I am getting ready to order some tyvek from Dutch for use as a ground sheet (or whatever you call the sheet you set outside your hammock to put gear on!). I was wondering what you experienced guys feel like is the optimal length of these sheets. The tyvek comes 3' wide, and I am thinking 4' long would be good, but I wanted to see what everyone else did. Thanks for the help! We mainly backpack with our hammocks, and just occasionally use them at hangs, etc.
Last edited by Namtrag; 05-02-2016 at 14:41.
I use a 8x8 blue poly cheapo tarp from Harbor freight.works just fine, but for the tyvek maybe 3x8 would be ok for me.
About 2'x3' since that fits my pack well. I just cut it out of a green poly tarp since I like colors that "blend in" whenever possible.
LOL, I use a blue one, just like Mark's, but so I can see it.
You can pick that up for free at construction sites where the building has just had the tyvek installed.
Give me more darkness said the blind man,
Give me more folly said the fool,
Give me stone silence said the deaf man,
I didn't believe Sunday School.
Phil Keaggy
We use a camo coloured Harbor Freight tarp cut down to size. 3X5 and it rolls up small and very light. We could even make it smaller if we need to. Best of all is they are cheap. I paid $2.99 plus a 20% off coupon for mine and got 2 mats out of it. So it came out to something like $2.40. That's just $1.20 each.
I think mine is about 3x4. Seems to work for me, but maybe start big and cut it down as you find out how much you really need. I will tell you one thing that it took me embarrassingly long to figure out. Tyvek is VERY noisy....until you wash it! I couldn't figure out why people used such a noisy item until someone here pointed out that it needs to be washed.Now it is soft and quiet....I love this forum!
Hobo Off The Ground All Year Round: 8 7
consecutive months since the start, 9/2015 through 11/2022
3' x 5' Tyvek. Hemmed the sides so I could stake it down. Like Hobo says, very noisy until washed or just wadded up a bunch of times. Note that it is slippery with socks, etc. Also flies away easy if not held down.
Namtrag and Pyro - Great seeing you guys again at MMPSP.
I've used a 3x3 piece of Tyvek, seemed to work out pretty well for me. I recently got a rain kilt/skirt and I'll probably use that as a ground sheet in the future
I use a 7x9 piece of Tyvek I got from Z-Packs. It was originally purchased as a footprint for a tent but, it is light enough that I carry it with me always.
I'd suggest a length just a bit longer than 2x the length of your pack. At night, I lay my pack under my hammock on my tyvek then fold the extra tyvek over top of my pack and weight it down with a nearby rock.
Questioning authority, Rocking the boat & Stirring the pot - Since 1965
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