cccorlew

Does anyone use/have/tried some sort of "doormat" just outside their tent? I hate crawling in and out into dirt. I was thing about a small piece of Tyvec or something similar. My tent has a vestibule so it's shouldn't channel rain into the tent. Good idea or just stupid?

cyccommute 

The footprint for my new Big Agnes Flycreek has it built in. A welcome addition.

phughes

I carry a very lightweight tarp. It folds down to a very small size, probably 4x5 inches or so, and thin. I have used it in the vestibule to put gear on. I suppose you could use something like it for your purpose as well. I put it under the gear, but don't extend it under the tent,I fold it so even if there weren't a covered vestibule, it wouldn't channel water under the tent. I have carried it for years, and use it on the grass to sit on, and sometimes to cover up with. When using the hammock, I spread it out under the hammock and put my gear on it there.

Don't worry if someone else thinks what you want is stupid. It is very often the little things that make camping, and a tour a bit more pleasant, and those things are personal.

indyfabz

Sounds reasonable. One option would be to get one of those "crinkle" plastic tarps and cut it down to the size you want. I carry a 4'x8' one that serves os my footprint. A fraction of that wouldn't add a lot of weight. You'll have some left over in case you need to replace the original mat. Use a Sharpie to write something like "WELCOME" or "GO AWAY" on it.

Juan Foote

We have one (doormat) we keep with our camping gear. I typically also bring one of those cardboard "cola flat" box bottom thing to put shoes in after taking them off. We learned a pretty hard lesson cold camping one year where it lightly rained and we woke up to frozen shoes.

pdlamb

We've used various welcome mat kinds of things for years while car camping. They typically work better when it's not raining. When it is raining, you'll want the exit to be downhill, or use a separate piece of tarp/plastic/whatever, with a gap between the welcome mat and the footprint. You probably don't want to funnel all the rain that falls on, say, a 2'x3' piece of plastic on top of your footprint; that's a sure way to find the leaks in your tent floor.

Tourist in MSN

It had been raining for quite a while before I made camp at this campground. No grass in my tiny little site, just muddy gravel. There was some newspaper in the recycling bin, that kept my gear out of the mud in the vestibule.



I was sitting inside the tent to take the picture through the tent door of my vestibule area. The gold color pole in the middle is my tent pole in the front.

When I got home I cut a vestibule shaped ground cloth from a large plastic shopping bag for future use, but I do not expect to use it often. I did a two week tour two months ago and never used anything in the vestibule area, even though I had brought a piece of plastic for that purpose.

andrewclaus

Not for me. In my opinion, it's one more dirty thing to pack up. But my view on camping is different than others'. It's just a place to sleep when I'm not cycling or hiking.

GhostRider62

Yes. My stuff sleeping bag sack.

Shoes always go into my tent and I sit up and put feet out the vestibule resting on a small sack while putting my shoes on. Reverse when going to bed.

robow

I have buddies that wouldn't be without their mats. Another buddy uses one of those approximate 1" thick foam kneeling pads as it doubles as ground pad to sit on.

indyfabz

Do you have a handy link/source for this? One place I go a few times/year requires me to sit on the ground if I want to be near the fire ring, and the ground is sandy. I usually sit on the firewood bag. A mat like this could be quite useful.

GhostRider62

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tangnade-...den/1771321977

robow

It seems to be on sale for $3.52

https://www.walmart.com/ip/TUOBARR-T...QaAtPUEALw_wcB

indyfabz

Thanks. I live a concrete jungle, so something like that was not on my radar screen.

Tourist in MSN

If you have an old closed cell foam pad from before Thermarest pads existed, cut a piece from that for a sit pad. Many of us used closed cell mats for sleeping pads decades ago. That was my source of foam for sit pads for my kayak and canoe.

Last summer on my backpacking trip there were a lot of others bragging about how light their new inflatable sit pads were. Compared mine to one of theirs, mine was lighter and did not require inflation.

Pratt

I do exactly that, and have for years.
Between nocturnal cramps and bathroom calls, I get up more than once a night. I use a pair of light, mesh, water shoes for around camp. They stay in the vestibule and I put them on before getting out, then take them off when I get back so dirt doesn't get tracked in. I tried writing Welcome, but it faded fast. I just wipe it off in the morning and fold it up and stuff it in the tent sack.

BikeLite

That Walmart pad will be a heavier option since it is made of NBR (nitrile rubber). Ozark Trails has them in store for around 5 bucks. The lighter option (but not as plush) is the closed cell foam that Walmart sells (blue foam pad) in regular sleeping pad size that you cut down to whatever size you want with alot left over, like Tourist in MSN mentions.

smasha

An old foam yoga mat can be cut down to any size/shape. They're about $10 new, for cheap ones. For the fiscally/environmentally conservative, ask around at yoga studios, if anyone left behind an old foam mat that can be re-purposed; they sometimes have a pile of old mats to throw away.

headwind15

I believe that if you are "crawling into your tent", you are doing it all wrong. Try backing up to your tent, squatting. Put one hand behind you to control your drop speed, sit inside your tent, remove your footwear and swing your feet around so they are inside with you, piviting on your butt. No need to crawl into your tent!

cccorlew

Of course you're right. But it turns out that at 70 years old that seemingly simple maneuver is a lot harder (if not impossible) than it was 30 years ago.

Sorcerer

We use FedEx Tyvek pak envolopes for the two vestibule doors. FedEx is/has phased them out though. You might be still able to get them for free.
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circlespinner

Just back from a tour where I started using a contractor bag for this. I just got tired of dusty or muddy knees.