Canvasdale

Groundsheet

By the Canvasdale team · Last checked

A groundsheet is the waterproof floor layer of a tent. In most tents it is built into the inner tent, so the floor is part of the sleeping area. Some makers also sell a separate sheet, usually called a footprint, to lay beneath the tent.

Where you'll see it

Product pages describe the floor under "groundsheet", "floor" or "base". If a water resistance figure is listed, it describes the fabric sample used in the maker's test, so read it alongside the care advice. Campsite pages may ask you to use a groundsheet or footprint, but few name a specific product.

What to check

  • Whether the groundsheet is built into the inner tent or sold separately, according to the listing.
  • The floor fabric's listed hydrostatic head, if the maker gives one, and how the maker measured it.
  • Whether the floor turns up the walls, which helps keep water out at the base.
  • The maker's advice on using a footprint, and whether that footprint is made for your model.
  • Whether the seams are sealed, and where, as the maker describes them.
  • Footprint: a separate sheet laid under the tent.
  • Hydrostatic head: the lab measure of water resistance that some makers list for the floor.
  • Inner tent: the layer the groundsheet is often built into.

Read more: tent footprints explained and, if one fits, the tent footprint size calculator.