An REI employee told me my tent footprint was overkill... he was wrong

I was buying a new tent at the REI in Denver last summer and the guy at the checkout said I didn't need a footprint for car camping, called it a waste of $40. Took his advice, set up my new Big Agnes at Rocky Mountain National Park the next weekend, and woke up to a puddle underneath my sleeping pad from morning dew soaking through the floor. Has anyone else had a store employee steer you wrong like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_nathan5d ago

Yeah, I read somewhere that most tent floors are only treated with a DWR coating, not actually waterproof, so they can wick moisture up if you don't have anything between you and the ground. Sounds like that guy probably just never camped somewhere with serious dew or damp soil to deal with. Did you end up grabbing a footprint after that trip or just use a tarp?

daniel_martin6d ago

I actually read somewhere that tent floors are usually water resistant but not fully waterproof, and that's why footprints exist in the first place. It's not just about rocks poking through. I mean, the moisture thing is real especially with morning dew or if you camp on damp ground. That employee probably just never camped in a place where the ground sweats overnight, idk. Seems like a pretty basic thing to get wrong for someone selling gear.

lunag306d ago

The Denver REI is usually solid but that guy just didn't know his stuff. Big Agnes floors especially are known for letting moisture seep through if you're on damp ground. Did he happen to mention what tent he personally uses or how long he'd been camping? Because that's a pretty basic mistake for someone selling tents. I run into this all the time with employees who have the gear knowledge but zero real world experience with morning dew or wet grass. Would be really curious if he was just some weekend warrior or if he actually backpacks regularly.