Generated by cloudfront (CloudFront) Request ID: Am6QCvI5pjgUZ6sApT29cSSAv252Bu8G7J8ypc7r7-FjEa8yxX82Pg==
Part three of our tried and tested tricks, tips and secrets for fast, easy and efficient camping!
Create a family dish that only happens when you head out bush. It could be a simple dish like frog in the hole, or why not get creative and make up a special family jaffle favourite – this way the kids will associate their fun meal with camping and get excited around dinner time!
Okay, this one is going to hurt, but be firm and leave all those electronic toys at home and instead teach the kids bush and camp craft by getting them involved in all chores and duties, and very importantly – all outdoor activities. Don’t leave your children in the camp when you go fishing. Take them with you and teach them how to bait a hook, cast a lure, and catch a fish. Teach them about the birds and the plants and carefully explain some of the dangers that may be present, or they may take fright. They may find it difficult to appreciate it at the time, but they’ll look back on it and be thankful for learning such important skills so young!
Don’t be too quick to provide your kids with entertainment when you’re at camp – let them explore and entertain themselves as much as possible. Whether they’re building a cubby house or a sand castle, you really only need to get them started, and they’ll be occupied for hours! It’s kind of like training them to use their imagination – once you’ve done it a few times; you’ll find that as soon as you pull up at camp, they’ll throw themselves into the challenge of exploring and unlocking their new environment.
Pack strategically, with the things you access most often at the front, and the things you don’t need much at the back. Not having to unload your entire boot load of gear every time you pull in to camp will make the whole job faster, easier and more enjoyable.
Secure a weatherproof toolbox to your roof cage or ute tray for spares, your Adventure Kings tools and recovery gear, freeing up your rear drawers and cargo area for every day Knick knacks like food, kitchen items, torches and loo paper. Just make sure you lock it up when you’re not using it!
We don’t go anywhere without having a good plan in place, especially when travelling remote. This means doing a stack of research to calculate fuel range distances, where you can get water, obtaining the right permits, and having our set up thoroughly prepared.
This one has popped up a few times, and for good reason! Get yourself an Adventure Kings vacuum sealer and before you head out, seal a whole bunch of meats, spag bog, fish etc. You’ll be amazed at how much space you save. If you’re going for a while, take the sealer with you so you can top up your stores when you catch a fish at your dream beach campsite.
If you need to carry a lot of water, you want to keep it as low as possible to ensure the vehicle remains stable. For just three bucks you can buy 10L water containers with taps from most supermarkets. They fit places larger jerry cans won’t, like in back foot wells, down the side of your drawers or behind the back seat. Plus, if you get a hole in one you haven’t lost your entire water supply.
AFTER TRYING IT OUT, IT WAS THE LAST NIGHT I SLEPT ON THE GROUND IN A SINGLE SWAG. EVER!
Camping solo needs to be simple but effective. Check out these top tips for streamlining your setup
When you pack up your Adventure Kings Awning on your own, sit the awning on the top of the rack as you pack away the poles, so it’s not awkward to put away. When you finish packing, make sure the zips are closed up at the back of the car – This way you won’t hear the rattles of the zips hitting each other when you’re driving and it limits the chance of rain ingress when travelling into the wet.
Cooking on your own needs to be quick. To avoid having to relight the stove from wind, all you need is a simple three-sided windbreak made out of some gal sheet and a couple of small hinges that folds flat when not in use, and sits around the cooker on all three sides. The difference it makes to how quickly you can cook tucker is massive, with the added benefit being you seriously reduce how much gas you use. Even if your cooker has its own wind-breaks, add this to your kit and watch how good it works!
If space is an issue, those folding camping cutlery sets are under 10 bucks, excellent for the solo camper and take up no room! They come with a fork, knife, spoon and a clip to hang or store it. The best part is they are super easy to clean up, and take up bugger all space leaving more room for all that fishing gear.
Sleeping on a stretcher is one of those things that once you try it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it! Get yourself an Adventure Kings Sumo Stretcher Bed and you’ll never want to sleep on the ground again!
The last thing you want to do when you’re on your own is drain your battery. Get yourself one of those portable radios from your local hardware store. They’re only a couple of hundred bucks for a good one that lets you play your own music too!
Obviously at the end of the day none of us get out camping as much as we’d like to. But at least you will be able to simplify your setup for next time. Then after that you can find out what works and what doesn’t even more and refine your setup even more! It’s a never ending process, but that’s the beauty of camping. All that remains is to pack the 4WD and head bush – whether it’s for an overnighter, an epic trip or a weekend with the family – time out bush is time well spent!
Generated by cloudfront (CloudFront) Request ID: Zj_Rx8K3rJIjqvVYlbj7VadQf8BZITxxomzajNzX8akdBRWmzqA8BQ==