The Best Tent Footprints: 4 Compared (and One to Skip)

RBE top pick

Sea to Summit Telos Lightfoot Footprint

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The Lightfoot wins because Sea to Summit publishes the fabric, the waterproof rating and the attachment hardware, and states that the shape is designed to stop water pooling, which is the failure this product exists to avoid. The Big Agnes is the lighter choice if you own a Copper Spur and want the Fast Fly pitch.

A footprint looks like a rectangle of plastic and is one of the few bits of camping kit that can actively make your night worse. Cut it to the shape of the tent and it protects the floor and lets you pitch the fly on its own. Leave it sticking out past the edge and rain running off the fly lands on the footprint, puddles, and runs under the tent instead of into the ground. That single geometric fact decides most of this category, along with a second question: whether the footprint lets you pitch without the tent body at all.

RBE top pick

Sea to Summit

Telos Lightfoot Footprint

Buy it

The only footprint here whose maker says its shape was drawn to stop water pooling, with fabric, waterproof rating and hardware all published.

Best for: Telos owners who want a footprint cut to avoid water pooling and a Fly Only pitch.

$$ · mid-range

Why we like it

• 68 denier waterproof polyester with a stated 1200mm waterhead rating, published alongside the attachment hardware.
• Sea to Summit states it is sized to avoid water pooling and collecting dirt, naming the failure mode directly.
• Strong hypalon perimeter attachment points, circular-bartacked so they flex without tearing out.
• Enables a Fly Only pitch, so the tent body can stay home on ultralight trips.
• Supports dry set-up and take-down, keeping the tent inner off wet ground during pitching.

Know before buying

• 243 grams for the TR2 size, heavier than the Big Agnes equivalent.
• Model-specific to the Telos range, so it is useless on any other tent.
• Its 1200mm waterhead rating is lower than the figures Big Agnes and NEMO publish for their footprint fabrics.
• Two sizes only, TR2 and TR3, following the tents rather than offering a general fit.

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Big Agnes

Copper Spur UL2 Footprint

Buy it

A stated 148 grams, cut for one tent family, and the key that unlocks pitching the fly without the tent body.

Best for: Copper Spur owners, especially anyone who wants the option of a fly-only pitch to save weight.

$$ · mid-range

Why we like it

• 148 grams, the lightest two-person footprint in this comparison.
• Enables the Fast Fly configuration, which Big Agnes specifies as footprint, fly, poles and stakes with the tent body left behind.
• Cut specifically for the Copper Spur UL2, so the edges sit inside the tent floor where they belong.
• Also listed as compatible with the Copper Spur UL2 Bikepack and UL2 mtnGLO, so one footprint covers several versions.

Know before buying

• Its 30D nylon ripstop is thinner than the Sea to Summit's 68D or NEMO's 75D fabric.
• Fits the Copper Spur UL2 family and nothing else.
• The Fast Fly pitch needs the poles and fly from the same tent, so it is not a standalone shelter.
• A thin 30D footprint is more exposed to punctures on rough ground.

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NEMO Equipment

Hornet OSMO Footprint

It depends

An abrasion-resistant polyester tarp cut to the tent it belongs to, with fabric, waterproof rating and weights all published.

Best for: Hornet owners who want the correctly shaped footprint and do not need a fly-only pitch.

$$ · mid-range

Why we like it

• NEMO states it is perfectly sized to fit underneath the corresponding NEMO tent, which is the property that matters most.
• 75D PU recycled polyester with a stated 2000 mm rating, the highest waterproof figure here, aimed at rough and rocky ground.
• Offered in 1, 2 and 3 person versions to follow the tent range.
• NEMO is explicit about the purpose, reducing wear on the tent floor rather than claiming to add warmth or waterproofing.

Know before buying

• At 187 grams for the 2-person size it is heavier than the Big Agnes.
• Plain C-clip corner attachments, where the Sea to Summit uses bartacked hypalon points.
• No mention of a fly-only or fast pitch option, which the Big Agnes and Sea to Summit both support.

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We'd skip it

MSR

Universal Footprint

Skip it

A generic rectangle in nine sizes, which is convenient, heavier than a fitted footprint, and the one shape this product should not be.

Best for: An older or obscure tent with no footprint made for it, accepting that you should trim or tuck the edges.

$$ · mid-range

Why we like it

• Nine sizes from 1 person regular up to 6 person large, so something will roughly fit almost any tent.
• Full weights and floor dimensions published for every size, from 198 grams at 83 by 28 inches to 567 grams.
• Useful as a general ground sheet, a gear tarp or a porch mat rather than strictly as a tent footprint.
• Comes from a maker whose tents and stakes are well specified elsewhere.

Know before buying

• Being universal, it is a rectangle, so it cannot follow a tent's tapered floor and will protrude somewhere.
• A footprint that sticks out past the fly catches runoff and channels it under the tent, which is the exact failure to avoid.
• No fly-only or fast pitch capability, because that requires a footprint with the tent's own pole and stake attachment points.
• 227 grams for a two person regular against 148 grams for a fitted Big Agnes, so you carry more to get less.

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How we judged the field

Five things decide a footprint and the first is geometry rather than fabric. The footprint has to be cut smaller than the tent floor, because anything protruding past the fly’s drip line collects runoff and channels it underneath you. That is the failure this product exists to prevent, and it is the reason a fitted footprint beats a rectangle even when the rectangle is made of better material. The second is whether the footprint carries the tent’s own pole and stake attachment points, because that is what enables a fly-only pitch with the inner body left at home. The third is fabric, described as a denier figure and ideally a hydrostatic head. The fourth is weight, which is the cost of the first three. The fifth is the attachment hardware at the corners, which is what tears out first.

On disclosure the field is uneven in a way worth naming. Sea to Summit publishes a denier, a waterproof rating in millimetres, the hardware type and an explicit statement that the shape was drawn to stop water pooling. Big Agnes publishes a weight, a 30D nylon ripstop with a 1500mm treatment and the Fast Fly capability. NEMO publishes 75D recycled polyester at 2000mm, plus a weight and dimensions for each size. MSR publishes the most complete size table of the four, with a weight and floor dimensions for all nine sizes, and is nonetheless the one we would steer people away from, because the thing it is missing is the fitted shape rather than the data.

The Telos Lightfoot is the footprint we would hold up as the template for how these should be sold. Sea to Summit states 68 denier waterproof polyester with a 1200mm waterhead rating, which are the two figures that tell you what the fabric will actually do. The perimeter attachment points are hypalon with circular bartack stitching, which is the detail that matters because corner attachments are where a footprint fails, and a bartacked flexible patch survives the repeated tug of a guyed-out pitch better than a sewn webbing tab. The shape is stated as sized to avoid water pooling and collecting dirt, which is the maker naming the failure mode rather than leaving you to discover it. It also supports a Fly Only pitch and dry set-up, keeping the inner off wet ground while you put the tent up. The costs are that it weighs 243 grams in the TR2 size, its 1200mm rating is the lowest of the three published here, and it fits Telos tents and nothing else.

The Copper Spur UL2 footprint is the lighter answer and it is bought for one feature. At a stated 148 grams it is the lightest two-person footprint here, and it is cut for the Copper Spur UL2, so its edges sit inside the tent floor rather than out in the drip line. The reason to own it is Fast Fly: Big Agnes specifies the configuration as footprint, fly, poles and stakes, with the tent body left behind. That converts a three-season tent into a much lighter shelter for trips where bugs are not the issue, and it is a capability a generic sheet cannot give you at any weight. It also covers the Copper Spur UL2 Bikepack, so one purchase serves both. Against it, the fabric is a thin 30D nylon ripstop, so a footprint this light is more exposed to punctures on exactly the ground it is there to protect you from.

The Hornet OSMO footprint does the main job properly and publishes solid numbers. NEMO describes an abrasion-resistant polyester tarp perfectly sized to fit underneath the corresponding NEMO tent, which is the single most important property, and it is offered in 1, 2 and 3 person versions so the shape follows the tent range. NEMO is also admirably clear about scope, framing the footprint as reducing wear and tear on the tent floor from rough or rocky ground rather than making vaguer claims about warmth or waterproofing. NEMO also lists 75D recycled polyester with a 2000 mm rating, weights from 150 grams for the 1-person size to 260 grams for the 3-person, and C-clip attachments at each corner that fit current and past versions of the tent. What is absent is any mention of a fly-only pitch, and that is the substantive gap against the Big Agnes and the Sea to Summit, both of which turn the footprint into a weight-saving option rather than only a protective layer. If you own a Hornet and want the right shape, this is the right buy.

The Universal Footprint has the most complete size table here and is the one we would not buy, which is an unusual combination. MSR publishes a weight and floor dimensions for all nine sizes, from 198 grams at 83 by 28 inches up to 567 grams, which is more size data than the other three combined. The problem is the word universal. A footprint that fits any tent is a rectangle, and tents are not rectangles: they taper, they have angled corners, and their flies shed water along a line the footprint needs to stay inside. A rectangle will protrude somewhere, and where it protrudes it collects runoff and guides it under the floor. It also cannot support a fly-only pitch, because that needs the tent’s own attachment points. And the weight goes the wrong way: 227 grams for a two person regular against 148 grams for a fitted Big Agnes. There is one good reason to buy it, which is an older or obscure tent with no fitted option, and in that case trim or tuck the edges.

Sea to Summit Telos Lightfoot Footprint vs Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Footprint: which should you buy?

The Telos Lightfoot and the Copper Spur footprint are the two to choose between, and in practice the choice is made for you by which tent you own. Both are fitted, both enable a pitch without the inner body, and both are the right answer for their own shelter. What is worth comparing is how the two makers sell them, because it tells you what you are getting.

Sea to Summit gives you the fabric in denier, the waterproof rating in millimetres, the hardware at the corners, and a sentence about why the shape is what it is. Big Agnes gives you a weight, a 30D fabric with a 1500mm treatment, and a capability. The Sea to Summit is 95 grams heavier in the sizes quoted, and some of that weight is the 68 denier fabric and the hypalon attachment points doing real work on rough ground. The Big Agnes is the one to take if your priority is the lightest possible Fast Fly setup and you pitch mostly on forgiving surfaces. Buy the Sea to Summit if you want to know what you are carrying, and the Big Agnes if you want to carry as little of it as possible.

What to look for

• Buy the footprint made for your tent: the fitted shape is the feature, and it is the one thing a generic sheet cannot replicate.
• Check it enables a fly-only pitch if you want one: that needs the tent’s own pole and stake attachment points, which only a fitted footprint carries.
• Look for a denier and a hydrostatic head: 68D and 1200mm are real figures, and three of these four makers publish both a denier and a waterproof rating.
• Compare weight against a fitted alternative: a universal rectangle can weigh more and do less, at 227 grams against 148.
• Inspect the corner attachments: bartacked hypalon patches outlast plain sewn tabs, and corners are where footprints fail.
• If you improvise, cut it small: a home-made sheet is fine as long as no edge reaches past the fly’s drip line.

Our final take

Footprints are the rare accessory that can make things worse if you buy the wrong shape, because a sheet that sticks out past the fly turns rain into a puddle under your floor. That makes fit the whole game, and it is why a fitted footprint at 148 grams beats a universal rectangle at 227. Sea to Summit’s Telos Lightfoot is the clearest example in the category, publishing a denier, a waterproof rating and an explicit note that the shape exists to stop water pooling. Big Agnes gives you the lightest fitted option and the Fast Fly pitch. And a universal footprint is the answer to exactly one question, which is what to do about a tent nobody makes one for.

Deciding between the top two? See our head-to-head: Sea to Summit Telos Lightfoot Footprint vs Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Footprint.

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