cot. Weighs under 2lbs and keeps me about 2" off the ground. Yep, extra weight and a little bulk, but a sweet compromise when your ol' bones need a good dry rest. Worth every ounce.

 

[TheJuice]

Hey Larry, which cot are you using? The ones I can find are closer to 3lbs than 2lbs. I'd love to find one under 2. Thanks!

 

[Larry Bartlett]

Check out ThermaRest LuxuryLite Ultralite. Mine is 34-oz on the scale here in my shop.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

You can also lighten the cot weight a bit by negating one or two cross-bar support pieces. The kit comes with more than mandatory, IMO. You can get away with putting 4 or 5 in place. They may comes with 6 ea when assembled. Depends on the substrate you'll be camping on, but 4-5 segments have served me well and may account for mine being 34-oz?

Larry

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

If you use the cot do you still bring a pad for the insulation or does the cot provide enough?

 

[Bighorse]

I've set up floorless in locations that grow bog cranberries. If it's soupy then I'll cut branches. Use a closed cell pad over that, climb inside an OR advanced bivy without the pole and use an inflatable mattress inside the bivy. The closed cell pad protects my bivy from damage and evens out the surface. Your not going to stay dry. That's an unreasonable expectation in 100% humidity. You'll survive.

 

[larryschwartz]

If you use the cot do you still bring a pad for the insulation or does the cot provide enough?

Yes. You definitely need a pad for insulation. Without one you will loose all your body heat into the air under the cot.