CAMPING GEAR

We get asked about awnings quite often, so here’s the low-down on selecting and using the right one for your needs. We’ve lived with all types of awnings and we’ve yet to find one that’s wind-proof. 

The Nature’s Head self-contained, composting toilet is an alternative to the traditional cassette toilet, with fewer disposal issues.

It’s now easy to carry wood or loose gear to your campsite with the Aussie-made Firewood Carrier from Blacksmith Camping Supplies. We’ve bought one and we’ll test it this winter.

Folding shovels with blade edges aren’t new, but the colourfully named Annihilate Assassin F-A3 is more than just a folding shovel: it holds multi-function survival tools as well.

There’s nothing worse than getting a load of crook water, so we’re always very fussy about the source of any water that we put into our camper tank – and we always filter as we fill.

We prefer upright director-style camping chairs and we’ve finally found replacements for our aged OzTrail chairs. Black Wolf compact chairs are strong, fold up easily and have a lifetime warranty.

Over the past year the soles on three pairs of our Blundstone boots fell to pieces. We’ve since heard that Redbacks and Oliver boots have the same problem.

Everyone is familiar with the long-serving red and silver Swiss Army Knife, and in recent years the Victorinox company has developed new derivatives. The latest are white or black finish Spartan series, fitted with specially-coated blades and tools, wood-finish models, marine ‘camo’ designs, gold finish and a new Hunter model.

Truma has developed new-generation instant propane-fuelled water heaters that do not need a storage tank.

The laws regulating the use of drones have been changed. Here’s the low-down.

We’ve been testing this novel portable ‘washing machine’ for the past few months and it’s certainly worth considering by those who have packing space limitations.

Space is always at a premium when it comes to loading your vehicle or camper. Pots and bowls that fit inside each other used to be as good as it got, but now there are collapsible pots, pans and ‘crockery’.

Electronics have crept into the camper fridge market. Our experience with one such fridge wasn’t great, but a fix was easy.

​We’ve busted thongs on bush trips and some types can’t be fixed. However, Crocs can and this is how you can do it.

Keeping up with the latest technology is, seemingly, a full-time job these days. Our latest purchase is a harman/kardon Esquire Bluetooth remote speaker that normally sells for around $300.

We’ve been using a Bite Away Insect Bite Healer for years. It really works and we wouldn’t leave home without it.

Filling the water tank on our Tray Tek camper is easy enough at home, using a hose on a reel, but filling from the widely differing water outlets around Australia is another matter.

Not everyone has a portable fridge and those who do sometimes need additional cooler capacity. That’s why the portable icebox still has a place. We tested six of them in summer heat.

The Ice Mule range of soft cooler bags and back packs rewrites the soft-cooler concept, we reckon.

There’s nothing more uplifting than camping under stars after a day’s scenic drive through some remote part of the Australian Outback, but it’s depressing to come across an idyllic spot that has been marred by irresponsible driving and lack of camp hygiene.

So much to be packed, it’s easy to forget things! Sure, you can usually buy again somewhere along the way but why waste the money. Use this handy list and you’ll be sure to have everything.

The Coleman Pack-Away Kitchen disappears into a compact case. The sides of the case open out to form the serving table top. The stove stand opens on one side of the table top and a slip-on cooking tool frame clicks in place to hold tongs, spoons and the like.

We’ve been taste-testing the range of Happy Camper Gourmet pre-cooked meals and now we don’t go anywhere without some of them in our food boxes. If our fridge packs up we won’t starve.

Portable fridges and coolers look much the same from the outside – they’re all insulated boxes with lids – but there are significant differences in the way they work and the type of energy they use. It’s necessary to know something about the ebbs and flows of the cooling business if you want to be sure of buying the right unit for your needs.

Tough and efficient mobile refrigeration gives bush travel a five-star touch, but you have to get the basics right.

We love our morning coffee and for years we struggled to find the best way to have espresso quality coffee in the bush. With our Handpressos we’ve found it.

Mi Lite screw-in tent pegs make setting and retrieving tent and awning pegs a piece of cake.

We’ve inspected two Hide Away travel safes and found them to be well made and easily portable. They’re not cheap, but what price security?

What and how you pack may determine how happy your bush travel experience will be.

It’s easy to get carried away with the camping kit you come across in shops and at camping and outdoors shows, but it’s possible to have a successful camping experience without carting the kitchen sink with you.

The secrets of happy tent or swag camping are being in the right spot, at the right time of the year, with the right people and the right gear.

Portable refrigeration has changed the camping menu for the better: there’s no good reason why meals served at home can’t be enjoyed when you’re camping. With a bit of careful planning, you can even enjoy a cold beer or glass of wine at the end of the day.

The stove is a clever design, the two round burners are separated by a rectangular burner and with all three alight and the griddle on top there’s even heat over the entire plate.

One of the greatest health risks in the bush is illness caused by poor hygiene. We have a camp rule that we never touch food or eating utensils without washing our hands.

Before you start filling your food containers for your next trip, you should be aware of what you can and cannot take across State borders and into special exclusion zones.

We hadn’t travelled with a water filter before, but after one trip using a Katadyn unit we wouldn’t go bush without one again.