My tent turned into a bathtub after a 3 hour downpour in Oregon

Last summer I was camping near Bend and this older guy with a seriously patched-up tent was my neighbor. He saw me trying to dry out my gear and just said "your footprint is too big, you need to fold it under so no water pools." I had been leaving mine sticking out a few inches like a dummy for years. Now I'm looking at all my old failed trips where stuff got soaked and it all clicks. Has anyone else had a simple setup change totally change their camping experience?

2 comments

2 Comments

chen.james19d ago

Folding the footprint under changed everything for me too, no more puddles.

park.tara19d ago

Same thing happened to me in the Sierras. Woke up to a literal puddle inside my tent. Gear was soaked, sleeping bag was wet. Took me way too long to realize it was the footprint sticking out. Folding it under instantly fixed everything. No more waking up in a swamp.