As the saying goes, when it rains it pours, to the less experienced campers getting out and enjoying the outdoors always gets a damper put on it as soon as the clouds roll in, this is what separates the wheat from the chaff when it comes to camping.

Whilst still not ideal, more experienced campers take advantage of the tools of the trade to stay dry and still have a good time no matter what the weather does. A reliable camping setup offers you waterproof fabrics and a solid setup that will ensure that you are in charge of your camping setup and a master of the elements!

First things first, even if you aren’t hitting the tracks overnight, it is important that you set yourself up with a reliable and easy to use shelter over the top of your entire setup! In the old days, this usually consisted of a tarp and 4-6 extendable poles and about a dozen guy ropes, a lot of swearing and more hands than were on deck to set it up.  If you’ve ever participated in a tarp raising, you are aware of the frustration of trying to balance tension on all 4 sides making sure water wont pool up and also ensuring that everyone can stand up underneath.

With developments like Gazebo’s and Awnings, you can easily see why tarps have taken the back seat with many camping setups, an Adventure Kings Awning can be set up solo, and in less than a couple of minutes, being fully waterproof and mounted to the side of your vehicle your awning already has 2 of its corners supported by your vehicle, the addition of horizontal poles to apply tension to the awning fabric and the twist lock legs allow you to lower and raise your awning in just seconds to the perfect height.

With stacks of awesome accessories to fasten to an Awning, such as the Adventure Kings Awning side wall which doubles your sheltered space and blocks out the wind and rain at camp, these can be added to all three exposed sizes via the hook and loop fastenings, or the sail track chanel that runs the length of the external frame mechanism.  When comparing features and functions of our awning, it’s easy to make the mistake of referring to our canopy fabric as “canvas” this term is old vernacular and is simply stating that the fabric is tough and waterproof, in reality the 170GSM ripstop grid polyester is a marked improvement to traditional canvas fabric for many reasons. When we look at performance features of our fabric there are a few factors we need to consider, such as durability, porosity, waterproofness and rip/tear resistance.

The Adventure Kings Awnings are designed to be fully waterproof, after all this is their primary function, however, their reliability on the tracks is heavily influenced by their ability to stand up to all weather functions such as wind and even snow. this is why the range includes a strong ripstop grid woven into the fabric from factory allowing the fabric to be thinner and much more resilient to stretching or bowing in strong wind conditions. Additionally, the grid means we can reduce the thickness of the fabric without sacrificing the durability or strength, making it easier to set up and lighter on the roof of your vehicle!

The next way you can stay warm and dry at camp is by adding a reliable Adventure Kings Campsite bedding setup, such as the Adventure Kings Big Daddy Swag, this swag has taken Australia by storm and is easily one of the most popular and highest selling swags in the country. The reason the Adventure Kings Swag is so popular is because of its hard wearing and extremely breathable, not to mention waterproof, however it is important to note that any waterproof system is only as good as it’s weakest link and in the case of the Adventure Kings poly cotton canvas swags the weakest link could be considered the stitching, this is the case on any cotton swag, due to the manufacturing process, the needle punches repeated holes through the fabric allowing the thread to be passed through to fasten all the panels that make up your favourite swag.

The remedy to sealing all of these stitch holes is to season your swag, you may have heard about seasoning before, but it is a simple process which can offer you much more waterproofing on the tracks, to season your Adventure Kings swag all you have to do is set up your new swag in the yard and soak the whole thing with the garden hose or a bucket and sponge. The process of seasoning has the objective for allowing the threads to swell up and seal the needle holes from water ingress, this is achieved through a handful of soaking cycles which involve, soaking through, and then letting your swag dry in the sun several times.

After proper seasoning your swag will offer a fully waterproof shelter to keep you dry, whilst the canvas offers a perfect way to stay warm and dry it will also be breathable enough to prevent excess condensation build up inside, making it the perfect setup for nearly any campsite all year around!

To find out more about the Adventure Kings Range of 4WD accessories to keep you dry this camping season don’t hesitate to visit our website www.4WDSupacentre.com.au call us on 1800 88 39 64 or drop by one of our stores to speak with an expert on the best ways to stay warm this cold season!