was just wondering what types of tents are ok in winter and is as comfortable and as quick and easy to setup as a van would be just until you get your own.
what is the minimum needed to be able to camp in winter in south australia and be able to stay warm in a tent until you get your own van which will take years
can think of following as a start
winter tent (have to buy)
compressor fridge (have a small 15l)
aux battery (in progress of installing, have to save up for the isolators and battery and redarc dcdc)
solar panel (have a 2oow blanket to start off)
tv (have a small 12v one)
antenna and booster
12v led lighting
240v extension cord (to use until am 12v setup and on days where theres no sun just to charge batteries and where theres access to power)
240v power supplies (to run 12v fridge/tv/lighting while using on 240v)
cooking gear (have double hotplate, can probably find toaster and frypan that goes on cooker
heater (may need a special tent heater not sure)
Is all the above ok as a minimum for overnight stays here and there just until you get more gear
for the tent am going to need one that has 2 rooms or more (one for bed and one for kitchen area) and able to keep warm
also is 240v going to be ok in tents if you use the orange power block that tradies use and all is covered especially ones in weather. and at what stage would you turn off the 240v
could you also use a rollout awning with tent attachment and that be ok in rain and winter, how do you setup in rain and whats quickest to setup in rain
thanks
-- Edited by daisy20202-7 on Monday 21st of June 2021 10:58:23 PM
Whenarewethere said
11:19 PM Jun 21, 2021
The smaller the tent the warmer you will be. We have one of these Macpac 3 man tents (in reality 2 man). Have been in below 0°C & we were quite comfortable.
We have been in camp grounds, everyone in the morning was frozen & we were too warm.
You need layers to trap air to keep warm. Also some 10mm thick foam sleeping mats around the skirting edge will stop cold.
If it is really cold buy a couple of the extra large windscreen sun screens & use as a barriers.
But at the end of the day, the smaller the volume the warmer you will be.
We paid $850 in the 1990s for our tent. It actually leaks now so we have to put a ground sheet over it. The additional benefit of this, is that it adds another layer to keep things a bit warmer.
A couple of times we have set up in the rain, it was bucketing down, the heaviest rain we ever had. It is easiest to do it in the nude & dry afterwards.
Good tents you can put up the fly & then the tent inside. But if it raining that much, strip off & work as quick as you can.
We were in Munich one year in our little tent with ground sheet over the top. It rained the entire night. Everyone thought we had drowned, but we were the only ones in the entire camp ground who were dry. Every other tent had an internal moat.
Mike Harding said
07:12 AM Jun 22, 2021
It all depends upon how and where you camp, so first:
Will you rough camp in the bush or do you intend to stay in caravan parks?
What is the maximum length of time you intend to camp for?
daisy20202-7 said
01:32 PM Jun 22, 2021
Hi
Itd just be for overnight stays here and there maybe 2 nights in copper coast area sometimes rv parks sometimes at the moonta overnight camp site
Would all listed be ok as a minimum until you build up
Would 240v be ok in a tent until your totally setup for 12v
Sometimes might camp elsewhere too with friends as soon as some are found no idea where yet
If it rains what is as comfortable as a van and as easy to setup
Whenarewethere said
01:37 PM Jun 22, 2021
As said above. It all depends on what you intend to do.
You do give the impression of a complex and in principle permanent setup but at the same time falling short in a number of areas. Personally I don't think the goals are clear.
If it's not permanent a Trangia metho cooker works well & is a lot safer the highly volatile fuels. Still need to be careful.
Why do you need 240 volts, more so if cooking is not done with electricity. The
Our main setup but we mostly sleep in the car as we are too lazy to put up the awning & attached tent (in hindsight we would have a separate tent but that is another issue)
Our tent which we have used every night up to 2 months in a row, which we enjoy very much. It works very well (ground sheet to stop leaks) & nice & warm!
Trangia metho cooker, we have a lighter fuel cooker which is extremely good but we like the metho stove due to better safety. It doesn't take that much longer to cook. (On our home made table, with very tame visitor who was lucky not to end up in the pot!)
A warm tent in winter will create a lot on condensation unless it is extremely well insulated. You will have to be able to open it up completely during the day to dry it out, so fly screen on all sides. The fly screen needs to be the ultra fine mesh if you are in an area with sand flies or they will get through the mesh. Put a ground sheet under the tent floor to help protect the floor for longer life.
If you are using 240 volt make sure you have all the RCD & RVD safety devices. Life is too short as it is! We run everything off 12 volts. We also use 2 x AA Braun battery toothbrushes which work reasonably well.
We have 2 ABE fire extinguishers (give them a bash once a month to free up powder).
Have a look at Victron DC-DC smart charger as an option, & MPPT controller while at it.
daisy20202-7 said
01:58 PM Jun 22, 2021
Hi
Itd just be for overnight stays here and there maybe 2 nights in copper coast area sometimes rv parks sometimes at the moonta overnight camp site
Would all listed be ok as a minimum until you build up
Would 240v be ok in a tent until your totally setup for 12v
Sometimes might camp elsewhere too with friends as soon as some are found no idea where yet
If it rains what is as comfortable as a van and as easy to setup
daisy20202-7 said
02:00 PM Jun 22, 2021
The 240v is mostly to get out of trouble until am able to afford a good 12v setup
Bicyclecamper said
02:15 PM Jun 22, 2021
Look for a good 4 season tent. I run a 3.5 season tent, A Companion Pro Hiker 2 person from Wildearth online when bicycletouring, and mostly only camp in winter. I have a Sea to Summit 3 cm self inflating mat. And a -10 down sleeping bag, but my first sleeping bag in the last 5 years was a -10 synthetic, which just did the job. I use black builders plastic for the ground sheet. I am now carrying a 10ah, Lithium battery for power and charge it with 2 x 10 watt solar panels. You can start at Jacar to get good cheap 12 volt gear , cheap enough , so you don't have to rely on 240volt. You can get all the 12 volt gear that you need including portable solar panels for under $300. It just takes searching around for it. Also try Renogy online and get good gear there.
Whenarewethere said
02:17 PM Jun 22, 2021
The reason why we mostly sleep in the car. It only takes 15 minutes to rearrange the car either way, for sleeping, or on our way. You need to work out how long you are prepared to invest in time packing & unpacking.
We have installed acoustic insulation in the car which is brilliant for thermal insulation. Together with covering the windows heat loss is well & truely under control.
Our fridge is the largest item & sits on the passenger seat overnight. If it is hot weather we plug it in, in winter it stays cool enough overnight without running as long as it has enough thermal mass (is full).
As said above, Jaycar is good. It is a good starting point unless you want to be specific. My gel batteries are from Jaycar & virtually all my wire, connectors, heatshrink tube & 2 soldering irons etc.
If you have hip issue go for a thicker mattress. I upgraded my 25 year old Thermarest mattress, for a new Thermarest 75mm thick Luxury Map mattress standard size to fit in the car, it's very nice.
Possum3 said
02:49 PM Jun 22, 2021
Welcome to G/N's Daisy - Have you considered a simple box trailer with a covered caged top - if travelling single, one side of floor set up with permanent mattress and thermal sleeping bag other side of floor simple shelving - cage is easily secured from either inside or outside. a couple of solar panels (when purchased will fit on top of cage) simple electric system can be built up piece by piece when funds and time are available. Use LED lights, TV - An awning can be fitted to one (or all sides) Poor man's caravan - Dad and I used one for years as a fishing/camping set up.
Think outside the square and many combinations of this concept will come to mind.
Mike Harding said
02:55 PM Jun 22, 2021
Hi Daisy
Camping for two or three nights is easy :)
What you will need is: Shelter Water Food Toilet Cooking
Forget 240V, you won't need it.
At this stage in your camping adventure it is important to keep everything simple because, at this point, you have no idea what you are doing and you need to gain experience. Indeed, after one or two outings you may say "This is not for me!" and you don't want to have wasted $2000 on equipment.
First things first: check the weather forecast, if heavy rain is forecast don't go. If unexpected heavy rain falls go home. Have a roll of cheap bin liners available and if you have to pack up a wet camp simply stuff all the wet stuff into the bin liners and go home where you can dry it out.
Shelter: At this stage a cheap, simple two man dome tent, about $40 from Kmart or similar. You *do not* want to be trying to set up a large, complex two room tent by yourself for a two night stay - you will curse it I guarantee you.
Water: Three or four 15L water containers from Bunnings about $18 each. You always use more water than you think. Try to camp by a water source and use that for all but drinking.
Food: An esky with ice and tinned/dried food will do well for three days.
Toilet: Depending upon where you camp and your personal preferences either a Thetford chemical toilet which you can empty at home after three days or, my preference, a toilet stool (no pun), a spade and a 300mm hole in the ground.
Cooking: I think you said you had a two burner stove? If not a simple one or two burner butane stove with those aerosol like gas canisters from Bunnings for about $30 or $40.
Don't try to get everything 100% right from day one Daisy, you won't. Take your time to learn and work out what suits you the best. Take a comfortable chair and make sure you know where your towel is (for us HHGTTG fans) :)
Enjoy.
daisy20202-7 said
02:59 PM Jun 22, 2021
The 240v is mostly to get out of trouble until am able to afford a good 12v setup
daisy20202-7 said
03:01 PM Jun 22, 2021
Would a teardrop where you can roll out awning and use as a kitchen even if its a slide on be the go just to keep in mind or a slide on type camper
daisy20202-7 said
03:23 PM Jun 22, 2021
Would a teardrop where you can roll out awning and use as a kitchen even if its a slide on be the go just to keep in mind or a slide on type camper
Plain Truth said
03:31 PM Jun 22, 2021
We had a Southern Cross tent for yrs, it was 9 x 9 ,with a floor great in any weather.Just lay it on the ground,a peg in each corner,just put the pole in the middle,and your done
Took it every where,just passed it on to the grandson.
Would a teardrop where you can roll out awning and use as a kitchen even if its a slide on be the go just to keep in mind or a slide on type camper
Whenarewethere said
05:24 PM Jun 22, 2021
In 2019 over 3 months we did not use our ARB awning once, let alone either tent, & the awning is attached to the side of the car ready to use. We stayed in some locations up to 4 nights. That's how lazy we are!
12v vs 240v. If you are moving every few days & you have a fuel stove, you do not need solar. The car can charge up the batteries (you just need to calculate your loads). In 2019 apart from not using our awning, we did not use our solar panel once either. Still enough in reserve after 4 nights. Then the car charges up the batteries. 240v just adds more expense & complications. 12v for compressor fridge, phone/s, laptop & lighting are not heavy loads. Very easy & in principle cheap to do.
If you want to run heavy 240v loads off 12v then things become expensive.
As others have mentioned, go on holidays without all the things you think you need. Then you find out what you actually need, & not waste money.
We traveled around NSW with an esky (which we have done for years in our previous car). Next trip bought a 28L fridge (which we still use) which we only cooled when the car was running. Kept a large thermal mass in it. It worked well. Next trip we added auxiliary batteries (2 x 26AH). Next trip added more as we worked out where to put them in our small car.
Replaced cheap seats (off a rubbish collection) with more compact seats.
We also got rid of a lot of things that we did not need. Another key issue here is your payload. It is extremely easy to go over the car's limit.
Note:
Even an awning attached to the car, you really need 2 people to fold legs in & rolls to avoid scratching the car. If you can't do a tent in 3 minutes or 5 at the worst, look at a different model.
tea spoon said
05:04 PM Jun 23, 2021
in south australia unless it has changed you can have a electric heater in your tent .....
Are We Lost said
05:12 PM Jun 23, 2021
I don't like the idea of 240v in tents. It may be OK if you are vigilant, but if there is any sort of equipment with a plug, it could quickly become dangerous if it rains and water pools. It could be an unnoticed killer waiting for the unwary.
tea spoon said
07:01 PM Jun 23, 2021
have done tenting with 240 volt you use you brains and keep the end connections off the floor ......with a bit of thinking its easy to do ......
Eremita said
12:50 PM Jun 24, 2021
Hi everybody! I am starting my "van life"and am having some teething problems. The guy who is doing my solar panels dont know much about it and neither do I. We have installed 3x300W panels, 1xAGM Deep Cycle 140 Battery, 1x20Amp controller, and I have no electricity. My guess is that I should have more batteries, but I dont know how many and which. Someone told me I should have Gel - Lithium. The cars battery is connected to the solar battery, but as I am not driving, it doesnt charge it. I am so frustrated. Can someone help me please?
Eremita said
01:18 PM Jun 24, 2021
I forgot to say what I would like to run with the solar power. Well: I have a 12V fridge, a laptop, Phone, wifi, toothbrush, an Ikea one burner stove 240V. The fridge is working, but I haven't been able to use the stove. Actually, the let 2xlights go off all the time. My inverter is 3000 to 6000.
Since I wrote this message, I found out that the inverter itself d a lot of energy to work and that I should keep it off all the time I am not using any appliance.
-- Edited by Eremita on Friday 25th of June 2021 11:08:28 AM
Possum3 said
01:18 PM Jun 24, 2021
daisy20202-7 wrote:
Would a teardrop where you can roll out awning and use as a kitchen even if its a slide on be the go just to keep in mind or a slide on type camper
Daisy, teardrops are expensive units and most have severe quality problems - they are difficult to attach awnings to, they are not user friendly in inclement weather, considered claustrophobic by many - do a lot of home work if going down that track.
Mike Harding said
02:11 PM Jun 24, 2021
Eremita: may I suggest you start a new thread in the "Technical" section and detail your issues there, you will receive more and better responses I suspect.
Eremita said
11:09 AM Jun 25, 2021
Hi, thank you for the advice. I dont know very well how to navigate here so I posted on the first slot I found. Have a nice day.
hi
was just wondering what types of tents are ok in winter and is as comfortable and as quick and easy to setup as a van would be just until you get your own.
what is the minimum needed to be able to camp in winter in south australia and be able to stay warm in a tent until you get your own van which will take years
can think of following as a start
winter tent (have to buy)
compressor fridge (have a small 15l)
aux battery (in progress of installing, have to save up for the isolators and battery and redarc dcdc)
solar panel (have a 2oow blanket to start off)
tv (have a small 12v one)
antenna and booster
12v led lighting
240v extension cord (to use until am 12v setup and on days where theres no sun just to charge batteries and where theres access to power)
240v power supplies (to run 12v fridge/tv/lighting while using on 240v)
cooking gear (have double hotplate, can probably find toaster and frypan that goes on cooker
heater (may need a special tent heater not sure)
Is all the above ok as a minimum for overnight stays here and there just until you get more gear
for the tent am going to need one that has 2 rooms or more (one for bed and one for kitchen area) and able to keep warm
can think of these
https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sale/oztrail-sundowner-dome-tent?gclid=CjwKCAiAkJKCBhAyEiwAKQBCkmeM0BSlCyARLXmsUxb-I8UUt7xt74e6Ku66NMGOGsl9A7WctoFT4RoCTrsQAvD_BwE
https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sale/oztrail-lumos-10-person-fast-frame-tent
https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sale/oztrail-10-person-fast-frame-block-out-tent
https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sale/oztent-sv5-max-tent
https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sale/zempire-atlas-canvas-cabin-tent-charcoal
also is 240v going to be ok in tents if you use the orange power block that tradies use and all is covered especially ones in weather. and at what stage would you turn off the 240v
could you also use a rollout awning with tent attachment and that be ok in rain and winter, how do you setup in rain and whats quickest to setup in rain
thanks
-- Edited by daisy20202-7 on Monday 21st of June 2021 10:58:23 PM
The smaller the tent the warmer you will be. We have one of these Macpac 3 man tents (in reality 2 man). Have been in below 0°C & we were quite comfortable.
We have been in camp grounds, everyone in the morning was frozen & we were too warm.
You need layers to trap air to keep warm. Also some 10mm thick foam sleeping mats around the skirting edge will stop cold.
If it is really cold buy a couple of the extra large windscreen sun screens & use as a barriers.
But at the end of the day, the smaller the volume the warmer you will be.
We paid $850 in the 1990s for our tent. It actually leaks now so we have to put a ground sheet over it. The additional benefit of this, is that it adds another layer to keep things a bit warmer.
https://www.macpac.com.au/macpac-aspiring-three-person-alpine-tent/112031.html?cgid=equipment-tents#start=3
A couple of times we have set up in the rain, it was bucketing down, the heaviest rain we ever had. It is easiest to do it in the nude & dry afterwards.
Good tents you can put up the fly & then the tent inside. But if it raining that much, strip off & work as quick as you can.
We were in Munich one year in our little tent with ground sheet over the top. It rained the entire night. Everyone thought we had drowned, but we were the only ones in the entire camp ground who were dry. Every other tent had an internal moat.
It all depends upon how and where you camp, so first:
Will you rough camp in the bush or do you intend to stay in caravan parks?
What is the maximum length of time you intend to camp for?
As said above. It all depends on what you intend to do.
You do give the impression of a complex and in principle permanent setup but at the same time falling short in a number of areas. Personally I don't think the goals are clear.
If it's not permanent a Trangia metho cooker works well & is a lot safer the highly volatile fuels. Still need to be careful.
Why do you need 240 volts, more so if cooking is not done with electricity. The
Our main setup but we mostly sleep in the car as we are too lazy to put up the awning & attached tent (in hindsight we would have a separate tent but that is another issue)
Our tent which we have used every night up to 2 months in a row, which we enjoy very much. It works very well (ground sheet to stop leaks) & nice & warm!
Trangia metho cooker, we have a lighter fuel cooker which is extremely good but we like the metho stove due to better safety. It doesn't take that much longer to cook. (On our home made table, with very tame visitor who was lucky not to end up in the pot!)
A warm tent in winter will create a lot on condensation unless it is extremely well insulated. You will have to be able to open it up completely during the day to dry it out, so fly screen on all sides. The fly screen needs to be the ultra fine mesh if you are in an area with sand flies or they will get through the mesh. Put a ground sheet under the tent floor to help protect the floor for longer life.
If you are using 240 volt make sure you have all the RCD & RVD safety devices. Life is too short as it is! We run everything off 12 volts. We also use 2 x AA Braun battery toothbrushes which work reasonably well.
We have 2 ABE fire extinguishers (give them a bash once a month to free up powder).
Have a look at Victron DC-DC smart charger as an option, & MPPT controller while at it.
The reason why we mostly sleep in the car. It only takes 15 minutes to rearrange the car either way, for sleeping, or on our way. You need to work out how long you are prepared to invest in time packing & unpacking.
We have installed acoustic insulation in the car which is brilliant for thermal insulation. Together with covering the windows heat loss is well & truely under control.
Our fridge is the largest item & sits on the passenger seat overnight. If it is hot weather we plug it in, in winter it stays cool enough overnight without running as long as it has enough thermal mass (is full).
A little bit of ice on the car in the morning.
As said above, Jaycar is good. It is a good starting point unless you want to be specific. My gel batteries are from Jaycar & virtually all my wire, connectors, heatshrink tube & 2 soldering irons etc.
If you have hip issue go for a thicker mattress. I upgraded my 25 year old Thermarest mattress, for a new Thermarest 75mm thick Luxury Map mattress standard size to fit in the car, it's very nice.
Think outside the square and many combinations of this concept will come to mind.
Hi Daisy
Camping for two or three nights is easy :)
What you will need is:
Shelter
Water
Food
Toilet
Cooking
Forget 240V, you won't need it.
At this stage in your camping adventure it is important to keep
everything simple because, at this point, you have no idea what you
are doing and you need to gain experience. Indeed, after one or two
outings you may say "This is not for me!" and you don't want to have
wasted $2000 on equipment.
First things first: check the weather forecast, if heavy rain is
forecast don't go. If unexpected heavy rain falls go home. Have a
roll of cheap bin liners available and if you have to pack up a wet
camp simply stuff all the wet stuff into the bin liners and go home
where you can dry it out.
Shelter:
At this stage a cheap, simple two man dome tent, about $40 from Kmart
or similar. You *do not* want to be trying to set up a large, complex
two room tent by yourself for a two night stay - you will curse it I
guarantee you.
Water:
Three or four 15L water containers from Bunnings about $18 each. You
always use more water than you think. Try to camp by a water source
and use that for all but drinking.
Food:
An esky with ice and tinned/dried food will do well for three days.
Toilet:
Depending upon where you camp and your personal preferences either a
Thetford chemical toilet which you can empty at home after three days
or, my preference, a toilet stool (no pun), a spade and a 300mm hole
in the ground.
Cooking:
I think you said you had a two burner stove? If not a simple one or
two burner butane stove with those aerosol like gas canisters from
Bunnings for about $30 or $40.
Don't try to get everything 100% right from day one Daisy, you won't.
Take your time to learn and work out what suits you the best. Take a
comfortable chair and make sure you know where your towel is (for us
HHGTTG fans) :)
Enjoy.
We had a Southern Cross tent for yrs, it was 9 x 9 ,with a floor great in any weather.Just lay it on the ground,a peg in each corner,just put the pole in the middle,and your done
Took it every where,just passed it on to the grandson.
In 2019 over 3 months we did not use our ARB awning once, let alone either tent, & the awning is attached to the side of the car ready to use. We stayed in some locations up to 4 nights. That's how lazy we are!
12v vs 240v. If you are moving every few days & you have a fuel stove, you do not need solar. The car can charge up the batteries (you just need to calculate your loads). In 2019 apart from not using our awning, we did not use our solar panel once either. Still enough in reserve after 4 nights. Then the car charges up the batteries. 240v just adds more expense & complications. 12v for compressor fridge, phone/s, laptop & lighting are not heavy loads. Very easy & in principle cheap to do.
If you want to run heavy 240v loads off 12v then things become expensive.
As others have mentioned, go on holidays without all the things you think you need. Then you find out what you actually need, & not waste money.
We traveled around NSW with an esky (which we have done for years in our previous car). Next trip bought a 28L fridge (which we still use) which we only cooled when the car was running. Kept a large thermal mass in it. It worked well. Next trip we added auxiliary batteries (2 x 26AH). Next trip added more as we worked out where to put them in our small car.
Replaced cheap seats (off a rubbish collection) with more compact seats.
We also got rid of a lot of things that we did not need. Another key issue here is your payload. It is extremely easy to go over the car's limit.
Note:
Even an awning attached to the car, you really need 2 people to fold legs in & rolls to avoid scratching the car. If you can't do a tent in 3 minutes or 5 at the worst, look at a different model.
I don't like the idea of 240v in tents. It may be OK if you are vigilant, but if there is any sort of equipment with a plug, it could quickly become dangerous if it rains and water pools. It could be an unnoticed killer waiting for the unwary.
have done tenting with 240 volt you use you brains and keep the end connections off the floor ......with a bit of thinking its easy to do ......
I forgot to say what I would like to run with the solar power. Well: I have a 12V fridge, a laptop, Phone, wifi, toothbrush, an Ikea one burner stove 240V. The fridge is working, but I haven't been able to use the stove. Actually, the let 2xlights go off all the time. My inverter is 3000 to 6000.
Since I wrote this message, I found out that the inverter itself d a lot of energy to work and that I should keep it off all the time I am not using any appliance.
-- Edited by Eremita on Friday 25th of June 2021 11:08:28 AM
Daisy, teardrops are expensive units and most have severe quality problems - they are difficult to attach awnings to, they are not user friendly in inclement weather, considered claustrophobic by many - do a lot of home work if going down that track.
Eremita: may I suggest you start a new thread in the "Technical" section and detail your issues there, you will receive more and better responses I suspect.
Hi, thank you for the advice. I dont know very well how to navigate here so I posted on the first slot I found. Have a nice day.