A materials engineer turned long-distance hiker who built the lightest tent groundsheet film on the market — made in Europe.

“A product developed by a hiker for hikers. It not only protects against moisture from the ground but also reduces the overall weight of the gear without compromising performance.” — XFOIL founder

Developed & produced in Europe – Founder active in plastics industry – VISIT XFOIL →

(€ = budget | €€ = mid | €€€ = premium | €€€€ = luxe) (★★★★★ = heirloom + zero-waste preorder |

Every ultralight hiker has argued about groundsheet weight. Tyvek, Polycro, construction film — each one a compromise. The founder of XFOIL had the same argument for years, until his day job in the plastics industry gave him the tools to end it. The result is a 19-micron polyolefin film that weighs under 20g per square metre — field-tested by the founder himself across more than 6,000km of long-distance trails.

Brand Intro

XFOIL was created by an experienced long-distance hiker with a professional background in the European plastics industry. Frustrated by every available groundsheet option — too heavy, too fragile, or too expensive — the founder applied materials science expertise to develop a 6-layer polyolefin film with graphene reinforcement, UV crosslinking, and plasma post-treatment. The brand ships from Europe, offers a Dutch, German, and English version of the webshop, and operates a full take-back and recycling programme for used material.

Inspiring Story

After years of testing construction films, roofing membranes, Polycro sheets, and Tyvek on long trails, the founder concluded that nothing on the market was good enough — and that he had the professional knowledge to do something about it. The development process involved extensive material trials using his plastics industry access to specialist films and processing techniques. The final XFOIL formula is a 6-layer composite: UHMWPE, HDPE, and LLDPE layers combined with graphene, processed through gel spinning and melt extrusion, with plasma post-treatment for outdoor durability. His own pair of boots has now covered over 6,000km with XFOIL underfoot — and the film is still going.

Who is this for?

You have optimised your pack weight down to the last gram and your groundsheet is still an afterthought. You’ve used Polycro and found it fragile, or Tyvek and found it heavy. You want something that rolls to the size of a fist, weighs less than a phone, and actually keeps moisture out all night. You might also be a MYOG builder looking for the ideal film for a cuben-alternative tarp or rain poncho. And when the sheet eventually wears out, you want to know it goes back into the material cycle rather than landfill.

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The information on this blog has been presented to the brand but not yet been verified.