Just made my own footprint.
I cut to size and then folded a seam approx 5cm thick all the way round, using a spot of masking tape to hold in place every few feet.
I then went round with duct tape to make a water tight seam, then added eyelets.
I bought a proper footprint for my tent but still found it didn't fit properly and stuck out in several places. The footprint seemed to measure correctly, a few centimetres short of the tent's groundsheet measurements so I can only assume the manufacturers stated groundsheet measurements were slightly exaggerated.
I solved the problem by cutting about 10" off the back end of the footprint which seemed to pull the rest of it in line. I had proposed to seam it and put in new eyelets and bought some cheap eyelets off Amazon. However, the eyelets turned out to be such a thin alloy and so fragile that they just weren't strong enough for a footprint. I have ended up just piercing the footprint with the mushroom groundsheet pegs and so far they have not torn or frayed.
At the time I had not seen Mucker's solution which he has posted on a few occasions of making a tuck/fold in the footprint and then sticking it with tape leaving the existing eyelets available for use.
Said folding and taping method, (leaving the original hem and eyelets in place):
Worked for me on a few alterations now.
That middle section of the "Z" can be whatever dimension is required to give the correct finished size... just ensure the tape covers all the fold, both sides, and each edge too, to ensure no water gets in/trapped in that "Z). Those upper and lower runs of tape can be feet apart, if need be (if original footprint is considerably oversized). This can also be applied to reduce both length and width of the same footprint, so a plan view would show a "+" of tape. (I hope that makes sense!)
As far as finished dimensions are concerned, I reckon where the SIG changes from flat (floor) to vertical (wall), some are more rounded, some are a sharper angle. The more rounded this edge/corner, the more chance rain has of trickling round, and back under the tent, before dropping to, or landing on, the ground.
Ergo, I would say a tent with a nice sharp edge to it, the footprint will be fine if 2" back from that edge. Consider more like 4" back, for a more rounded edge. Obviously, skirts/mud flaps etc can all play their part too, but ultimately, you need to ensure all rainwater/dew etc can run off the tent onto the ground, without landing on that footprint.
If you can see the edge of the footprint, chances are it is too big, and could prove ineffective in keeping things dry below the tent (it will still keep it clean of mud though, obviously).
slightly off topic - but im going to need to repair my footprint as I (and yes it was me rather than hubby this time!) managed to be too heavy handed when pulling the corner peg out and ripped the loop off! shall be doing a quick repair before we go again! :(
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Topic: DIY footprint = tarp + duct tape :)
