Camco 42814 Handy Mat 9x6 RV Patio & Picnic Mat

The Camco 42814 Handy Mat is the roll-out mat that lives in the back of the RV and comes out the second you park. Nine feet by six feet of woven polypropylene that gives you a clean, dry place to stand outside the door, so the sand, mud, and grass stay outside instead of tracking into the coach. Blue and green stripes, straps and pockets, and light enough that one person can carry it to the beach and back.

We like these because they earn their keep. Pull into a site, unroll the mat under the awning, and you've got an instant patio. Set the camp chairs on it. Kick your shoes off at the step. When the kids come back from the water, they've got somewhere to dry off that isn't the carpet inside. It folds out to 108 inches by 72 inches, which is enough room to seat about four adults comfortably, so it works just as well spread on the grass for a picnic as it does parked next to the trailer.

The material is the part that matters. It's polypropylene, woven tight, and it's built to take weather. Rain runs through it instead of soaking in, so it dries fast and won't hold a puddle. It's mold and mildew resistant, which is the real test for anything that spends its life outdoors and gets rolled up damp. And it's UV-stabilized, so the blue and green stripes don't fade to a washed-out gray after one season in the sun. When it gets dirty, and it will, you hose it off or scrub it with a little soap and water and let it dry. That's the whole maintenance routine.

Storage is where the Handy Mat gets its name. It folds down to a compact 14.5 inches by 18 inches with built-in handles, so it tucks into a basement bay or the trunk without hogging space. There are pockets sewn on both sides too, handy for keeping a phone, sunglasses, or a set of keys off the ground while you're set up. The straps keep the whole thing bundled tight once it's rolled, so it doesn't flop open on you when you pull it out of the storage bay.

A couple of honest notes so you know exactly what you're getting. This mat is not reversible, so the striped side is the side you use. And it doesn't come with grommets, so there aren't corner holes for staking it into the ground. For most RV patio and picnic use that's a non-issue, since the weight of your chairs and feet holds it flat. If you're setting up in a steady wind on open sand, plan to weight the corners with a cooler or run a couple of stakes over the edge rather than through it.

Who's this for? RVers who want a defined outdoor living space at the campsite. Tailgaters. Beach and park picnickers who are tired of gritty blankets. Anybody who wants to keep the dirt at the door instead of on the floor. It's a simple piece of gear, but it's one of those things you end up using every single trip. The English and French packaging means it's ready for campgrounds on both sides of the border.

At six by nine feet it's a good middle size. Big enough for a couple of chairs and a small table under the awning, small enough that it's no trouble to shake out and roll back up when you're breaking camp. Toss it in with the leveling blocks and the water hose and it becomes part of the setup routine you don't think twice about.