Ok, so some of you may know i have been looking for a canvas family tent and have recently bought a De Waard Albatros with 3 side screens and sun canopy etc,etc.
Now the Albatros has a really thick/strong ground sheet but i always like to put down some kind of footprint for the extra piece of mind of not puncturing the tents own ground sheet.
Now i have looked at the usual blue tarp's on fleabay but they all look too thin and would tear at the first instance.
The Albatros i have has a 4mtr x 4.2mtr base,does anyone have a better product/tarp/damp proof membrane which really works?
Have also scoured the usual suspects for footprints to suit tents by Outwell and Vango with a similar area as the Albatros but the price is between 40-60 notes if i'm lucky.
Tarpulines Direct has different grades of tarps available to suit one's needs.
I got one of their budget one as an additional groundsheet to protect the thick PVC ZIG of my tent, and it is still going strong after 3 seasons's of good use.
Remember to get a tarp slightly smaller than the footprint of the tent to minimise the risk of water ingress when it rains.
DK
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The problem is, only you know what protection you want to give your tent's SIG, and what price you put on it.
There are some wonderful looking tarps out there, some thicker than the SIG itself, but they don't come cheap. But, for example, is £60 - £100 expensive, when compared to the cost of the tent you are trying to protect? Maybe not!
I recently bought one similar to This, but 3.5 x 3.5, for a total of £8.24 inc. delivery.
My thinking was...rightly or wrongly... my tent's SIG is up to the job, (touch wood!!) providing I pitch on grass, not hard standing... and I (thoroughly!!) check the pitch for sharps and stones etc first!
Ergo, my footprint is merely to keep my SIG clean, and not particularly to offer any protection against damage.
I'd guess, in theory, to protect the SIG from damage, you'd need a footprint thicker than the SIG itself?
As my tent is "one of the more expensive ones", I'm still in some doubt as to whether I have done the right thing... and often struggle to sleep at night wondering if I should get something a little more sturdy!!
I may still change my mind, and purchase something "better", be that a heavy duty tarp, or pond liner of some sort, but for now, I'm tempted "to risk it".
I've made my decision... which I may well live to regret.
Now it's your turn... How much do you value your tent, and how much are you prepared to pay to protect your SIG?
Not easy, I'll concede that!
Let us know what you end up with... and ultimately how satisfied you are with it.
Just been speaking to our scaffolders (sister company) who have "Mono-flex", which is similar to the tarps in the above link by "FOAM".
Ours is only 2m wide though, so I may cut two pieces at about 3.4m long (smaller than the 3.5 of my SIG) then lap them when we are in the Pod only, and butt them up (giving 3.4 x 4m) when we have the awing on, thus leaving about 0.5m protruding into awning.
Disadvantages seem to include it not being sealed at the joint, so may let water in. So I may need to consider Gorilla taping the two pieces together, which I have done previously on a folded tarp (successfully), but not two separate tarps? Another is that it would only have eyelets along the rear and front (and the centre/lap) but not the sides. This also wouldn't come with reinforced corners.
Advantages, however, seem to include having two, smaller tarps, which may prove advantageous for transporting, and cleaning up. It also seems rather thick/strong (it has that reinforced "string" in it).
The main advantage is that it is totally free, and comes as a limitless supply!!
Hmmm... seems I haven't made my decision afterall!!
For our Cabanon we have a cheapy Tarp 5m x 4m but the real protection for the ZiG comes from a sheet of Butyl Rubber Pond Liner 1mm in thickness also 5m x 4m, kindly given to me by a friend who does ponds, although Butyl Rubber can be bought of the roll at many garden centres, at around 50p per square foot.
With the added protection of re-modelled Outwell Tent carpets for inside the tent our ZiG has remained as new since we got the tent back in 2008.
Some of the pitch's we have been on in the South East of France during July, have been hard baked, and I am sure the ZiG would have been damaged, had we not had the added protection.
We've been using the same blue tarp 4m x 5m for the last 6+ years and its still in very good condition. Its not need to protect the ground sheet but keeps it cleaner making packing up easier . I'd never buy a branded footprint there just a marketing rip off.
Yep same here, always used a reasonable quality tarp. Even if you only got a couple of years use it will cost less than £10 to replace if you shop around.
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Quote: Originally posted by sharky9193 on 08/12/2014
Ok, so some of you may know i have been looking for a canvas family tent and have recently bought a De Waard Albatros with 3 side screens and sun canopy etc,etc.
Now the Albatros has a really thick/strong ground sheet but i always like to put down some kind of footprint for the extra piece of mind of not puncturing the tents own ground sheet.
Now i have looked at the usual blue tarp's on fleabay but they all look too thin and would tear at the first instance.
The Albatros i have has a 4mtr x 4.2mtr base,does anyone have a better product/tarp/damp proof membrane which really works?
Have also scoured the usual suspects for footprints to suit tents by Outwell and Vango with a similar area as the Albatros but the price is between 40-60 notes if i'm lucky.
Any ideas??
Regards.
Sharky.
Hi Sharky - I am looking for something like this for my De Waard - what did you finally decide to buy?
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Topic: how to make your own footprint?
