[at-l] Tyvek as a Ground Cloth

[lparker at cacaphony.net (L. Clayton Parker)]

Weary,

Your reply was terribly misleading. Tyvek, and other monopermeable fabrics,
are all "waterproof" in that water may not pass through the fabric in liquid
form. It "must" pass through as a vapor. That is the entire purpose of these
fabrics. They are every bit as "waterproof" as 6 mil poly or 4 mil or...

As such, it does _exactly_ the same job as poly when used as a ground cloth,
no more, no less. The remainder of your comments upon using no ground cloth
whatsoever are appropos. Most people, and most tents, will function for
their designed lifetimes wothout the need for a special ground cloth or
footprint. Choice of tentsite is by far the greatest factor in keeping your
tent dry.

In fact, for the first dozen years that I backpacked, my tent HAD NO FLOOR.
(Tents didn't have floors yet.) I don't recall ever getting wet...

So in summary, you are wrong about Tybek's waterproofness, but who cares? It
really isn't necessary anyway <G>.

Lee I Joe