[pct-l] Is a groundcloth really necessary?

[elee at microsoft.com (Eric Lee (GAMES))]

Brian wrote:
>
The disagreement is over a groundcloth. Do you think we really need one?
Will the snow really melt and seep through our tent through the night?
We're both lying on therma-rest 3/4 pads, so we're not directly
contacting the surface, but it is just a 70D nylon below that. 
>

Is a groundcloth necessary for this trip?  No.

The bigger issue that if you don't use a groundcloth under your tent,
you'll probably start to get little holes in the floor of your tent,
which makes it leak, and then you do need a groundcloth.  It kind of
depends on how durable you think your tent floor is, and how long you
intend to keep the tent.

Personally I always use a groundcloth under my tent (when I use a tent -
I often use a tarp instead).  It keeps my tent floor in good shape for
those times when I forget the groundcloth or need to rig it up as a
supplementary vestibule or something.

Eric