What do you use for an outdoor ground cover?

[obiwancanoli]

Early on, with a new RV, I bought two 6X9 mat's to set chairs, etc. on, and sight unseen, they turned out to be plastic, and unappealing.

I've seen others, which appear to be some kind of heavy duty cloth, others that were artificial grass, and though I want to change out what I have, am not sure where to go, or what to consider/choose

I'm sure everyone with an RV has something, and I'm curious what you use, and why it's good or bad. On the advice of a friend, I purchased two that I could lay side by side, as that size would be easier to manage, weigh less, and perhaps store more conveniently.

Please chime in with your contribution, as I'm actively looking to make a change... thanks!

[fj12ryder]

"I feel bad for the OP, lectures instead of helpful advice."

The OP asked for opinions and preferences, and he got them. Some people don't agree with your opinion or mine, and spoke up. No harm, no foul. When you ask a relatively diverse group of people for their thoughts, you may not get only ones that you find agreeable.

[mgirardo]

When we owned our pop-up we didn't use anything. We owned if for 1 year and only used it a handful of times. With the Hybrid, we used a 3'x3' piece of 3/4" plywood with AstroTurf glued to it. Our kids were little (4 & 2) when we first bought it and wanted to make they had a stable landing when leaving the camper and a stable platform when stepping into camper.

When we bought the motorhome, we decided to get an indoor/outdoor type rug from Lowe's. It folded up pretty small and went under the bed in a trash bag. We had an 11' awning and the rug was 8' wide. When we moved to the Destination Trailer, our current RV, we bought this. The awning is 20' and this mat fit under it nicely. The weave lets water and dirt passthrough easily. Light doesn't get through very well, but our seasonal site didn't have grass where we put the mat, so no worries with killing the grass. The mat has held up very well after 3 years of use, but we have to make sure that all sticks and stones are removed from under it before laying it out in the spring. One of our Zero Gravity chairs did put a small rip in it, but it's not really noticeable and it hasn't gotten any worse since it happened. This thing cleans off very easily and dries very quickly. It folds up and is stored in a bag that it came with. It is light as a feather.

-Michael

[pennysmom09]

I feel bad for the OP, lectures instead of helpful advice. We used a vinyl loose weave mat whenever we had concrete or gravel patios, it deteriorated after a few years and was always a pain to fold and store. I plan to get a couple of small indoor/outdoor rugs and put them in front of our chairs. The original reason for the large mat was so our dog, no longer with us, could lay down with us. As you probably realize, you don’t want to put down a large mat on grass.

[Super_Dave]

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
One year when e had done extensive site rebuilds with blue grass sod, a camper unrolled their huge astroturf over the beautiful grass? When I aked why, she replied she didnt want her camper to get dirty with mower clippings. She left us a nasty review. I didnt mind, we didnt want people like her in our camp.
Nature is a foreign concept to many.
If you wish for a ground cover, get an open weave mat that lets water andlight through that does not hinder grass much and still gives you what you want. Do what you can to enjoy and preserve

Unsolicited opinion, every campground that I have been in with grass has such stringent requirements about the grass that I never choose a site with grass. I've seen folks get thrown out for parking one wheel on the grass. Make sites as wide as possible and 100% useable.

[schlep1967]

You just can't beat a forum where a user comes on and asks a simple question, "What mat do you use?", and most of the replies are admonishments for using a mat.

Stop being the "my way is the only way police" and if you don't have an answer just move along. The OP didn't ask if they should use a mat.

Our recent mat purchase came from E-Trailer. Most companies are making them much thinner than the one we bought 10 years ago. I doubt the new one will last 3 years.

[Super_Dave]

RV mats at Walmart, $49.99. We get a few seasons out of them and then the sun will break them down a bit.

[wa8yxm]

rk911 wrote:
we use the ground...ground covers kill grass and some parks prohibit them.

Support.. ON sand or concrete I like "Astro-Turf" type mats
But on grass. NOTHING. absolutly NOTHING In my humble opinion if you put a mat down over grass management should invite you to stay elsewhere and no refund.

[SDcampowneroper]

One year when e had done extensive site rebuilds with blue grass sod, a camper unrolled their huge astroturf over the beautiful grass? When I aked why, she replied she didnt want her camper to get dirty with mower clippings. She left us a nasty review. I didnt mind, we didnt want people like her in our camp.
Nature is a foreign concept to many.
If you wish for a ground cover, get an open weave mat that lets water andlight through that does not hinder grass much and still gives you what you want. Do what you can to enjoy and preserve

[Gdetrailer]

JimK-NY wrote:
Why would I cover the ground? I try not to spill much and would clean up if I did spill something.

Spend some time camping around or near a beach, then you might understand.

We found a plastic weave patio "rug" with an open weave that allows dirt and sand to fall through, keeps a lot of the sand out of the RV.

Wouldn't use it if I was camping on grass but sandy/dirt camping spot, it is very helpful.

[fj12ryder]

We don't use anything on grass, but have one of the open weave plastic 6'x9' rugs for gravel, mud, rocks, and the like.

[cougar28]

We use the Prest-O-Fit Aero-Weave and really like it and has held up very well over several years.

[Dutch_12078]

We don't use a rug/ground cover on grass, but we do use an open mesh poly rug on sand, fine crushed stone, etc, where tracking it into the RV can be a problem. It's about 8'x 9' and rolls up easily for stowing.

[capacitor]

Straw type patio mat. I think mine is 10x12 and very easy to sweep and with a battery operated blower you’re done in 15 seconds.

[wanderingaimles]

A simple and inexpensive option is to go to your local Home Depot or Lowes and look at the 6' runners. choose the style/thickness your willing to work with and have it cut to the size you want.