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The Best Camping Investment - Why You Should Use A Mesh Tarp Under Your Tent

Author: Ebony   Date Posted:5 April 2022 

Protect your expensive camping gear with this simple tip that could save you hundreds of dollars!

For most people, your tent is the most expensive, and usually the most important piece of camping equipment they own.  For good reason too,  a well-designed tent will help you keep warm but dry in winter and cool in summer.

Most people would never own a car without insuring it.  Tent insurance is not available but the next best thing is a Mesh Tarp to cover you for accidental damage to the floor of your tent.  Mesh Tarps go by many names, such as groundsheets, footprints, ultramesh and duramesh. Mesh Tarps are made from the same material as shade cloth, which, unlike standard tarps, allows moisture and sand to fall through.    

Placing mesh underneath your tent will also give you the following benefits:

1:  Test the size of a campsite. Not sure if you'll fit your campsite between trees, or on the small area of flat surface? Throw the mesh down to help you position your tent. This is very helpful as it allows you to quickly pack up, and move on to another site if it turns out to be unsuitable, without the effort of hauling your tent around, unpacking and repacking.

2:  Cheap insurance.  Groundsheets are affordable and are significantly easier to replace than your tent. The mesh design also lends itself to flexibility, so the effects of a stray stick or rock are reduced as the mesh stretches over it. This has two benefits, first that the mesh is less likely to tear or puncture, and second that the sharpness of the stick is rounded off, reducing the risk of puncture on your tent floor.  

• We always recommend that you do an inspection of the area you plan on setting up your tent.  You should keep an eye out for stones, sticks and ants nests.  If you can move the stones and sticks it will make your stay more comfortable, and prevent any damage.  If your desired tent spot has a large ants nest underneath it, it's probably best to set up elsewhere.  It's no fun sharing your tent with a few thousand angry ants.

3:  Keeps your tent clean.  Using a mesh tarp means that finer particles like dirt and sand fall through to the ground beneath. This acts like a doormat for your tent, significantly reducing the amount of dirt and sand entering your tent, so you have less to clean up when you get home! 

4:  Aesthetic feel. There is nothing quite like waking up on your holiday with the smell of the campfire lingering in the crisp morning air. You open your tent to a glorious morning view and step into this new day of freedom. That first step is instantly soured by the squelch of mud pushing its way between your toes, or the sharp rock that shoots pain up your heel. Now you will have to wash your feet before you head back into the tent, which ruins the relaxing coffee you had in mind.

With a tarp below your tent and awning, your first step will be a clean cushioned step that is much more pleasing to your feet and mood. 

5:  Makes packing up a breeze.  Using a tarp under your tent keeps the floor of your tent dry and clean.  Making packing it up quick and easy.

6:  Replacing a tarp if you do miss a sharp stone or stick is a whole lot easier, and less painful to replace than the floor of your new tent.

Shop Mesh Tarps or view our helpful video Here.  Do you have a common tent? Check if a specific groundsheet for your tent is available Here. 

I hope you found this article useful!  Let me know in the comments below!  

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