What advice for those heading out for their first camping adventure?

Patriot

Administrator
The big Middle Earth trip is getting close now and we want to encourage those that have never been camping before to come out with us and have a great time. What advice does everyone have on equipment to bring and things to prepare so that it can be as enjoyable as possible? What pearls of wisdom and lessons learned from bitter experience has everyone got?

I will start by suggesting thick warm socks. If you have got cold feet, you will never be warm, especially in your sleeping bag. And whilst we are at it, a sleeping bag liner (a big cotton bag that you put inside your sleeping bag) will make a big difference in keeping the cold out. I bought mine from Aussie Disposals and it was about $15, money well worth spending.

Cheers,

James
 

Watt

New Member
Spot on about staying warm, makes sleepnig a lot easier !!
Well I wish I was heading up for the middle earth trip but its a bit of a mission from Melbourne....
As for camping tips, we have a couple of those 57lt tubs and all our gear (cups, plates, etc) is inside so each time we go camping we just grab the tubs and off we go...
Also if you don't have a fridge and still get around with an esky like me, freeze a couple of bottles of water and they will help keep your food/drinks cold instead of ice which melts and goes everywhere... Plus once they thaw out you can use the water for drinking or cleaning...
 

ChallengeLee

Moderator
Just go the basics but be prepared for all type of weather.

A good quality tent
Sleeping bags with liners are great for colder weather, extra blankets just in case
One of those portable gas cylinder stoves
Esky or fridge depending on budget
Camping chairs
Container with food stuffs and crockery and cutlery etc.
Wet weather gear, garbage bags to put wet gear in for travelling home
Lots of warm clothes, beanies, thermals,
Lighting...torches, lanterns
Small table
 

BUSHNUT

Well-Known Member
What to bring, that is as varied as the weather .

We are talking about July so the right gear is essential otherwise the experience is not going to be a good one . I would start by saying that there are two 3 categories , personal, communal and mechanical .

Communal items and mechanical items apart from your own vehicles spare parts such as hoses and belts can be split between the party you are travelling with - Bloody stupid if someone has mechanical problems and 4 sets of sidchromes appear. Cooking utensils can be split up as well - no use everyone bringing a camp oven . This requires a bit of forward planning, menu etc.

For those who are new to the site, just hang the question out on the forum, you will quickly find that other people are wondering the same, it is a good ice breaker . There those who tend to travell alone so there is always the chance to be someone elses jockey too .

As far as camping gear, if you are going to try camping for the first time and haven't much in the way of gear, it is a smart move to try before you buy by way of hiring, this extends all the way up such items as camper trailers - sure it is a bit of an outlay but not as much as if you go wild with the Visa and find you are not into it .

Most of the crew have been away together before and without being privy to what people have in their tents ,most of them have reasonable gear .

A goods nights sleep is essential, and mostly it will be the cold that will keep you awake .

Tent, remember canvas breathes a lot better than nylon or a swag with a decent mattress in it .
I personally dont rate airbeds too highly, the cold seems to come up from the ground for me, a good camp stretcher beats being on the ground every time .

On a rolling camp, I swag it , I have a 3X4 metre section of shade mesh which I put down as a carpet for my swag, this is great when you have to answer the call of nature in the middle of the night- saves the bare feet from bindis and stones . I also pull out an awning attached to the patrol down on an angle , this helps stave off the cold night air- see pictures of my setup in my trip report of Alice Springs to Mt.Dare down the old Ghan line .

A good sleeping bag and I would suggest -10 rated you can always unzip the bugger if it gets too hot or a good doona that you can fold in two.

Pillow, - I always take my own from home .

Other personal gear is up to you, depends on the interior capacity of your vehicle.

Remember Food refrigerated and dry ,water for cooking and consumption must be brought .

The above posts have covered pretty much the rest .
 
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knot_gillty

Active Member
Plenty of warm socks! My rule of thumb is if i'm going away for 3 nights i will take at least 6 pairs of socks. It may seem excessive but your feet will thank you after you get your first 5 pairs wet. Having said that though, i tend to stop at about 8 pairs no matter how long i go for. Socks will dry eventually, even in the cold and damp air.

Don't forget the camera either!! You'll miss most the good stuff (Peter Garrett turning up) if you don't have it. You can't show someone a memory unless you got the picture of it!!
 

Luxster

New Member
Just let me warn you guys that it gets very cold at night up at Ferndale Park. So make sure you have warm bedding and clothes. Especially for the kids!
 
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