What do you use for an innie?

[Glenn MacGrady]

This is NOT a topic to debate the virtues of innies vs. outies. I'm just asking about what do you use for an innie if you do use one.

I've used an innie (and an outie) for many years with my 3-person backpacking tents that I've used for canoe camping. It is a nice lightweight fabric innie from Nemo, called a Pawprint, which snapped into their Losi tent. It keeps the floor from getting dirty and sticky, is not crinkly, helps prevent punctures when I drop poison darts in the tent, and is machine washable.

However, I'm considering getting a much larger tent and I will need something larger than my Nemo Pawprint. Unfortunately, although just about all tent manufacturers offer custom footprints (outies), virtually none including Nemo offers a custom innie.

I need some DIY ideas.

 

[jdeerfoot]

I make my own out of 4 mil clear plastic. All my tents have one and I have only used one once, while camped on rock during a heavy sustained all night rain.

 

[recped]

I use Typar house wrap, it's quiet and not slippery. It comes in a 3ft wide roll (cut to the length you want).

I fold it for storage during a trip which will eventually create holes at the folds, you can roll it then it will almost never develop holes.

It comes in a 100ft roll. Also available in a 10ft width but it's very expensive (the 10ft is the standard for actual use as house wrap to cover an 8ft room height plus the standard floor joist). I have tried Tyvek but that stuff is very slippery and a bit noisy. If you want more width than the 3ft width you can you can Gorilla tape multiple pieces together. I use it for both innie and outie, dries very quickly.

 

[VA paddler]

Unfortunately Recped’s cat also likes his typar innie and he’s too “thrifty” to get a new piece. So when he unfurls it, the 3-week man-stink in the tent is quickly overpowered by cat-stink. I use the old-fashioned “space blanket” as an innie. Perfect size for a “2”man tent. I always deploy it, regardless of weather. It keeps things above it dry in wet conditions- unless of course you find yourself awash in the rising river when you awake, despite having moved to a higher sandbar… But it dries quickly. And I keep my cat out of the camping gear closet.

 

[ppine]

I have used backpacking tents for 56 years and have never used innies or outies. No holes and no leaks.
My canvas tents have no floors.
Tarp for backpacking has no floor so I use a footprint from another tent.