Western dirt & ground cloths

Seems, with the extremely dry air out here in the southwest I need a groundcloth to keep my tent floor (Contrail) from getting very dusty/dirty with the "talcum powder" type dust we have compared to back east.

So, I'm back to using clear contractor 1.5 mil thick plastic sheeting cut 2" smaller than my floor dimensions.

Once I made a plain ripstop groundcloth for a hooped REI SoloLite. I sewed small hems W/ loops of elastic cord at each corner to loop over the tent stake pullouts. Worked well back east.

Should I be looking at uncoated ripstop? Silnylon?
(Tyvek is not a contender. It's a debris magnet.)

Eric

When silnylon is new it seems to be a dust magnet. After a little use it is not a problem.

I use the same ccf pad that is my camp lounge chair as my ground cloth.

I my experience silnylon is a dirt magnet and since it's not truly waterproof water under pressure will seep through. But then again you're talking about dry climes.

I had good luck with one of these last year. It's incredibly strong for its weight. But that "talcum powder" dust does stick to it.

Trailrunner,

Is that GG Polycro material tougher than standard 1.5 mil plastic drop cloths? If so I think that's what I'll get.

Eric

I use those also.

Maybe 30 - 40 times (on forest floor / dirt) without a puncture or rip.

They are one of those products that will never go back in the same size bag they came out of.

Yes. Much tougher.

Yeah, I use the same thing and its very tough and liteweight. And yes, it'll NEVER go back into the same envelope it came in.

I love my NeatSheet ground cloth, which is very Tyvek like, but not the building-wrap Tyvek but rather, the clothing Tyvek (soft and non-staticy).

It's probably not waterPROOF but it's sufficiently water resistant for my needs, and is much nicer to be on than slick plastic sheeting. It's also not slippery and is silent.

Cheers,

“Is that GG Polycro material tougher than standard 1.5 mil plastic drop cloths? If so I think that's what I'll get.”

Some more thoughts.
Yes it is tough. After a few years, I have no pin holes. It is getting stained. It picks up ground moisture soooo easy; so I pack it away in the morning wet and dry it out in the afternoon.

You can get the same stuff at Lowe’s, Home Depot, or Menard’s. It’s called Indoor Window Shrink Film. You heat it to seal to your window. That’s why you don’t want to store the ‘ground cloth’ on the outside of your pack or it shrinks.

If you want stronger yet polycro, get the Outdoor Window version. The weight will go from 1.5oz to 2.5oz for your footprint. Now we’re talking overkill.

This is how I got a big enough polycro for my TT Rainshadow.

-Barry