What is a footprint tarp?

Many tent manufacturers sell a footprint tarp accessory. These are custom sized ground cloths for particular camping tents and match the footprint of those tents.

Footprint tarps are made an inch or two smaller than the tent floor. Often they have loops which can be attached with the tent stakes or poles to create a custom fit with no tucking under required. Footprint tarps, though usually an accessory, may be included as part of the tent package.

Are they necessary? Most of us prefer some type of tarp under our tents for dirt and moisture protection. My family most frequently takes a generic rectangular tarp that gives extra outside floor space for setting down our gear, shoes, or whatever, on a "clean" surface.

Depending on the weather, that can be an issue. For instance, if the weather brings rain, the water may sit on the tarp and roll under it. I do remember a honeymoon where this became a huge issue of rain seeping into our "cheap" tent, and pretty soon it was raining inside and outside of our camping tent. Our foam pads were also soaking up the rain water so we were sopping wet and laughing at the adventure. Yowzer! So much for a romantic weekend of camping, but it does make for a good story.

For sunny weather, a tarp will do just fine. For the rain, I would recommend a footprint and a bathtub style tent floor.

Do you have a story you would like to share? We'd love to hear from you.