Hi, I recently got a Vango Verona 8dlx tent from Gumtree and spent out first weekend away and loved it.
We are not looking at getting little extras here and there to improve and maintain the tent. The first thing i been looking for is a Footprint for the tent to sit on. Unfortunately due to the age of the tent i cant find anywhere that stocks the Vango original one.
Does anyone have suggestions where i would be able to possible find one or a suitable substitution.
Thanks.
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The whole point of a footprint is two-fold... primarily to be waterproof to keep the underside of the tent clean and dry, and secondly to offer a little more physical protection against sharp thorns etc... some would argue I have those the wrong way round, and I'd struggle to keep the argument going, to be fair!
It must not protrude where rain can land (or drip) on it, and form (trapped) puddles between the footprint and the tent's groundsheet.
Most go for a footprint 4" to 6" narrower, and 4" to 6" shorter, than the tent, then positioned centrally.
It seems to me you have two options... find a (current/recent) tent of a similar size, and use a footprint designed for that, or purchase any waterproof sheet.*
Either way, due to the shape of your tent (I've just Googled it, and it seems each corner is chamfered), I strongly suspect you'd need to cut it to suit the shape anyway. Depending on your choice, it may not need re-hemming (after cutting), and it may well be able to have eyelets added, if required.
Such corners could also be folded (as opposed to cut) and held in place with "Gorilla Tape" or similar good quality waterproof cloth tape.
*Popular choices of "Home-made" footprints can include, but not be limited to, the cheapest of cheap polythene "decorators dust sheets" (usually used the once then thrown away!), bog standard builders tarps (B&Q and such like), quality tarps, industrial/heavy-duty lorry type tarps, and various thicknesses of pond liner.
Of course, some offer more protection, but may be bulkier/heavier when being transported (and don't forget, it is likely to be wet and muddy until you get it home!)
The choice is endless, and you most certainly are not limited to specific tent footprints.
EDIT:
As you have bought used, just in case you are not aware of the dimensions...
So aim for a rectangle around 7.0m x 2.8m (Tent is 7.2 x 3.0) then sort the corners out to suit.
Maybe somewhere like Attwoolls could help. They are a great camping shop. They also do repairs and made to measure products such as carpets and maybe tarpaulins.
We buy cheap tarps and cut to size, use gaffa tape and pierce with a peg to create strong pegging points if the original eyelets have to be cut off - no issues over the past 8 years on a variety of tents. My priority is keeping the base of the tent clean and our method works perfectly for this. Made one for a Vango Alpha 400 which is still going strong after more than 30 camps.
...er...hum....disposable plastic sheets may not be very PC these days
I would also suggest that they are rather thin and flimsy to have much benefit and I once saw two of them flying high in the sky having taken off from somewhere on the campsite. A heavy tarpaulin is less likely to leave the ground giving you a better chance of getting it pegged down, will serve it's purpose well, and will last years if looked after.
I agree that dustsheets are flimsy and single use plastic is not good for the planet.
I buy cheap tarp off eBay, and trim it to size, (i.e. slightly smaller all the way round) and then bang in some eyelets. I line any cut edges with gaffer tape or gorilla tape to prevent fraying.
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Topic: Footprint Help.
