Gossamer Gear Polycryo Ground Cloth Review

Overview

A sheet of industrial plastic that weighs less than a deck of cards and has quietly become the default floor protection for ultralight tents and tarps. Gossamer Gear’s Polycryo Ground Cloth is the company that popularized the material among backpackers, and it remains one of its best-known products. The trade-off is simple: it’s nearly weightless and costs about as much as a trail-town burrito, but it’s a consumable, not a heirloom.

Key Specs

Spec	Detail
Weight	104 g (3.65 oz)
Dimensions	183 x 244 cm (72 x 96 in)
Thickness	1.0 mil (100 gauge)
Material	Multilayer cross-linked polyolefin film (polycryo)
Packed size	Folds down to a very small bundle
Use	Tent footprint, tarp groundsheet, bivy or pad protection
List price	$11

Performance

Weight and size. At 104 g for a 6 x 8 ft sheet, the cloth covers roughly 48 square feet, which works out to about 13 square feet per ounce. That is a fraction of the weight of the sil-nylon footprints that ship with many tents, and well under Tyvek housewrap, which hikers generally describe as tougher but heavier. Folded, it disappears into a pocket or the corner of a stuff sack.

Protection. Gossamer Gear describes the film as industrial-grade cross-linked polyolefin, and owners largely back up the puncture claim. Section Hiker’s reviewer calls it surprisingly puncture-proof and reports reusing the same sheet for a year or more. The job it does best is keeping grit, damp and pine needles off a tent floor or off the underside of an inflatable pad and quilt. Gossamer Gear’s own guidance points to smooth ground as the ideal setting. Backpacking Light forum members make the same distinction: a hiker who clears sticks and thorns from a pitch can get away with thin polycryo, while someone who kicks the big rocks aside and calls it a night is better off with Tyvek.

Longevity. This is where expectations need adjusting. One gear retailer rates it for one to three seasons and notes that it becomes more prone to lateral tearing as it ages, even though it resists punctures well. A Rokslide poster lumped it in with other budget ground cloths as dirt cheap and light, but prone to tearing. Thru-hikers tend to treat it as a replaceable item: swap it when the edges go ragged, and tape the corners if they start to fray.

Handling. The film is stiff and crinkly. It makes noise when walked on, and it does not stay put on its own. A light breeze will lift it before the tent is staked, so most users pin the corners with rocks or pitch the shelter over it right away. Because it cuts cleanly with scissors, the 6 x 8 ft sheet is easy to tailor. Cutting off about a third works for most solo tents, saving weight and bulk. One forum user trimmed a sheet to match a cuben tarp and noted that precision doesn’t matter. Cut-down pieces also work as a small porch under a hammock or as a clean spot to stand on when getting out of a bivy at night.

Waterproofing. The film is fully waterproof, so it handles damp ground and light pooling. It also serves as a vapor barrier under a tarp setup, which can be a plus in wet meadows and a minor condensation nuisance in others. Anyone pitching a tarp in rain should still expect water to run across the sheet and collect where the ground dips.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 104 g for 48 square feet of coverage
• Waterproof and resistant to punctures on typical campsites
• Trims easily to fit any tent or tarp footprint
• Packs very small
• Inexpensive enough to replace each season

Cons

• Becomes more tear-prone with age; owners report one to three seasons of use
• Crinkly and noisy, and light enough to blow away during setup
• Not as rugged as Tyvek or sil-nylon on rocky or thorny ground
• Stock size requires trimming for small tents

Who Should Buy This

Anyone running a freestanding or semi-freestanding ultralight tent, a pyramid or flat tarp on reasonably clean ground, or a bivy who wants a cheap barrier between delicate fabric and dirt. It suits thru-hikers who track every ounce and don’t mind buying a fresh sheet each year. Hikers who camp on gravel, talus or thorny brush, or who want one groundsheet to last a decade, should look at Tyvek or a purpose-built sil-nylon or Dyneema footprint. Anyone who’s bothered by crinkly noise inside a vestibule should look at those options too.

Verdict

Gossamer Gear’s Polycryo Ground Cloth is one of the best ounce-for-dollar upgrades in ultralight, saving a few ounces over most manufacturer footprints at roughly $11. Treat it as a seasonal consumable, tape the corners, and bring a few rocks to hold it down. For its intended use on carefully picked campsites, it earns a strong recommendation.