Going camping is great fun, but there is a lot to prepare and a lot of equipment to take along, which leads to many things that can go wrong. We have compiled a list of camping tips that can often be over looked. These are not the only things that will be useful, just some things that we would like to share from our experiences, and we are hoping you don't make the same mistakes that we have made.
Try your equipment before you leave.
The last thing you want is to get to your camp site, go to set up your tent and find out that not all the pieces are there. Whether you are borrowing gear or have bought it new - test it before you go. We can’t stress this one enough! Set up tents; try out lights and cooking stoves, any essential equipment needs to be looked at. This could also be a matter of trying a new tent and finding it is horrible to put up and you want to exchange it, or your torch is not bright enough for what you want it to do. It is better to find this out at home and not on the day. This could be a great opportunity to have a camping night in the back yard, its fun and will give you a great idea about how your equipment works.
There are upsides to this as well, when you are at site things will feel easier as you will be familiar with your equipment. You will also be able to set up your camp faster and have more time for the fun stuff.
Arrive at your camp early
You do not want to be setting up your campsite in the dark; many people have not enjoyed camping because of this. It makes everything much harder, even people who have put up their tent a thousand times will take much longer in the dark. It can also become dangerous to be doing this, you may not see tent pegs, guide line and other obstacles and can end up with a bit of metal in your foot or a bruise on your face, not a fun way to start your holiday.
You will also not be able to scope out the best spot for your site, you may not see things that you would not want to be near or under e.g. dead tree branches, it may look like a water pooling spot or your on an ants nest. And one big thing you will not want to do: annoy other campers around you if you arrive late! You will make noise while setting up and others will not appreciate this and will hinder you getting along with your fellow campers.
Bring Lights
Do not just bring one big bright light for everyone. It may seem like a really great idea to buy one big bright light and think that you are all sweet. As equally important do not just rely on a campfire to provide you light. Bring torches; one for each person (we think) is best. This way if you need to walk to the bathrooms, find more firewood etc. You are covered and not stumbling around in the dark. They may look dorky but we will always use head torches, they are just so much easier than a torch and you have both your hands to do whatever you need too.
Have somewhere to put your rubbish
Arriving at a beautiful campsite to only notice there is rubbish everywhere sucks! This may sound like a no brainer but it is something so simple it often gets over looked, and people often end up leaving their rubbish everywhere. Having a system for your rubbish makes it so much easier to keep things clean. This is important as it will not just be nicer to be around, but having food scraps and rubbish left around will attract animals. Some animals (Possum’s, I’m looking at you) can be very good at finding food scraps and making quite a mess. We also don’t want to leave our leftovers out for animals, this is really harmful for our wildlife and they can end up being dangerous if people keep feeding them.
Throwing rubbish in the fire is not a solution. The old system of burn and bury is not accepted anymore as it is not great for the environment, and we don’t want to be breathing that smoke in either. Animals can still find and eat it if everything does not completely burn down to ashes and that can kill our native wildlife. If you take it in you have to take it out!
Add a few system ideas here
Bring warm clothing
Another no brainer, but even if you think you will not need it bring something anyway. Even in summer you should do this, it can get cold of an evening and it sucks being cold while sleeping. You will be surprised how often you will want a jumper or long pants when you would have never though you would. I have made this mistake and I ended up buying more clothing in town, it was not fashionable and I never wear it now but it was my only option. Don’t make my silly, expensive mistake.
Camp Fires
Campfires are one of the best parts of camping! Everyone loves them and they are great fun, but there are a few things to keep in mind whilst enjoying their warmth (I promise I won’t be a kill joy).
Do not rely only on a fire to cook your food! It is great to cook on a fire; we do this almost every time we camp and the food tastes amazing. BUT we do not do it for every meal, and we always have a back up cooking method. There are too many things that can go wrong with guaranteeing a fire everyday and you will end up eating raw food, and no one wants to do that. If it rains unexpectedly, if there is a total fire ban, if you can’t find wood… This is a mistake we have made, we forgot our camp stove and all the firewood was damp, it sucked so bad.
Another thing to think about if you want a campfire (you should want one!) is where will you find the wood to burn. If it is a popular site you cannot guarantee that there will be any left, or you may not be allowed to take any from the area. There are two options here and they are both pretty easy. Find it as you are driving in or bring it from home. We opt for finding it as we drive in, but we have a troop carrier and space is not a barrier anymore so we will always have a chainsaw with us to make this option easy, but an axe will work and is much more space friendly. We used to just bring it from home in a container, or buy it from a servo on the way, which is the easiest and quickest thing to do.
The last thing on this one is always put you fire out when you go to bed, and just use common sense here. We are in Australia and I am sure you know what that means regarding bush fires. We are all aware how bad they can be and how easy they can start, especially in the summer. Read our camping in fire season post for some good tips to stay safe, and links on were to find the most update information for where you are headed.
Do prep work before you go
This sounds really boring but its actually really fun, and will make your trip much more enjoyable. Picking a campsite area before you leave is golden, you will have to decide what or where is important to you in a campsite and then narrow your search down from there. You should also find out what you can and cannot bring to your chosen location, do you need to bring in firewood, are pets allowed, do the roads in and out get locked at night, so you will not have any surprises when you arrive.
Checking what the weather will be doing is important to look at before you go too. Should you pack an extra raincoat or extra sunscreen? In the summer you will also need to check the fire danger rating and possible fires in the area, and if there is a total fire ban in that area. I love my campfires so this for us is a reason to possibly choose a different location if it is not statewide. And the most fun part (I think anyway) is seeing what there is to do around you. Is there great bush walking, an amazing beach, does the local town have a markets or something else… there are so many amazing things to do in our great country that you will be surprised what you will find to do.
First Aid
It is often the last thing people will think to take while they are so busy checking their tents and making sure they have enough food. A first aid kit is super important, and you will most likely use it. Splinters are common and stingo’s for mosquito bites is a must. It does not have to be crazy big but just enough to get you by. We will always have one with us just incase, and I have no doubt the time we don’t take one is the time we will defiantly need one.
Campsites
I feel what I’m about to say may be quite controversial, but I am going to stick by it anyway. If you have never been camping, or do not do it very often and its been a long time in between, go for a camp site that has some creature comforts, something that is close to what you are used to already. What I mean by this is don’t pick a campsite that has no water, no showers, no rubbish bins and no toilets all in one. If you are used to having all of these things at your fingertips it can be a bit daunting and uncomfortable to have them taken away all at one time and you may find it is all a bit too much. If you have never stayed in hostels before you may find just sharing a bathroom with others in the campsite to be something new and it can be a place to meet new people as well (don’t want that to sound to weird but sometimes you can start up great conversations while waiting for a shower). You will find that if you keep camping more often, which we hope you do, you will slowly find yourself more and more comfortable with going without these things, and soon enough you will have all the equipment to go without all of these things and be quite comfortable. So ease yourself into it and build up the kind of ‘roughing it’ that you often see in photos. And if you have the space, take some things that you would really want at home; I will always take a normal towel and not a ‘travel’ towel and a real wine glass over a plastic one if I can too. They are just my luxury items that I will bring that I just don’t want to live without. A few of these are ok to take, you do not have to rough it 100% with everything, the aim is to enjoy camping and not just grit your teeth and bare it. So I think if you want a real towel take it and enjoy it cause it’s your holiday!
Shelter
Other than having a tent we would suggest having some kind of other shelter with you, a place to hang out if it is raining or a comfortable place to be in the shade in the mid day sun. A tarp or quick shade works great, if you don’t have one look for a campsite that has places you can use, like a common kitchen or BBQ area, these spaces will work great as well.
If you were after some more camping tips head over to our Free packing checklist, so you will not forget anything!
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