My $12 tarp trick for keeping tent floors dry in the PNW rain

Got caught in a 3 day downpour near Mount Rainier last month and woke up to a damp sleeping bag, not from leaks but from groundwater seeping under the tent. I tried a footprint, a ground cloth, even flipping the tent, nothing stopped the wicking. Then a guy at the campsite told me to put a cheap plastic tarp UNDER the footprint, with the edges folded up like a shallow bowl. That extra layer trapped the moisture and I stayed bone dry for the remaining 2 nights, plus the tarp cost less than a fancy footprint. Has anyone else tried layering tarps this way, or do you swear by a different ground barrier for wet sites?

1 comments

1 Comment

gracethomas22d ago

The tarp under the footprint is legit, I've done that same bowl fold trick on the Olympic Peninsula and it saved my whole trip. I'd say make sure the edges are tall enough, like 2 or 3 inches folded up, otherwise water just finds its way around...