is it worth the £35 or will a piece of tarp be just as good? seems alot of money to pay unless it is considerably better

They come the right shape for the tent and have elastic loops on the corners that hook over the pole ends to hold them in place, it's an easy option if you don't want to cut things etc.

Probably not worth the money. My sister bought a solar when they were going cheap and I bought her the groundsheet protector when I say it half price. Reckoned that was a fair price.

cheers john.

i know what you mean it is great that it fits properly, but the extra money kind of seems abit of a waste

Er just a thought.

We used a bothy bag as our footprint for the Solar 2 just recently, less than £30 and more flexible. Also I recently did an interview with a guy who uses Tyvek (I think sp?) waterproofing sheet which they use on building sites.

Incredibly light, strong and water proof.

I find that home made foot prints which give you something to kneel on when getting in and out of the tent, much better than the commercial ones. I also don't worry about clipping them on to pegs etc, as you can usually slide them under the tent once the first few pegs are in, without much effort.

or you could buy a large roll of laminate flooring underlay from B&Q for £11 and cut a footprint out of that.

Made out of 3mm closed cell foam. Its a bit more bulky that a fabric footprint but very light and it gives a bit of padding & warmth as well. The only downside I can see is that its a bit fragile - it tears easily but the roll is big enough to make a dozen more.