A tent footprint also known as a camping floor mesh is a groundsheet piece of fabric that sits between the ground and your tent. It comes in a variety of sizes depending on the size of your tent and its corners are usually pegged down.
Here are 7 great reasons why you need a camping floor mesh.
1.Prolongs Your Tent Life
A camping floor mesh protects your tent against cuts and abrasion from twigs or loose stones. Think of it like buying a cover or screen protector for your phone-it’s better to be safe than sorry.
2. Provides Extra Warmth
A floor mesh underneath your tent creates a buffer and slightly raises you off the ground thereby reducing the amount of heat lost to the ground. This, combined with an air bed or sleeping mat will help in ensuring your night is as cozy as possible.
3. It’s Less Messy
There is nothing worse than rolling your tent directly on damp or cold ground, you’ll end up with muddy hands, muddy knees, and a dirty tent. Keep dirt out with camping floor mesh. A tent footprint also effectively covers the damp or cold ground, keeping your tent dry.
4. Provides Simplified and Easier Tent Pitching
The first thing you do before pitching your tent is laying out the floor mesh. As the camping floor mesh is tailored to the shape of the tent, you can easilymark the pitching position to help you find the perfect spot. By simply placingthe tent on top of the floor mesh, you can manipulate the canvas around the pegand secure it. 7
5. Creates More Room
Perhaps you’re going camping with a campervan. If that’s the case, then a camping floormesh will definitely come in handy. Drive-away tents have a tunnel. The area between the vehicle and the tent is exposed to the ground. By using a camping floor mesh, you can cover the exposed area, thus, creating additional storage space for your camping gear and providing a clean exit and entry from your campervan or motorhome.
6. For Added Comfort
Camping floor mesh creates a cushioned floor that can be easily cleaned. The tent footprints are as durable as they are breathable and they will not damage the grass that’s underneath.
7. Increases the Waterproofing
Tent groundsheets are waterproof; however, over time, water may leak even through the high spec barrier. A camping floor mesh provides a second layer that doubles the waterproofing giving you peace of mind.
Having decided you’re getting a camping floor mesh, here are some of the things you need to know:
- Your floor mesh should be slightly smaller than the base of your tent so that water does not collect between your tent and camping floormesh.
- The material of the camping floor mesh varies. However,choose one that’s made from easy-to-clean and durable polyethylene. You can also go for lightweight groundsheets made from an Oxford.
- Cleaning the floor mesh is really easy. All you need is water and a piece of clean cloth to wash away dirt. In case your camping floor mesh has a lot of mud, use a scourer but be careful not to apply too much force asit may damage the footprint.