Why does nobody talk about tent footprint sizing changes over the years

I noticed last week that my old REI Half Dome 2 footprint from like 2015 doesn't even fit the newer model right. The corners are off by about 2 inches each side, so water just pools under the tent floor if it rains. I called REI customer service and they said they changed the floor dimensions slightly in 2019 but never updated the footprint sizes. Has anyone else run into this with older gear not matching newer versions?

2 comments

2 Comments

robert_hayes1mo ago

That 2 inch gap sounds like a manufacturing tolerance issue more than a deliberate change. I've got a Big Agnes tent from 2017 and when I bought a new footprint last year it fit fine, corners lined up perfect. Companies adjust patterns now and then for fabric cutting efficiency or to fix a weak point in the old design. Nobody talks about it because most footprints still work close enough for the average camper who doesn't lay them out perfectly flat. If your corners are off that bad, maybe your footprint got stretched out from years of use in the sun or heat instead of the tent changing.

phoenix_adams601mo ago

Oh come on @robert_hayes, this isn't some tiny tolerance thing... two inches off each side is pretty bad. I get that companies tweak patterns for efficiency or whatever, but a footprint is supposed to match the tent floor, not just "close enough." If water pools under your tent because the corners don't line up, that's not a minor issue, that's a design fail. I had an older MSR tent where the footprint was like an inch too short on one end after a model change, and I had to cut a new one out of polycro myself. It's annoying when gear companies act like nobody will notice these changes. Guess they figured most people just buy a whole new tent every few years anyway.