Oct
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Tent Camping. Is There A Pad Or Something Which Goes On The Ground Under The Tent?
ByWhen you set up your tent, does your tent sit on the ground? Or do you put some kind of ground pad under the tent first?
Tent Camping. Is There A Pad Or Something Which Goes On The Ground Under The Tent?
11 Comments
October 26th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Pads usually go inside the tent. Outside the tent you can lay down a tarp to keep the moisture and mud off the bottom of the tent, it`ll also make the tent last longer since there is extra protection from sticks and rocks etc.
October 26th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
This will make some camper’s eyes roll up and back into their head, but on my last backpacking trip, my wife and I hauled up sections of a plastic coated card board box to plant under the tent since we knew we would be on rocky hard ground. We still had our sleeping pads, but it was so nice on our knees to have that cardboard under the tent floor when we needed to crawl in and out of the tent. Your question implies that there is some RULE to follow about what goes under the tent. You make your own rules out there. If it suits your needs, you can put a photo of your mother-in-law under the tent.
October 26th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Normally, the only thing you can put under your tent is a tarp, and most tents don’t come with them. You don’t have to do this, you can camp without it. The best thing for you to do if you don’t want to get a tarp is to find a camping spot that doesn’t have rocks and sticks to poke through the floors of your tent. I just set my tent on the ground.
October 26th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
You use whats called a groundsheet, although many tents come with them built in these days. They aren’t really a pad, just a tough, water resistant layer that protects the bottom of the tent from water and damage from the surface where you camp.
Inside the tent, you will often use some kind of pad or mattress. The most basic are padded foam mats, which are very lightweight and are carried rolled up. More advanced things include inflatable mattresses and camp beds, but these will obviously be heavier.
Hope this helps – happy camping!
October 27th, 2009 at 4:04 am
A piece of plastic or waterproof nylon is laid under the tent to protect it from dirt. It is best if this matches the shape and outline of the tent.
You can gain rain/flood protection by lining the inside of your tent with an oversized piece of plastic that ‘flows’ up the walls. I saw this tip in the book ‘Camping Secrets’ by Cliff Jacobsen(?) and it works great! It kept us bone dry in a heavy downpour that made rivers of water run under the liner!
October 27th, 2009 at 9:37 am
depends is the pad for cushion or to protect the bottom of the tent? if its cushion just go buy a nice pad at a camping store. if its to protect the tent i have a personally sized tarp for my tent it fits the bottom of my tent i cut it and put grommets in it so that it states down with the tent works like a charm.
October 27th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
It’s called a footprint. It protects the tent floor from any sharp stones or plants.
Many tents have a footprint sold as an accessory. But they’re expensive and heavy.
I made a cheap, light weight one for my Marmot EOS 1P out of a blue tarp. I cut it down (using pinking shears to minimize shredding edges) to the size of the bottom of the tent minus 1 inch all around. The footprint needs to be smaller than the tent bottom so water doesn’t collect between.
When you choose the spot to set up the tent (hopefully a flat spot), lay down the footprint and pitch the tent on top.
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October 27th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
Soft Padding for sleeping comfortably goes under your sleeping bag INSIDE the tent.
Under your tent you place a plastic tarp. This protects the bottom of your tent from abrasion and also helps keep any ground moisture away from the tent.
October 28th, 2009 at 4:28 am
I generally put a tarp down first, so the tent bottom isn’t so dirty when I get ready to pack up. also offers some protection from whatever little rocks & sticks I didn’t pick up.
October 28th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Put a big tarp under the tent so you don’t get wet from ground dew.
October 28th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
there are pads or cots if you prefer but you would be fine without it.