The final part of our series of the very best tricks to make your camping experience better and simpler, from those who’ve spent years in the bush

EASIER TUCKER ON THE TRACKS!

Forget burnt snags – becoming a bush master chef is way easier than you think

TAKEAWAY TUCKER

If you’re not the Masterchef type, get some take away meals and Vacuum seal them with your Adventure Kings Vacuum sealer, then freeze them. You can even use some leftovers from home frozen and packed in the fridge. Defrost the satchels by placing them in your fridge which will also keep other food items cooler in the process. Imagine pulling up to camp, heading up a few leftover meals and then chucking out the containers – dinner doesn’t get much easier than that!

FLAT PACKED COOKING

There’s a lot to be said for the good old fashioned Adventure Kings BBQ plate, just a simple flat plate is one of the best things to cook on, you can always find some rocks to prop it up on, or dig a hole and make a makeshift fire hole with the plate on top of it, you could even get fancy and fab some clip in legs up, so that it all folds flat and saves space. When you’re knee-deep in the mud, it can also double as an emergency jack-base.

MEAL PLANNING

Make yourself a meal planner and try to mix up your meal types. Having the same thing repeated for four weeks will definitely wear thin quick!

OVER-CATERING

Food is something that most people over prep for. So many people carry enough food for twice the amount of time that they’re away. The result of this is the risk that it can spoil, as well as the extra weight and space that it takes up. Pre prepared or cooked meals can make it a lot easier at dinner time especially if you’ve had to travel late into the day. It never hurts to carry a few canned meals and instant noodle sachets, just in case things don’t go to plan for dinner.

THERMAL COOKERS

Thermal cookers are awesome with a short prep and pre-heat time, and then sit it on the back for a few hours and when you get to where you are going you are ready for dinner. All you basically need to do, is get the meal going in the morning as you would normally cook it, then once it’s hot, throw it all into the thermal cooker and don’t look at it again until it’s dinner time.

PLAN AHEAD

If you’re going to go to the effort of cooking when camping, you might as well aim to get value for your effort. Plan ahead and make enough for at least two meals. Cooking a roast one night can easily become lunch the next day and bubble and squeak for dinner the day after. Most of us love our dessert, but fruit doesn’t always stay fresh for long when camping. To pacify that sweet craving, take some dried fruits/nuts and some tinned fruit, as they travel well and can be used as a snack or used in both savoury and sweet dishes.

LESS IS MORE

The less you take, the less can break, lose or have to clean. Keep it simple – don’t over-complicate things. 99% of what you want to cook, can be done with a camp oven, a frypan, a set of tongs, a knife and a spatula. The rest is just showing off.

CRYOVAC

We’ve said it a few times before, but that’s because it’s just that good! To have your meat last longer, Get yourself an “>Adventure Kings Vacuum Sealer. They’re becoming really popular and you can use this same technique for meals you prepare before travelling. Dishes such as curries, pasta sauces, and casseroles work a treat.”

ALUMINIUM FOIL

Aluminium foil is the camp cook’s best mate – keep a spare roll in the drawers or the back of the 4WD. If you forget everything else, you can make a one-use frypan out of it, or just roll your tucker up and sit it on some coals. Some foil also serves to keep your seconds warm while you plow through the main course.

LET SOMEONE ELSE DO THE WORK

Visit your local butcher for some pre-prepared meals such as marinated meats, prepared dishes of goulash or stews, plus a whole raft of others available. Use paper plates and almost everything except the pot can go straight in the bin.

CANNED FOODS FOR THE WIN!

Think outside the square with canned veggies – everyone knows a can of peas and corn boiled on some coals works, but bung a couple of tins of mushies in butter sauce over any sort of meat for a seriously good bit of tucker.

USE THAT FIRE

Most people know that you can cook pretty darn well on a fire, however most never bother. It all comes down to heat control. A small pile of coals can cook almost anything to perfection and leave bugger-all to clean up.

THE HUMBLE BARBEQUE PLATE HAS GOT US OUT OF TROUBLE A FEW TIMES NOW!

KEEP IT SIMPLE

Keep both your recipes and the ingredients simple. Four or five ingredients, including any spices or drop in items like tinned tomatoes and this is probably all you need to take to make a gourmet main meal. Just remember to always make a little extra and chuck the extras in a container for the next day

REMOTE PRODUCE

Often when traveling remote, it’s hard to get and store fresh produce so you need to improvise. You can substitute most fruit and veges with tinned produce and bread can be swapped for flat-breads, rice cakes or even better make your own!

BONUS TIP

A cheap tool roll from Bunnings is the perfect accessory for storing cutlery, cooking knives and general utensils. They come in all shapes and sizes and roll up small enough to stuff in just about any gap in the 4WD. If you’ve got a drop-down rear table, use a couple of tonneau elastics to secure it to the backside of the table, ready to go in an instant.

BETTER WAYS TO STORE BULKY GEAR!

Cut down on what you’ve got to carry, by making the most of all available storage space

UP TOP

Utilise roof racks economically and safely – if items are light, use tie downs such as ratchet styles with hooks.

CAMPER TRAILER STORAGE

If it is heavy like a high lift jack or a tool kit, try and put it in the trailer and pack it lower down and secure so it won’t move. Take a swag for the kids and although it is not heavy it travels better when packed in the camper trailer because it doesn’t block access to what you need. Depending on whether the bulky items are dirty you’ve always got the option of storing them in the camper trailer storage box to separate them away from your other clean gear. Either way you can wrap anything dirty in an old towel to keep it separated. That way you can put bedding on top if you need to.

WAGON STORAGE

In most instances you’ll want to place most of your heaviest gear down low in the 4WD. The same goes for bulky bits and pieces. However, if you’re looking like an after-dark setup, or you’re just a lazy bugger that likes to get setup and into a chair as quick as possible, then keep things like swags and chairs easily accessible, either on the roof or near the back of the 4WD.

TAKE AN EXTRA FEW MINUTES…

Storing bulky gear isn’t always easy, and most of the time we just try and shove it in. It might fit, but it’s not always effective, so try taking a puzzle approach. Put the item into a box that geometrically fits with other items so that it can then be packed better. Take a few extra minutes and plan where that gear is going to go. You may need to move items to get to it, but that’s so much easier when it’s not taking up a lot of space compared to being chucked in.

BONUS TIP

One tip for cutting weight and bulk out of the majority of your trip is to only fill long range fuel tanks, water tanks and jerry cans once you get close to your destination. There’s no point travelling from Sydney to Birdsville carrying 200L of fuel, 100L of water and 3 jerry cans the whole way, when there’s a servo every 100 kays most of the way there.

BONUS CAMPING RECIPE!

KID PLEASER DESERT

Here’s a recipe that could become a family camping favourite with the kids. It’s easy, the kids can do it and it’s got chocolate – need more?
Ingredients

• 1 packet Waffle Cones
• Bananas
• Mini marshmallows
• Peanut Paste
• Milk Choc Bits

Method

1. Peel and slice the bananas into small chunks.
2. Spread some peanut paste on the inside of the cones.
3. Layer some banana, choc chips and marshmallows in each cone. Repeat until reaching the top of the cone.
4. Wrap the cones in foil individually and place over hot coals for 5-10 minutes, turning occasionally.
5. Unwrap to check it’s all melted to perfection, and you’re good as gold!