Hawkeye, I followed the same path as Supercollider. I had the luxury of playing on other people's game tables for many years, so wasn't under any time constraints when making up my mind about my own playing surface. Then I saw upholstery material that looked like suede leather in a fabric store named Joann's. The store brand was frequently selling for 40% to 50% off. I made several trips and ended up with enough medium green, tan, and blue-grey to cover a 6ft x 12ft table in each color, with patches of other shades of sand (for beaches), yellow and brown for croplands and roads.
The faux suede upholstery cloth that I bought came in about 54in width (4.5ft), and I had it cut to six foot lengths. Even on sale the material was two to three times the cost of plain untreated and unflocked felt. But I thought it worth the price for the following reasons:
1. Unlike felt, it doesn't need to be treated or flocked to keep from threading out or snagging mini bases.
2. It lays very flat, is very flexible, and drapes nicely over anything underneath.
3. It doesn't smell like treated or painted or flocked felt.
4. It is washable, and I've already been able to clean off a mark I accidentally made with blue ink.
5. The faux suede can have a two tone effect, as the material looked stlighty different when it is brushed in a couple of directions.
6. The material looks fairly organic and comes in a variety of earth tones.
7. It rolls up pretty well on a tube, any wrinkles being not detracting from the look.
8. With a few rocks and brown lichen scattered about, the tan colors are just the ticket for the old west. Personally, I prefer a tan shade with a slight pinkish tint for the ground color in my favorite part of the Old West, the four corners area and Southeast Utah.