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.