Floorless Tents and Rain

[Aoudadshooter1975]

2 personal caveats I live by with floorless shelters:

1. Use an ultralight cot to keep my bedroll elevated and 100% dry.
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Do you have a suggestion?

 

[Kevin Dill]

I used an original LuxuryLite cot for 10 straight years. This year I bought another new LuxuryLite (by Thermarest) when a deal came up. I've tried others, but the LL Cot is my comfortable, dependable and proven best choice.

 

[Dirtscoots]

Wind was more an issue then rain for us. Some quick trenches channeled water. We did have to weigh down the side of the tent really well to keep the wind out. That was price to pay for camping on ridge line though. Also unseasonal weather for us. Definitely would not go with a floored tent tho the plus out weighed negatives.

 

[Luckyrxc]

Kevin Dill nailed it with the cot and plastic bins or dry bag duffles for your gear like Ortleibs. I also add a tarp for my sleeping areas. This is easy to do when car camping.

 

[rayporter]

i carry a small tarp or painters cloth for keeping gear off the damp ground and it serves multiple purposes, like covering gear when it snows or cleaning meat.

also I keep a 20 inch x 48 inch piece of quarter inch thick foam for multiple uses. sit pad, reclining, extra insulation under sleeping bag, kneeling on to build fire or stoke stove.

got a luxury lite cot a couple years ago ---it works.

I stayed in my first floorless way back in the 80's- a mountain smith. it took a few years to get hooked but I can honestly say only once was water a problem. that time we were forced of a lake by a storm and had to pitch in the only area that would hold the tipi. it was obvious it was a poor choice but beggars had no choice. as the storm broke we managed to get pitched and stood inside as wind whipped rain sideways. there was a 3 in deep puddle in one side. when the weather cleared we used a paddle to dig a channel and drain the puddle.

as stated above a floor would not have prevented the puddle from filling a tub floor in a situation like that.

 

[Beendare]

If you must camp on a slope, dig a ditch with a boot in a semicircle around the tent to divert water.

Good post...Camping 101......

...

 

[rbljack]

I have a supertarp and a sawtooth. The supertarp I used this year for my solo hunt,and it was sufficient for one person but would be REAL tight for 2 people. Ive used my sawtooth a handful of times, and it was great for 2 people with plenty of room. As another person commented, the only issue I ran into with the sawtooth was a place to put it because it has a larger footprint. Just something to keep in mind when choosing a shelter. I do like the ability of walking into the shelter with boots on. I haven't had to deal with any pouring/heavy rainstorms yet, but did sleep in it after a snowstorm and had to deal with snow on the ground/inside tent floor area.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

I've used the TI Goat Vertex 8 for about 10 years in Alaska and I have never had a problem with water flowing into the tent. I suppose it could happen if you pitched the tent in a swale or somewhere where water could collect, but that would be a poor choice regardless. As others have stated floorless shelters are great.

Ever use that set up in the winter? I have the vertex 6 and I’ve yet to use the stove. Spent a week in it this summer down in anchor point with rain for the first 6 days. No wetness inside.

 

[tommynealy]

Does anyone pack a small folding camp shovel to ditch around the tent to divert water?


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[Poser]

Does anyone pack a small folding camp shovel to ditch around the tent to divert water?


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I’ve never seen a shovel mentioned on Rokslide before. Maybe in a Basecamp, but probably never in the Backcountry.

 

[Mosby]

Does anyone pack a small folding camp shovel to ditch around the tent to divert water?


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Not shovels, but I heard some people use BD Whippets and find them handy around camp for rocks, water etc. but I have never used one. One more thing to carry.

 

[Travistroop]

2 personal caveats I live by with floorless shelters:

1. Use an ultralight cot to keep my bedroll elevated and 100% dry.

2. Use waterproof storage bags for everything that has to lay on the ground in the shelter.

And a bonus points #3 is bring a small chair or stool so you can always sit above any wet ground.

How much weight do you want to carry?

 

[Travistroop]

I’ve never seen a shovel mentioned on Rokslide before. Maybe in a Basecamp, but probably never in the Backcountry.

I think a good glove and a gutter nail would work

 

[Rokwiia]

2 personal caveats I live by with floorless shelters:

1. Use an ultralight cot to keep my bedroll elevated and 100% dry.

2. Use waterproof storage bags for everything that has to lay on the ground in the shelter.

And a bonus points #3 is bring a small chair or stool so you can always sit above any wet ground.

Are you backpacking these items into your location? If not, then everything is an option. If so, then we have different priorities of what items are included in, or on, our backpack's base weight.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Are you backpacking these items into your location? If not, then everything is an option. If so, then we have different priorities of what items are included in, or on, our backpack's base weight.

Well of course everything is an option for someone.

If this thread (per the OP) had specifically indicated backpack-only hunts, I possibly wouldn't have mentioned items like a cot, chair and waterproof gear bags. I would personally bring an ultralight cot every time, unless I was going super-light for only a few nights. As for storage bags, those can be silnylon for the gram-weenies (which can include me at times) or heavier bags for guys going in via horses, planes, boats etc on diy hunts.

And yes....I've backpacked a cot, small chair, and plenty of luxuries additional miles into the Alaska backcountry after getting dropped out of a Super Cub. But then....I do like my comforts on a long hard hunt.

 

[positivepete!]

I was sceptical as well but I bit the bullet and got a floorless and I couldn't be happier. My only issue comes from mosquitoes in some places when they fly under the edge

 

[Rokwiia]

There's no right or wrong answer when it comes to what you bring when backpacking to a location. Adding an item may mean scratching off two others. What may be important to one person doesn't pass muster to another. Sleep is important and if an item can help achieve that, it's well worth it.

I find myself always asking the question, "If I eliminate this item which weighs "x" ounces, what else does it allow me to bring." Once, my list has been reviewed and changes made where appropriate, I'm ready to go.

 

[16Bore]

MSR has a new tub floor for use with the fly that looks pretty sweet