I usually put my Snowtrekker directly in the ice, but I’d love to put it on land (not at campsites) to avoid the water and slush buildup in the tent.

Does the heat and dry air dry the ground out as it thaws? Or does it just turn into a muddy mess?

Never had it happen. Most of the time you’re set up on duff.

I have a floor mat that I set under the stove. The perimeter dries-out pretty well. The back end of my baker's tent has a canvas floor. I also bring four rubber floor mats to have dry spots for changing boots. I have never had mud.

I am the same in that I prefer camping on ice. When we are forced to set up on land we trample down the snow rather than shoveling it out. The only area we may shovel out is around the stove and even there we have never had an issue with mud.

Last year due to the slush on the lake we setup on a well used spot on Duncan.

We had a tarp for the floor in our Snowtrekker but lets just say its was a freaking mess when things warmed up in the afternoon. The mud would come through the rips/tears/(burn holes?) in the tarp. Lesson learned to maybe put down some thatch or some pine branch or something before setting up.

lyontyl: "Last year due to the slush on the lake we setup on a well used spot on Duncan.


We had a tarp for the floor in our Snowtrekker but lets just say its was a freaking mess when things warmed up in the afternoon. The mud would come through the rips/tears/(burn holes?) in the tarp. Lesson learned to maybe put down some thatch or some pine branch or something before setting up."

How warm did you get? We are going on this week and it’s supposed to get pretty cold.

Whether on snow or land try packing down the snow instead of digging out. If you do dig down, leave 4-6” of snow and pack that down. The snow cushion prevents melting the ice or dirt underneath. Using a floor tarp and reflectors under the stove are also a must to stop the melt mess.

Afternoon's were probably high 30's and lots of sun

We never dig down. The first thing we do when we get ready to camp is pack the snow down wherever the tent is to be set and give it a little time to set up. We’ve never had an issue with mud even when it rained on us for a couple days.

Vapor barrier floor- I use an underlayment left over from a new roof.
On top of that I use something that will insulate, z-rests cover the entire floor if I am camping with others and we have the space.
Then some wool blankets on top of that.

I have pictures of that setup Here

This floor does a very good job at keeping snow from melting and prevents slipping and sliding.

I also have been using a silver sun mat that is also listed in that thread. So far that is working well, and is lighter, less bulk, and cheaper than z-rests.

We always camp on the ice- no worries about uneven ground.