{"id":7903,"date":"2021-04-20T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.4wdsupacentre.com.au\/news\/?p=7903"},"modified":"2021-04-19T15:33:12","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T05:33:12","slug":"when-was-the-last-time-you-checked-over-your-camping-gear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/when-was-the-last-time-you-checked-over-your-camping-gear\/","title":{"rendered":"When Was The Last Time You Checked Over Your Camping Gear?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here\u2019s a question that needs asking \u2013 when did you last check over your camping gear<\/a><\/strong>? We mean really check over it, not just pull it out of the shed or the garage, stuff it in your 4WD and go camping. If you\u2019re like us, then chances are you often pack your camping gear<\/strong><\/a> away wet or dirty, maybe covered in dew from the night before and an early packup, and then forget about it when you get home. Truth is you\u2019re not the only one \u2013 we are definitely guilty of mis-treating and forgetting about our camping gear<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 especially when the weekend away ends with a couple of hundred kilometre drive home, and you end up stuffing all your camping gea<\/a>r<\/strong> in the shed late on Sunday night before you fall exhausted into bed, ready for an early start for work the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the thing though. By doing that you\u2019re cutting years off the life of your camping gear<\/a><\/strong>, and all you\u2019re doing is causing it a premature ending! Instead, a little bit of care goes a long way, so let\u2019s take a look at some of the things you should be doing as part of regular camping gear<\/a><\/strong> maintenance and care. It\u2019s not hard and truth be told it isn\u2019t even a big job \u2013 just a bit of regular care can double or triple the life of your camping gear<\/a>!<\/strong> Here\u2019s some quick tips to help you get the most out of your gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. DON\u2019T EVER STORE IT AWAY WET!<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Sometimes you\u2019ve gotta make a move, and you can\u2019t wait til 2pm in the arvo for the sun to dry your gear out. That means packing away your rooftop tent<\/a><\/strong>, awning<\/strong> or swag<\/strong> <\/a>wet, but if you do then you should make a point of getting home and setting it back up to dry out. That could be as simple as setting up your rooftop tent<\/a><\/strong> in the carpark at work the next day, or leaving your double swa<\/a>g<\/strong> out in the backyard to dry. If you don\u2019t let your camping gea<\/a>r<\/strong> dry out properly, all it\u2019s going to do is go mouldy, and that\u2019s a massive health hazard. Plus it\u2019s not fun either setting up camp next time only to find that you\u2019ve got wet and gross sleeping bags<\/a><\/strong> and pillows to deal with!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. PREVENTION IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN CURE<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      In this case, that means doing whatever you can to keep your camping gear<\/a><\/strong> clean and dry and prevent it from getting wet and dirty in the first place. The easiest way to do that is to protect it from the top, the sides and the underneath \u2013 particularly if it\u2019s a swag<\/strong> <\/a>you\u2019re camping in. A vehicle-mounted camping awning<\/a><\/strong> or even a portable camping gazebo<\/a><\/strong> stop the dew or the rain from falling on your swag<\/strong> <\/a>overnight, and a camping mesh floor<\/strong> <\/a>goes a long way to preventing ground moisture from creeping up and wetting the bottom of your swag<\/a><\/strong>. And we can\u2019t speak highly enough of adding protection from the elements from the sides, either \u2013 in the form of awning walls<\/a><\/strong> and gazebo walls<\/strong><\/a>. These clever bits of camping gear<\/a><\/strong> add protection from the wind and most importantly from the rain coming in sideways. And while it\u2019s true that awnings<\/a>, awning walls<\/a> <\/strong>and mesh floors <\/a><\/strong>will still get wet and dirty, they\u2019re much easier to dry and clean than an entire swag<\/strong> <\/a>including sleeping bags!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. REGULAR GEAR MAINTENANCE<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        More than just drying out your camping gear<\/strong> <\/a>if it gets wet, it\u2019s good practice once a year to set aside a lazy day at home to properly clean it all out and check its condition. Use mild dishdrops and warm soapy water with a sponge to clean any dirt off your rooftop tent<\/a><\/strong> or your swag<\/a><\/strong>, and take all your bedding out and give it a good wash and a dry. Clean and re-season any of your cast-iron camp cooking gear like your camping bbq plate<\/a><\/strong> or your camp oven<\/strong>,<\/a> and remember to follow correct re-seasoning processes that include heating to temperature and using cooking oil or fat to coat to prevent rust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. SUNLIGHT IS THE BEST DISINFECTANT<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          There\u2019s a saying \u2013 \u2018sunlight is the best disinfectant\u2019 \u2013 and while that usually is used as a metaphor for the truth coming out, it\u2019s literally true too! UV light is an excellent disinfectant and will do wonders for your camping gear<\/strong><\/a> \u2013 particularly your self-inflating mattress<\/strong><\/a>, your swag <\/a><\/strong>or rooftop tent<\/strong> <\/a>mattress and your sleeping bags<\/a>. <\/strong>If you\u2019ve been using your camping gear<\/strong> <\/a>heaps lately and it\u2019s starting to get a bit of a funky smell, the best thing you can do is pull it all apart in the backyard and let everything get a really good airing out on the clothesline on a sunny day. Generally speaking the hotter the better \u2013 the more UV light there is to get rid of smells and dirt! Remember to try and get all sides of your camping gear<\/a><\/strong> by turning over regularly. Half-way through it wouldn\u2019t hurt to give a spray of Febreeze or similar fabric odour remover spray as well \u2013 the anti-bacterial one is especially good. Make sure that you give your camping gear<\/a><\/strong> plenty of time to completely dry in the sun, and give it a good shake off and a good hard part to remove any loose dust or dirt particles. Then take your take putting your camping gear<\/a><\/strong> back together nice and carefully, complete with fresh sheets and you\u2019re set. The next time you go camping, it\u2019ll be the most amazing camping experience you\u2019ve ever had \u2013 because nothing beats the feeling of getting into bed in fresh sheets, unless of course your bed is at your favourite campsite!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Here\u2019s a question that needs asking \u2013 when did you last check over your camping gear? We mean really check over it, not just pull it out of the shed or the garage, stuff it in your 4WD and go camping. If you\u2019re like us, then chances are you often pack your camping gear away…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":123456,"featured_media":7904,"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\/7903"}],"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=7903"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7903\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7905,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7903\/revisions\/7905"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7904"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7903"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7903"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.emgcloud.net\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7903"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}