TheSamba.com :: View topic - Mat or carpet for outside sliding door area

Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:29 am

My wife and I searched ALL OVER where we live last weekend trying to solve this problem. We saw a sweet carpet / mat thing someone was using at a campsite and had to have it! Couldn't find anything. Ideally it would be the same size as the "kitchen" in the westy so when done it can just be left there. We don't yet have an awning (so much $$$) so no need for something HUGE. We also tend to camp in winter because, no one else does, so an awning isn't so needed as its usually cold and we are all snuggy in the can...

Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:55 am

Bamboo matt...
Rolls up tight.
When it gets ratty, it can go into the compost.

Tue Mar 13, 2012 11:36 am

My wife and I have the 5 x 8 one of these. It works great and is very light and easy to clean. It has loops in the courners to stake it down if you need to and it folds up nice too...

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.deta...-PatioMats

Tue Mar 13, 2012 12:18 pm

I have one of the mad mats that go westy sells an dI absolutly love it. It is easy to clean and rolled up doesn;t take that much room.

Tue Mar 13, 2012 2:54 pm

jerrydog411 wrote: PDXWesty wrote:

Hmmmm...I didn't seem to have that problem. The stuff I found didn't have a thick rubber backing, just kind of a coating. It's worked great for me so far. I got mine in blue.

WOW! Nice spot PDX ... where is that one?

John

Hmm, that'd be the . . . Silver Falls State Park (Orygun) group RV site B, at the 2011 Samba campout last May! It's a most sweet and secluded campground for a bunch of vans.

Everyone here is invited to the 2nd Annual, on May 11-12-13.

See complete details here:
http://outdoordads.org/westyfest.pdf

-CJ

Tue Mar 13, 2012 4:54 pm

joetiger wrote: I like those Mad Mats. SoonerDave has one and I'm envious. Planning on ordering one before camping season gets underway.

Oddly enough, GoWesty has about the best price that I've found:

Damn, wish I had known before the leap day sale - and I had $5.42 of GoWesty bucks hanging around!

Thu Apr 05, 2012 11:07 am

joetiger wrote: I like those Mad Mats. SoonerDave has one and I'm envious. Planning on ordering one before camping season gets underway.

Oddly enough, GoWesty has about the best price that I've found:

http://www.gowesty.com/ec_view_details.php?id=4114&category_id=&category_parent_id=

ETA: SpudlyHotPotato also uses them, as seen in this thread:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5677884&highlight=mad+mats#5677884

We were looking for something similar to this locally and found it at Cost Plus World Market. At least I think it's similar; it's basically a woven plastic mat. So if you have said store in your vicinity check it out. They are also available online here:

http://www.worldmarket.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3590614
It's the Rio mat.

I got the 4x6 and it was only $19.99; a 6x9 is available for $39.99. My criteria was it had to be lightweight and reasonably compact as well as machine washable or better yet, like this one, something I could just hose off. The larger mats and indoor/outdoor rugs are just too big and heavy and not so easy to clean.

Thu Apr 05, 2012 1:31 pm

Whatever the cheapest doormat is we can find when we need it, having forgotten to pick the last one up when we leave the campsite.

Number three in use at the moment is a hard plasticky open-hexagon sort of thing. Think of a cross between the grasscrete stuff they use on carparks and honeycomb.

Thu Apr 05, 2012 1:53 pm

We use a piece of outdoor carpet that rolls up and fits inside
a PVC pipe that is on my rack next to my thule box. Has a
screw cap on back end. It gets filthy/wet so the tube is a perfect
place to store it. I took the time to paint the tube with black
texture paint so it don't look ghetto. Cheap and it works. Not that
it matters but rug is grey. I try to get all grey accessories to
match our van. It must be the Martha Stewart in me :shock:

Thu Apr 05, 2012 2:00 pm

ended up buying a green 6x9 indoor/outdoor carpet from Costco under $30 made of recycled plastic bottles plus a smaller doormat

Wed May 09, 2012 11:07 am

we went with the "sand-free mat

havent tested this out fully yet, and its superpowers are likely wasted here in the wet PNW, but where we are heading i'm hoping it keeps things nice and clean.

as hard as i try i just cant get that dog to wipe her feet off before stepping under the awning!

Wed May 09, 2012 11:25 am

I'll toss my solution into the arena. I have a large (maybe 4x5), heavy, commercial rubber mat acquired from a Texaco station. I usually roll it into a tube and toss it into the pod when we go on campouts.
The thing is heavy so it stays in place, plus it built really well so you can hose it down if needed.

Wed May 09, 2012 12:12 pm

I bought the recycled plastic mat from pier 1 or what ever it's called, couldn't be happier. Very easy to clean.

Wed May 09, 2012 12:12 pm

We also use one of the recycled plastic mats from CostPlus/World Market. We got the 4x6 Kiwi Lotus Rio Mat ($19.99) and when its rolled up for driving mode, it fits perfectly above the back bench seat, tucked right in front of the upper bed. Its been up there for over two months now and hasnt fallen down once! If it ever does start falling down, I'll just rig up some snaps-n-straps as a retaining system.

http://www.worldmarket.com/family/index.jsp?categoryId=3590614

Wed May 09, 2012 2:34 pm

Indoor/outdoor carpet from Home Depot. Rolls up and fits under my rear bench seat.

Wed May 09, 2012 5:06 pm

Astroturf clone from Home Depot or Lowes. It is sold by the foot off a 6ft wide roll. Works good and is cheap enough. Also doubles as a mat for crawling under the van when emergency repairs are called for.

Fri May 11, 2012 10:49 am

This is an outdoor welcome mat from Target that fits exactly in the floor space of Van Morrison. I think it's 3' X 5'.
When we make camp it goes out next to the sliding door.
The great thing about it is you can sweep it and wash it off with a hose.

Lana

Fri May 11, 2012 11:43 am

I use the cheap green mat also. The backing has never fallen off for me. When traveling I put in on top of the stove. My dog loves it b/c now he sits up high, won't slip off and gets a nice breeze from either my window or the sliding window.

Mon Jun 11, 2012 3:49 am

Having tired of the soggy carpet from one too many rain storms, I have upgraded to a new carpet.
I found this at Ocean State Job Lot for $20, it is a 5X8 rug the will not absorb liquid and you can
easily pick it up and shake off any dirt. They also had a 6X9 for $30 but that seemed a little pricey!
I like the Black/Gray combination!

Mon Jun 11, 2012 5:17 pm

We really like the mat we bought at Costco. It is a woven plastic mat used by RV people. It is large and sheds water and dirt really well.

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/ProductSet.aspx?Prodid...mp;topnav=

I think it was on sale cheaper last spring up here in Nova Scotia.