Any Experience with the pros or cons of a sewn-in floor?

"Not sewn in" would seem to allow groundsheet "drifting" across the netting if one were sleeping on a slope, reducing the stress on the Netting/Body seams. (I can never find a flat sleeping place.)

It would also allow for separate packing, splitting the overall bulk of the shelter into two pieces. (The 1.25 cuben is stiff when cold, and a challenge to stuff.)

"Sewn in" would be a little lighter.

Comments?

Anyone?

I don't have my floor sewn in, but I believe it would reduce the time to set up and break down the tent. That could be nice in the rain. Just lay it out, put the rest of your gear inside, and the stake it out and put the pole in. That said, I think a lot of the difference could be made up by clipping a groundsheet to the outside of the tent. That should be good enough for a light rain. I'm going to try that on my next trip.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't the groundsheets be clipped into place on a Hexamid?

I believe the bathtub floor can be clipped into the newer Hexamids that have the loops, but mine is an early version that only has loops in the front for the optional door. Having a full set of loops can simplify things, but I do agree that the 1.26 cuben floor is thick. It's thick enough that I prefer to fold it up and store separately because it doesn't stuff well. Alternatively, a polycro sheet could be clipped inside and work quite well, but I prefer to have my sheet under the netting to keep my tent cleaner. My next Hexamid will have a sewn in floor, but I haven't decided what kind of fabric I want in the floor.

Yes, a ground sheet can be clipped in.

That could/would result in more "point-stress" loading than sewn-in if the ground sheet starts sliding "down the hill" while being tethered to the uphill corners.

Hence the original question.

Edited by greg23 on 09/16/2011 14:57:17 MDT.

Sewn in gives you a bathtub floor that you generally won't get with just a groundsheet.

Sewn in is harder to fold and pack, at least it was for me.

Sewn in does add bulk when packing the shelter. I hated packing that thing up with the sewn in floor.

The sewn in floor, if cuben, can drift on a slope as well, increasing the stress on the netting.

After having had both a Hexamid with just netting, and a Hexamid with sewn in floor, I ended up preferring just netting. Of course, I had one of the very first sewn in floors, so changes could have been made since then. And I had the solo with just netting, and the duo with the sewn in floor, so it's not a completely fair comparison.

FWIW.

Edited by idester on 09/16/2011 14:57:20 MDT.

Joe's recommendation is that the ground sheet go inside on top of the netting.

And, "The groundsheets are folded up [and sewn] around the edges creating a bathtub to protect you from ground water and spray."

...so that any water running down the netting goes under the ground sheet.

For all of the last three points Doug mentions, I am leaning towards "not sewn in".

Would going with a thinner cuben work for you? That would fix the packing problems. Adding extra guys to the bottom of the groundsheet could be used to prevent it from sliding.

The lighter bottom is a little scary, especially if you are talking Sierra granite.

I know it is easy to repair, but I don't need no dinken' around at 2am in a thunderstorm.

I don't mind sliding, I do it all the time ;-) And I think it's easier on the shelter.

I'm trying to confirm that a separate ground sheet is the way to go, and that the only advantage of "sewn-in" is a small weight savings.

Granite wasn't a problem for me since I need dirt to set up on. I get your point though. Abrasion is the concern I was asking about. I do wish Joe's new hybrid fabric was lighter. If he paired the nylon fabric with .33 cuben, it'd probably be perfect for me. Something like M50/M55 without the DWR would be even better. That might be expensive though, so maybe the new inexpensive fabric Josh Levitt had commissioned would be perfect since that could probably be ordered without the DWR, and I bet it'd cost less too. The problem with DWR is that I think it will be too slippery to adhere, it adds about .2oz/yd, and it's surely more expensive.

So I guess my answer is that the sewn-in floor as it exists right now isn't better than a separate ground sheet.

As I'm sure you can tell, I do think there's a better way to do the sewn in floor.

I have the sewn in floor. I would not have it any other way. Has worked for me. I think I would be too rough on just a netting floor.

Sure you can pack up the groundsheet seperately, but you can also shove the whole tent in your outside pocket just as you would a wet tent and forget about it.

Sewn in has been easier to set up, take down, and pack for me.

My Hexamid Twin with sewn in sheet, extended beak, guy lines, line locs, stuff sack, and seam sealing, weighs 12.21 oz.

Rob,
Is your floor the .7 or the 1.26?

I choose to have my Hexamid Twin cuben floor clipped in. I'm happy I did this. Having it not sewn in makes it easier to remove dirt from the floor. Just take it out and shake it. Can also use it for a picknick ground cloth too, although black can get hot. The biggest reason I choose to go this way is that I want the water to drain at the bottom of the tub, not any higher. Also Ive been told less seams the better. Another thing is I can use it with another tarp style tent. Most of the time I pack it with the floor clipped in and have found little problem stuffing it into the stuff sack. I just wish it the floor was a couple inches bigger both ways.