Graham, Shaun and Brenno have put together a list of three things each they tried but didn’t like, three things they didn’t think they’d like but loved, and three things they reckon every camp setup should have!

GRAHAM

Three things you tried but didn’t like with your camp setup

• Rubber mats under my Adventure Kings Awning; just a hassle to carry and piece together and didn’t really offer anything useful. They are now the base for my dogs kennel so I guess they helped him out which is good.
• I had a gas cooker and gas bottles on a fridge slide which I thought would make for an always ready kitchen. Truth is it just took up way too much space and was too high off the ground to be easy to use. I ditched the whole setup including the gas bottles and have gone to a double burner canister style cooker on a custom alloy table that is so much better and easier to use.
• Gravity fed water tank. After putting in a simple 12V pump and switch I’d not go back to gravity fed water again. The pump is wired into a switch activated by a tap so I can control the flow rate from a trickle to ‘put out that fire’.

Three things you didn’t think you’d like but loved

1. My mate wired my camp lights as such that they can be turned on or off from either side of the canopy. At first I thought this was a lot of work for no real reason but now I rate that small mod as being totally useful and utterly worthwhile.
2. Adventure Kings Portable Solar Blanket. I’m talking the folding cloth style panels; just didn’t think I could be bothered OR that they’d offer much by way of voltage input. Wrong! So quick and easy to use and mine put in a solid 8 amps under good conditions and around 4-5 amps under crappy conditions, making it a very worthwhile bit of kit.
3. Camp stretcher; what’s wrong with just rolling your swag out on the ground I thought? Well wait till you try the utter luxury of an Adventure Kings Sumo Camp Stretcher. It’s like a bed base for your swag, raising comfort levels through the roof. I freaking love them.

Three things you reckon every camp setup should have

1. An Adventure Kings Awning. Just about the most useful thing you can bolt to your 4WD. Sun or rain it just makes a campsite that much more comfortable. I just couldn’t own a 4WD without an awning.
2. For a touch of real fancy luxury, grab an Adventure Kings Mesh Floor to line under your awning. Yep, fancy as a rat with a gold tooth.
3. Quality lighting. Makes nights in the bush a breeze and beats the heck out of trying to eat spag bog with a head torch.

Setup time: five minutes

BRENNO

Three things I tried but didn’t like

1. I installed a gas hot water shower and thought I’d add in one of those pop-up shower tents. I didn’t end up using it as much as I thought.
2. Camp ‘mess kits’. The plates, cups, bowls and cutlery you get in those cheap kits are always crap quality, tiny and generally useless. The misso bought some cheap stuff from the homemaker shops that works spot-on./li>
3. Tailgate-mounted gas cooker. I took an angle grinder to the inside of my tailgate to make a space for a hard-mounted gas cooker. It worked okay, but it rattled like crazy and it drove me mad. In the end I packed it away with the rest of the camp gear and one day I might hunt down a replacement tailgate…Maybe.

Three things I didn’t think I’d like but now love

• Camper trailer. Mates will swear that I have said in the past that I’d never tow a trailer, but I absolutely love it. As I’m writing this I’ve just woken up from a night in the trailer where it absolutely bucketed down with thunderstorms all night – we stayed completely dry, up off the wet ground and comfy as you’d like.
• Cobb cooker. I thought it was just another bit of un-necessary complication, but it’s such a brilliant bit of gear to cook on – especially on places like Fraser where you can’t have fires.
• Wireless fridge thermometer. Dirt cheap, ultra-effective. Put the display up on your dash and you’ll be able to tell at a glance what your fridge is doing. At first I put it in the ‘un-necessary complication’ pile but it’s cheap peace of mind that your tucker isn’t going off.

Five things I reckon every camp setup should have

1. Small 12v fans – and not just for a trailer either. There’s nothing better on a stinking hot night than a bit of breeze, and a couple of small caravan/boat fans draw bugger all power, are designed to be dead quiet and keep everything nice and cool.
2. A good 12v fridge – assuming you’ve got the power to run it – should happily be able to freeze stuff right down to at least -6°C. The best part is once they’re frozen the fridge barely does any work as it’s easy to maintain the frozen temps.
3. Extra storage. It sounds simple but it’s very easy to overlook. When you’re figuring out your camp setup, remember this – the harder something is to get to at home, the more of a guarantee it is that you’ll never use it out bush.

Setup time: three minutes (without awning) five to eight minutes (with awning)

SHAUNO

Three things you tried but didn’t like with your camp setup

1. Solar panels. I thought that’s what every serious tourer should have, but I found them a pain to setup and they don’t work really well unless you move them around to follow the sun. Although they definitely have their place if you’re camped up for a few days. Instead I now run a hard mounted one which works well.
2. My Webber BBQ. It’s the best way to cook nearly anything, but it takes up lots of room and I need a gas bottle (which takes up more). My Adventure Kings BBQ plate and camp oven do the job and take up bugger all room.
3. Keeping all of you food in plastic bags from the supermarket. After day one of your trip you have onions rolling around in the back of your 4WD and you can’t find anything when you want to cook. Invest in drawers or tough plastic tubs as a minimum.

Three things you didn’t think you’d like but loved

1. A 12V oven. I thought it was way over the top for a camping mod for your 4WD and I was doubtful that it would work and I would never use it. Truth be told, I absolutely love having one in the Dirty 30 and it’s perfect for winter and quick weekend getaways. Next time you’re waist deep in a mud hole think about how good a hot pie would be.
2. I’ve always loved camp ovens, but I never thought I would move away from a cast iron pot. After buying a spun steel camp oven eight years ago, it’s safe to say I won’t be going back anytime soon.
3. This is going to sound stupid, but for a long time I didn’t own a camp chair. It must be a bloke thing, but I thought it was a waste of space when you can just sit on your swag if you need a seat. I got myself an Adventure Kings Camp Chair and yep, turns out they are a bloody good thing.

Three things you reckon every camp setup should have.

• A good 12V system is an absolute must. You need to be able to leave your 12V fridge on for a weekend and use your camp lights for 2x nights without flattening your auxiliary battery(s).
• LED camp lights. Do this mod before anything. This is my favourite mod on both my 4WDs.
• An Adventure Kings Dirty Gear Bag. They are cheap and would save us from getting kicked out of more places if everybody used them to store their garbage bags. It’s not hard!

Setup time: two and a half minutes (includes drinking half a beer)