Easy, bring all the comforts of home into a natural setting. Allow the kids to poke sticks in fires, marvel at wildlife passing through your field of view, enjoy a home cooked meal, a chilled wine or beer, count the stars as they come out and retire to a comfortable bed after a warm shower.
Impossible? well not really.
There are a few really neat looking vehicles that will allow you to explore almost anywhere in the world, with most of life's luxuries to hand. Some that look amazing are the Australian built Earth Cruiser and the Adventurer 4x4 Motorhome.
The only problem is the price tag - and the fact most of these vehicles are perfectly set up for a couple. There is no market for a self contained family 4x4 touring vehicle except for in America, home of the Earth Roamer based on the F550 truck (I don't mind their Jeep version, but perhaps once the kids leave home). These are all highly specialised vehicles and if you wanted to tour the world's remotest areas, they would be ideal. In the meantime I can continue to use Google to dream and try to find the perfect compromise :)
Most of us mortals are constrained to using a 4WD wagon or ute that doubles as the family hack during the week. Now whilst a vehicle of this type is more than big enough if your camping equipment consists of a swag and an esky, there are a few creature comforts necessary to ensure repeated camping experiences with the wife and family.
Indeed gear is good. More gear is better.
So bring in the camper trailer.
Camper trailers come in all range of sizes, styles, features and price. All have the single purpose of bringing comfort to camping. Ours is a 2005 Aussie Swag purchased last year christened by the kids as "Matilda".
So what comforts do you really need:
There are many things that make camping more enjoyable for the family, and there is no way that I am going to be able to provide one consolidated list, suffice to say here are a few of our creature comforts that make it all the more enjoyable for all of us, and more enjoyable camping experiences means more camping experiences.
- A warm comfortable bed.
It was a lumpy night's sleep on a deflating mattress that provided the impetus to get a camper trailer, see our previous blog . Indeed there is nothing better than sleeping in a properly made up bed just like at home at the end of a day in the bush.
The Little Helpers sleep on self-inflating mattresses on the floor of the camper, but as their bedding stores flat on our bed, set up time is a matter of minutes. Also the fibreglass floor ensures their bed is flat, with no rocks or puddles likely to disturb their sleep. We put down a couple of old blankets to additionally insulate the floor to keep it a little warmer for them on the colder nights - because they usually kick off all their blankets in a matter of minutes.
Of course a morning cuddle is always on the cards!
- A Kitchen
Kitchens come in all shapes and sizes, but being able to cook a meal is essential. Some of our friends who like hiking have different cooking facilities that focus on BTU output and weight. All important stuff when you walk days into magnificent sites and are heating your dehydrated rations, however not so relevant when your camping is based around a camper with a fridge on hand.
With our little tykes not quite up to multi day hikes, we find the kitchen on the camper fantastic. An 80L fridge provides storage for fresh vegetables, milk, medication and beer, with the bonus of a freezer section for goodies like paddlepops. I haven't taken any specific shots of our kitchen, but this video by Aussie Swag shows their latest kitchen design:
The video shows some neat additions like the condiments shelf above the sink, the fridge slide and hot/cold mixer tap, but the basic layout of our kitchen is similar.
- Bikes
After a few false starts we finally developed a system to carry all four of our bikes on the back of Matilda. Our boys started riding from about 3 and a half and love nothing more than riding through the nearest and deepest puddles repeatedly... what can I say, they're my boys! Having all the bikes with us means we can explore further afield that little legs would normally allow, and also provide a great source of entertainment for the kids when the terrain around the camp suitable for them to develop a circuit. The added bonus is that they usually wear themselves out!
The bikes mounted on the frame
- A nice warm shower.
There is nothing like a refreshing shower at the end of a day camping, particularly if you've been bushwalking or exploring the surrounding areas. The kids seem to attract dirt and in a matter of minutes the dirt seems ingrained into the creases of their skin and you wonder if you'll ever get them clean again - particularly if they have been riding their bikes through puddles!.
Wet Ones or Nappy wipes are only so good at keeping the superficial dirt at bay, so in a moment of impulse I bought a 12v shower for about $30 from Supercheap Auto - although any camping shop will sell these.
Our water is currently warmed by boiling a billy - and the 9L bucket will comfortably shower 2 filthy kids or 2 adults at a time. It is simple, and whilst a hotwater on demand system like the Coleman is on the wish list, we find this simple system effective.
The Shower!
- A Toilet
OK not quite a creature comfort, but often ignored in the planning of a camping trip and can literally make or break the whole exercise.
At the moment our toilet is rudamentry, but when used properly it is a natural part of the environment - and as a bonus is an essential piece of recovery equipment! We are careful to dig a deep enough hole at least 100m from any water course and, when permitted, burn paper waste before burying our business. The boys seem particularly taken with the burning of the paper process and seem to keep a little in reserve to "put the fire out". It is disappointing to find toilet paper strewn around campsites from campers who don't burn the paper when permitted or bury it deep enough. Again on the wish list is a toilet seat with the option for removal of waste when appropriate - something like this folding portable toilet stool. The portable stool can be placed over a pit for increased comfort, or a bag can be placed under the seat for removal of waste if required.
Our Loo - If you are one of the fortuante people who has a chemical toilet onboard, disposing of the waste can be problematic. Thankfully there is a guide book available that lists all the registered disposal sites or dump stations in Australia. The e-book: Know Where to Dump When RV's have to go is available here for Australia, US and Canadian readers,.
Our camping equipment has evolved from starting in a tent, with the youngest still in nappies, a single primus stove and a leaky esky to our comfortable set up that we have now. When taking the family I have become a firm believer in that by taking a few extra things, you can make your life far more comfortable when on the tracks. The best thing is to get out there and use what you have. You will find you quickly work out what you need and what you don't. Every camping shop will try to convince you that you need this and that to even go for a picnic in a park, but with some trial and error the list can be adjusted to what you need. Of course there is a myriad of other things that we take to ensure a successful camp, but the main thing is to get out there and don't forget the sunscreen!
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