I'm looking to make a ground sheet for my lavvu any recommendations what to get and where to get it please.
Dave
Dave
Ground sheet fabric?
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if there are any builders doing roofing near you, drop in and see if they have any Tyvek spare you could buy (used instead of felt these days, it is a heavy duty, breathable, waterproof membrane).
I'm a little surprised at the answers you're getting; that would be a last resort for me. I have used builders tarps for all sorts of things but wouldn't use one for a ground sheet; they're noisy, slippery, and, to be honest, don't last very long when they're being scuffed about. But, a lot of the groundsheets that come with cheap tents these days are made from what looks like exactly the same stuff.
I have had a couple of these and I'm very pleased with them (well they do the job I need):
https://www.towsure.com/waterproof-groundsheet
They are on offer and come in different sizes.
I have had a couple of these and I'm very pleased with them (well they do the job I need):
https://www.towsure.com/waterproof-groundsheet
They are on offer and come in different sizes.
That looks the kind of stuff I'm not to fussed on weight as I will mainly be canoe camping.
I was looking for something a bit softer as a groundsheet for a bivy a while back. Was suggested the waterproof picnic blankets, such as http://www.c2.halfords.com/ProductM...productId=1330709&langId=-1&categoryId=319907
Only 2m by 1.7m though, so maybe not big enough for a laavu? Never got round to buying one myself, but seemed the best option for something less crinkly/noisy.
Only 2m by 1.7m though, so maybe not big enough for a laavu? Never got round to buying one myself, but seemed the best option for something less crinkly/noisy.
We often use waterproof picnic blankets on top of something cheap and thin, like builder's tarp. Nice under foot for sleeping / sitting areas, and make do elsewhere. Don't use anything where wet kit, boots, firewood etc is stored.
Take a look at the British Army IPK Sheet. IPK stands for Individual Protection Kit (I think!) and is used to build quick shelters. In a nutshell it's a really robust and waterproof sheet that you can pick up for about a fiver and modify to suit your needs. It's pretty large as well (I can't remember the specifics) and comparable in size to a basha.
Comes in bushcraft green too!
I have one that I've cut down as a small groundsheet to go under my bivi bag and I used another part as a foot mat when hammocking
Comes in bushcraft green too!
I have one that I've cut down as a small groundsheet to go under my bivi bag and I used another part as a foot mat when hammocking
What purpose is the groundsheet to serve? Do you want it to be waterproof or not? Will you be using a bivvy bag? When you say "lavuu" are you referring to a Polish shelter half? Do you want a "bathtub" type groundsheet? What's your budget?
I believe the IPK is designed to be used as a means of making a fallout shelter. You dig a hole/trench big enough to get into, lace the nylon cord over the top using the pegs, then lay the sheet on the top and shovel earth on that (I can't remember but I think it said at least a foot deep).
The trouble with the IPK (I've seen it call PPK - Personal Protection Kit in some places) is that it's like trying to sleep on Teflon; if there's the slightest slope on the ground your sleeping back will slide all the way down - it really is very slippery. I only use mine as a protection sheet underneath my tent groundsheet (if I'm not backpacking).
Loooong time ago, before plastic tarps were cheap and easily available, we used oiled cloth. Like waxed canvas. It worked well, seemed really robust, wiped and folded up tidily, heavy though. We only really used a bit under, and a bit wider than, each sleeping bag, not so much a whole floor covering. It was just a dry place to have a sit down and sleep, with a scrap to put your boots and rucksack on, not a whole carpet type thing. Some folks used rubberised ones, like the old airbeds, too.
M
M
I must have been in my 20's before I learned that you can buy a tent with no floor.
Down under, I believed that the floor in my tent kept out the snakes, lizards, spiders and bull ants.
We were boat camping as a family. Dad had a 2' x 3' piece of carpet in front of the tent (Woods 9' x 12') door.
I don't mind the noisy builder's tarps. Anything waterproof will do.
Chances are, I'll step on a conifer twig in the first 5 minutes and hole the thing, anyway.
Down under, I believed that the floor in my tent kept out the snakes, lizards, spiders and bull ants.
We were boat camping as a family. Dad had a 2' x 3' piece of carpet in front of the tent (Woods 9' x 12') door.
I don't mind the noisy builder's tarps. Anything waterproof will do.
Chances are, I'll step on a conifer twig in the first 5 minutes and hole the thing, anyway.
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