Camping setup tips

[newbieranger8]

Hi guys,

Got my ranger Wildtrak last year , its stock standard the only thing added was a GME.

I want to get started on camping first with my two kids and wife. We have never done it before so i don't know what will be needed. To be precise i have an 8 year old and a 3 year old.

What sort of a tent should i get for starters ? I want something solid but at the same time easy to setup and dismantle.

I do have a gas cooktop from kmart for $30, works fine in my opinion, but is that enough?


Can you please suggest what all other things i would need , we intend to do simpler campings to start with , that does not entail driving hard tracks to get to camp.

I am thinking if i do simpler camping trips i might be able to decide what mods i would need . Is this approach correct ?

Thanks in advance

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[jezalenko]

Mate, check out this super informative video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2QNNvZ_vmU

You can spend $400 or $40k on camping stuff in a million different ways. Just get out there, have fun, and figure out what works for you!

[Freelancer1956]

Newbie, yes I agree, start simple and just camp for a night or two to start with and work it out as you go, and have fun. Make a list of things you forgot or need on your first trip.

When it comes to buying gear, my motto is "if you Buy cheap, you buy twice" . Some gear like stoves, and fridges etc will last decades if they are good quality. Some of these like fridges are big investments but small compared to the cost of a nice new Ranger.

Things like camping chairs are another trap. Those nice light collapsible chairs with the hammock style will wreck your lower back if you sit and sag for too long. Campers spend a lot of time sitting around, so buy carefully and big and expensive is not always best either.

Just a couple of notes on camping safety which wasn't covered in the video. Your partner and 2 kids are extremely precious cargo. A camping trip can easily turn sour without a few precautions or treatments (I'll call it CSH (not OSH) = Camping Safety and Health).

Be sure to make up a decent first aid kit(the commercial ones cost a lot and most of their contents will never be used)

Cuts and bites and (bull ant, bee, marine stinger) stings and burns will be most common - and yes there are plenty of snakes around in the warm months. Be sure to have compression bandages with you especially if you plan to go even for a short hike through the bush or sandhills. Even a short kilometre or two back to camp or car or medical help can be a long way and a long time when one of your party has to remain fully immobilised from a snake bite. Just a habit of a small light backpack with the essential is just a habit to get into, like slapping on a decent hat.

In that regard Personal Locating Beacons(PLBs) are now a lot cheaper than when they first come out. Why am I saying this ? its because most campers dont hang around their campsite all day - they tend to go exploring and when 4WDing down an easy track it can be all good one minute and then a combination of factors(like bogged, flat tire, snake bite) can suddenly turn things very dangerous.

Also gas is a killer ! It can asphyxiate(like people unbelievably lighting a gas stove in a tent to stay warm on freezing night ! - people have died from
this !!)

or explode very easily from a static spark ignition of leaked gas filling a tent or vehicle enclosure.

Beware those cheap little gas cartridges and cheapo stoves - like in the video(personally I reckon they are damned dangerous except for a picnic down to the local park) Some models were banned a few years back.

These canisters, rubbing and bouncing around in the back of the ute or the food box with all your cutlery can, easily pierce them

And how many times do we see novice campers taking off for a hike, or literally kicking around the campsite or bush in the dark in sandals or thongs. Experienced campers "boot up" no matter how daggy they look. Stubbed toes, sprained ankles and lacerated feet can spoil a camping trip just as can insufficient types of clothing when the sun goes down a cold southerly kicks in.

One final note is that of understanding your battery power availability in your Wildtrack which you said was standard kit. So I'm guessing you havent got an Auxilliary battery. A trap for those new to camping , especially if you have kids, is that if you use the car starter battery for night time lighting, recharging your phones and all the devices that kids often want to take with them, you could very easily end up with a dead flat battery in the morning and a Ranger that is going nowhere. This even more so if you park up the Ranger for a couple of days and dont start the engine.

The Rangers are notorious for the body control system(BCM) staying live when the car is unlocked, made worse if the doors are left open eg to play the sound system through the car speakers. And every time a door is opened the BCM electrical system, and interior and exterior lights all fire up - every time !.

Not uncommon to see 7 Amps initial draw then dropping down to an Amp or two for periods of up to half an hour - simply through opening and closing a door.

So my advice is to be constantly conscious of your Ranger starter battery state of charge when camping ( a cheap mulimeter can be used to observe full battery approx = 12.7V , and dont let it go lower than 12.2V to be sure of a good engine start), Trouble is it may get lower than that overnight when everyone plus their phone and devices in to recharge before going to bed (21st Century problem

You've probably only got 80Ah at best to work with so a few Amps x Hours calcs dont go astray.

Best to try to distance your starter batter from all your other electrical needs when camping -- but that opens up a whole another fun conversation of how you power your campsite

But its all great fun learning about it - enjoy the journey

[jstanovic]

You are correct, just get out there and try it first. See if you can borrow some gear from mates and go to a caravan park to ease the missus into it. Keep it close-ish to home (<2hrs) so if it goes pear shaped or you forgot something or you need more clothes it's not such a big deal. You hear many stories where guys get all setup spending $$$$, first trip out and the missus absolutely hates it!

Sleeping on the ground isn't for everyone, maybe a small camper trailer with a proper bed may suit you better. Again, you can hire these out for reasonable prices to see if that suits better.

Most people don't need 90% of the crap they take, most of it just makes you more comfortable or makes things more convenient. That is arguably most important to some (me included), just saying don't be fooled into thinking you need all the gear. Eg I have mates that only stay in caravan parks so no need for solar panels/electrical setups, water tanks, portable toilets/showers etc etc.
When you start going further out and heading to free camps or low facility campgrounds you may need a few extras to keep peace in the family!!!

That is why everyone says try it out first!!!! Good luck!!!

[LethalLeigh]

As jstanovic said, don't buy all the stuff you think you need (or worse, what everyone else thinks you need!) Get out there and work it out. I have wasted many dollars buying things everyone else thought I should have.

Having said that, I do have a couple of recommendations. Stretchers are amazingly comfortable and get everyone off the ground. A good, warm self-inflating mattress goes hand-in-glove with the stretcher, and then follow that with a decent sleeping bag. Don't get caught up on sharing a stretcher and sleeping bag with the missus either, you will both appreciate your own. Good sleep means good times. Nobody has any fun if they are tired and grumpy.

If you are going bush camping, talk to the missus and kids about toilet and shower. If they are happy to rough it and dig a hole to go crap, and not wash for a few days, then great. Otherwise, do yourself a favour and get one of each. They aren't ridiculously expensive but again, will stop grumpy people. Not number one priority (pardon the pun), but definitely can make a difference between a good trip and a bad one (speaking from first hand experience here).

As mentioned already, start small with the gear, work out what you need, and build from there.

And be prepared to do absolutely nothing one day, and then have a big adventure the next. Research activities that match the fitness and the desire of the family and listen to how they are going.

In the end, it's all about fun and doing stuff you don't normally do. Good luck and enjoy!!

[butch.]

Camp in your back yard for a couple of days and nights first.
If you want a very simple and roomy tent have a look at the OZtrail Tourer 9 plus canvas tent. ( $449.00 ) at Tentworld. You can pitch it in less than 4 minutes from the time you pull it out of the back of the ute (in windy conditions).
cheers, Butch.

[blueshine]

don't buy all the stuff you think you need (or worse, what everyone else thinks you need!)

Having said that, I do have a couple of recommendations. Stretchers are amazingly comfortable and get everyone off the ground.

Haha! Well I bought stretchers after our first couple of camping trips, on the recommendation of some other campers. Waste of money, we used them several times but they didn't help with sleep comfort and were just one more unnecessary thing to take. They are one of the few items I regret buying for our camping and I got rid of them.

What really fixed sleeping comfort for us was getting 10cm thick self inflating sleeping mattresses, such as "Zempire Monstamat" or "Exped Megamat". We have both and they are both excellent, take your own pillow and a decent sleeping bag and it's the best comfort you can get in a tent.

Blackout instant up tents (we have coleman) are great if you don't want to get up at the crack of dawn, keeps it a few degrees cooler which makes a big difference in this country.

We lasted on an icebox for several years before buying a fridge. I wouldn't ever go back to an icebox, but a fridge is a big investment so I would strongly suggest you try camping a few times first. I wrote on this forum before about how I avoided the large cost of a dual battery. Controversial I know, but I still run as described there and it works perfectly for us.

What the others said - don't by what others say you need, go and find out for yourself what you need. Cheap stuff can be good - you might upgrade it later and spend more, but you'll save on buying expensive stuff you didn't actually need in the first place. Sometimes cheap stuff does the job and you've definitely saved then.

[LethalLeigh]

Well, your experience is different to mine. Stretchers made the world of difference to us - sorry they didn't for you. We all have different requirements and it's important to know what works for each of us and what options are available. Just trying to help the OP. with options they may not be aware of.

Agree about the fridge, and you CAN do a budget dual battery system that can be put in and out as required if you don't want it on board all the time. I have read your posts about a single battery doing the job and appreciate that it works for you however we aren't all monitoring every aspect of our power requirements while we are enjoying our time in the bush. Some people love that stuff, some don't...

Respect for your perspective, skills and experience Like I said, just trying to help.

[blueshine]

For sure, different people need different things, just adding alternative perspectives. The best way to do it is to get out there and find out what works for you. You can go camping for under $100 so start there and work up. Don't go shopping based on someone else's shopping list!

[Reidybreeze]

I have spoken to a few people about this over my short life span so far. One thing I wish I had when I was a younger fella was a fridge a battery box that can be charged from driving and solar. Can use the box for lighting and charging cameras as well. For that you don't have to spend ridiculous money and it makes your trips so much more enjoyable in my opinion. I would never go back to the dark ages of having an esky haha. Other than that you just have to get out there and see what suits you. I started with a swag and gazebo as alot ofpeople do. Now I have a Jack off canopy with awning and rooftop tent. It all depends on what style of camping you want to do. Just remember "you spend a heap of money, just to live like a poor person" haha

[Uncle_Roy]

Great discussion guys...love the different setups and stories...I started with a 3 man tent and an eski...I would take my boys away for the weekend and they would "love" their dads snoring...we moved to 2 tents, a 100ah AGM, 12v fridge and solar panel...now that was luxury...still on blow-up mattresses and the boys loved it... we're now rocking an MDC Jackson forward fold camper and 2 swags...2*AGM 90lt fridge 120lt water tank, shower, solar everything to live off grid...they claim they can still hear my snoring but I love the queen bed and they love their swags...here's a pic from one of our many trips over the school holidays...as has been said you start off basic and move in the direction your family likes...the important thing is to start somewhere...the kids will have awesome memories together regardless of how much you spend...

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[newbieranger8]

I cannot thank everyone enough for all the guidance i got, our first camping trip was a complete success!!! Here is my current set-up
Coleman pop up 10 person tent
Bunk bed
Queen strecher
100amph agm battery, no solar panels as yet but a full charge lasted us two nights easy.
Esky , no fridge as yet
Some led strips from kmart


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[newbieranger8]

Thinking Of adding just a diesel heater for the tent for the , let me know your thoughts

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[Trublu]

Thinking Of adding just a diesel heater for the tent for the , let me know your thoughts

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[Trublu]

Those heaters work quite well, I hope you have a very big tent otherwise it may get too warm for you if for a small tent.