How to protect tent floor from cot

[gwl79902]

When I car camp I use a alps cot. Sure makes things nice. I was stupid and forgot my tarp ground cloth on my las trip. I set up on some sharp gravel at a camp site. I cut 8 rub holes in the floor of my tent.

I patched things with silicon, so no big deal.

My question is how should I protect the floor? I will use a tarp for foot print and was thinking of putting pipe insulation on the cot legs to pad them.

Open to other ideas.

 

[dmoto]

I have a Cabela's cot that I also use for car camping. I had the same issue with my floor. So I cut some squares from some left over carpet when I recarpeted my bass boat. Thin enough to pack in the cot bag. Worked great.

 

[tttoadman]

I take some chunks of cedar fence board. fire starter and bed leveler.

 

[n2horns]

I always clear/clean tent floor area, if i see buried rock, that might cause issue, I dig it up. I buy the pool noodles at any CVS, Walmart, Walgreens type of store and cut it to be just longer than the bottom of the leg arm in case you shift the cot. For individual cot with feet, you can do same, but I have a sheet of that work out grey pad material that I cut into 4x4 squares to put the feet on. keep some around, great leveler.

 

[lchavez]

tarp under tent floor and cheap outdoor carpet for inside tent. Picked up the outdoor carpet from costco and cut to size. Helps protect the tent floor and also traps dirt. Also better than tent floor when your in socks or crawling around.

The piece I trimmed off acts as a door mat.

 

[5MilesBack]

If I'm using a tent big enough for cots, that tent doesn't have a permanent floor. In all my floored tents I just use a sleeping pad or I use the same foam layers I use on my cot.

 

[RockChucker30]

Tennis balls. Cut slit, slip over cot feet.

 

[gwl79902]

Those are some great ideas. Thanks a bunch

 

[MontanaMarine]

We've migrated to floorless tents, but before that our primary tent was a Cabelas Alaskan Guide 8. We used it for many years with military style cots with no floor damage.

We would use a plastic tarp as a ground cloth, and another plastic tarp on the interior.

Here's some pics,

 

[Tim in Wa.]

tennis balls on the feet