When I first heard about tent carpets I reacted like Peter Kay's dad when he first encountered garlic bread. Tent?! Carpet?! Tent?! Carpet?! Carpets? for tents? Given time to appreciate the wonder of tent carpets though I find myself again agreeing with Mr Kay Snr "that's beautiful that [...] that's the future".
So what's so wonderful about a tent carpet and what exactly are they? Well for a kick off forget pure wool Axminster, a tent carpet is like a large version of one of those waterproof backed picnic rugs. And why are they so good. Well because they make the inside of the tent cozy, warm, snugly, comfortable, homely ... I could go on. The extra warmth is because they add 2 extra layers between you and the ground. The coziness is down to the top layer, which while not being deep pile, is soft and blanket-like to the touch.
They come into their own first thing in the morning when you've just got up and you just don't need the shock of standing up on a cold groundsheet. The other time they are great is when you are zipped into the tent when the evening has turned chilly.
So however counter intuitive a tent carpet seems at first, it's a really easy way to make your camping experience more enjoyable.
I am converted to the idea of a tent carpet, for the warmth and comfort and because it is easier to shake one clean than to brush bits of grass etc off a sewn-in groundsheet.
The problem I have is that there is not a specific carpet for our tent (an Aztec Galeria 6). Most carpets seem to tell you the model of tent they fit, rather than the dimensions, so I think my winter research project will have to be looking at tent sizes to find the nearest match.
Or does anyone know of a supplier selling tent carpet by the yard (or metre)?
because there is an attachment for one of the sleeping compartments in the middle of the floor so it has a hole in the carpet that lines up wth that.
apart from that, one that is more or less the same size ould be fine i'd think.
allule,
Just taken a look at your tent, and i think the outwell arrow lake may fit. its about 20cm short on the width and a little longer on the required length but this should just slide under bedroom compart. the good thing is it has the angled front as your tent has. the trout lake one is a bit smaller. check it out first though :) and if i see any others that may fit will let you know.
Thanks for that suggestion - I will follow it up. It might be fine to have it slightly longer, as our tent has special pegs which fix the front of the inner through the groundsheet, so it might be possible to make matching holes in the carpet, and use these to anchor it.
