Best value drum rug?

[repete]

I use a rubber backed commercial type. The size is deep enough to cover my bass drum and pedal and long enough to also put my hihat pedal on. It’s also flat enough that any overhang from any other stands doesn’t cause any wobble.

 

[drums1225]

I really like the Crash Pad. It has weighted corners and a built in, carpet covered block, so even if your spurs fail, the drum stays put. It also rolls up and fits in my stand case. It used to cost $40 when I got both of mine... now it costs $60 at sam ash and amazon.

I just got back from a 3 week tour and the backline company included a Crash Pad with the kit. I have to say, I very strongly disliked it, and even planned to write a review of it to warn other drummers against it. I guess here and now is as good a time/place as any. Actually, I just wrote a review on Amazon, which I will share here.

I'm a full-time professional drummer and just returned from a 14 show tour, where a Crash Pad was supplied with the rental kit, so I have some practical, real-world experience to share.

Let me start with the positives, of which there are only two. The carpeted block that keeps the bass drum from creeping is a good feature, but honestly, I haven't had any issues with bass drum creep in decades, as the spikes on my bass drum spurs hold it in place perfectly well on my rubber-backed rug. The convenient carrying bag is also a positive. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end.

The Crash Pad is made of a very thin, cheap grade of carpet that has no structural integrity of its own, so it's prone to wrinkling up (see my attached video), allowing individual parts of the kit to move, even though the bass drum stays put. I really struggled to keep the hi hat from moving away from me. To be clear, the feet of the stands didn't slide across the Crash Pad, the Crash Pad itself would wrinkle.

The bottom of the Crash Pad lacks real gripping power and will absolutely slide on slippery surfaces; I guess this can be a good thing, if you need to relocate your kit after it's already set up, but that is almost never the case for me. I always took care to have at least one or two legs of my throne on the riser itself, rather than having all three on the Crash Pad. Still, somehow, this didn't really help. At one show, the surface of the drum riser was constructed of really smooth, shiny MDF(?) and by the end of a 90 minute gig (I wasn't hitting hard), the whole Crash Pad (with myself and the kit on it) had slid nearly a foot forward, and slightly turned. Because of this, one of the overhead mic stands actually fell off the riser in the middle of a song. Fortunately, the mic wasn't damaged, but the audience and the band heard the loud, amplified thump of a condenser mic hitting the stage. Not good.

Also, one of the crash cymbal stand legs ended up one inch from the edge of the riser, but fortunately didn't fall. The movement of the kit happened so gradually that I didn't realize it until I was breaking down afterwards, but as I was playing, I kept wondering why one of my cymbals kept ending up too close to me. It was because the Crash Pad itself (with me on it!) was sliding forward, but the cymbal stand had one leg that was actually gripping the riser, so it wasn't sliding as much.

Based on my experience, I unfortunately can not recommend using a Crash Pad. As it stands, it's one notch above putting a blanket down on the stage/riser. Instead, get a rubber-backed entry mat, like you would see at the entrance of a convenience store. I've been using one for over 20 years and it is virtually indestructible.

 

[Polska]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1RWNJSP?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

Ton of different colors and sizes. I have multiple colors and sizes and they all are great.

I grabbed a 3' 7" x 5' in blue for less than 30 bucks. Love it and love how it looks.

 

[Rich K.]

I just got back from a 3 week tour and the backline company included a Crash Pad with the kit. I have to say, I very strongly disliked it, and even planned to write a review of it to warn other drummers against it. I guess here and now is as good a time/place as any. Actually, I just wrote a review on Amazon, which I will share here.

I'm a full-time professional drummer and just returned from a 14 show tour, where a Crash Pad was supplied with the rental kit, so I have some practical, real-world experience to share.

Let me start with the positives, of which there are only two. The carpeted block that keeps the bass drum from creeping is a good feature, but honestly, I haven't had any issues with bass drum creep in decades, as the spikes on my bass drum spurs hold it in place perfectly well on my rubber-backed rug. The convenient carrying bag is also a positive. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end.

The Crash Pad is made of a very thin, cheap grade of carpet that has no structural integrity of its own, so it's prone to wrinkling up (see my attached video), allowing individual parts of the kit to move, even though the bass drum stays put. I really struggled to keep the hi hat from moving away from me. To be clear, the feet of the stands didn't slide across the Crash Pad, the Crash Pad itself would wrinkle.

The bottom of the Crash Pad lacks real gripping power and will absolutely slide on slippery surfaces; I guess this can be a good thing, if you need to relocate your kit after it's already set up, but that is almost never the case for me. I always took care to have at least one or two legs of my throne on the riser itself, rather than having all three on the Crash Pad. Still, somehow, this didn't really help. At one show, the surface of the drum riser was constructed of really smooth, shiny MDF(?) and by the end of a 90 minute gig (I wasn't hitting hard), the whole Crash Pad (with myself and the kit on it) had slid nearly a foot forward, and slightly turned. Because of this, one of the overhead mic stands actually fell off the riser in the middle of a song. Fortunately, the mic wasn't damaged, but the audience and the band heard the loud, amplified thump of a condenser mic hitting the stage. Not good.

Also, one of the crash cymbal stand legs ended up one inch from the edge of the riser, but fortunately didn't fall. The movement of the kit happened so gradually that I didn't realize it until I was breaking down afterwards, but as I was playing, I kept wondering why one of my cymbals kept ending up too close to me. It was because the Crash Pad itself (with me on it!) was sliding forward, but the cymbal stand had one leg that was actually gripping the riser, so it wasn't sliding as much.

Based on my experience, I unfortunately can not recommend using a Crash Pad. As it stands, it's one notch above putting a blanket down on the stage/riser. Instead, get a rubber-backed entry mat, like you would see at the entrance of a convenience store. I've been using one for over 20 years and it is virtually indestructible.

I get that. If you use it on a hard smooth surface it doesn't work well. I've had issues with it on a restaurant tile floor.

 

[High on Stress]

I get that. If you use it on a hard smooth surface it doesn't work well. I've had issues with it on a restaurant tile floor.

I also really want to like the Crash Pad and others that have that bass drum stopper feature (so much better than the dreaded cinder block or sandbag). But hard smooth surfaces are the only ones where I ever need to use a rug. Otherwise, I’m generally on a carpeted stage or the “stage” has a rug there already. I don’t use one for marking stand positions, only to prevent sliding.

 

[TomC727]

I grabbed a 3' 7" x 5' in blue for less than 30 bucks. Love it and love how it looks.

Nice

I have 2 5x7's for my large kits. I also have a 3x5 for my electronic kit, and a 4x6 for band practice at the bass player's house.

 

[Polska]

 

[flatwins]

For gigging I just use the foam mat puzzle pieces from Harbor Freight. Cheap, easy to transport, and they protect the drums. I’ve used them on real stages, concrete, gravel, grass, etc.

 

[Tony_H]

I use the 5'x7' area rugs that I find at Home Depot. They are a bit more expensive, so I usually wait until I have a gift card from Xmas or a birthday so it's basically free for me. They don't have a rubber backing, and when everything is set up, it doesn't move at all. So I got away with a lighter carpet without that smelly rubber backing, which makes it easier to clean all the random bar fluids that will accumulate on it.

 

[varatrodder]

I like the looks of an old oriental carpet under drums, but they can be heavy, dirty, slippery, and not nice outdoors in wet weather.

For a drum rug, you can't beat an Enviroback Charcoal 60 in. x 36 in. Recycled Rubber/Thermoplastic Rib Door Mat $21.97

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Traffic...c-Rib-Door-Mat-60-443-1902-30000500/202072107

It's durable, it's cleanable, it prevents slippage of drums and hardware, it's not particularly heavy, it's not distracting (no odd colors or patterns), it's made of recycled materials, and it has no drum company's logo on it (which, if it did, would cost you money for their advertising).

It seemed my local Home Depot was hiding these mats so people would buy one of the more expensive ones displayed eye-level. But the online site showed nearly 100 of them in stock. Had to ask an employee to use a lift to get one for me from a pallet of them located high-up on the steel display system.

My Canopus Bop kit and lightweight hardware (but for my throne) fits on it fine. I've used it on turf, wood decking, concrete, and gravel. I have a braided red cord that I use to secure it in a roll for easy transporting.

This is what I use. Works great. No issues.

 

[rwp42]

I prefer the Ahead Armor Cases Electronic Drum Mat Standard (55" x 48") -- which fits my bop kit perfectly, and their Standard Drum Rug (78" x 62") -- for rock kits. The best feature besides overall quality is that they are designed with a fold seam down the middle, so they can be easily folded in half and then rolled up, making for a very compact and easily transportable package. I have not found the seam to be an issue in use. The smaller rug is $95 or so at GC, and the larger is $160 at Sweetwater.

 

[karlcrafton]

I get mine from Menards.
Indoor/outdoor Eco rug in Black (other colors available).
6'X8' fits my whole kit, which had placement markings.
Durable, light weight, and folds/ransports very easily.
Around $15.

 

[FatBoy46]

I assume the dw is the best one but it’s $200. I read some reviews that it actually sticks to the floor and can ruin the floor. Not sure how common that is.

Is it worth 2x the price?

Bed Bath and Beyond- or similar stores- get a twisted rag rug the size you need to put the bass drum legs on, extended to the Hi Hat side and the front leg of the throne on it to tie the active parts together. Throne on the rug to hold it in place- the HH on the rug to keep it from walking and the bass drum legs dug into the carpet to keep it in place. These are the items that move, everything else can go directly on the floor. No need to spend $200 on a drum rug. This one rolls up small, easy to store in the trunk-(always there).

 

[Slingwig26]

A remnant from Ocean State Job Lot

 

[erict43]

I have a Roadrunner drum rug that I've been using for the last 10 years. It has weighted corners and a block in front for the bass drum. But it's too small. My throne and some of my stands go off the edges, which is bad because the primary purpose of my rug is to claim space when the band is setting up. As soon as I put the rug down, the bassist and guitarist immediately put all their crap right up against it. So I need to get a bigger rug, with spiked barricades all around the edges.

 

[gryphon]

20+ years ago I bought a 5x7 oriental from Grossmans for $23. That rug is still going strong after a couple thousand gigs.

Advice: Look for 100% polypropylene. It's cheap, wears like cast iron, and is waterproof(as well as many other nastier liquids).

I also use short pieces of thin rope to tie the bass pedal and hihat stand to the legs of my throne. Never had to worry about anything slipping away.

 

[drums1225]

I prefer the Ahead Armor Cases Electronic Drum Mat Standard (55" x 48") -- which fits my bop kit perfectly, and their Standard Drum Rug (78" x 62") -- for rock kits. The best feature besides overall quality is that they are designed with a fold seam down the middle, so they can be easily folded in half and then rolled up, making for a very compact and easily transportable package. I have not found the seam to be an issue in use. The smaller rug is $95 or so at GC, and the larger is $160 at Sweetwater.

$160 for a drum rug? Not in this lifetime.

 

[zeichner]

I've always used cheap indoor-outdoor carpeting - 6-foot square, very low pile, no rubber backing. I like to turn it over (see photo), so the bass drum spurs can catch on the fibers. The biggest issue for me, is that the spurs often slide right through the fibers of the top side of the carpet. On the bottom side of the carpet I like to use, the fibers are going all different directions & the spurs get caught. I like to buy from the clearance bin. I can't remember ever paying more than about $15 for a square of carpet.

 

[JazzyJeff]

I have used a Drum Fire 4’ x 6’ mat for years. $60, and prefer it as they fold up better than a typical area rug. Great drummer gift!
As others have said, no chance I’m paying $160 for a DW rug. Better, cheaper options available.

 

[Elvis]

I assume the dw is the best one but it’s $200. I read some reviews that it actually sticks to the floor and can ruin the floor. Not sure how common that is.

Is it worth 2x the price?

Make friends with someone in the construction biz.
They're always running across scrap pieces of carpet from office jobs.
That's how I got mine...for free. The nice price.
Carpet stores will sometimes have remnants that they'll let go for cheap, too.