Wanted: MSR Hubba Hubba Footprint/Ground Sheet

[handson29]

Hi, I'm after a MSR Hubba Hubba Footprint/Ground Sheet.  Anyone have one they no longer require or advise where else I best may find one second hand.
thanks

[John Saxby]

Hi handson,

Just a quick question first:  why do you want a footprint for the Hubba Hubba?  Reason I ask is that I have this tent, & it's been a good one for several years.  I bought myself a footprint a couple of years back, and use it occasionally -- when I'm using the tent without the inner mesh tent to protect me from the bugs.  So, I use the footprint (here in Eastern Ontario) in the spring & fall, before & after the bugs. I bought the footprint for a couple of European journeys, a hiking trip in the Spanish Pyrenees & a cycling trip from Amsterdam to Vienna.  Worked fine in both -- amongst their other delights, neither trip had any bugs.  In both cases, we were two inside the tent fly, and not having the inner tent made it much roomier.  (Ventilation to limit condensation became a little trickier, however.)

When I use the inner tent (the default mode), I use a sheet of plastic, usually 2 mm (sometime 4 mm, depending on what's available), cut to 5' x 7',  to protect the outer floor of the inner tent from abrasion.

You may have trouble finding just a footprint, if you're looking for a used item, but I'd check on e-Bay, kijiji or craigslist, etc., plus gear sales at outdoor stores in your area.

Hope this helps in any case -- good luck.

[Danneaux]

Hi Handson!

Wonderful buys and trades on such things can sometimes be found on the BackPackingLight (BPL) Forum Gear Swap board as people trade their gear up or down trying to get a lightweight setup that suits theirs needs: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/display_forum.html?forum=19&id=fiy6suE3:67.160.131.168 *Lots* of good stuff shows up there, and a nice friendly and supportive community that trends "honest".

I've access to a heavy-duty sewing machine and a store that sells outdoor webbing, hardware, and such ( http://www.therainshed.com/ ) and have had good luck making my own tensioned footprints for my tents over the years. I initially used coated nylon fabrics, but found they tended to "wet-out" on the uncoated side, so I have switched to Tyvek building wrap or woven and heat-set polyethylene tarp material, the latter proving to be more durable in my use. No, they don't last forever, but work well as a protective layer beneath the tent floor and are inexpensive and easily replaced. Being an effectively waterproof material, water can be easily shaken off for drier storage. Uncoated materials cannot peel or lose their water resistance over time with use, abrasion, and packing wet/becoming mildewed as urethane-coated nylon can (I always store my things dry at home, but sometimes tours can be wet for the duration).

The real trick is to make footprints smaller than the tent floor. I typically try for 3½-4in/9-10cm smaller. Why? Well, little weight goes that close to the corners/sides of the tent, so less protection from puncture and abrasion is needed there and a bit of weight is saved. More importantly, making the footprint/groundcloth this much smaller prevents water running off the tent fly from pooling beneath the tent and aids the tent floor in remaining waterproof. I pack my foot print in its own little dry sack to prevent moisture and dirt from being transferred to the packed tent.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Dan.

[handson29]

Hi,
I'm after a footprint to protect the base of the tent as I'm off to the Philippines to sleep in it for 3 weeks and it is apparently raining every day.
Thanks for the tip on the forum but I should have said I'm in the UK.  I tried ebay and nothing going at present, so yeah I can buy a new one for £30 from an outdoor shop but was hoping to pick one up second hand for less.  Not really got the time or the skills to go making my own one to the right size before I go! If I can't find one second hand i'll just swallow the £30 but thought it was worth asking first.
thanks for the advice.
Iain

[John Saxby]

Some thoughts on your Philippines trip, handson:

1)  Expect you'll need the inner tent for bug protection. So, fly + footprint isn't the route.

2)  A footprint is useful for protecting your inner tent against abrasion.  But if you can't find one, I think a simple sheet of plastic will work just as well for your use.  Just make sure it does not protrude beyond the edges of your inner tent, so that it's less likely to catch water and redirect it under your tent.

3)  If your tent's outer floor is in good shape, it should protect you from ground water. I slept (intermittently) through a couple of serious thunderstorms last summer in my Hubba Hubba, during a trip across the US & Canada. There was plenty of water under the tent, as well as above & around it -- but none inside, happily.  Neither a foot print nor a plastic sheet will stop water from going under the tent if (as I did) you encounter a lot of running water.  Complicated story, but it had to do with limited options for pitching the tent. As a result, in a 4-hour thunderstorm in Minnesota--the hardest I've ever seen, outside a South African highveld storm--I had a steady stream under one side of the tent.

4)   If you're dealing with steady rain, I'd suggest using a plastic sheet under the tent, and investing instead in a silicon-treated ripstop nylon tarp.  These help you to reduce the amount of rain your tent has to handle, & give you a dry spot for cooking in the evening & morning, as well as a dry spot for loading and unloading your bike. They weigh very little, and can usually be rigged without too much difficulty. (Though acquiring the knack through practice can be a bit aggravating...  Take along some extra lightweight tent pegs, an extra bungee or two, and plenty of parachute cord--tough, light, thin woven nylon cord.) Expect they're available in the UK.  Here's an example of what MEC sells here:  http://www.mec.ca/shop/?q=tarps  Of the ones shown, I have both the Siltarp 1 & 2.  The 2 is the larger one, and I use it most of the time.  Wonderful device; don't leave home without it.

Hope this is helpful--good luck!

[handson29]

Hi John,
Thanks for all the info.  Yes I was going to pitch the whole tent, wasn't considering just using the fly.  I have a tarp that I might just use instead, I can fold it to a shape smaller than the tent and just use that. The tent is going to be pitched in the same place for 3 weeks so I guess it might not even matter then, as long as the ground i'm pitching on isn't waterlogged.....
cheers
Iain

[John Saxby]

Thanks, Iain.  A base-camp style setup should give you a fairly well-drained site, with any luck.  I used to use a cheapo Canadian Tire plastic tarp under my tent for many years.  They were available starting at $1.99 for a 4 x 6, a great bargain but no longer available, so I just recycle plastic so long as it's reasonably durable and packable.  In a base camp, an overhead tarp is a great help--protection from sun, rain, wind, whatever.  Enjoy!