Best Tent Footprints and Ground Sheets (2026)

A footprint is a sheet between the tent floor and the ground. It takes the abrasion from grit, roots and rocks so the floor does not, and it adds a layer between you and wet ground. It also adds weight, so the choice is between the maker's sized footprint, a generic sheet cut to fit, Tyvek, or nothing at all.

How we chose: we did not test these footprints; we compared the listings and the makers' size charts, and kept only footprints sold by Amazon.com or the brand's own store and in stock when we checked on September 29, 2026.

Six footprints side by side

Prices are Amazon's, as of the time shown, and subject to change. Details

MSR's own Universal Footprint page lists all nine sizes, from the 1-person Regular (83 x 28 in, 7 oz) to the 6-person Large (116 x 97 in, 20 oz), and it gives the 2-person Regular as 8 oz where the Amazon listing says 0.44 lb (about 7 oz).

Why a footprint should be smaller than the floor

A sheet that sticks out past the tent is a gutter. Rain runs off the fly, lands on the exposed edge and flows along the top of the sheet, which is the underside of your floor. REI puts it plainly in its footprint explainer: footprints are sized smaller than the tent floor so they do not catch and pool rainwater under the tent.

The same guide says that if you use a full-size tarp instead, fold it under so no part extends beyond the floor, and tuck the excess of a generic ground cloth under the tent. That is the whole trick with a generic sheet: measure the floor, then fold.

Brand footprints vs generic sheets

A brand footprint is cut to the floor's shape, sits a little inside the edge, and often clips to the tent's corners with grommets or webbing, so it does not shift when you move around. MSR's listings name the tents each size fits; ALPS says its 4-person footprint is "specifically designed" for its 4-person tent floor.

Some makers also design their tents to pitch on the footprint and fly alone, leaving the inner at home to save weight. MSR's footprint page says some of its tents can be set up this way. That only works with the matching footprint.

A generic sheet fits anything, if you fold it right. REDCAMP's 55 x 87 in sheet is a typical example: 210T polyester with a PU coating rated 2,000 mm. Big Agnes sells footprints for each of its tents, but on Amazon they were offered only by third-party sellers when we checked, so they get no card here; buy those from Big Agnes or a dealer.

Tyvek, polycryo and silnylon

Tyvek is DuPont's spunbonded sheet, the house wrap. Six Moon Designs says its "hard-structure" Tyvek resists punctures from rocky ground and trail debris and "doesn't stretch or deform" like thin films, and it suggests washing it, with no detergent, "to soften for a quieter setup." Gossamer Gear notes in a Tyvek tip that house wrap softens with a few trips through the washer and that the softer 1443R type weighs about the same as silnylon.

Tyvek breathes, which is why some people doubt it is waterproof. The same Gossamer Gear post calls it waterproof "like other Tyvek" and says the writer had yet to have water pass through. Treat it as ground-moisture protection, not a floor to lie in a puddle on.

Polycryo is the thin, clear window-insulation film. Gossamer Gear's Polycryo footprint is 72 x 96 in and 5.9 oz, and Gossamer says it "performs best with reasonable care." Six Moon also sells a polycryo footprint and steers you to Tyvek for rough terrain.

Silnylon groundsheets are the lightest woven option. onewind sells one in 20D silnylon with a PU coating rated 4,000 mm on the face and silicone on the back. Like any silnylon, it is slippery on a slope.

What each MSR size weighs

MSR's Universal Footprint page gives every size, which makes it easy to see what a footprint adds to a pack:

For a 2-person backpacking tent, that is about half a pound. Six Moon's Tyvek sheet is 7 oz at a similar size, and Sea to Summit's Tyvek groundsheet is 5.8 oz.

Cutting or folding a generic sheet to fit

1. Measure the tent floor, not the fly, corner to corner.
2. Lay the sheet down and pitch the tent on it.
3. Fold or tuck every edge that shows outside the floor, as REI advises, or mark it and trim it before the next trip.
4. Add corner ties if the sheet slides: a loop of cord through a grommet onto the tent's corner stake.

If you trim Tyvek, Gossamer Gear notes the soft 1443R type is "very easy to sew, or you can tape it with filament or ripstop tape."

Do you need one at all?

On a soft, grassy campground pad you can often skip one. On gravel tent pads, granite, desert grit, or anywhere you pitch on the same packed dirt night after night, a footprint is easier to replace than a floor.

If you pitch in rain a lot, a footprint also keeps the floor cleaner to pack, which matters as much as abrasion.

Related: camping tarps for the roof, and stakes and guylines to hold the whole thing down. A footprint's corner loops take a stake like any other tie-out.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much smaller than the floor should a footprint be?

A couple of inches inside the edge on each side is enough that no fabric shows once the tent is pitched. Check it from outside after the fly is on, and fold or tuck any edge that sticks out, as REI advises.

Which side of a coated footprint faces up?

onewind puts its PU coating on the face side and silicone on the back; follow the maker's label. With Tyvek, either side works.

Is Tyvek HomeWrap the same as a Tyvek footprint?

It is one kind. Modern Grizzly's Tyvek sheet on Amazon says it is cut from DuPont Tyvek HomeWrap; Six Moon Designs calls its sheet hard-structure Tyvek; Gossamer Gear points to the softer 1443R type as a lighter option that weighs about the same as silnylon.