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OK I know many say to stick to the basics before you actually find out if camping is for you but when sales are on I just can't resist. I am picking up my bargain Gelert atlantis 5 with porch tomorrow and notice there is a footprint for this on sale half price for £11.25, are these good or am I better off making do with one of the tarps I already have?

I already had:

cig lighter travel kettle,

1x dora ready bed,

1x sleeping bag,

2x picnic rugs,

fleeces,

folding chairs,

Air hammer pump

picnic basket with plastic crockery & cutlery (not to mention all the melamine stuff I have for the kids).

And so far I have bought new:

(tesco) folding table & chairs £15

(tesco) 2x double airbeds £15

(tesco) floral sleeping bag £3.33

(tesco) 20x spare tent pegs £1.67

(fieldandtrek) 2x blue sleeping bags £10

(amazon) 24 led light £3

(tesco) 3x 12"X18" tarps £14

(very) 2x floor cushions £16

(very) tablecloth £7

(argos) windbreak £10

Secondhand Campus Arizona 8 man tent £75 but intend to sell

Relum canaria 6 £10 (still unseen as my brother picked up for me and is bringing home next week)

Gelert Atlantis 5 + porch £20

So you can see I haven't spent much at all, I will buy the kitchen gear & more lights after we have had a short summer break and may have to buy some of those solar fairy lights purely for the kids of course :)

I am also thinking of packing a couple of double duvet covers to use as sleeping bag liners (will connect two single sleeping bags together) will this work ok?

If you can get a footprint for £11.25 then that seems a good price.

My opinion of footprints is that they are an added hassle when erecting the tent especially in wind and trying to make sure the tent sits exactly on top. Also, despite keeping the footprint underneath the tent it is still possible for water/damp to get between the footprint and the groundsheet so your groundsheet is then basically sitting in a pond. Earth/grass underneath the groundsheet and water soaks away.

The only purposes I can see are that it adds extra protection from any stones/sticks underneath the tent which you might not have spotted before erecting the tent and it prevents the underside of the groundsheet from getting muddy when camping on rough pitches. It won't stop it getting wet though.

However, those are my views and many other people use footprints and swear by them.

Quote: Originally posted by arryp0tter on 20/8/2011

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when you have spent a sunday scraping mud of the bottom of your tent you will know why we use footprints

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As I pack the tent away and roll it up I gradually knock off or wipe off any mud sticking to the bottom. There never seems to be a great deal. I am not too fussy about it, after all, a couple of weeks later it will be out getting dirty again. I don't wash my car tyres either because they will only get dirty again the next time I drive it

I suppose it depends what state the pitches are that you go camping on. If you pitch on good grass then the underside of the groundsheet won't get too dirty. If you pitch on mud then of course it will. I must admit that after going to two C&CC sites recently I seriously considered buying a footprint!

Having thought a bit more about it, I camp alone and only really use my tent for sleeping in. If I am on site and the weather is nice I am usually sitting outside, so I am not tramping about inside the tent for any length of time. Perhaps that is why the the bottom stays cleaner than the tents of those people who 'live' in them or have kids running in and out jumping up and down etc.

I did once try to use a tarpaulin underneath my tent but found trying to struggle with it in windy conditions more trouble than it was worth. I have also seen other people's tarpaulins floating across adjoining fields on more than one occasion, so to me they aren't worth the hassle but may well be a great help to others. 

Def get the footprint for that price.

Where did you get the tent for £20 Bargain!!