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Old 01-27-2016, 07:25 AM   #1
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CGear Sand Free mat or other?

I'm in the market for an RV mat for outside our door. Based on my research I'm leaning toward the CGear Sand Free 8x8 mat.



Some of the reviews I've read suggest that the mat is great in fine sand but maybe not as good in dirt or heavier/thicker moist sand - stuff I tend to see here in the east.

Any thoughts? Other suggestions?
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Old 01-27-2016, 08:03 AM   #2
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The most important thing is that water will pass through. You can always sweep off sand or dirt with a broom.

The fact that it's lightweight and easy to fold up for storage in a small area is also good. But if there's any kind of a stiff wind it's also bad, because it will need to be staked down or else weighted down on the corners. One couple I know carries potted plants in their shower stall while traveling, then puts the plants out to weight down the corners of their mat.

I don't even use a patio mat if there's plenty of grass. I don't want to kill the grass, and grass makes a perfectly acceptable carpet. I don't use it on pavement, either. I only use it if there's dirt, gravel, or weeds, or some combination thereof. But there is one exception, if there is an ant infestation in the campground. By putting the patio mat down even in the grass or on the pavement, I can liberally spray the mat with Raid ant and roach killer, and have an ant-free outdoor space. I suppose if you have a dog you could do something similar by spraying the mat with flea killer to give your dog a safe place to lay outside.

8×8 is actually kind of small for a patio mat. The ideal size for a patio mat is slightly larger than your awning, so if it rains and you don't— or can't— take in your awning, the rain running off your awning lands on the mat and not on the ground where it can splatter mud all over.
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Old 01-27-2016, 08:21 AM   #3
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Thanks Pro. Just to add, I've gone 3 years without a mat so it's not like I need this. But we have been in situations where it would have been nice.

On the size, I'd probably go for the 10x10 even if it's over $100 - pretty expensive for a mat, no?

Ideally, I'd actually prefer something like 8 x the length of my awning. I'm under 2' of snow now so haven't measured, but it's probably 16' or so (30' AS).

Speaking of awnings, I haven't used mine in 3 years either! Unless you count deploying it at the beginning and end of the season to lube everything up.
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Old 01-27-2016, 08:30 AM   #4
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I've had two of these mats and I've been using them non-stop for the last 9 months. Two of the mediums are about the length of the awning on my 27 foot. However I tend to pull mine back towards the bumper as the kids come out and play there.

I prefer using two rather than one large mat. Sometimes I don't always put out both.





While they are lightweight, they actually will stay down in most wind. In strong stuff they should be staked. I don't always stake mine.

Water will pass through them, so not an issue. And they are very durable for the most part. These are worth the cost, as they are not like other cheapo mats. And they do a really good job on dirt and such keeping it off your feet. I'd say they are more than sand free.
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Old 01-27-2016, 09:05 AM   #5
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Thanks Bold. In that bottom photo, there are two 8x8 side by side? Looks like a nice setup.

And I remember you suggesting these a while back. Not sure if you recall. I've been eyeing them since and at some point will take the plunge.
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Old 01-27-2016, 09:16 AM   #6
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We love the CGear mats. In fact, we have three, a 6X6, 8X8 and 10X10, and deploy them in various configurations depending on our site. This not only gives us maximum flexibility but also makes handling the mats much easier (they are already way easier to handle than the typical 8X18 or 8X20 mat that a lot of folks use. The CGear mats work very well in all conditions (fine & coarse sand, mud, etc..) and drain very quickly. I can't see us getting anything else. Make sure you have stakes to secure them to the ground as the only negative we have found is that on grass they can be a bit slippery (on the underside, hence the need for staking.)
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Old 01-27-2016, 09:26 AM   #7
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Last year we used a big brown tarp, covered with some cheap outdoor grass carpeting. It looked and worked great.... until it rained. The PO had left us a small open weave tarp that we used behind the AS. The open weave was dry shortly after the sun came out. The tarp took me days of shaking and hanging over the picnic table.

Last summer we bought the Aeroweave mat, 7.5' X 20'. from Camping World. Yes, expensive at $122, but it dries out very quickly. Water passes through, even if you're on a slope and water is running over the mat. When it stops raining, just sweep off the sand or hose off the dirt. We add a door mat in front of the steps to give us a little more protection from tracking stuff inside. It folds up fairly easily but you'll never get it back in the original clear packing. We keep ours in a 10-gallon Ziploc bag to manage any loose sand.

They have smaller versions but we chose the large one so there wouldn't be any seams in the middle to trip over. We still have the original small one from the PO if we just need to protect the immediate area in front of the door.

https://www.campingworld.com/shoppin...7-5-x-20/60173
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Old 01-27-2016, 10:21 AM   #8
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We got a mat from Amazon that we really like, there are just two of us so we got a smaller one. This mat is woven large fibers and water goes right through it and it is heavy and small enough that wind does not bother it, you may check on it.
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Old 01-27-2016, 10:45 AM   #9
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We have used 2 CGear mats for the past 2 seasons, they are outstanding. I always stake them down makes sweeping much easier, water is a non issue. Dirt or sand they stay clean, just wish they were not orange, but that's a good thing in the dark.
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Old 01-27-2016, 10:54 AM   #10
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I like the orange! Hard to think of a nicer setup then Bold posted in that second picture...
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Old 01-27-2016, 11:00 AM   #11
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Yea they slide a little bit on grass. And they do come in blue/teal as well.



Have had some friends with the camping world style mat's and had them deteriorate after awhile. Since we're full time, we are pretty much getting extreme use real world testing out of everything.
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Old 01-27-2016, 11:16 AM   #12
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I like the orange. Now if they just had a big, white Power T in the middle ..... they would be perfect! ;-)
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Old 01-27-2016, 11:52 AM   #13
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carefree mat

My wife and I use the Carefree mat. It drains water and is easy to sweep off. It comes with a carrying bag which makes it very convenient to fold up and stow in bag, throw it in trailer. They come in various sizes and colors and have reversible patterns.
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Old 01-27-2016, 09:59 PM   #14
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We use mesh tarp from HF they come in different sizes, water pass through and grommets all the way around if you need the stake down. Cleans easy,light weight but only comes in black.
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Old 01-28-2016, 07:34 AM   #15
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Thanks to the OP and also Bold for showcasing this product. I'd been searching for a mat for some time but everything else has been either too cheap or too ugly or too poorly reviewed. I was looking for just a tiny bit of cool factor, and this is not your Grandma's RV mat, obviously.

That being said, a couple of pointers here for anyone who may desire to purchase upon reading this thread.

As I write this post, Amazon is not sold out of the medium orange, but they are in price escalation mode due to restricted supply. The cheapest that I found was $114, as opposed to about $79 with free shipping for the blue.

Other re-sellers offer the orange including Walmart and Wayfair, but I opted to order directly from the maker CGear, which uses PayPal. I paid $88 (shipping included) for the medium orange.
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Old 01-28-2016, 08:27 AM   #16
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Interesting about Amazon. Yesterday when I looked at it the orange was around $73.
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Old 01-28-2016, 08:34 AM   #17
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I have noticed that too when we originally ordered. At first it wasn't available for prime. And then it was. Then it wasn't again.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So when you see it, don't hesitate. Put it in your wishlist and watch it if it's not prime.
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Old 01-28-2016, 08:55 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gneiss Guy View Post
I like the orange. Now if they just had a big, white Power T in the middle ..... they would be perfect! ;-)
Surely you jest… What it needs is Pistol Pete in the middle!
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Old 01-28-2016, 09:08 AM   #19
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Watchout for "dynamic pricing". An item may be very inexpensive then the price goes up as people buy more. My wife saw this buying Teva sandals on Amazon; $25 one day and $83 two days later, same vendor same site.

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Old 01-29-2016, 04:56 AM   #20
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Originally Posted by dennis3751 View Post
Watchout for "dynamic pricing". An item may be very inexpensive then the price goes up as people buy more. My wife saw this buying Teva sandals on Amazon; $25 one day and $83 two days later, same vendor same site.

Dennis
At times I've had the price go up substantially while an item was still in my cart. I would "add to cart", turn away from the computer to answer the phone or something, and when I turn back to the computer, there's a flag saying the price just went up 40% or whatever.

At that point I will buy from a non-Amazon source on general principle, even if it is more expensive. I don't want the algorithms to get the idea that I don't care about price inflation. That sort of thing could get out of control really fast.
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