The CGEAR Original Mat with its dual-layer weave and sand-free technology does an excellent job of letting sand and dirt fall through the mesh and prevents debris from coming back up to its top surface.
Overview
The CGear technology allows sand and dirt to fall through the patented dual-weave of their mats and also prevents the debris from working its way back up from the ground, so you and your gear stay clean while outdoors. The CGear Multimat was initially designed as a deployable helimat to eliminate dirt, dust, and debris from being kicked up by the helicopter’s rotors when landing, making it ideal for military and civilian use. The product was so successful in eliminating sand, dirt, and dust from helicopter landings that they adapted it to outdoor recreational use.
The mat is ideal for outdoor enthusiasts who demand durability and versatility, and it’s useful as a ground mat when camping, backpacking, and RVing, and for more normal functions such as picnics, and hanging at the beach. It can also be used as a shade mat due to its 90%+ UV protection as well as a windbreak screen. The collection ranges from personal sized mats for backpacking to RV sized mats, drone landing pads, soft beach towels and beach bags, and a footwear line.
For further information refer to www.cgear-sandfree.com.
Original Mat
We tested their Original Mat, which comes in Blue/Green, Green and Orange/Tan color schemes, S, M, L and XL sizes and retails from $59.99 to $129.99. The small is 6’x6′ (tested) and weighs 3.15 lb, the medium is 8’x8′ and 5.55lb, the large is 10’x10′ and 8.5lb, while the x-large is 12’x12′ and 11.73lb.
The CGEAR Original Mat features their sand-free weave technology, and the material is water-resistant, mold-free, and UV resistant with a robust military grade construction. The practical and highly functional design ensures that sand and dirt end up exactly where they belong, on the ground.
The mat can be folded or rolled up depending on your needs, and if required you can hose and wash the mat off when it might get dirty. You can supposedly machine wash the mat (hang dry only), though I never tried that method, as I found that a simple hose and scrub brush with soap did just fine.
The Original Mat is UV stabilized to prevent fading and is fast drying, and it’s resistant to water and mold. I did notice that due to its initial folded packing from the factory, the creases are still noticeable even after many outings and usages, though in no way did it alter the mats functionality, and it was mainly not an issue since I used it as my tents footprint and ground cover. Perhaps machine washing the mat might help?
It features rugged reinforced seams along the edge as well as double-reinforced heavy-duty corner D rings, which allow it to be affixed or staked to the ground quickly, easily, and securely, even in adverse and windy conditions. It’s constructed with polyethylene material, so sand and dirt won’t stick to the weave. The robust ripstop fabric resists tearing and fraying, and the protected edges prevent curling.
All of the CGear products were designed with their dual layer design, and a quick sweep of the hand and unwelcome sand filters through the two layers of the durable, water-resistant weave, leaving a clean top mat. The second bottom layer prevents all the sand, dirt and dust from resurfacing and intruding to the top of the mat, offering up a sand-free and comfortable environment.
Bottom Line
The CGEAR Original Mat with its dual-layer weave and sand-free technology does an excellent job of letting sand and dirt fall through the mesh and prevents debris from coming back up to its top surface. This highly functional design offers sand and dirt free environment during your outdoor adventure, keeping debris from your tent, RV, blanket, campsite, and picnic, which makes for a more enjoyable and cleaner experience. A shake of the mat, a hand sweep, or walking around on the mat will get the junk off the top layer, and even wet sand will work its way through the weave, though it might take some extra effort.
The weave of the mat felt decently soft against my feet, legs, and hands, making laying around on it pleasant, without any undue discomfort. And even with the deep color it never got too hot to touch even directly in the rays of the sun. The corner and side rings are useful when you want to stake down the mat to prevent it from flopping around in the wind or moving out of position when people were stepping around on it.
The material is pretty darn tough and durable and hasn’t shown any signs of wear and tear, even after some use on more rugged terrain and heavy use. Once you’re done with the mat, give it a good shake to remove excess debris and either fold or roll it up, and you can dry it back home if it’s still damp.
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