I can see the benefit of having a little piece of Tyvek to keep my backpack and gear off mud and dirt while camping and staying organized. (The photo shows Mrs. Bushcraft’s setup, by the way.)
It’s also useful as a clean sitting surface under a chair or sit pad, or even placed under a hammock at night so you have a dirt-free spot to step onto when getting up. I really dislike having to step directly onto the ground after getting out of a hammock.
Bonus story:
On the next night of the trip, we were sleeping in our hammocks when we were suddenly woken up by an extremely loud, almost eerie snorting sound. At first, Mrs. Bushcraft was scared, but I immediately recognized it as a deer and reassured her.
The deer was snorting and wheezing near us, apparently reacting to the campsite area where we had urinated. I’ve always heard you shouldn’t urinate near trees because it can affect wildlife, and I actually witnessed a deer repeatedly licking those spots—likely for salt.
I had to get out and chase the deer away because it was getting too persistent. It took a while for us to calm down before we could sleep again. This happened in the Smoky Mountains.
6