The Camping Thread

[prydey]

Upgradeitis seems to come in to play regardless of what your hobby is. I still like the idea of just having a tent. Camper trailers seem like a lot of money just for a bit more convenience. We can't really afford it so looking at options at the cheaper end of the scale and the mortgage will likely take a step backwards.

[nstg8a]

I know of at least half a dozen people with camper trailers that never get used, and one of them has literally never been used other than setting it up in his backyard to see how it worked.

At least if you don't use a tent they only take up cupboard space haha.

And with a trailer you can use it for everything else during the year, and just chuck all your camping gear in there when needed.

We are looking for a new tent now, nothing wrong with ours in summer, but it's a full mesh inner so in winter it's a bit nippy, and if it's windy you can get a lot of dust inside the tent, which is a pain in the ***. Plus we would like a bigger annex/vestibule.
Missus wants an ensuite tent as well... Hell,,might as well buy a camper trailer lol

[prydey]

well, after speaking to a couple of other families who also do their share of camping, they didn't speak too highly of camper trailers. there are some convenience benefits, but there was still a fair set up and pack up time and not really any quicker, if at all, than if you had a modern decent tent. sure you get to sleep up off the ground on a nice mattress (but the kids don't) but everything else isn't much different to tenting. this is based on the fact that if we went down the camper trailer road, we would only be able to afford something at the lower end (eg $7500ish) and for this money, you don't really get a stove or power or any of the things that really set it apart from tenting.

so... after having the 'discussion' about the cost v return we kind of agreed that we could upgrade the tent to a newer one that is simple to put up and take down, and save about $6k. after browsing tents and discovering that to get something quality that is quick to put up and has a decent awning that you can actually use as a dining area, there was only really blackwolf turbo tents as the option.

for around $1200 though, these look to be the bee's knees, and plenty of youtube clips showing them being put up in 10-15 minutes. they have lifetime warranty and look to be built pretty well.

so, anyone got any experience with the blackwolf turbo lite twin 240 or 300, or even the turbo lite 450? or even anything similar. be great to hear from you.

before this weekend i wasn't really thinking about spending anything on the 'accomodation' part as we already have a good quality canvas tent, but it is quite a chore to set up, taking up to an hour, and pack up isn't much better. having something quick will improve the experience, and besides, i'm good at being poor and paying off debt

damn you caravan and camping show!

[prydey]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

I know of at least half a dozen people with camper trailers that never get used, and one of them has literally never been used other than setting it up in his backyard to see how it worked.

At least if you don't use a tent they only take up cupboard space haha.

And with a trailer you can use it for everything else during the year, and just chuck all your camping gear in there when needed.

We are looking for a new tent now, nothing wrong with ours in summer, but it's a full mesh inner so in winter it's a bit nippy, and if it's windy you can get a lot of dust inside the tent, which is a pain in the ***. Plus we would like a bigger annex/vestibule.
Missus wants an ensuite tent as well... Hell,,might as well buy a camper trailer lol

haha, sounds like we've been having similar discussions

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by prydey

well, after speaking to a couple of other families who also do their share of camping, they didn't speak too highly of camper trailers.

Here ya go Rob, you must have a lazy $70,000 laying around

http://www.gizmag.com/lotus-off-grid...default-widget

[prydey]

it would solve the mortgage problem. i'd have to sell my house there is a caravan park not far from work.....

[BENT_8]

Dude, get down to Rays outdoor pronto, they are having a closing down sale here in Adelaide, all bar the enfield store anyway, tents for 60% off with full warranty.
I picked up some bargains.

Theres some nice canvas tents for $700.

On the subject of tents or camper trailers, ill add my 2c.

Personally im happy to sleep under a tarp so long as theres a sleeping bag to keep warm, the wife on the other hand is a little softer.
We went down the tent route as you do, problem is, bigger tents for families require bigger sites with level ground, ok in caravan parks but not much cop in some of the more rugged terrain.
Tents got us by for a while but the wife became less and less interested as she didnt like sleeping on stretchers or SI mats.
We went around looking at camper trailers in retail outlets and after having a good suss i realised that most of the cost was mark up, a basic trailer retailing for $6k could be done for a little over half the money.
As it turned out i found a bloke importing camper trailer tents from China, its what many of the cheaper campers use anyway.
He was having 7x4 trailers made up for them and flogging them off for $3k, bare.
post #41 has a pic of how i got it.

I grabbed one and am in the process of fitting it out as i want it.
Im looking at $4.5k all up fully fitted out with poly storage box, water tank, 12v electric pump and plumbing, LED lighting and power sockets incorporated throughout, kitchen, dual gas bottle holders, dual jerry can holders.
All as i want it, as i can afford it like a project.

I was a bit sceptical about it at first, unsure how the canvas would stand up to a decent downpour.
Got 3" over it at Victor in early Feb and it was faultless.

I still do some trips in the tents, heading up to Mambray Cteek in late August for 3 nights with just the kids so it will be tents.

Heres a good site for all things camping.
http://www.myswag.org/index.php

[prydey]

Discovered that forum recently. Haven't had a chance to explore it much.

Cheers for the heads up regarding rays outdoors. Didn't realise they were closing.

[Trevor 57]

My biggest single ***** with camper trailers, is that when wet (i.e. raining) and you have to pack them up (fold them down) on to your bed, we bought an incontinence sheet to cover the bed and bedding when folding it up wet, it is the single biggest pain in the ****

My daughter and her husband (and 3 kids) just bought a camper trailer, bloody good value, but I reckon it takes longer to set up than a tent, yes it does have built in kitchen and everywhere to put stuff, but watching the poor bugger put it up makes me tired. They had to tow a trailer anyway so they thought the camper trailer was the better option, at least there is a place to keep everything and you are not packing all your stuff on top of everything else like you do in a 6x4 trailer

They bought a Black Series Camper (the Alpha I think), bloody good value, we paid over $7k in 2002 for a 'tent on a trailer', these things offer so much more

http://blackseriescampertrailers.com.au/

[prydey]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Dude, get down to Rays outdoor pronto, they are having a closing down sale here in Adelaide, all bar the enfield store anyway,

called in to the marion store on my way home. looked like a dick smith store.

firstly, most of their 'discounts' were not real accurate, although technically correct. the discounts were based on the RRP price, which makes it look like you are getting a massive discount, but none of that stuff ever sells at close to the RRP in any other store.

having said that, it was pretty reasonably priced and i did pick up a 4 shelf storage cupboard. anything really worth anything had long gone it looks like. there was a range of tents there, but we are after something that has a nice big awning that you can set up your kitchen etc under, and the only ones that really suit are the blackwolf turbo tents. We've all but decided on a blackwolf turbo lite twin 300. its another large tent (similar footprint to our currant 2 room cabin tent as seen in pics at the start of the thread) but we like the space and we look for bush camping sites that have more remote sites and not too mainstream.

our next trip is october school holidays and we've just booked a bush camping site at Spear Ck caravan park. its a working sheep station at the base of the flinders ranges. not a lot of info online but enough to interest us and hopefully it lives up to its reviews.
the official site is pretty ordinary with only a single line mentioning the bush camping option
http://www.spearcreekcaravanpark.com.au/

this site is a bit better
http://www.gocampingaustralia.com/spear-creek.html

anyway, it sounded nice, has a flushing toilet and is out in an area of australia that i've never been, so it ticks a few boxes.

[Squalo]

Originally Posted by prydey

We've all but decided on a blackwolf turbo lite twin 300. its another large tent (similar footprint to our currant 2 room cabin tent as seen in pics at the start of the thread) but we like the space and we look for bush camping sites that have more remote sites and not too mainstream.

You'll be happy with Black Wolf. Mine is a canvas Turbo 300 Plus, few years old now but have had zero issues with it. Canvas makes it heavy, 33kg in the bag, and it's big so it can only go on my roof, someone who can't easily lift that weight to a roof might want to choose a different tent... but that weight makes it definitely capable of standing up to a serious storm.

[NTF6]

Originally Posted by tranquilized

My partner and I love camping and usually go on a trip two or three times a summer.

Keeping stuff cold for 5 days will be a struggle but not impossible. You'll need a good quality ice box. Techni-Ice make great ones http://www.techniice.com/ or the Esky branded ones like this http://www.bunnings.com.au/esky-65l-...heels_p3240360 work really well also. I've got one of each - big techni ice for food and the small esky for drinks - saves opening the food box so regularly. It's a good idea to move the days food across to the other esky at the start of the day meaning you'll only open your food esky once a day.

Ice is important of course. Never by the cubed party ice, you'll be lucky to get a day out of it. Block ice is much better and is usually sold alongside the cubed ice at servo's etc. These ice packs http://www.techniice.com/dry-ice-pac...ice-packs.html are amazing. Set your freezer on it's coldest setting a few days before leaving and those things will go right down to -16 degrees or whatever your freezer is at, not just 0 degrees like ice. Another good idea is to make your own ice blocks with salt water, and again set your freezer on it's coldest setting and they will go a few degrees below 0 and last longer.

And most importantly - have fun!

I have a Chilly Chest from Big Terrain Pty Ltd and they have no problems keeping ice after 5 days in the central desert summer sun.

[NTF6]

Originally Posted by Junkyard-Dog

Well I like the Darche traditional double swag. It is great quality but relatively heavy and quite large. It isn't very good for backpacking/hiking use so I got one of these for when I'm alone/want to go on foot.

http://oztrail.com.au/product-range/...een-by-oztrail

picked it up for $200 new somehow.

Mitchell swags are great, if it's you and the missus then this is the go:

http://www.campingcentral.com.au/ozt...ub-floor-base/

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Squalo

You'll be happy with Black Wolf. Mine is a canvas Turbo 300 Plus, few years old now but have had zero issues with it. Canvas makes it heavy, 33kg in the bag, and it's big

had a look at the turbo 300 plus to see if we can make it work for us, as its the biggest they do in canvas. unfortunately its just not quite big enough for what we want. how people go camping is a very personal thing, and we like to have the extra space for storage and also comes in handy if the weather is ordinary or at night, playing games with the family etc. thats why we are looking at the twin 300. shame they don't do a bigger one in canvas, but the other stuff is meant to be pretty good, just doesn't breath.

many reviews comment on the weight, but again, if you look at the early part of the thread, you'll notice i'm coming from a massive canvas (real HD canvas) 2 room cabin tent. thats 2 bags about 5foot long each. one for the tent and one for the poles, and about 30-40kg each, so for me, it will be a downsize to a nice LIGHT tent i have a falcon, so whenever i camp i'll always have a trailer, so space and weight isn't really an issue.

thanks for the pic of your tent though. it actually looks bigger than the one on display i looked at, but that wasn't pulled tight, so i might not completely cross it off the list just yet.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by prydey

our next trip is october school holidays and we've just booked a bush camping site at Spear Ck caravan park. its a working sheep station at the base of the flinders ranges. not a lot of info online but enough to interest us and hopefully it lives up to its reviews.
the official site is pretty ordinary with only a single line mentioning the bush camping option
http://www.spearcreekcaravanpark.com.au/

this site is a bit better
http://www.gocampingaustralia.com/spear-creek.html

anyway, it sounded nice, has a flushing toilet and is out in an area of australia that i've never been, so it ticks a few boxes.

Sounds good Rob, its only a stones throw north of mambray creek where we go.

Just for a point of interst, you can access Mt remarkable NP via Wilmington, theres a nice spot up there called Alligator Gorge if you have a spare couple of hours, well worth a look with the rain we've had recently.

[Junkyard-Dog]

Well campers, I was "unexpectedly" called in to work Sunday night to cover for my boss this week. AGAIN. I should have left for my hiking trip on Sunday morning like I had planned but family stuff got in the way. Basically I'm 'Johnny on the spot' right now. Such is life.

I would truly rather be in 'Campsite #1' right now but I have been "promised" next week off so I will be doing those product reviews then and I will post them (whenever) I get home.

I "promise" ;)

[prydey]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Sounds good Rob, its only a stones throw north of mambray creek where we go.

Just for a point of interst, you can access Mt remarkable NP via Wilmington, theres a nice spot up there called Alligator Gorge if you have a spare couple of hours, well worth a look with the rain we've had recently.

we looked at melrose caravan park as well, as they also have a bush camping section.

no plans have been made as far as day trips or anything like that. i'm sure we'll have a bit of a scout around while we are out that way.

looking forward to getting out again. taking the decision to buy a new tent to simplify the set up and pack up, and deciding to buy on 'product' rather than 'price',sort of feels like we are starting from scratch again. we borrowed water containers, icebox and gas stove last time, so in a way, we are. i think i'm about to get to know the staff at snowys by their first names

[poppa smurf]

if you get up near quorn take a look at Warren gorge, used to be free but now there is a fee.

all good bitumen road right through now, if you head into the gorge, follow the shallow creek, up the small rise and round the bend past the loo's and through the dry creek you will be alone, watch for yellow footed rock wallabies on the rocks and scree in the mornings and evenings, plenty of wedgies and parrots, kookaburras abound.

further north you head (past the well used areas of ill repute) then more camp grounds open up to you.

if you want to know anything about these areas just ask, I live here, t's either my backyard or I've been there.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

if you want to know anything about these areas just ask, I live here, t's either my backyard or I've been there.

cheers, thats good to know. have you been to spear creek?

like i said above, not sure how much we'll get out and about. we aren't big on making plans. we just wake up each morning and see what the day brings. i find it much more relaxing that way, rather than trying to fill the day with 'doing something'...

it would be nice to know the less popular spots that still offer plenty of wildlife and scenery.

[poppa smurf]

yes we had a look at spear creek a few years ago, stayed a few days and had a ball with a mob we met from W.A. as well as a group of Vietnam vets on their way to "do big red", apparently much better now, used to be a bit rough around the edges, the owners were great folks then and from what I hear nothing has changed in that regard, the company more than made up for the down bits.

do you have a high clearance vehicle or the daily, most of the spots we used to frequent require at least reasonable ground clearance.

but I do know a lot of out of the way spots that may be a bit far up for you.

just be sure to integrate with other campers around the fire...a lot of fantastic friendships are born that way.

take a look at white cliffs just out of koolunga as well as worlds end (burra creek gorge) just out of Burra......if you get near cobdogla head in toward the caravan park, past the bridge and on your left for about 5 miles there are drive in campsites right on the river.

also across the river at morgan, coming from morgan head left immediately after you leave the ferry and there is a great campground there.

martins bend is a fantastic campground at Berri.

I could go on for hours, we love travelling and staying in the "out of the way" spots.

we did the "around the block" thing first in a home made camper trailer then again in a hi-ace camper towing a small trailer with cooking facilities and storage (which I'm selling at the moment) and now we are doing again with a caravan.

we rarely stay in caravan parks, we find the out of the way spots.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

do you have a high clearance vehicle

FG XR6 so that would be no!

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

just be sure to integrate with other campers around the fire...a lot of fantastic friendships are born that way.

apparently the bush camping area is away from the caravan park area.

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

we rarely stay in caravan parks, we find the out of the way spots.

i'm not planning on staying in any of the traditional caravan parks either, but it seems many of these more outback places cater for those who like to camp a bit more secluded. melrose caravan park also lists a bush camping area. might check it out while we are in the area for future reference.

[poppa smurf]

wilpena has bush camping well away from the caravans, Rawnsley park has miles of it out the back.

there are communal fires at spear creek where folks can gather, some like it, some don't.

the reason i asked about reasonable clearance was that there are some ripper out of the way camp spots on the development road coming in to the back of the ABC ranges off the copley/leigh creek road.

but there a couple of creek crossings that need a few extra mil of clearance.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Just ordered around $200 worth of camping gear from super cheap auto, very cheap for stuff I been wanting anyway.

Also got new chairs for all the family, as our old ones are well and truly falling apart.

$135 down to $69.99, handy for my stove and to store a few things:

http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/onl...ecommendations

$69.99 down to $28 rated at 175kg, so should be strong enough:

http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/onl...ecommendations

$46.99 down to $18 rated at 140kg, should have the missus and kids covered:

http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/onl...ecommendations

$14.99 down to $6.99, saves me taking our normal plates, bowls and cups camping and risk getting them broken:

http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/onl...ecommendations

[Junkyard-Dog]

Looks like decent stuff for a good price. I reckon you got a good deal there.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Originally Posted by Junkyard-Dog

Looks like decent stuff for a good price. I reckon you got a good deal there.

Yeah preordered it online, will be picking up from store on Monday.

I already have one chair that we bought to replace a broken one, and it's great quality, so now I have ordered one of the 175kg ones and two 140kg ones for the kids.

[NC1183]

Those 175kg rated Kimberly chairs are good, I have one and its lasting really well had it for over 3 years

[prydey]

i've tried just about every brand of quad fold chair on the market and yet to find one that is comfortable to sit in. i find these flat fold style chairs a million times more comfortable. seem to have much better support, esp lower back.
https://www.snowys.com.au/Camping-Fu...&sc=25&id=4739

obviously comfort is a personal thing, so each to their own. also, if space is an issue, flat fold chairs can be a bit bulky.

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by prydey

i've tried just about every brand of quad fold chair on the market and yet to find one that is comfortable to sit in. i find these flat fold style chairs a million times more comfortable. seem to have much better support, esp lower back.
https://www.snowys.com.au/Camping-Fu...&sc=25&id=4739

obviously comfort is a personal thing, so each to their own. also, if space is an issue, flat fold chairs can be a bit bulky.

I'm the same, we use the quad folds and I hate them, when it's time to replace I'll be going to the flat fold ones.

[XB GS 351 Coupe]

Mate of mine bought the 4x4 Supercentre single dome swag, been camping in it for a week, real camping came back today and absolutely rates it, said it would be a bargain at twice the price.

Reckons it's the best swag he has used, and will be buying another double swag as well.

https://www.4wdsupacentre.com.au/pro...ag-escape.html

[prydey]

Bought this last Friday
http://www.snowys.com.au/Tents-Shelt...1&sc=3&id=3807

Just waiting for the weather to clear up now so we can practice setting it up in the back yard.