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Subject Topic: Pitching a Tent on a Hardstanding Pitch
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PersonIc31420
via mobile 01/4/2025 at 8:35pm
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Good Evening.

We have a camping pitch booked at The Keswick Camping and Caravanning Site. They've only released hardstanding pitches due to the weather and soft ground

I've never camped or pitched in hardstanding, despite calling the site several times I haven't get got a response so don't know exact what to expect of the surface.

I am a bit concerned about the groundsheet of the tent being damaged or cut by stones. we have a footprint but it's just a woven pvc tarpaulin thing.

Does anyone have experience of this site and know what the pitch is like?

Can anyone offer advice for a better footprint ?


Personfranbee
01/4/2025 at 8:41pm
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Sheets of cardboard box? Recycle afterwards


PersonIc31420
via mobile 01/4/2025 at 9:20pm
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Awesome, simple ones are the best ones....

Thanks


PersonSomersetcamping
via mobile 01/4/2025 at 11:00pm
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We pitched on hard standing a couple of times. I used a blue general builders tarpaulin around the same.soze as the tent footprint then the normal footprint groundsheet, then the tent , we had a carpet to do used that and if I remember correctly we put down cheap beach mat type things in the bedrooms for a bit of extra protection under the beds. No problems at all
Make sure you have decent rock pegs or some heavy duty 6' wood nails with washers on os a lot cheaper alternative.


Persondk168
02/4/2025 at 1:55am
 Location: Devizes Wiltshire
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Add a couple of cheapo tarpuline as additional groundsheets to minimise the risk of sharp stones digging into the tent's footprint groundsheet.

Cardboards are fine as long as the hardstanding has good drainage, otherwise they would become a soggy mess when it is time to go home.

Whatever you use, make sure the additional ground covering is smaller than the footprint of your tent, to minimise the risk of water collecting between the footprint groundsheet and the additional ground covering.

When the additional ground covering is smaller than the footprint of the tent, water should fall onto the ground and not onto the additional covering, if you know what I mean.

DK

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Persondaveyjp
02/4/2025 at 10:16am
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For something slightly more permanent and weatherproof look at floor protection sheets which are corrugated plastic, cost about £5 each.

Also Handy on grass pitches for outside the entrance way if its raining.


PersonFiona W
via mobile 02/4/2025 at 11:36pm
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We had this problem unexpectedly on a site: the pitch looked to be grass but it was actually part of a river embankment, built up for flood protection. The hardstanding itself was not a particular problem (our tent floor survived, but we always used a blue tarp underneath). The problem was getting the *#!% tent pegs into the hardstand.

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PersonIc31420
via mobile 03/4/2025 at 7:58am
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Thanks everyone.

We always seem to end up on hard ground so have a vast quantity of hammer in rock pegs ;-) We have a selection of tarps so will take a few of those.

I'd thought about floor projection mats but the issue is storage after (getting them through the loft hatch!)


Persondk168
03/4/2025 at 10:46am
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I would also advise using metal jar lids under the feet of heavy loads such as camp beds to minimise the feet digging into the ground and damaging the footprint groundsheet.

DK

-------------
Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!



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