Howdy folks, I've just lightsized from an Exped Downmat 9 LW to a Thermarest Neoair Xtherm Max L, and I realized that the DIY protective cover that I had made for the first sleeping pad, was too short to fit the new one, and so I had to make another larger one. I am curious as to how many folks use protective covers for their sleeping pads?

I made mine with ripstop nylon on the bottom and 60/40 cotton/polyester broadcloth on the top, with a Velcro'd envelope closure on the top end, and a hole for the Thermarest valve to stick through for fine tuning mattress softness while I lay on it. I put some silicone circles on the bottom of the cover to stop it from sliding on the floor of my tent, but the broadcloth top side seems grippy enough so that my sleeping bag won't slide to badly, on its own on the top without addition of any silicone non-slip areas. Time and cost were minimal, and it offers a lot of lightweight protection to the expensive pad.

Does anyone else use sheets or other types of protection for their sleeping pads?

Cheers all!

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Ubique

I have a ThermaRest manufactured cover on my LuxuryMap pad. I would not have bought a $60 fitted sheet, but it was a gift. I would now buy another, or make one similar if I possessed any sewing abilities.

https://www.thermarest.com/sleeping-bag ... and-liners

The brushed microfiber cover is more comfortable and less sticky on warm nights than the pad surface alone. And, after a long grimy sweaty summer trip, the cover can go in the washer, so I am not starting out next trip sleeping on previous grunge accumulation. It has been washed (not driered) numerous times, and is still holding up well.

On the “protection” side I have pondered making an unattached tent floor bottom “sheet” from some puncture proof moisture barrier underneath. Puncture-proof because there are greenbriar thorns, sharp shell fragments and pine cone fragments in many of the coastal areas I favor, which can be slow leak pin hole death to inflatable sleeping pads.

The “moisture proof” of that bottom sheet is an even bigger material unknown. Often, on off-season trips, I discover a crime-scene body imprint in moisture between the bottom of the pad and the tent floor, presenting one more thing to (hopefully) be dried out before repacking. I have no idea what material might work as a moisture barrier, but if I could simply take it out and hang it to dry that would help.

Pondered, but I have no idea what to use as a puncture-resistant bottom barrier while retaining the moisture barrier aspect. GoreTex? Canvas? Some new wonder material? Cuben fibre/Dyneema tweed interwoven with basalt infused synthetic spider silk?

Seriously, I’m looking for material suggestions. If there was such a material I might opt to cut it large enough to use it as a moisture and puncture resistant ground cloth/footprint UNDER the tent. PU coated nylon ground cloths and footprints leave a lot to be desired, both in puncture resistance and moisture barrier functions.

Instead I use the half length Ridgerest that insulates the seat of high back wind chair, slipping it under the sleeping pad from shoulders to hips before turning in for the night.

PA070123 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

That half RidgeRest provides sufficient sharps protection for pad puncture, plus some extra cushion and insulation where my heaviest body parts rest. And it keeps my butt warm in the high-back wind chair before bedtime.

House wrap, Typar or Tyvek, I recommend the Typar as it is nowhere near as slippery as Tyvek.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Typar-3-ft- ... /302640184

A full roll will produce about 15 underpad sheets, if the total investment is too much look for someone doing some work on their house and beg, borrow, steal some of their wastage. Builders use the 10 foot wide rolls but the 3 foot wide rolls are sufficient for your needs and are often used by the DIY crowd. Tyvek might last longer (maybe) but it's ridiculously slippery.

I also use the Typar for down and dirty tarp to cover gear, firewood etc. on the ground and inside my floorless shelter or if you camp under a tarp you can use it as a ground level "table" to keep you stuff out of the dirt/damp and make it less likely to get lost.

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"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915

I have some Tyvek left from construction projects, and used some to make a DIY footprint with scalloped edges., and pole/stake out grommets at the corners and center pole hoop.


The Tyvek version footprint left something to be desired if the ground was already went when setting up the tent, moisture too easily compressed through onto the tent floor.

So I tried a little experiment at home; a scrap of Tyvek held concave in a solo cup, depression filled with water. It took an hour, but all of the water eventually leaked through into the cup.

P6160904 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Perhaps there are different Tyveks, or Typar is different, but as a footprint/groundcloth moisture barrier, especially when compressed on damp ground under sleeping pad & body pressure, it wasn’t a great wet ground solution. If it wasn’t so rustling noisy maybe used as an innie layer?

If I am making cheap and dirty custom tent footprints, with scalloped edges and pole-stake feet, a piece of 4ml plastic sheeting, colloquially “Visqueen”, is 100% waterproof when laid atop wet ground.

Custom visqueen footprint for a 4-person Alpine Meadow;, still a great 2-door, two vestibule (spacious) tent for two.

P6220935 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

DIY shaped for scalloped edge cutting by setting up the tent atop the visqueen, Sharpie the scalloped edges slightly under the tent body, and note where the pole end grommets were spaced.

P6220936 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Scissors, tape, grommet kit, done. Couple of bucks.

On the downside plastic sheeting is also 100% impermeable for water puddled under the tent floor if any part of the ground cloth sticks out past the tent floor edges, so footprints made a little undersized for the tent body, with scalloped edges for sideways blowing rain, and pole/stake attachments made from Gorilla tape and grommets.

Pole/stake out corner grommets on a footprint are the best tent set up thing since shock corded poles. Lay the footprint out and stake down the four corners. Step back and ponder how that orientation looks, with a wind & weather eye, checking for angle, slope and anything WTF poking up. When it is windy out having the footprint staked down in chosen orientation and not blowing askew as you dash about is an efficiency assist.

DIY footprints are cheap enough to make, and if the 4ml visqueen gets holed after a few years I have the worn out version as a plastic cutting template.

Same with other tent footprints made on the cheap; we have two Hubba Hubbas, one bought with a perfectly designed but pricey MSR footprint, complete with scalloped edge & pole/stake corner loops.

IIRC the MRS footprint was, years ago, close to $50. Fifty bucks for a simple enough piece of ripstop PU coated nylon with four grommeted webbing pole feet/tieouts. They enticed me to buy the first one, and I liked it, but I wasn’t buying another, even if they were available. MRS now offers a “Universal Tent Footprint”; universal usually means compromises need to be made. No thanks.

I had some visqueen and tape and grommets in the shop, and the MSR footprint was perfectly designed for that tent, so I had a ready-made shape and features to copy.

I may have no sewing abilities, but I’ll never buy a pricey tent footprint again. At $50-$60 bucks I can make a dozen from plastic sheeting, tape and grommets, each customized for specific tent floors and poles.

Typar is intended to be slightly permeable in one direction, the "stringy" grey side should be facing up. the smooth "white" side down. I use it in an old tent where almost all the waterproofness of the floor is long gone.

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"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915

i have a roll of 3' tyvek,
was thinking of making ground sheets to protect tent floor (not as waterproof layer).

have been using $1.25 blue poly tarp from dollartree, 6'x4'
good for solo tent (2p or 1p), it covers regions of frequent pressure, no cutting needed.

typar/tyvek is probably better than that poly tarp for protection,
recommend any tape to increase width from 3?

will never buy a tent's official footprint unless 50% off.
and even then i'd be hesitant. the cheap alternatives do seem pretty darn sufficient.

"typar as down dirty gear cover, firewood...table"
ya it's great to have a second sheet like that around,
i keep one in barrel at top, nice for if moving stuff to the floor, to find something.

"MRS now offers a “Universal Tent Footprint”; universal usually means compromises need to be made. No thanks."

agree completely.
i stay away from universe everything. even sporks.

I used (waterproof?) Gorilla tape for a Tyvek footprint, I've only used the footprint for about 30 nights, the tape is showing no signs of letting go.

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"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915

thanks recped

One more comment on Tyvek vs Typar, the former is "noisey" the later is quiet.

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"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915