Our Favourite Camping 'Must-Haves'
With a lot more people giving camping a go these days, we find we’re often getting asked what to take or where to start. Here is a list of just a few of our favourite camping ‘must-haves’.
There is a lot to consider when preparing for a camping trip and space and weight can play a huge factor. Over the years, we’ve learnt what we do & don’t use and it basically comes down to your requirements as a family or couple and at what stage of life you’re at. It also depends on the length of your trip & how long you plan to spend in one place as to how much and what you need to take with you.
There are so many extra bits and pieces you can purchase now to complement your camping experience, but here is our list of some of our favourite camping must-haves to help you on your way.
1. Tents. There is such a huge range of tents on the market now and it can be overwhelming selecting the right one for you, especially if you’re new to camping. We love the Oztrail Australia brand, especially their range of Fast Frame tents that are quick and easy to erect and now contain blockout and lighting options.
The OZtrail Fast Frame Cruiser 240 Tent. Sets up in minutes!
2. Camping Chair. With so many to choose from, we are spoilt for choice. Most great camping stores have them in good supply to try out which one is right for you. Consider weight and size as well as comfort, as we all know that packing up the car/and or trailer can be quite the tetris puzzle!
We love this one here as it comes with a handy side table.
3. Camping Table. We love a 3 piece set that all clicks in together. You can also get quite long, trestle style hardy, molded plastic tables, (ideal for larger families and groups) from Bunnings and all good camping stores.
This Ironside 3 piece picnic set is lightweight and the bench seats clip into the table for easy storage.
4. Camping Crockery. We’ve found good old melamine plates and bowls are the way to go. We picked ours up from Kmart as you can purchase them by the piece. This suits our family of five as most of the boxed sets usually come in fours. ClipCroc also do a fabulous clip together range.
5. Insulated drinking cups. A must have for keeping drinks cold on Summer nights and your coffee hot on those chilly mornings. We love the Alcoholder range.
6. Cutlery Roll. So good for keeping all your cutlery together! The quality of the Bush Company Bush Cook Cutlery Roll is topnotch, caters for up to 6 people and even includes steak knives.
7. Marshmallow Toasting Forks. Need we say more? These sure get a workout! No camping trips are complete without them and the good old stick is not always easily found. Available at most good camping stores.
Marshmallow Toasting Forks are a must have camping accessory.
8. Muk Mat offer a range of mats for the car, tent and caravan. Since we’ve started using a Muk Mat, we have kept so much sand out of the van and tent and we even keep one in the car now for our beach days. We have the large one which we keep at the door of our tent or caravan, a smaller mat for the car and the new Caravan Step mat which fits perfectly on the first step of the van.
The Muk Mat is so good for keeping sand and dirt out of the tent or caravan.
9. Pegless Clothesline. We hang ours up along the awning of our caravan or tent awning, between a couple of trees and even inside the van in cold weather to dry off snow gear. Best of all, the Slide n Dry Pegless clotheslines are Australian made. We recommend two packets.
Slide n Dry Pegless Clotheslines are Australian Made.
10. Camp Oven. Nothing beats a tasty meal cooked over the fire. We got ours from Hillbilly Camping Gear and chose this particular model as you can also cook food on the lid! It’s stainless steel which makes cleaning it a breeze!
This camp oven is stainless steel making it easier to clean. We also have a cast iron pot which is great too.
11. Camp Stove. While we love cooking over the campfire most nights, sometimes it’s just not an option and neither is the BBQ. We love our Companion burner. Check out their range here
12. Sip Bubbles. Light weight and shatter proof. These champagne flutes come along on all our camping trips and we do love a champagne sunset (or sunrise!). www.sipbubbles.com
Sip Bubbles comes along on all our camping trips! Lightweight and unbreakable, they come in a box of 4.
13. Kids Travel Journal. Our kids love their journals and write in them most days of our camping trips. As well as journal pages, there are activities and puzzles to complete too!
This Kids Travel Journal provides hours of entertainment and is a great way for the kids to record their travels.
14. A floor mat. Our CGear mat keeps our campsite free from dirt and is a lifesaver when camping at the beach - the sand just seeps back through the tiny holes in the mat. A quick brush over with a broom helps it disappear in no time. We also love the gorgeous mats from Recycled Mats.
Our C Mat on Fraser Island. Complete with the local wildlife!
We’re sure our list of favourites will grow as time goes on, but we’ve found all these products to be really useful to us and thought we’d share them with you…
Feel free to drop us a line if you’re planning a trip & unsure of what to take. We’re happy to help & would love to hear from you!
Safe Travels!
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