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I use picnic blankets at £3.99 each from B&M Bargains (if you don't have one of those nearby it's a bit like Home Bargains or even Poundstretchers). I use four of them on the livingroom section of my five man tunnel tent. I find it does make the tent much cosier and protects the SIG. You could get a couple to try them out and put the carpet on next years wish list.

£20 is a damn good price though. The carpet for my tent starts at £39 and I can't justify the purchase.

But the advantage of picnic blankets over a dedicated carpet is that you can put them in the washing machine when you come home, and while you're away you can lift one quite easily and shake the grass from it. You can't really lift the whole carpet so conveniently as everything will be on it, but if you're only lifting one section (ie the section in the doorway) it's much easier to shake out.

A footprint groundsheet adds protection from such as thorns and ant acid (a problem in some countries) making holes in your SIG. If you use airbeds its another layer of protection for them too. It is also fabulous at keeping the SIG clean saving you potentially up to an hour trying to clean mud off the SIG when you pack away or you just fold the mud into the tent contaminating the flysheet etc. Even in the height of a dry summer you'll get mud and mown grass sticking to the bottom of the tent. With a footprint groundsheet the tent goes away clean and you can just bundle the groundsheet into a bin bag and hose it clean at home. The SIG also lets you test out where you position the tent and identify unwanted dips etc...

The footprint groundsheets are made to fit, but you can cut down a tarpaulin from a DIY shop so that it is slightly smaller than the tent or fold UNDER (not over - which traps moisture) any excess. None of it should stick out or it will funnel water under the tent.

The carpet makes a big difference when walking with bare feet and for children to play on, but picnic blankets or even a rug with non-slip rug underlay will do. The edges can be a trip hazard though, which is one of the advantages of a dedicated carpet unless you use binding tape and sew them together. The Vango carpets have padding inside them for comfort, while others are similar to picnic rugs.