[pct-l] ground cloths and tents

[Trekker4 at aol.com (Trekker4@aol.com)]

    I've read some discussion of ground cloths; here's what I've done. In 
2000 on the AT, in an AMC store at Crawwford Notch I bought a new, 6 oz 
groundcloth to replace a 9 oz plastic one. It's begun to show some wear, but I'd never 
seen it anywhere else; about 3 weeks ago I was studying the Campmor catalog, 
and there it was.
    It's on page 230 of the Holiday 2004 catalog; it's almost certainly the 
same thing, because the size, weight, and description match exactly what I'd 
bought; it's the "Thermo-Lite Emergency Survival Blanket (item 89034 in the 
Campmor website search box). I've ordered a new one to cut down to a "footprint" 
for my new Eureka Zeus Exo 2 tent, 2 person, which I haven't used yet and have 
no comment on, other than that it's less than 4 lbs pack weight.
    Here's the point that may be of interest to some. I cut my old ground 
cloth down to a "footprint" for my 1 person tent, reducing the weight to 3 oz; my 
tent/groundcloth combo weighs 37 oz (2 lb 7 oz), less than virtually every 1 
person tent and many bivys or sort of tent bivys. (BTW, I've never used a 
tarp, but at present have no interest in all the fiddling, multiple lines, lack of 
bug protection at night, hiking pole requirements, etc.)
    Some may ask what tent? It's a gortex, 1 person tent sold, but not made 
by, Early Winters and called the "Pocket Hotel"; it hasn't been available since 
about 1980, and I never found out who made it. I also bought a 2 person, 4 lb 
gortex Marmot tent about the same time, and both are still good tents. I 
don't use hiking poles, because they tear up trail edges; neither tent requires 
hiking poles to erect; the present lighter weight tarp and tent weights are not 
honest, IMHO, because they don't include pole weights; however, I'm aware that 
most hikers use poles, and that they serve double duty as shelter poles. 
    To this day, including pole weight and to my knowledge, no one has made a 
1 person tent that equals my old 2 lb 4 oz Pocket Hotel, I emailed the guy 
that makes the 1.5 syl nyl one; it apparently requires only 1 pole; but he never 
answered my email requesting his weight with an aftermarket pole and 
recommendation for such a pole.
    I do sometimes use an umbrella, and will on the PCT. Komperdell makes a 
16 oz umbrella hiking pole combo, which I may buy and which would serve to use 
with a 1 pole tent. That would make it a triple duty item, for me, but I'd 
probably only use the hiking pole for stream crossings. I'll send a separate post 
about this.

Thanks to all the PCT-L posters I've learned from so far,        

Bob 
Big Bend Desert Denizen
(Naturalized Citizen, Republic of Texas)