Best Ultralight Camping Tarp and Backpacking Ground Cloth Options

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1. Vashti Verified Buyer – 15 April 2024

   I love Tyvek! It is the best! Waterproof and lightweight, and super durable! This makes it an ideal material for a backpacking tent ground cover. When you are carrying something on your back, every ounce counts. And yet, you have to have a ground cover, or your tent gets ripped up by rocks and sticks. Anything really. New ultralight tent materials are super fragile, and a groundcover is an absolute necessity. I have used Tyvek as a ground cover for a previous tent, so when I got a new tent, I bought this sheet of tyvek to cut to size for my tent. I just went backpacking in the grand canyon, and the tyvek performed superbly, as expected. Even with a ton of rain. The tent floor was protected and dry: Perfection!
   

2. Arrived in good timing Verified Buyer – 18 April 2024

   It noisy and not big enough fir my small tent
   

3. Cody Verified Buyer – 30 June 2024

   Well, it’s a piece of Tyvek. What’s to say lol
   Great moisture barrier between your sleeping pad and the ground.
   I was gonna razor knife myself a piece from a house that was being sided in the neighborhood, but I’m waaay too lazy for that. whatcampingtent.com to the rescue.
   If you’re back country hunting, it’s a lifesaver
   

4. Sebastian Zorrlla Verified Buyer – 1 July 2024

   Excelente
   

5. Thomas Verified Buyer – 4 August 2024

   Bought this for my 2-man tent as a footprint. Seems well made and so far so good. I like the gromets and it’s fairly light weight for backpacking. All as described and good material. We’ll see how it holds up over time – but so far no complaints other than could be a bit less expensive. But if it helps the tent last longer it will be worth it in the long run.
   

6. Swiss Family Robsen Verified Buyer – 14 January 2025

   Used this on a recent bike packing trip. When I got it I was concerned because it is so loud and crinkly when you move it, but once it is on the ground under pads and bags you don’t notice it. 3 nights in the backcountry and it is no worse for wear. Would buy again.

   

7. Violet Verified Buyer – 3 March 2025

   We used this to cover exposed fiberglass insulation in the unfinished area of our basement. We needed access to the wires on a wall into the finished side of our basement. We couldn’t just drywall over the exposed fiberglass insulation on the unfinished side of that wall. I did a lot of reading and considered fabric, shower curtain plastic, and tarp. But I was concerned about trapping moisture. I was so happy to find this product. We used it to cover exposed fiberglass insulation in the unfinished area of our basement. This is perfect because the grommets keep it on the wall, but we can take it down if we need to access wires behind it. And the material is breathable, so it won’t cause mold.

   

8. G C Verified Buyer – 7 March 2025

   The lightweight waterproof solution under the sleeping mat.
   

9. J Mill Verified Buyer – 10 March 2025

   Exactly as described. 4oz and happy hammock days ahead…
   

10. Ron Verified Buyer – 6 April 2025

    This is an interesting approach to creating a tent footprint: cut off a chunk of Tyvek House Wrap, add four grommets and sell it as a footprint. It’s so crazy it just might work. I started camping back in the days when you either got your gear at Army/Navy Surplus or you made your own. This footprint reminds me of those days. This is literally a chunk of Tyvek House Wrap usually used for underlayment on house construction. It’s light, sturdy, waterproof and fairly inexpensive. Cut down to size for a two-person tent it makes an effective ground cover. I tested the waterproof claim by pooling water on it for 24 hours with zero leak-through. I also tried to puncture it by placing it on ground with sticks and rocks and then stomping all over it very un-gently in my hiking boots. No splits, tears or punctures. On the plus side, it’s very light weight but has enough body to make it easy to lay out even in a wind. It’s tough. You won’t puncture it on sharp rocks. It’s not fireproof, but it doesn’t burn when exposed to open flame. It melts ( I tried it). And, as mentioned, it’s completely waterproof. There are a couple of negatives: It seems pretty expensive for what it is. A similar, but solo size on another whatcampingtent.com page costs $13. If you know a builder you can probably get a chunk of the stuff for a few bucks. And it’s noisy. If you roll around a lot at night you will hear it grumbling under you. Not a big deal unless you’re a light sleeper to start with. Bottom line: a simple, effective, but fairly expensive way to get some additional protection for the underside of your tent, come rain or shine.

    

11. ARK Verified Buyer – 14 April 2025

    It’s a Tyvek ground cloth. A++ would recommend. Run it though a cold gentle wash cycle (no detergent) to soften it up.
    

12. aaron Verified Buyer – 20 April 2025

    Works really good I use this when I go camping mainly for under my single small tent so it doesn’t rip from debris
    

13. BLN Verified Buyer – 22 April 2025

    As expected. I washed it in the washing machine to make it quiet, not crinkly. It is perfect as a single footprint for my 2P tent, or as a day tarp, etc.