My team is looking at getting carpet for our half practice field. We have been looking at industrial carpets such as what you would find in schools or businesses. Do you think this would accurately simulate the carpet used in competitions? We are running swerve with black tread.
I would suggest taking a look at the part of the Game Manual where it talks about the carpet used on the field. Then walk into your local carpet shop with those specs.
Or contact your local leadership about getting carpet from an event after it happens.
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I’m a Field Supervisor and my team hosts a community field.
Don’t overthink carpet. Any carpet is better than no carpet.
The event field is constantly changing due to robots ramming and moving the field walls, game elements, and wrinkling the carpet. Every field is closer to an oval than a rectangle by the end. We even had a trapezoid once.
Our school laid down carpet tile for the practice field. Not even close to official turf but I’m not aware of any complaints. It’s held up really well(much better than event carpet, probably because it’s glued to the concrete floor), and with April Tags you really shouldn’t be running dead reckoning autos.
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One thing I recall someone mentioning in a different thread: There are some kinds of carpet to which gaffers tape does not stick well. I recommend confirming gaffers will stick well to the carpet before buying it.
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Check out this post from FIRST:
I don’t think that carpet is going to be such a big deal though. I’m sure most industrial carpets would work, but like the above replies mention, make sure you have a way to stick it to the ground. You can paint your carpet like the article mentions, but it might be hard to use in future years.
I am doing a test on carpet covered 2’ puzzle squares. (carpet on 3/8 EVA foam). We have a need to putdown/pickup carpet after each session. Makes a mess so we are always sweeping and washing floor. Also, requires dedicated students. Anyone use this product?
What is the best way to stick field carpet to the ground? Preferably something temporary as that would probably make my school more likey to let us stick carpet onto the shop floor.
My team uses gaffers tape. I would recommend getting a carpet that allows gaffers tape to stick because it’s probably the easiest solution; however if you get a carpet that can’t use gaffers tape and need a temporary fix, I would try searching for carpet tape/rug anchors that are used on the underside of the carpet to hold it down. If tape doesn’t stick to the top or bottom, you can try anti-slip rug pads and secure the rug pad to the ground with tape. If all else fails, try putting stuff down on the edges just to weigh it down/prevent movement.