HOT TIPS TO STAY COOL

Time to break out the ice box and boardies, as we reveal the top tips for a cracking summer campsite!

Riverside camping and secluded coastal getaways are the aim of the game when it comes to camping in summer. Yep, it’s the season where footy shorts, beach cricket and a spot of fishing rule supreme. But as much fun as it can be, dealing with the heat can add a whole new element to camping.

To help ensure your next summer camping experience is the best it can be, we reveal the golden rules for a safe and enjoyable summer camping experience. Plus, if you’ve ever wondered how to keep your ice box colder for longer, then read on as we put different tricks to the test to find out exactly which method really works best.

BEATING COASTAL WIND

Not securing your gear is an easy mistake to make when you’re basking in the sun and there’s no breeze, but to help keep things under control when an afternoon storm rolls in, there are a few little tricks you can employ. First up, if you’re camping directly on the sand, you’ll need to use specialised sand pegs to attach to your guy ropes. They’re thicker in diameter and have a larger surface area thanks to their cross-design which means they won’t pull through the sand as easily as a standard tent peg. The problem is, when the wind picks up they don’t always get the job done.

If the sand pegs aren’t cutting it, a few Adventure Kings Awning Sand Bags could literally save the day in this case. Specifically-designed sand-bags are the ultimate in keeping things in shape on the dunes. The idea is to fill them up with sand and tie them around the legs of your Awning.Think of it like this: if a 3cm wide sand peg creates more resistance than a standard tent peg can, imagine how much resistance a 45x33cm bag will create.

Another tip is to use your 4WD as a wind break. The idea is to use the vehicle to break the wind, and then setup your Adventure Kings Awning on the lee side of the vehicle so the wind can’t get underneath it and blow it away.

USING A STRETCHER REDUCED REDUCES THE SWAG’S INTERNAL TEMPERATURE BY 8°C ON A 30°C DAY

SUMMER ACCOMMODATION

When it comes to choosing the right swag or tent for the job, there are a few design features that can help your accommodation stay cooler at night. Without a doubt, having plenty of ventilation definitely helps the cause. So, look for a swag that has a full-length mesh screen under the top storm cover, and wide ventilation flaps at each end so there’s plenty of cross ventilation and circulation – like the Adventure Kings Big Daddy Swag. Midge-proof mesh is an absolute must, especially in the tropics, but look for a swag with plenty of room as the mozzies can still bite you if you’re pressing against the mesh.

An Adventure Kings Sumo Stretcher Bed will get you up and off the ground. In fact, we’ve found that using a stretcher reduces the swag’s internal temperature by up to 8°c on a 30°c day.

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR AWNING

Let’s face it, as the day kicks on, an awning on your 4WD really only provides a few metres of shade for a few hours of the day. For extended stays, a top idea is to extend the awning on an angle down to the ground, by using an Adventure Kings Awning Side Wall. It’s amazing how one quick Awning extension can add up to 40% more shade for the cost of a pub feed.

COOLER CAMPING SPOTS

An unavoidable part of summer camping is getting woken up because the sun’s blaring down on your tent or swag at the crack of dawn, heating it quite quickly to the point that you become uncomfortable. While it might seem pretty simple, pitching your accommodation so it receives plenty of shade from the eastern sun in the morning will keep your tent much cooler for a lot longer. The downside is you’ll end up copping the brunt of the afternoon’s heat, so retreating to the swag for an afternoon slumber, will have you sweating your guts out. Swags and tents blasted by the western sun will also retain heat into the night, so keeping ventilation flaps open will help cool them quickly. If you love an arvo kip, it’s a top idea to bring the hammock along for a peaceful snooze under the shade of a couple of trees.

ONE AWNING EXTENSION WILL ADD UP TO 40% MORE SHADE FOR THE COST OF A PUB FEED

BEATING THE FLIES – SHAUNO’S TOP TIP

“When you head into the outback it can be impossible to escape the flies. They buzz around your head, into your mouth, eyes, ears and nose. It can drive you mad! I’ve literally tried dozens of different fly-repelling methods over the years, but it wasn’t until a cocky from Cameron Corner let me in on a secret, which has made dealing with the thousands of flies in the outback easier than ever before. He told me to get some rosemary and sandalwood cream and smear some on your cheeks, nose and ears. You’ll smell like a roast lamb, and the flies will still hang around, but they won’t land on your face – which makes life in the bush much more bearable.”

KEEPING SAND OUT

There’s always a bit of beach camping to be had around summer, but spreading sand right through your tent is not very comfortable at all, especially when it’s tangled through your sleeping gear. The good news is something as simple as an Adventure Kings Mesh Floor can dramatically reduce the amount of sand that gets into your camping gear. By simply laying it out in front of your swag, it gives the sand time to drop off your feet before you enter the tent.

PORTABLE FIRE PLACES

Fire is a real danger in summer, which throws a spanner in the works when it comes to the camp cooking side of things. Portable fire places like the Adventure Kings Camp Stove are becoming a popular camp cooking option. These units have the advantage of being able to be used to cook on when open fires are restricted or banned in places. So you can still throw the snags on the hotplate and cook with a natural fire when open fires aren’t an option.

Of course, the legalities of this will depend on the rules of the forest, park or reserve you’re camping in and the severity of the conditions, but overall these units are a very versatile bit of kit. How versatile? Well, not only are they perfect to cook on in the summer, they double as a heater in the winter, so you can use them all year round. Talk about value-for-money!

PUTTING A FIRE OUT PROPERLY

One of the most important things to do before you leave camp is put the camp fire completely out. That doesn’t mean smother it, bury it or simply let the flame burn out. The best way to completely extinguish a camp fire properly is to drown it in water to the point where it’s lost of all its heat.

Leaving the fire unattended just because there is no flame present is a recipe for disaster.

Burying hot coals under the sand to extinguish the flame is not just laziness, it’s downright dangerous. Think of it like this: those coals not only get hidden, they will also heat that patch of sand up to extremely high temperatures, and if the next camper comes along and stands on these hot-spots barefooted, they could severely burn before they get the chance to figure out what happened. In fact, in the right conditions the coals from your campfire can retain enough heat to reignite another fire several days later. You’ve gotta’ ask yourself, would you want it to happen to you or your child?

To avoid heat stress, carry out strenuous activities like changing tyres or digging out of a bog hole in the late afternoon or early morning when it’s cooler.

MAKE YOUR ICE LAST LONGER!

A weekend away camping should be a beaut little cheap exercise, right? The quickest way to rack up the bills is to add $15 worth of ice to your esky every time you head off-road, only to have it melt by Saturday afternoon. There are plenty of old wives’ tales out there that claim to help you extend the life of your ice, so we pulled a couple of ice boxes out of the shed and put the theories to the test.

TEST 1: BUNG IN v BUNG OUT

First up, bung in or out? The theory goes that you should always drain the melted water away from your esky, because water’s harder to keep cold than air, and will hence melt the ice quicker.

We put one bag of ice each in two identical 55L Iceboxes and left them side-by-side in the sun on concurrent 30°C days, one with bung in, one with bung out.

The result? The ice in the esky with the bung left out lasted a full half a day more.

TEST 2: BAG v BLOCK ICE

What lasts longer, block ice or bagged/crushed? In two more identical eskies we put a 4L ice-cream container frozen with fresh water, and a bag of ice.

The result was no surprise, with the block ice lasting an incredible two and a half days more than the bagged ice. There’s a serious money saver there – keep your ice-cream containers, fill em and put them in the freezer a couple of days before you go camping (throw out those bags of frozen veggies, they’re only empty vitamins anyway) and have much longer-lasting ice for free!

BONUS TIP!

KEEPING HYDRATED

“If you feel thirsty you are already on the way to being dehydrated. How quickly is dependent on the amount of activity and fitness, coupled to the temperature, and everybody is different.
Military studies have concluded that after only a 2% loss of a person’s body weight through perspiration, the body will experience impaired performance. After a 4% loss the body’s capacity for muscular work is on the decline. Heat exhaustion will occur after a 5% loss. At a 7% loss hallucinations start and after a 10% loss the body will experience circulatory collapse and heat stroke – a life threatening emergency that needs immediate medical attention. Even just walking or fishing in the hot sun without adequate head and body protection can make you sick in extreme heat.

To avoid heat stress and cramps I have at least two-heaped teaspoons of powdered sports drink a day, which rehydrates by replacing minerals and fluid lost. Also, I camp on top of stream banks to catch the breeze, and string a large breathable fly between a few trees or vehicles for extra shade and air flow instead of camping in a hot tent during the day.”

GET OUT THERE!

There’s nothing like summer – long, warm days, beach, river or lakeside camping and enjoying the very best of the Aussie outdoors. Keep these simple tips in mind next time you head off-road and summer-camp like a pro!