Lightweight Camping Mat

Caravan and camper weights have never been more focused on in the past until now.  A lightweight camping mat is essential when you are packing an RV safely.  There are 4 main camping mats that are used by campers in Australia.

1.Recycled plastic mats by Camping Mat Warehouse. These are our speciality. We have used all the others below and found this is the lightest and most durable of all the mats. Our largest mat is 6m x 2.4m wide and weighs around 6kg.  Where a 4m x 2.4m weighs 4kg.  But one thing is certain you do not have to compromise quality and features to have a lightweight mat.  Our mats are also the thickest of any recycled mat you can buy.  What this means is that your mat is going to be softer underfoot and perfect for camping with kids and pets as it creates a nice soft area to enjoy.  They are stain and mildew-resistant and come in great patterns and colours.  Want to see how they are made.  Click Here

2.PVC rubber mats available at Aldi, Bunnings and most camping stores take up valuable additional weight from your payload. These are by far the heaviest of the mats available and in no way considered a lightweight camping mat. You should not have to pick between a camping mat and a carton of beer!  a 4m x 2.4m mat weights 6.5kg. with a 6m x 2.4m over 10kgs.

3. Shadecloth mats offer a very open weave allowing dirt and sand to go through but also letting it back up again defeating the mat’s purpose. They don’t weigh much however but are too light that they blow around in the wind.  Camec mats have a history of this and that is why they are a trip hazard when not pegged down and are a cheaper disposable option for people just starting to see if they like camping. They are light as well weighing the same as a recycled mat at 4kg for a 4m mat. Another disadvantage is that shade cloth is not soft at all and can give your feet a scrub with its course texture which is not ideal for parents camping with small kids.

4. Cgear are great provided you peg them down every time.  Cgear also recommends not to walk on them when wet and not pegged down so that is a bit of a warning.  They have up to 42 eyelets in a 6m mat so this job can be a big one where our mats come with 6 and are not needed unless it is windy.  If you fail to stretch the cgear mat and peg down over time the bindings shrink and you can no longer get the two layers of shade-cloth tight making them slip on each other.  We have spoken to many people who have said that the cgear mats are slippery and they are confirming our own experience.  They are considered a lightweight camping mat weighing a little more than a recycled mat with a 4m x 2.4 weighing 4.5kg.  Not much of a weight difference there but a lot of work setting up, slippery when wet, plus they are a lot more money.

“It can be slippery. One thing that can be a bit annoying with the Cgear mat is it can make your feet skid a bit when you aren’t expecting it. This seems to happen when the top layer slides on the bottom layer (and you are standing on the top). I’ve had my feet move forward a few times on our Cgear mat when I wasn’t expecting it, and Sarah has had the same.  If you peg it out this would be impossible to happen, but who wants to be putting pegs into the ground every time you pull up? We literally moved away from using as many pegs as possible when we got the hybrid camper trailer. “