The budgets is getting low so I wondered what kind of DIY or homemade knee mat you have? Also, what things that it can or can't do. TIA

A scrap piece of 2in foam board is nice as long as it’ll fit in your bucket/bag.

Would cardboard work?

cardboard will keep your pants clean...

So what exactly are knee mats used for?

Keeps your knees dry when your nilling on wet muddy ground

It will soak thru cardboard?

Knee pads provide a cushion and insulation between your knees and the ground.

I use a sheet of plastic 2'x3'. I get some really heavy duty stuff from the farmer down the road, it is used to bag silage.

That sounds good.

gives me a place to stack dirt as I dig to keep area clean if I'm making flat sets that I want to totally camouflage

Eventually,. Use waxed cardboard from meat packing or spray with silicone (Camp Dry or Sno-Seal). Glue a few layers together (with glue bands) using a water-proof glue to creat thickness. Make sure the corrugations all run in the same direction in each layer, or you will create a stiff board.

Pardon me, but was does corrugations mean?

Had two knee replacements on my left knee. Major clean out surgery and lots of tissue was lost. Hospital infection.
Hurts 24/7 since 2006.
I cannot get down on that knee. Other knee is great. Age 76.

Look at cardboard , the tubes that run the same way are corrugations .

any foam board from a construction site scrap duct tape the edges and it lasts a bit longer

same with cardboard you can tape the edges if you have tape and put a couple layers together

your also young and might not even use it

I use https://www.harborfreight.com/search?q=foam%20floor%20mats
for a number of thinks they are handy to keep around the garage for working on cars , when they are new they start on tip of the work bench and they work their way down to crawling under cars
they have sales from time to time where they get down to 5-6 dollars a 4 pack


you really don't need much a couple layers of cardboard is what I use a lot crawling around on gravel in the drive way.

Well, I normally wear snow/ski pants but I need to use them for school and don't want to get them dirty.(No its not snowing YET) So I just need something to help keep clean and dry. Thanks for the replies!!!

Hit the 'thrift stores' , Goodwill, Salvation Army, flea markets, yard sales, etc, Years ago, I bought an old Ski belt, for a couple bucks, and cut it in half to make a couple kneeling pads.

Had bad knees since grade school, and need the padding, plus keeps the pants clean. Any old boat 'PFD' would work great as well.

Frugality, and creativity are virtues.



Charlie

X2. I used an old seat cushion for a few years, now I used knee pads. Regardless of what you use, take care of your body as we can't always undo things that we'll regret later in life.