While camping up at black swan fearby last october we had a problem with shap twigs poking through the SIG on the vario 600 - site owner had cut the big hedge week before with a flale mower - bits all over
My dad has given us - along with the rest on his vintage camping gear , along with a ridge tent he bought second hand over 40 years ago - a thick rubberised type ground sheet
,my idea was to put this under the tent as we put it up to protect the SIG from damage - is this a good idea or will water get between them and possible cause us a problme ?
No it wont cause any probs , but be sure to tuck the groundsheet about 2 inches under your flysheet , this will stop rain water from getting inbetween the two .
the problem is because the tent is SIG there is no real end to the fly sheet just the little flaps - but i think we will give it a try next time out then and see how it goes - little bit more insulation as well I suppose
It needs to be a couple of inches in from the outermost edge of the SIG. If it's a lot bigger than the footprint of the tent, it would probably be best to cut it to two inches shorter than the SIG all round, rather than folding the edges under, as this would cause a ridge which you would feel through the SIG - may make your table, chairs etc. wobbly too if they are placed across the ridge.
You must make sure the groundsheet doesnt protrude outside of the main area of your tent as water will get trapped under your tent and cause all sorts of problems. Ive got a footprint groundsheet for my Vango Aspen 700 DLX which is a groundsheet made as the same shape as my tent and i find this ideal for keeping the mud off the bottom of my sown in ground sheet which in turn keeps the mud off the inner tent fabric when im packing my tent away, then all i have to do is hose down the footprint groundsheet when i get home.So yes the extra groundsheet is a good idea with loads of benefits.
mud dont bother me as much as damage to the SIG from stones / sharp sticks - never really thought of it until last year at fearby were it was a bit messy
Last year, we used put tarpaulins down before putting the bedrooms and inner groundsheet in. Made packing up an awful lot easier, the mess was on old tarpaulins instead of new tent ; )
We're off again in August (and maybe before if we can escape), will definitely be using the tarpaulins again, yes, not overlapping the outside!!
We have the same tent and got a 5m x 4m tarp from B&Q for about a fiver i think.It is the same size as the vario you just have to tuck one side under by a small amout as the vario measures 500 x 390.
how do you get on with the vario carole ? weve only had it out once thinks it a very nice tent - think our old ground sheet is only 4 x 3 so it will only go under part of tent
We have a piece of awning carpet to go inside to make it warmer
A footprint groundsheet is a good idea with SIG (apart from you having to carry yet one more thing), but don't forget the good old fashioned technique of walking round and across the area you intend to pitch on first, and picking up the worst of the debris. Even a double groundsheet won't save you from ripping if there`s a protruding tent peg, piece of broken glass or similar sharp object. And though dog poo won't rip a groundsheet, you just don't want to be pitched on it....
And of course we all walk our pitches when we pack up, yes? To remove every last tiny piece of our debris? I know that cutting hedges is a different type of debris (I would have complained) but I get sick of arriving on pitches and finding them littered with matches, fag ends and bits of food wrappers.
Quote: Originally posted by f1ferrari0 on 20/1/2008
Last year, we used put tarpaulins down before putting the bedrooms and inner groundsheet in. Made packing up an awful lot easier, the mess was on old tarpaulins instead of new tent ; )
We're off again in August (and maybe before if we can escape), will definitely be using the tarpaulins again, yes, not overlapping the outside!!
That's exactly what we do. We got a huge tarp from B & Q for about £13, we cut round our groundsheets to get the basic shape and when we are pitching we tuck the edges under so that we don't catch any rain between the two. it makes it so much better when you are pitching and packing up, means you don't have to fold your tent up on wet grass if it's early morning and you don't get nasty, muddy groundsheets. We just fold the tarp up, take it home in a bin liner and jet wash it in the back garden.
------------- May/June - Spring Valley
Aug/Sept - Leekworth
LOL, yes, we did exactly the same, mind you, the neighbours looked at is hosing down the tarp on the washing line
That's exactly what we do. We got a huge tarp from B & Q for about £13, we cut round our groundsheets to get the basic shape and when we are pitching we tuck the edges under so that we don't catch any rain between the two. it makes it so much better when you are pitching and packing up, means you don't have to fold your tent up on wet grass if it's early morning and you don't get nasty, muddy groundsheets. We just fold the tarp up, take it home in a bin liner and jet wash it in the back garden.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: extra gound sheet question
