While escaping the grind of a hectic lifestyle to escape into the wilderness sounds like a dream come true, camping certainly comes with it drawbacks. Level of comfort especially under the feet is a big one. By investing in outdoor camping mats and tent floor pads, you can create a more welcoming and comforting home away from home.
Outdoor camping mats can be used for various reasons. Many people use them underneath the awning of a tent or RV. Or if you have a tent with a screen porch but it lacks a flooring, these mats are perfect for giving you extra areas for the kids to play.
But they can also be used underneath the tent for greater protection from the earth. This is especially helpful if you are camping near mountains with rocky grounds. Sometimes the earth is so tough it can penetrate through a tents footprint and eventually wear away at your tents flooring. So a good tent underlay is ideal in these harsh terrains.
Mats For Inside The Tent
But you can also use these outdoor camping rugs for inside the tent. This adds a extra level to the existing flooring which creates a more comfortable surface under the foot. Anyone with feet problems like myself will truly appreciate the extra padding.
Tent floor pads are better left inside the tent. These can be made from a variety of materials as seen below. This is certainly not a route you would take if you were backpacking as they can be quite bulky and heavy. However, a tent floor pad will add extreme amounts of comfort for underneath your feet while car camping.
So below you can find some of the best tent floor materials you can buy online for either inside the tent or to be used as a outdoors mat for socializing, entertaining and a space to eat on the ground without sitting on grass and dirt.
Breathable Outdoor Camping Rugs
You may have seen these camping RV rugs before, yet never clicked as to why you would need one. These double sided outdoor mats by Camco are a great solution to setting up a entertaining area under an awning or a tarp. Plus they are durable enough that you can use them directly under your tent if you feel the need to ensure the tents flooring doesn’t get holes and tears from rough terrain.
These camping mats come in a variety of colors and come in 3 sizes from 6′ x 9′ to 9′ x 12′. So you can choose the size that best fits your needs. Whats handy about these mats is that they come with grommets (holes) that are rust resistant. So you can stake down your mat so it doesn’t blow away in the wind. Also helps to keep the floor flat and not out of shape if you have a lot of traffic on top.
What makes this Camco one of the best tent floor materials is that it is truly an outdoors mat. Meaning you can have a ton of people walk over it, let the heavens open up and unleash rain and snow, yet this mat won’t deteriorate or get a build up of mildew.
This is because the material is a heavy duty woven plastic. So it’s breathable and rain can pass straight through it. Water wont build up on top. I know you may be thinking ‘but won’t it be slippery being plastic?’. Surprisingly, the Camco camping mat is not slippery at all. Because of the textured surface and the fact water seeps through the woven material, walking on this mat while its wet is a breeze.
Because it can take some abuse, you may expect the mat to deteriorate rather quickly. But this is not the case. It’s quite heavy duty with a thickness of .75″ that allows, sand, dirt and water to wash away without building up on top. The extra heavy duty stitching around the edges of the rug ensure this rug is built to last.
Overall the Camco is a great idea for using as a entertaining floor or simply an area for the family to eat dinner. It folds up like any blanket/towel and can be stored quite compact. With a total weight of 4.7lbs you can use this outdoors mat for more than just camping. A great portable and durable mat for many occasions. If a heavy duty outdoors flooring is what you want, the Camco is a good place to start looking.
RV Outdoor Camping Mats Ideal For Sandy Conditions
Another great breathable option for RV outdoor camping mats is this Eco friendly 6′ x 9′ by Green Elephant. Strange name, but a brilliant outdoors mat for when camping in sandy conditions.
Similar to the above Camco, this Green Elephant also is woven from plastic fibers. However the Green Elephant is made from recycled plastics. It feels wonderful under your feet and prevents you from accidentally standing on a sharp rock.
Why this 6′ x 9′ mat is good fro when camping near sandy conditions is that sand just sweeps away. Unlike tarp based mats where the sand sticks to the surface. Because of the woven resin design, the sand brushes away through the weaving and off the mat. Same goes for water, it doesn’t build up on top like with a tarp.
Weighing less than 4 lbs, the Green Elephant is the ideal portable outdoors rug for RV campers and tent users. It comes with it’s own carry bag for the four pegs to keep the flooring tight and firm to the ground.
While the Green Elephant makes a great outdoors rug, it’s also a great tent footprint for smaller 4 to 6 person tents. You can lay this mat down under the tent to protect the floor of your tent. Because it is waterproof, yet a woven material, rain wont pool up by your tent walls. Which is what makes a tents bathtub flooring a run for its money. Instead the water will just penetrate through the woven materials and run off into the ground instead of your tent.
The Green Elephant is a great small to medium size camping mat. I just wish it came in a variety of sizes like the above Camco mat. But for what size it is, it is a great mat. Almost feels like it’s too good for using outdoors, yet is one of the best for outdoor weather.
Tent Floor Padding Ideas
The first interior tent floor padding idea is this camping carper rug type product by DryMate. While it’s not hugely padded, it’s still carpet. So it creates a soft landing for walking around inside your tent while offering a water tight experience.
This DryMate 7’4″ by 8’4″ tent floor padding is also ideal for people that hate the feeling of tarp tent flooring under their bare feet. Especially once dirt and sand gets inside the tent. Because this is carpet, you get a much softer and cleaner feel under your feet.
Plus its super easy to shake the carpet out compared to trying to sweep sand up from inside the tent. Nothing worse then a pile up of sand under your feet in the middle of the night, I’ll take carpet any night of the week.
While we are still on the cleaning aspect, this carpet tent flooring can be cleaned quite easily. Something I would do at home before and after a camping trip. To clean it you can use a regular hose or a power wash to really get into it.
Should the occasion occur and you find out that your tents floor has sprung a leak, you can rest assured that the carpet mat’s underneath layer is waterproof. So provided your not swimming in a tent full of water, your feet can remain dry. Even if the bottom of the tent is wet.
In terms of being portable, the DryMate is slightly heavier than the above camping mats. This one weighs 6.8lbs, which is heavier but still manageable. Especially considering the carpet mat rolls up and is held together with a carry strap. So getting from home to tent back to home is super easy and lightweight.
The ideal use for this camping rug is inside the tent in my opinion. Sure you could use it outdoors under a awning or gazebo, but if it rains I would feel safer knowing the carpet remains dry.
Creative Ideas For Padding A Tent Floor
If you have sensitive sore feet, especially after a tough day outdoors, you will want some form of padding on your tent floor. One simple solution yet not very often though of is yoga mat. But not just any yoga mat. The 6′ x 9′ Gorilla mat. This thing is huge. It can fit 4 normal size yoga mats on its surface.
Yoga mats are very well padded as you have to perform poses on them. So they are designed for comfort and relief for your feet and body. Not only are they padded, they are typically dense. So they can support your body without you sinking through the foam and feeling the floor.
This particular Gorilla Mat is 8mm thick and comprises non slip technology. On the bottom are circular grips which would be perfect for the tent floor. While the top is a non slip surface as its designed for people to make poses on and not fall over.
While not your conventional camping rug, this yoga mat is certainly a good choice due to its 6′ x 9′ size. Would make the hard floor of a tent into something special. Plus if you ever get the urge to do the ‘Eagle Pose‘ while relaxing in the outdoors, you have the perfect mat for it.
Best Tent Flooring Material
A quick and easy solution to adding a padded floor to your tents floor is by interlocking foam tiles. These foam squares are useful for so many occasions. They can be used indoors or outdoors. But for adding a layer of comfort beneath your feet, there’s nothing better than a quality foam pad.
But they can be so boring sometimes. So if you really want to add a touch of class to your tent and make it really feel like a cabin in the woods, you got to check out these timber looking foam interlocking tiles. So are so awesome. Everybody on the camp site will be envious of your new timber flooring.
These foam padded flooring tiles come in a pack of 6. When all interlocked you get a decent 12ft x 12ft of foam padding underneath your feet. So if you have a very large tent, you could get away with buying two of these packs and still have a very affordable portable flooring solution.
They are available in a variety of timber look finishes from light pine to a dark cheery and mahogany finish. Each tile is waterproof and doesn’t absorb water, sand or dirt. So they make for a great interior tent flooring idea. However, I would avoid using them under your tent as a footprint. Plus assembly the puzzle floor gives the kids something fun to do while you finish off setting up the rainfly.
