Footprints and carpets..... necessary or just nice?

[Alambil]

Very small budget for my tent expenses (well, £200 for the tent - not much for extras!)

Do I NEED a footprint and / or carpet? (for the Outwell carolina 3)

[chevre]

no

[Overmydeadbody]

No No No

They are just nice extra luxuries.

You definately don't need them.

A good alternative that I've heard people talking about round here is using picnic blankets instead.

[Overmydeadbody]

When camping you want to spend most of your time outdoors and only use the tent to store stuff and sleep in, so no point wasting money pimping up the inside of the tent.

[muffle]

No, our tent has sewn-in groundsheet and then I put down a few picnic mats - cheapo rush matting one that I got in H&M and a couple of tesco ones that were about £4 each. For even comfier lying around add the blankets / sleeping bags / duvets from your beds too.

[muffle]

I actually disagree with OMDB in that I do like a nice pimped tent interior that looks like a bedouin palace with blankets and quilts everywhere and dangling lanterns! - but there's no need to spend money on the official carpet etc.

[chevre]

loving the 'pimp up my tent' concept.

[muffle]

I would even have cupcake bunting if it wasn't so naff. I secretly like it.

[WhereTheWildThingsWere]

No, you certainlly don't need a carpet I am a ridiculously soft camper but even I draw the line at rolling out the Axminster, take a picnic rug then you can use it indoors and out.

If we had had a carpet in our tent it would now be stained with countless spilt drinks, mud, bubble mix and a full bottle of sun cream that bizarrely exploded last year. Groundsheets are wipeable much better.

Footprints are a tad different in that when your tent has a sig it's a bugger if it gets holes in and if it should be very muddy it means you have to get your whole tent out when you get home to clean the groundsheet.

So the footprint protects you from damage and faffy cleaning.

You can diy by just buying some tarp and cutting it to size, or just folding the edges under to make the right shape, it doesn't need to be the branded one.

Having said all that we don't have one yet, we tend to add bits every year, this year we got the canopy, will probably get the footprint next year.

[Overmydeadbody]

lol muffle

if you're into the pimped up look you might as well sling the bunting up too


my tent is too small to pimp up anyway

[chevre]

bless!

i have been pimping up my camper - new curtains. i might get some bunting - to hell with the naffness

[Slubberdegullion]

Nope, absolutely not needed. Plastic backed picnic blanket does the job fine (and much easier to clean/shake out/squish somewhere in the car).

I'd max out you budget on your tent OR what you are sleeping on or in.

[Slubberdegullion]

I pimp my tent with myself. I am vey glamorous and have a new, exceptionally tasteful camping hat which matches the canvas of my tent.

[Overmydeadbody]

roffle slubber

[Alambil]

I have everything else from my other camping escapades... just need a tent-upgrade!

the tent has a sig so I will get the footprint - the official one is £25 so is not too expensive

[3rdnparty]

I would definately get a footprint/tarp to protect the base if a sewn in groundsheet as trying to clean off mud/twigs etc and dry off a wet tent at the same time in a small space is a nightmare but picnic rugs fine instead of carpet ...
and gives you something to buy next year

[muffle]

Does your pitch look a bit like a white stuff catalogue slubber, with a chintzy tent with net curtains and you lolling seductively in the doorway?

[Slubberdegullion]

I'd make your own for a builders tarp from B&Q (probably a fiver) and spend the left over £20 on nice wine^ or a tasteful camping hat.

[Slubberdegullion]

it certainly does not muffle. White stuff my arse. My pitch looks very sensible and thrusting, with a very sensible, beautifully designed tent and sensible utility. Everything is in order and I NEVER loll about. I look industrious and capable, like a proper camper should.

[FlappyTheBat]

Have both footprint and carpet for my tent, we do most of our camping in Scotland and first went when dd2 was just starting to crawl.

My excuse for getting the carpet was that it would be warmer for her to crawl on as invariably the ground is always cold and mushy.

[muffle]

Ah slubber, take that pole out of your bum, come on over to my bunting-bedecked bedouin palace and have some gin.

[Slubberdegullion]

Gin? Good Lord. I'll come and partake if the tonic is cold, otherwise I'll stick to my nice wine out of a beaker whilst tensioning my guys.

[chevre]

can i come in my camper and give you some ice [needy]

[muffle]

Of course it's cold! Courtesy of my camping fridge (bags of ice in a sainsbury's coolbag surrounding the gin, the tonic and the sausages)

[muffle]

But you're welcome chevre

Mind your head on my bunting!

[chevre]

btw muffle, tis i [removes mask]