The Bare Necessities of Camping Go into any camping store, and you will be bamboozled by the vast array of equipment and supplies available, and it would be easy to get carried away, but we have put together the ten most important pieces of equipment we think a camper should have.
1.
Good quality, waterproof tent.
This is one area where you do not want to get it wrong, because being wet or cramped in a tent is not fun.
Work out how many you want to fit in the tent (4 man tent means that 3 adults at the MOST will fit in it), where you want to use the tent, ease of set up and pack up, conditions that it will be expected to perform under.
If you can get one that you can stand up in, that is a great benefit when changing clothes, moving around, or being forced inside due to poor weather.
2.
Lighting - see "10 beginner mistakes" at our website below for some further guidance.
In the early stages of camping, it's quite a shock how dark it is in the wilderness! Hand held torches are not going to be suitable.
You need to think what sort of lighting will you need to help you around the camp site.
A camp fire illuminates some of the camp, but not as much as you would think (and if its bushfire season, no fires allowed, so you need to rethink that option).
3.
Shovel - you will use this for digging holes, banging in tent pegs, clearing campsite or squashing giant spiders.
4.
First Aid Kit - make sure its a well stocked kit, up to date and includes items such as insect repellent, plenty of band aids (with children around, you can never have enough bandaids).
If you are camping in snake season, remember a pressure immobilisation bandage is worthwhile having in your kit.
Keep important medicines in there as well.
5.
Bedding - buy the best bedding you can afford - good self inflating mattresses and sleeping bags rated for the season you are camping in.
Don't skimp on these essentials.
6.
Good esky/fridge - food that is meant to be kept cold, needs to be kept cold unless you all want to get sick.
Buy an esky that has excellent insulation, and realise that party ice (sold at gas/services stations etc) will not last much past 24 hours, so think ahead and freeze ice in large plastic bottles (eg.
Old milk cartons, juice containers).
Keep the kids out of the esky unless totally necessary!! 7.
1 reliable cooking device - whatever method you choose to cook, make sure its reliable.
We have a range of cooking devices/stoves for various camping situations but a good, classic stove we can always depend on is a 2 burner camp stove.
Seek a cooking device that is easy to use and set up and can be versatile.
Don't rely on a campfire as camp fires are banned in the summer period nearly everywhere in Australia.
8.
Fold up table - we have found this to be a crucial part of our camping.
We use it for meal prep, holding other camping equipment, place to gather at meal time and can place items off the ground at night on it.
9.
Washing up tub.
Sounds basic and not a must-have? Try washing up the evening meal without one! Unless everything you plan on using is disposable (and environmentally, not recommended), you are going to need wash it all up.
We use a $5 plastic tub with 2 handles from a local supermarket.
We use this tub to store items in on the way home.
It's been used to wash dirty hands and faces end of day, carry water to extinguish the campfire and hold tadpoles! You don't need to buy anything like a fancy collapsible bucket.
Money can be spent better elsewhere in the world of camping! 10.
A sense of humour.
You might need it if things go awry.
Think we have missed a key piece of camping equipment? Use the "Contact Us" page at www.
gocampingaustralia.
com and let us know! Happy and Safe Camping.