|
 Topic: Why have a tent carpet?
|
Page: 1 2
  |
30/7/2015 at 11:18am
Location:
Outfit:
View Profile
Reply
Quote
|
Joined: 29/6/2008 Diamond Member 
Forum Posts: 12116
Tent Reviews: 1
| Site Reviews Total: | 4 |
|
| Site Reviews 2025: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2024: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2023: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2022: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2021: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2020: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2019: | 1 |
|
| Site Nights 2025: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2024: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2023: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2022: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2021: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2020: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2019: | 14 |
|
We have fully fitted custom made tent carpets in both the living area and bedroom pods, solely to help protect the SiG and ZiG.
Under the tent ZiG we place a Butyl Rubber Ground Sheet (Pond Liner) which is 1mm thick 3.7m x 4.5m and under that goes a cheapo Tarp which often gets binned after our 15 nights on the campsite.
Our Tent is comming up to ten years old, and both the SiG and ZiG are still in pristine condition, despite having camping for many weeks on hard baked sometimes stoney pitch's in the South of France during July.
|
30/7/2015 at 12:44pm
Location: Derby.
Outfit: T6 Hi-Top & Karsten
View Profile
Reply
Quote
|
Joined: 01/7/2012 Diamond Member
Forum Posts: 9067
Tent Reviews: 5
| Site Reviews Total: | 40 |
|
| Site Reviews 2025: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2024: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2023: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2022: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2021: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2020: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2019: | 0 |
|
| Site Nights 2025: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2024: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2023: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2022: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2021: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2020: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2019: | 0 |
|
Hollow,
I'm in total agreement with the majority.
Even in France, you can get chilly/damp ground through the night, and the carpet not only helps on that score, but as has been said, it also protects against furniture feet etc.
As for the footprint... certainly with a SIG tent... after 15 nights (The longest our tent has been in the same position) by La Dordogne in Sept '13, each of which rated between damp and soaking wet (morning dew/heavy mist etc, as well as the odd shower) we were left with this...
(Excuse all the ruts & channels... that was the moles!)
My only regret is that I didn't photograph the underside of the footprint! It was minging... and it smelled awful!
Had to drape it over the boundary hedge to get some sun on it, then beat it off with the broom, before sweeping off the bulk of stinky drying mud, and lobbing the sheet in a large but tightly wrapped bin liner for the journey home. A few days later, I laid it out in the garden, and gave it a good hosing/scrub.
Without that thin, flimsy footprint, which takes one minute to lay down, and costs very little when compared to the rest of the gear, we would have been left with all that stinky mess sticking to the underside of our beautiful tent (SIG)... And I wouldn't fancy having to take that home, and scrub it, once it had spread to the rolled up fly sheet too!
A footprint should be one of the first "added extra's" to buy, when choosing a SIG tent, imo.
PS:
...And I certainly wouldn't have fancied this without the carpet... and my Heat Holder socks... and the fan heater... and my slippers  ...
-------------
2025: 12 nights and counting...
2024: 43 nights
2023: 47 nights
2022: 40 nights
2021: 30 nights
2020: 24 nights
2019: 50 nights
2018: 30 nights
2017: 34 nights
2016: 32 nights
2015: 38 nights
2014: 34 nights
2013: 36 nights
From July 2012: 23 nights
|
30/7/2015 at 2:59pm
Location: Middlesex
Outfit: Cabanon Tents
View Profile
Reply
Quote
|
Joined: 03/2/2007 Platinum Member 
Forum Posts: 899
| Site Reviews Total: | 0 |
|
| Site Reviews 2025: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2024: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2023: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2022: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2021: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2020: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2019: | 0 |
|
| Site Nights 2025: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2024: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2023: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2022: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2021: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2020: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2019: | 0 |
|
I forgot to say we do have a tent with a sewn in groundsheet, have yet to use it, but when we do we WILL be putting down a footprint first and then the carpet inside the tent.
As Mucker said, the horrible mouldy type of smell that's on the underside of our loose groundsheets we use for the Cabanon tents after a week or so would be just awful on the actual tent bottom. Plus much more awkward to clean off than a footprint on its own.
|
31/7/2015 at 12:26pm
Location: North West
Outfit: Obelink Familia 6; ESVO Bedouin 280
View Profile
Reply
Quote
|
Joined: 19/1/2008 Diamond Member
Forum Posts: 1630
Tent Reviews: 4
| Site Reviews Total: | 16 |
|
| Site Reviews 2025: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2024: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2023: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2022: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2021: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2020: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2019: | 0 |
|
| Site Nights 2025: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2024: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2023: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2022: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2021: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2020: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2019: | 0 |
|
We like ours - it's warmer for the kids, who tend to sit/roll/fight on the floor a fair bit.
|
31/7/2015 at 1:29pm
Location: North West
Outfit: Obelink Familia 6; ESVO Bedouin 280
View Profile
Reply
Quote
|
Joined: 19/1/2008 Diamond Member
Forum Posts: 1630
Tent Reviews: 4
| Site Reviews Total: | 16 |
|
| Site Reviews 2025: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2024: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2023: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2022: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2021: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2020: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2019: | 0 |
|
| Site Nights 2025: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2024: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2023: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2022: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2021: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2020: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2019: | 0 |
|
A collapsible colander doesn't make his life comfier, though...
|
31/7/2015 at 5:02pm
Location: Cambs
Outfit: Kampa Daymer 8
View Profile
Reply
Quote
|
Joined: 09/8/2004 Gold Member 
Forum Posts: 350
Tent Reviews: 1
| Site Reviews Total: | 7 |
|
| Site Reviews 2025: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2024: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2023: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2022: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2021: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2020: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2019: | 0 |
|
| Site Nights 2025: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2024: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2023: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2022: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2021: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2020: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2019: | 0 |
|
If my missis reads this thread then it will be another thing to fit in the bloody car..
|
01/8/2015 at 12:30pm
Location: Suffolk
Outfit: Eriba Famila 320
View Profile
Reply
Quote
|
Joined: 21/6/2009 Platinum Member
Forum Posts: 716
Tent Reviews: 2
| Site Reviews Total: | 3 |
|
| Site Reviews 2025: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2024: | 1 |
| Site Reviews 2023: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2022: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2021: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2020: | 0 |
| Site Reviews 2019: | 0 |
|
| Site Nights 2025: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2024: | 3 |
| Site Nights 2023: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2022: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2021: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2020: | 0 |
| Site Nights 2019: | 0 |
|
Quote: Originally posted by Frog on 31/7/2015
If my missis reads this thread then it will be another thing to fit in the bloody car..
This is the reason we've bought a camper/multivan as we we're taking so much stuff! We use it more to carry kit around in and tend to sleep in the tent more than the van.
We find the footprint really helps when putting up the big tent. No more does the tent pitch out of shape and does help protect the underside of the tent and keeps some of the cold from coming up into the tent. As for carpet we use a picnic blanket as our tent didn't come with a carpet and I wasn't spending £100 for one. So much cosier when its wet and cold.
|
|
