Right, finally bought a family tent!

I need a footprint tarp. The branded tarps from GoOutdoors are ridiculous prices (and anyway they don’t have the size I need) for what is essentially a sheet of tarp with eyelets. On the tent manufacturer’s website, it gives dimensions of 6m x 3m for the footprint of the tent. Am I cool just buying a 6m x 3m footprint from ebay? (around £15-20)? Or does the footprint absolutely HAVE to be around 50mm smaller all the way round? Am aware of buying something way too big meaning water can pool between tent groundsheet and footprint.

Yes, I could buy my own tarpaulin, cut to exact size, insert eyelets, hem edge (or more likely duct tape edge 😆 ) but we’re at the point of saving only a few quid over the eBay option by doing that anyway

does the footprint absolutely HAVE to be around 50mm smaller all the way round?

Well, we’ve got the manufacturer’s specific footprint for our tent and it still peeks out from groundsheet in a few places. Probably about 10cm at two particular spots.

Gets a little damp underneath if we get heavy rain, but then it would without a footprint too and it’s never been an issue.

We had a tarp that was close and just folded it where it would otherwise stick out from under the tent. Banged a few pegs through it to hold it in place.

It was fine and we just replaced it for about £20 when it got manky after being packed away damp for too long.

I have a footprint for my 5m Bell: it needs to be as close to on-size as poss, bearing in mind it’s main purpose is to keep mud/worm-casts off the bottom. If you are going to make your own you will need to heat seal the edges somehow to stop them fraying. Woven tarps are rarely fully waterproof.

My mate took a carpet last time. not my style of camping, the luxurious sort, but if it was, carpet(and woodburning stove) is most definitely the way forward.

My mate took a carpet last time.

But of course. We use both: a footprint under the groundsheet and a nice fitted carpet inside the living area of the tent. Keeps it a bit cosier.

It’s not the carpet I’m talking about Joe…though I expect I’ll be asking about that sometime. 🙂

This is the footprint that you peg out on the ground, on top of which you erect the tent. Most tents come with sewn-in groundsheets these days, so it helps to have something to protect the SIG from water, stones etc which also helps keep the SIG clean & dry before packing away, etc.

helps keep the SIG clean & dry before packing away, etc.

My experience is that it does help, but the SIG still gets a bit wet.

We generally take old towels with us to let us dry stuff off a bit as we pack it.

I expect even on a dry weekend, there’d be some condensation anyway Gee. I suppose it’s just having an extra layer ‘tween SIG and ground for a bit of protection. The ones sold “for” the tents by Vango, Outwell etc are a bit of a rip-off though. 😐

If your tent has a SIG, any old tarp will do if you just want to protect it from stones and spiky stuff. We have a Vango Equinox 250 that’s been great with a £5 B&Q tarp folded under it for the last 7 years or so! But that’s been exclusively “car camping”; I use the dedicated Easton footprint with my Kilo tent when I’m being poncy lightweight on the bike.

But that’s been exclusively “car camping”

The tent was delivered on Monday. The box hardly made it through the front **** door. 😯 😆

So, yeah, this will be car-camping.

big sheet of heavy gauge plastic, cut to size.

https://shop.highbridgecaravans.co.uk/via-mondo-wood-effect-interlocking-floor-tiles-4pk-edging

Obvs

Not very good at laying that kind of stuff geoffers. 😀

To my way of thinking, a footprint is there to add a measure of protection and to stop you having to pack up a tent with wet mud on the bottom. I use one of those blue tarps from a hardware shop. They are perfect.

That’s pretty much what I’m buying Jerm, just with some eyelets & bungees for pegging out securely. I think the idea is not to have the footprint “overhanging” the SIG footprint in case heavy rain then flows back under. if you get my drift.

Ideally it needs to be slightly smaller i.e. if your living area is 6m by 3m you would want something 590cm by 290cm. You don’t want any material hanging out as water can and will get between the groundsheet and the footprint, causing problems.

I have a footprint for my Vango trekking tent and it is fantastic, clipping to the pole braces with special hooks. On the back of this experience, I bought the footprint for our new Outwell tent and its basically a £5 sheet of tarp they sell for £35 i.e. total ripoff.

Yeah, I can kinda understand it if the footprint has clips etc that integrate with the SIG – I don’t mind paying a few quid extra for design & features that make stuff usable. But when you’re paying £40 for what is basically a sheet of builders’ tarp, that’s taking the mick a bit.

As it happens, Coleman don’t make footprints so I have to find something myself. Once I go up into “made to measure” then we’re back to Vango, Outwell etc pricing. Whereas 6 x 3 is available off the shelf from eBay for £20ish.

I’ve never bothered about a footprint for a family tent – even though we’ve done the carpet thing. I’ve never had any issues with wear or punctures in it, or wetting out.

I’d but some cheap tarp, cut it a bit smaller than the groundsheet, add some eyelets near where the tent pegs out and then fit some shockcord to the eyelets in the footprint and just stretch it over the nearest tent pegs. It’ll “self-centre” to a degree and you won’t need any more pegs.

Can it? Whenever I’ve bothered with something I’ve just used a normal tarp with the edges folded up underneath the fly and it seems to have worked fine.

If you are car camping then DPM plastic is perfect. Cut to exact size, fully waterproof, resistant to punctures, easily repaired with duct tape, and cheap as chips if you ever need to replace