{"id":185,"date":"2017-11-04T11:00:56","date_gmt":"2017-11-04T01:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/news\/?p=185"},"modified":"2017-11-03T16:21:25","modified_gmt":"2017-11-03T06:21:25","slug":"head-to-head-ozs-best-ever-camp-setup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/head-to-head-ozs-best-ever-camp-setup\/","title":{"rendered":"HEAD TO HEAD: OZ\u2019S BEST EVER CAMP SETUP"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first true real-world comparison of the humble swag v.s the Rooftop tent v.s ute-back camping!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the last five years or so, the already incredible Aussie camping industry has undergone what can only be described as a complete revolution. Gone are the days of \u2018roughing it\u2019, and it\u2019s not \u2018for better or worse\u2019 \u2013 it\u2019s for the better. Quality camping gear is now more affordable than ever, and advances in various technologies have made the great Aussie passion for camping more accessible than ever before. The ways in which you can camp have become greater than ever, but with the massively increased choice of gear comes more than a bit of buyer\u2019s confusion. <\/p>\n

The Mighty Swag<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s as simple as camping gets, but this incredible setup shows swagging doesn\u2019t have to mean roughing it. Nothing\u2019s as Aussie as camping out of a swag. It\u2019s the very best bits of camping all in one \u2013 simple, rugged, tough, true blue. But swag camping\u2019s come a helluva long way since the days of Waltzing Matilda, and it\u2019s definitely not just about wrapping yourself in a bit of canvas. Mates Brad and Dave have refined the art of swagging it out in the scrub, so let\u2019s see what goes into their setup.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

WHAT\u2019S IN THE SETUP?<\/h3>\n

Now, typically Brad and Dave spend a lot of weekends camping out in the scrub with their kids, while both their missus\u2019 are working. That means their swag setups are typically spread across both utes, but for the purpose of this trip everything\u2019s been condensed down into the one vehicle.<\/p>\n

SETUP & PACKUP TIMES<\/h3>\n

No messing about here. From pulling up to cracking a beer the boys nailed the setup in a hair under 17 minutes. That\u2019s not a bad time at all, considering they\u2019ve usually got the tin-lids helping with the setup. For an overnight quick camp the obvious difference would be the lack of the gazebo, which saves a solid five minutes of setup time. Packup time is nearly identical, coming in at 18min30sec.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cI have a few different setups,\u201d says Brad. \u201cI\u2019ve used many depending on where we are going and what family members are coming. Sometimes the wife and the three kids come. For the quick overnighters the boys have the setup refined really well. Everything\u2019s quick and works together well.<\/p>\n

THE DAYTRIP AWAY FROM CAMP<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s surprisingly quick to extract the ute away from camp for a day run somewhere. The two awning walls come down, the awning is zipped up within a couple of minutes and the rest of the campsite is left exactly where it is. It\u2019s definitely one of the easier setups in this regard.<\/p>\n

BENEFITS OF THIS SETUP<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. 1. IT\u2019S MODULAR
    \nYou\u2019re not committed to having to put the entire camp setup together if you don\u2019t have to. It can be as simple as rolling out the swag if you\u2019re on the way home from a trip and need a quick couple of hours sleep.<\/li>\n
  2. 2. EXCELLENT WEATHER PROTECTION AT NIGHT
    \nA good swag by itself should be well enough to keep a late night downpour at bay, but throw it under the awning tent with a couple of the side walls and you\u2019ve got excellent protection from the weather. <\/li>\n
  3. 3. IT\u2019S CHANGEABLE
    \nYou can set this campsite up to suit which direction the sun or the wind is coming from. The awning\u2019s the only real fixed part of the equation, so you park the ute as a windbreak and set the walls and the gazebo up to suit. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    THE DOWNSIDES<\/h3>\n
      \n
    1. 1. WET WEATHER CAMPING
      \nOne of the only times a swag isn\u2019t great is when the rain keeps on keeping on, and you\u2019re in a spot where the water won\u2019t drain away. Any good swag will have a waterproof PVC base like all Adventure Kings Swags, but you\u2019re still down on the ground.<\/li>\n
    2. 2. WIND DRAG
      \nSwags up on roofracks create pretty serious wind drag, which does have a negative effect on fuel economy. You can fix this by adding a wind break at the front of your roofrack, or by carrying the swags inside the vehicle where possible. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL<\/h3>\n
    3. 1. MESH FLOOR
      \nAn Adventure Kings Mesh Floor spread out either direction than the footprint of your swag keeps the bottom of the swag clean and gives you somewhere to get in and out of your boots easily.<\/li>\n
    4. 2. AWNING WALL
      \nBrad\u2019s taken his awning to the next level with a pair of Adventure Kings Awning Walls. They\u2019re an ultra-cheap way to extend bad weather protection. <\/li>\n
    5. 3. MOZZIE NET OR AWNING TENT
      \nIf you want some serious swag luxury, get a hold of a mozzie net or an awning tent for your awning. Throw your swag in there and you\u2019re completely out of the elements.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      THREE MYTHS BUSTED<\/h3>\n
        \n
      1. 1. SWAGGING HAS TO BE UNCOMFORTABLE
        \nYou can get up to a 75mm mattress in a lot of swags these days, and if you still find it\u2019s not quite enough, throw in a small self-inflating mattress.<\/li>\n
      2. 2. AWNINGS (AND SWAGS) AREN\u2019T WATERPROOF
        \nWe\u2019ve camped in some absolutely torrential downpours in our swags over the years. Bung ya swag under the awning, drop one corner down to prevent water pooling and you\u2019re laughing.<\/li>\n
      3. 3. YOU\u2019RE NOT FULLY PROTECTED BY SIDEWAYS RAIN
        \nBrad\u2019s solved this problem by adding the awning walls to his setup. Simple and ultra-effective. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        ROOFTOP TENT<\/h2>\n

        Up in the sky is a camp setup that takes comfort to whole new levels<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

        There\u2019s just something about a rooftop tent that screams adventure. It\u2019s that idea of literally carrying your home up on your roof, ready to escape at a moment\u2019s notice. If you want the ultimate in comfort and weather protection then it\u2019s hard to go past bolting an Adventure Kings Rooftop Tent to your vehicle because it\u2019s some of the most comfortable camping you\u2019ll ever do. Jake\u2019s the owner of this mint D40 Nav, and after doing the swag thing for ages he\u2019s stepped up into a rooftop tent and never looked back.<\/p>\n

        SETUP & PACKUP TIMES<\/h3>\n

        Jake\u2019s obviously got a pretty good handle on the setup, because he had the rooftop tent and the awning setup and the table out in a fraction over 11 minutes. Add about five more minutes here if you want to setup the annex room, which zips to the underside of the tent and pegs down into the ground.<\/p>\n

        \"\"<\/p>\n

        OVERNIGHTERS v LONG STAYS<\/h3>\n

        Some rooftop tents offer an annex room like the Adventure Kings \u2018Tourer\u2019, and while Jake didn\u2019t have his with him, they add about five minutes of setup and packup time to each campsite. They\u2019re a great addition for any stay longer than a night, but for quick overnighters you\u2019d just stick with the rooftopper itself.<\/p>\n

        THE DAYTRIP AWAY FROM CAMP<\/h3>\n

        Here\u2019s where a rooftop tent\u2019s biggest downfall is. By design it has to be packed away when you want to leave camp, so \u2018going home packup time\u2019 just about directly equals \u2018daytrip packup time\u2019.<\/p>\n

        BENEFITS OF THIS SETUP<\/h3>\n
          \n
        1. 1. BEING UP OFF THE GROUND
          \nIt\u2019s great when the weather\u2019s hot cause you\u2019ll grab any bit of cool breeze available. Also tops when it\u2019s raining to keep you up and off the wet ground.<\/li>\n
        2. 2. BIG, COMFORTABLE BED
          \nThe bed in a typical rooftop tent is massive, usually well big enough for even the biggest 4WDers. And as long as you buy a good one, they\u2019re seriously comfortable too.<\/li>\n
        3. 3. ANNEX ROOM
          \nDepending on design, some tents offer an annex room. If you plan on staying in one spot for more than a night, it\u2019s a beaut bit of private space that lets you stand up to get changed or just get out of the elements. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          THE DOWNSIDES<\/h3>\n
            \n
          1. 1. CLIMBING IF YOU\u2019VE GOT CROOK KNEES
            \nThere\u2019s no getting around it, sorry. If you have bung knees then a swag\u2019s a better option than a rooftop tent. <\/li>\n
          2. 2. SETTING UP ON A LIFTED 4WD
            \nIf you\u2019re running more than two inches of lift you\u2019ll find it\u2019s easier to get UP on the roofrack to pack the tent away, rather than continually climbing up and down each side of the vehicle. Not the end of the world, though.<\/li>\n
          3. 3. GETTING DOWN TO PEE
            \nIn case you\u2019re wondering, yes, it does suck a little to have to climb down at night to visit the beer recycling factory \u2013 but only a little more than getting out of any nice, warm bed!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL<\/h3>\n
              \n
            1. 1. LED STRIP LIGHTS AND USB CHARGERS
              \nRun a length of 6mm twin-core cable up into the tent and use it to power some LED strip lighting and some USB chargers for the mobile phones. <\/liL>\n
            2. 2. WIND DEFLECTOR
              \nThey are big, bulky bits of gear to sit up top, but you can minimise the wind-drag effect with a simple wind deflector up the front of your roofrack. <\/li>\n
            3. 3. LADDER EXTENSION
              \nIf you\u2019ve got a big truck you\u2019re running a tent on, any good suppliers of rooftop tents will have ladder extensions to ensure the ladder reaches the ground. No need to try and prop it up on a besser block or a bit of timber!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              THREE MYTHS BUSTED<\/h3>\n
                \n
              1. 1. IT DRASTICALLY AFFECTS HANDLING
                \nMost rooftop tents weigh around the 60kg mark, which is about the same as two jerry cans and some swags up on your roofrack. Sure, you can feel it to an extent, but unless you\u2019re running 6inch+ coils, ultra-soft shocks and no swaybars then the effect on bodyroll will be minimal. <\/li>\n
              2. 2. IT\u2019LL NAIL YOUR FUEL ECONOMY
                \nOur experience tells us a rooftop tent negatively affects fuel economy somewhere in the region of 10-15%. It\u2019s actually less than a couple of swags up on the roofrack thanks to the uniform shape of the rooftop tent. Here\u2019s where that wind deflector will make a big difference.<\/li>\n
              3. 3. THEY\u2019RE A PAIN TO SETUP AND PACKUP
                \nThey\u2019re actually surprisingly easy to setup. If you take into account the fact that you\u2019ve gotta get a swag unstrapped from the roofrack, both are just about on par with each other. It makes it a heap easier if you have good sidesteps and a rear bar to stand on, or are okay with jumping up on the roof.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                UTE-BACK CAMPING<\/h2>\n

                Nowhere near the simplest setup, but this shows just how versatile ute camping can be<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

                If you want to talk the ultimate in versatility, it\u2019s hard to go past a ute. There\u2019s just so many ways you can set up a tub or a canopy to be a serious slick touring rig, but we reckon Dan Zosky\u2019s D22 just about takes the cake. He\u2019s built the ute with a lift-off canopy that means he can rock up to camp, set up for a week and still easily bugger off for a day trip when the mood strikes.<\/p>\n

                \"\"<\/p>\n

                SETUP & PACKUP TIMES<\/h3>\n

                This is one seriously quick setup. Aside from the typical rooftop tent and awning setup times, to unhook the canopy it\u2019s simply a case of grabbing four legs from the back of the canopy and manually winding them down on each corner. Then there\u2019s a single Anderson plug to unhitch and you\u2019re done. Total setup time was a tiny fraction over 16min flat, not bad at all!<\/p>\n

                OVERNIGHTERS v LONG STAYS<\/h3>\n

                The obvious big difference between quick stops and extended stays for Dan is whether the canopy stays on or not. For overnighters the setup time is identical to Jake\u2019s D40 \u2013 about 10 minutes for the rooftop tent and the awning. <\/p>\n

                THE DAYTRIP AWAY FROM CAMP<\/h3>\n

                Here\u2019s where Dan\u2019s setup rules supreme. He literally drives off leaving the entire campsite intact. If the canopy\u2019s still on the ute it\u2019s about a five minute job to unplug everything. Way too easy!<\/p>\n

                BENEFITS OF THIS SETUP><\/h3>\n
                  \n
                1. 1. ULTIMATE VERSATILITY
                  \nYou can\u2019t argue with the ability to choose between a work truck and a fully-kitted touring rig. It could literally save you the cost of buying a second 4WD!<\/li>\n
                2. 2. EASY DAY TRIPS
                  \nThis would be the absolute ultimate setup for a place like Fraser. Get up to that perfect campsite, set up and then you\u2019re free to hit your favourite fishing or swimming spots for the rest of the week. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  THE DOWNSIDES<\/h3>\n
                    \n
                  1. 1. WEIGHT
                    \nEven though it\u2019s alloy and not steel, there\u2019s still a considerable amount of weight in that full canopy. Nothing a properly setup rear suspension can\u2019t handle, but definitely needs to be taken into account. <\/li>\n
                  2. 2. COST
                    \nIt\u2019s definitely not one of the cheapest setups we\u2019ve ever come across. Even though Dan\u2019s in the metal fabrication industry, he said he priced up the canopy and found it was worth it to get someone to knock it up for him. <\/li>\n
                  3. 3. STORAGE SPACE
                    \nLeave the canopy at home and you\u2019ve gotta have somewhere out of the way to store it. Not much point going to all that effort of taking it back off on Sunday arvo if you\u2019ve gotta move it to get the missus\u2019 car out of the garage on Monday morning.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL<\/h3>\n
                      \n
                    1. 1. ELECTRIC LEGS
                      \nOkay, that\u2019s sort of getting into the \u2018un-necessarily fancy\u2019 side of things, but seriously, how cool would a set of electric legs be? Push a couple of buttons to lift the canopy off the tray. <\/li>\n
                    2. 2. ON THE LEVEL
                      \nIt\u2019d be the smallest of mods, but a spirit level on each corner would really easily allow you to perfectly level the canopy out when it\u2019s off the ute \u2013 essential with a rooftop tent. <\/li>\n
                    3. 3. CARRY A GAZEBO
                      \nChuck an Adventure Kings Gazebo in the canopy so you have portable shade that goes wherever your canopy goes. It also means if you have all your camping gear installed on the canopy and you remove it for a daytrip, you can chuck the Gazebo on the tray and still have shade when you stop for lunch.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      The first true real-world comparison of the humble swag v.s the Rooftop tent v.s ute-back camping! In the last five years or so, the already incredible Aussie camping industry has undergone what can only be described as a complete revolution. Gone are the days of \u2018roughing it\u2019, and it\u2019s not \u2018for better or worse\u2019 \u2013…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123456,"featured_media":186,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/123456"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":198,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185\/revisions\/198"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}