5 Reasons You Need to Buy a Tent Carpet or Rug

Vango tent carpet inside a tent

A while ago, we gave you 6 reasons why you need a tent footprint, and now we’re going to wax lyrical about another of our fantastic tent accessories - tent carpets.

You may think that you don’t need yet another piece of equipment to take on your camping trip, but a tent carpet or rug can make a significant different to your camping experience. We’re going to give you 5 reasons why you need a tent carpet, but first of all, here are the basics…

What is a tent carpet?

Well it’s not exactly rocket science to work out what a tent carpet is - it’s a carpet-like rug that sits snugly on the floor of your tent on top of the groundsheet. They are designed to fit inside the main living area of a tent, but we find lots of customers finding make-shift carpets/rugs to fit inside their sleeping area or even in their tent extension!

But why use a tent carpet? Here are 5 reasons…

Comfort

One of the best reasons to buy a tent carpet or rug is the added comfort it brings to your living area. You put carpet in your house, so why not in your tent as well?

Groundsheets don’t really provide a huge amount of comfort if we’re being honest. However, a tent carpet can help soften any lumps and bumps underfoot, as well as provide a much more comfortable area to sit or for children to play. Getting up in the morning and walking barefoot on carpet is so much nice than on a groundsheet!

Some tent rugs are also water resistant or have some form of water repellant properties, so are even suitable for outdoor use.

Insulation

Having just a groundsheet between you and the ground underneath isn’t exactly great insulation and quite a lot of heat can be lost through the floor - although using a tent footprint can help with this. However, by using a tent carpet, you’re providing an extra level of insulation that will not only feel warmer underfoot, but will also help keep the whole of your tent warmer.

Some tent rugs and carpets are thermal backed to improve the insulation properties even further.

Outdoor Revolution tent carpet

Protection

Accidents happen. You might be the most careful person in the world, but sometimes you just can’t help something falling over or dropping something on the floor, which can damage your groundsheet. This can be very problematic, but if you have a tent carpet, then you have a little extra protection against such accidents. Granted, you may damage your carpet, but it’s much easier to fix or replace that than your tent’s groundsheet.

It might also be the case that your tent is getting on a bit and is succumbing to wear and tear. You might not want to replace your tent just yet, but a tent rug or carpet can help squeeze a little more life out of it.

Noise

That crunchy rustling sound of a tent groundsheet when you walk on it is like music to the ears of some camping purists, but for others it’s not the most pleasant - especially when you’re trying to tiptoe through the tent while others are sleeping.

A tent carpet, however, will significantly soften this noise, making for a much more relaxing environment for everyone.

Style

Tent groundsheets aren’t exactly going to win any style awards any time soon. Most tents are pretty eye-catching these days, but the flooring of the your tent is, well, a bit boring.

A tent carpet will help you inject just a touch of style to your tent’s decor, and, again, make for a much more inviting and relaxing environment in which to spend your time - a home away from home.


Here are a couple of other questions that might about tent carpets that you might be pondering...

How do you stop a tent carpet moving around

Most tent carpets will stay in position pretty well, especially once you have camping furniture placed on top of it. However, if you do have an issue with your tent carpet moving around, then some carpets have a non-slip backing to prevent this. Check the product specs to make sure you get one that meets your requirements.

How to clean a tent carpet

Your tent carpet is going to get pretty grubby, but the good news is they're pretty easy to clean. Treat it as you would most other carpets - vacuuming the whole carpet to get up the majority of dirt, and then scrub lightly with a cloth. You can even use carpet cleaner if you have any particularly dirty areas. However, don't be tempted to put the tent carpet in the washing machine, as this can damage or remove the backing, effectively destroying the carpet.

We hope we’ve convinced you that a tent carpet is a worthwhile purchase - take a look at our full range and make your camping trip much more comfortable.

See also our range of Vango Carpets.

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