Hi, I am interested in any advice regarding purchasing a groundsheet and an inner tent carpet for the living area.
I have an Urban Escape Atago 5 man tent which hs a living area of about 200cm x 365cm (as far as I know). I have seen a groundsheet and carpet set made specifically for this tent online but it no longer seems to be available from Halfords. Whether this is a seasonal thing or totally discontinued I don't know, so I am looking for any alternatives that anyone can recommend.
Preferrably something that is not going to take up too much space in the car and is not too expensive to buy.
Is a groundsheet essential? As the tent already has a sewn in groundsheet, what would be the advantages of a separate groundsheet?
Thanks for any advice that is forthcoming, if anyone knows where I could obtain the aforementioned Halfords twin pack please let me know.
Regards, Dave.
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Depending on the thickness and quality of the sewn in groundsheet (aka SIG), a separate groundsheet (aka Footprint) can offer more protection (from a little to a lot, again depending on thickness/quality!) against stones/sharps etc. A ruined footprint is easy to replace. Not so easy with a ruined SIG!
Even disregarding the above, it is so much easier to take home your flat rectangular footprint to clean and dry it on the lawn/over a washing line, than it is to try and get the underside of the SIG clean & dry before you can bag it up and put it in the car... as it's attached to a bigger, bulkier tent, of course!
Simple rule... make sure the footprint is slightly smaller than the base of the tent. If it sticks out into view, rain/dew can land on it (either directly, or drip off the tent walls) which in turn can, depending on ground levels, trickle under the tent, but on top of the footprint, thus leaving a puddle under foot, between the two waterproof layers (nowhere to escape!). Using a breathable groundsheet as a footprint would allow any such puddle to drain away... but wouldn't stop wet/mud rising through it, so it defeats the object, imo.
Any sheet of polythene, cheap B&Q builders tarp, or of course, the purpose made footprint will all do more good than harm, so well worth having, imo.
As for carpets...
A/ They are great for adding warmth and comfort, and
B/ Can be a pain to find the sizes, if you can't get the tent-specific one. They tend to name the tent, but note the physical sizes!!
I'd suggest find the size of the floor, and then find the nearest available carpet at a suitable price. Too big? Just fold the edges under! Too small? Remember the lino border around your mum & dads lounge, before fitted carpet was all the rage? (Or was that just us?
And don't limit yourself to carpeting just the living area... the bedroom section will also be much warmer and cosier with one too... although they don't make bedroom carpets, so the above "nearest size will do" has to come into play!
This list may help cut out a little of the research needed.
We use a cheap £3 dark green Tarp from B&Q 5m x 4m which is a perfect fit for under our ZiG.
On top of the Tarp goes a Butyl Rubber 1mm thick groundsheet, really only used when on baked dusty pitch's in the South of France.
Butyl Rubber can be obtained from garden centres, of the roll at around 50p per sq ft, so not cheap and quite heavy.
As for Tent Carpets, I had two Outwell carpets cut and hemmed to a bespoke fit for our Cabanon, one for the bedroom, and one for the main living area.
The carpets really do add something, and we have been using them since 2009, they pack small and light which helps.
IMHO, additional groundsheet and carpet are not essential.
However, additional groundsheet will give extra protection for the tent's SIG or ZIG, and carpet will make the living or sleeping area cosier.
I use a cheapo tarp as additional groundsheet, and PVC-backed picnic rug as carpet in the living area.
DK
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I have only started using a footprint this year and I have been amazed at how useful they are. I have in the past discovered little holes in my tent groundsheet caused, no doubt, by thorns or sharp stones. A footprint will stop that, but also when it comes to rolling up the tent to go home you will usually find the underside of the groundsheet dry and the surface of the footprint dry. This gives you a nice dry surface to kneel on to roll up a nice dry tent...no more wet and muddy knees and dirty towels as you try to dry off the tent groundsheet and remove the worm casts...and worms and slugs!
Carpets are a must in my opinion. Probably more important in the bedroom pods than the living area...nothing worse than stepping out of bed with warm feet onto a freezing cold bare groundsheet. It is also nice to be able to walk around the living area on a warm carpet too.
I use PVC backed picnic rugs in my tents which are pretty much the same as genuine tent carpets depending on the quality, but a fraction of the price. I bought mine on ebay and they come in various sizes and prices so shop around. Supermarkets sometimes sell them.
Thanks for all the replies, very usefull. I will have a look on ebay for some prices and look to purchase both a footprint and some carpets ready for next year.
Another benefit of the groundsheet is that it can help you choose and then tweak the position of your pitch so you can take in to account any little hidden dips in ground level etc. It's easier to move the groundsheet than the whole tent.
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Topic: Tent groundsheets and carpets
