My buddy said to skip the footprint under my tent, and the storm at Lake Texoma proved him wrong
My friend Dave has been camping for 20 years and told me footprints were a waste of $35, so I left mine at home for a trip to Lake Texoma back in April. A storm rolled in around 2am and water pooled right under my tent floor, soaking my sleeping bag while his site stayed dry because his footprint was still packed in his bag. Does anyone else think the whole "footprints are useless" advice only works if you never camp in the rain?
Skip the footprint and you might as well skip the tent. Dave got lucky his gear stayed dry in his bag, but that bag wasn't doing anything under his floor at 2am. Water pools in the low spot and your sleeping bag pays for it. Thirty five bucks is cheap next to a soaked night at Texoma.