Floor or no Floor

[Kessler10]

any opinions on having a floor inside your tent versus no floor? (for back country hunting)

a bit more context...

I have a tipi style tent I Use for back country hunts . It has no built in flooring material. So I ended up buying some 8x8 materiel to put down as a floor. Similar to a tarp.
Found a few cons from doing this.
One is it added more weight to my pack. the other is it did not fit perfectly (that was my mistake). A very small portion had to be exposed outside of the tent. So one night when it rained all night any water that hit the exposed portion seeped into my tent by way of that material I laid down as the flooring.

lesson learned to say the least....if putting down tarp or other material for a floor in your tent do not let any portion be exposed outside of you tent. I know...............probably a rookie mistake. But my dad alwasy said if you learn something from your mistake than it was worth while. hard lesson here.

Soooooo. Is there any reason I should bring extra material on my back country hunts to put down as flooring in my tent? What are the advantages? I am thinking if anything I will bring a small piece of material that just fits under my sleeping pad to provide extra insulation from the ground.

but wondering if maybe i do not even need to do that. I do have a very small wood burning stove I pack in for my tent as well. Is it best I just forget about bringing anything to put down as flooring for my tent going forward?

If you do not have a floor and it rains a ton does the ground start to get wet in your tent? Or if as long as your on level ground having no flooring is not a big deal. the ground that is covered by your tent will stay dry?

Thanks for any feedback on this possibly rookie type question.

[husky390]

I use a Seek Outside nest since I'm an ant and spider magnet in the woods.

I've heard the stove will dry out the ground and I know of guy's bringing a sheet of tyvek to lay on the ground to protect their air mattress. My thought is why risk a several mile hike which is another reason I bring a nest.

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[Lefty]

Depends!!

Most sleeping bags need protection from underneath, most pads need protection from underneath.
Some floor are required to protect from moisture.
Floors can help keep the inside of your tent more liveable. Ive slept on bare ground and that doesnt bother me but air sleeping pads dont do well on vegetation and rocks
Silny can be as light as 1.1 oz per yard, Tyveck is less than 2 OZ. and it will protect the high tech light weight materials a bit more.

I use to have an ATVdeer camp,.. always got there late . I brought in a rake and saw and had emergency firewood and a nice soft bed for my tent Just summer prep time,.. I would guess the same could be done for your tent sites. Likely you end up in many of the same sites year after year.

[Lefty]

I use a Seek Outside nest since I'm an ant and spider magnet in the woods. lk

When I hunter the desert all my tents had floors and I zipped them closed every night,.. Snakes give me the creeps. Ive had deer and skunks at my feet a number of times. A buddy had a bear crawl into his tent

I want an attached floor in a small tent

[husky390]

I use a Seek Outside nest since I'm an ant and spider magnet in the woods. lk

When I hunter the desert all my tents had floors and I zipped them closed every night,.. Snakes give me the creeps. Ive had deer and skunks at my feet a number of times. A buddy had a bear crawl into his tent

I want an attached floor in a small tent

LOL, I grew up in AZ and when I was a kid in Boy Scouts we used "tube tents" and never had any problems. Up here, I can sit down and have ants crawling on me within a minute. It's ridiculous.

That's the nice thing about the nest. It's like a tent in a tent.


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[Brendan]

I use a sawtooth / no floor and no issues with it being wet. I do use a small bivvy sack (waterproof on bottom, bug netting on top) for my pad / quilt to keep from sleeping right on the ground, or use my helinox cot.

I love being able to go in and out without taking off my boots and worrying about getting dirt all over the inside of the tent.

[Brendan]

I'm going to give another benefit of a floorless tent.

Woke up in the middle of a downpour and had to take a leak.. You've all been there. Normally - that's put on shoes, rain jacket, get outside the tent, get soaked - you know the deal.

Floorless? Roll over and piss off the side of your cot. Its dry by morning. Priceless.

[WapitiTalk1]

I'm going to give another benefit of a floorless tent.

Woke up in the middle of a downpour and had to take a leak.. You've all been there. Normally - that's put on shoes, rain jacket, get outside the tent, get soaked - you know the deal.

Floorless? Roll over and piss off the side of your cot. Its dry by morning. Priceless.

I always have an empty quart size (wide mouth) Gatorade bottle in my tent for whizz purposes . It becomes a more important piece of gear as time marches on. I'm definetly a floor fan, for multiple reasons although I know it's more weight. No creepy crawlies allowed in my home away from home.

[saddlesore]

I do have a 3 man dome tent, which means it is about the size for 1 man. It has a floor. Although I don't use it much anymore,I still use it at times in the summer. and in early seasons like archery and muzzy. I believe the same applies. First is mice. Those little suckers get into everything. I carry traps and peanut butter. Then there is ants, bugs, mosquitoes and more important ticks. All not welcome guest. A closed tent with a full floor stops that. Snakes. Although rattlers are usually not about at 6-8000 ft, I have encountered garter and bull snakes. Having one slither into your tent to get warm on chilly nights are also not welcome. Then you have possums, raccoons , skunks, and porcupines.

Once when camping in northern CO,we had three garter snake s come out of the stone fire ring and it was about 8000 feet.

My dome tent has a 1/2 moon zipper in the floor for a small wood or propane stove.

Yep, you need to keep any ground cloth 100% under your tent when it rains.

If weight is an issue go to Walmart , in the paint department. For less than $2 you can get a thin drop cloth that is about 10 x 10 that ca be double or maybe even tripled into a thickness to keep you dry. Granted that they are not very durable. They are folded up to about 6" x3 inches, and maybe 1/2" thick and only weigh a few ounces. I carry one in my day pack all the time when hunting to put quarters on when I am processing an elk after it is downed.