Groundsheet - genius or just plain dumb?

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'm just knocking up a lovely groundsheet and rather than sewing pegging points in each corner, I've set them inboard 10" along the short sides. I've also added tie points (on the long sides) that match up with the guying points on my tarp. My thinking is ... peg it out at 4 points on the ground, then attach the tie points along the sides to the tarp via shockcord and produce a semi bathtub groundsheet. I'm hoping it might help keep some water out and possibly deter a few slugs ... could I be onto something?

I'll try and get some pics up over the weekend for those vaugly interested with nothing better to do!

[Taylor]

Kind of makes sense.

[bod]

Ingenious idea, I once woke up with a slug on my lips which wasn't particularly pleasant. Maybe it thought my gob was a beer trap...
Guess you'll have to use nail stakes or similar to avoid uneven pressure on the fabric that shepherd hooks would cause? Pics would be cool, I might make one out of Tyvek if I can find some of that house wrap stuff.

[Bearbonesnorm]

So here's MK1 to give you an idea. The tarp is 1.5m wide, to get more overlap between floor / walls and tarp, a wider tarp will be needed or I could lower the poles. This ones PU coated nylon, obviously silnylon would result in a reduction in weight. The tie points are elasticated so there's a bit of 'give' if the wind picks up and the tarp starts to move.

I'll give it a try with a longer 1.5m width tarp and set it up in the centre ... hopefully resulting in a bit more 'out of the rain' cooking space. MK11 will no doubt have a small bathtub turn-up at each end too for slug evasion purposes!

[Dan_K]

I love the geekyness of it.

I reckon for MKIII you could sew some mesh into the sides and perhaps a door at each end. For a name, you could try Tarp Evasive Nuisance Technology or T.E.N.T for short......

[royAB]

Clever indeed.

Just wondering if the upper tie points of the groundsheet need to be a bit inboard of the tarp edge to stop water channeling down the ties and into the 'tub'?

Dare say a jug of water over it all will prove/disprove this ..

[Bearbonesnorm]

Good point there Roy ... I'll test the theory.

Tried again, this time I tried a longer tarp but the same 1.5m width. To gain a bit more overhang I knocked up some adjusters so I can set the tarp at different heights (lower at the back but still quite high at the front for decent access and cooking room). Set up like this you've got a pretty sheltered sleeping area on the groundsheet, some space to store gear at the back and somewhere with a touch more room to cook at the front end while still sheltered.



The groundsheet can stay attached to the tarp so it's no harder / slower to erect with it, than it is without it ... just 4 extra pegs. No doubt I'll be back to bore you some more

[Anthony]

Personally I would make the groundsheet narrower and the supporting guys longer. I'd be paranoid that the overlap needs to be more substantial because if water did get in, it would be miserable lying in puddles all night. It might also be worth adding a drip-stop to the guys to prevent water running back down them and into the 'tub'

That Welsh rain gets driven at right angles :!:

[markenduro]

That's looking pretty good, where do you get your tarp/groundsheet material from and how easy is it to sew up?

[Bearbonesnorm]

where do you get your tarp/groundsheet material from

www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk/ ... as good a place as any.

The PU coated stuff isn't as slippery as silnylon so it's easier to work with. I cheat and glue everything together before sewing it up. Means I can mess about with shapes and stuff a little bit more before sticking needles in my fingers ... at the moment I'm sewing by hand :?