Tent Footprints . . .
Image via Wikipedia
. . . Don’t Go Hiking Or Camping Without One
Tent footprints are not what you might think they might be! They’re not like the footprints you make from your hiking boots as you’re hiking along a muddy path or trail, or the funny footprints you make when you unfasten your hiking boots, hold your nose while you peel off your hiking socks (which might not have seen the light of day for a good thirty miles or so) and stand barefoot on a warm sun soaked rock after you’ve dipped your poor, blistered feet into a welcome spring you’ve encountered along said trail . . . tent footprints are a little bit different – well, tents don’t walk for one thing, not unless Nifty Freddie ”The Finger” has got time out for good behavior again! Will he never learn?
Tent footprints are designed to go under your tent, even if your hiking tent has got a great floor. Tents are often pitched on rough ground, especially when you’re camping on a hike, and no matter how tough the tent floor is it can still be damaged by the twigs, rocks, dirt and grit beneath it. Now then, if you don’t have a good tent footprint what can you do when the tent floor wears out . . . you’ll have to replace or repair the whole goddamn tent, but if you’re a smart little hiker than you’ll simply wear out the tent footprint which is a whole lot cheaper and easier.
Tent footprints are different from your average ground cloths because they are made to measure to fit each tent exactly . . . no sticking out bits to catch water and allow seepage into your hiking tent.
Kangaroo poo!! I haven’t come across a lot of that whilst I’ve been hiking the American trails have you . . . or maybe I have but just didn’t know what I was squishing under my tent footprint. Hang on a minute, I’m just off to examine the treads on my old hiking boots . . . no, nothing smelly there, well, not on the outside anyway!
