I recall many years ago when we went camping or caravanning we did not have all the mod cons we have today, we would simply pack the tent and equipment into the car or hitch the van up and head off into the bright blue yonder. We didn't have 12 volt power for lights and TV, in fact we didn't want T.V. when we travelled, we used a kero lantern, we didn't have a fridge, only an ice box. We certainly did not have Satellite Navigation, we relied on maps. We went to bed when it got dark and the camp fire was getting low and got up with sun. We took our Holdens and Ford cars over some very rough dirt roads but today we need a 4 wheel drive, mind you I would think twice about some of our dirt roads and today's modern plastic cars.
Today most would not dream of camping off road without solar power or a gen set for lights, Sat. T.V., radio, DVD player, fridge and even air con.
My question is: Are we getting soft in our old age or are we just making use of all the new and expensive toys that are available to todays camper and caravanner. Are we so used to our soft and comfortable life at home that the thought of roughing it a little makes us shudder?
Best Regards and Safe Travelling.
John
dave06 said
12:43 PM Dec 30, 2008
absolutely john, people are not only getting soft but stupid as well, I have seen vans pull up and then fly into a routine whereas the generator is out then the satelite tv and come night the place is lit up like kings cross with all accompanying music, you dont see them come out of their vans
one question to those that "take it all with them" why bother going out, why not stay in a park or at home, you would save the expense and leave the free campsites to people who enjoy being there and apreciate the peace and quiet and the banter with other travellers we dont apreciate the idiots who must watch days of our lives and have the genny running all night with the music of your choice or whatever
I have watched the posts on this site with extreme amusement, people advising other people what they need to "survive in free camps", the list is endless, batteries, solar, solenoids and all the while they are going to be staying in caravan parks anyway or they dont go out, or rarely at all, brag factor high, camping factor non existant when we go out, and we do all the time,
we stay the maximum time for the minimum power and impact on others, basic is always best Kiss principal will always rule with me
we carry a generator onboard squeaky as well as satelite tv, both have yet to be used out there, we tried satelite internet and gave it up as waste of valuable time
-- Edited by dave06 at 12:26, 2008-12-30
Basil Faulty said
01:23 PM Dec 30, 2008
interesting topic.... Yes I remember the days of Canvas tents, canvas "stretchers" with wooden frames, kero stoves, no tv, no phones, no communication with the outside world while on holidays except you would send relatives a "post Card" wishing they were here....... Yeah those holidays were memorable, I have vivid memories of them....We used to do all sorts of things that modern day kids are not allowed to do, snare rabbits, watch in wonder at cannooooodling couples in the dunes wondering what the hell they were doing, shoot crows with shang eyes, cooking over an open fire ( love hot damper straight out of the cast iron camp oven) the list goes on ad nauseum. However today I'm over the boys own adventure stuff, I simply could not be bothered putting up a 12'x12' canvas tent and sleeping on one of those stretcher things..... Maybe I am going soft, or maybe I'm just being practical after all most of the roads I travelled over in the back of a ute all those years ago were dirt, hell we used to go to a disused hut at Broulee before the island was an island and it was a dirt road from Nowra..... I like a few mod cons, not fussed about TV, internet etc but unfortunatley they are inconveniences of the modern world and getting harder to avoid, well the internet is anyway, EVERYONE has to have an email addy these days or you simply can't pay your bills and 240 volt power is necessary for some of us for medical reasons (did I give you my lengthy discourse on using an inverter to run my CPAP machine? well I bought one for $1 on Ebay with only $38 postage but after trying it out I discovered the outer case was live 240VAC, still trying to get a refund).... Some younger people enjoy roughing it but today what we had to carry in a trailer can be carried in a backpack.... I believe you can still have adventure with a mix of convenience that is minimal impact on both the envirnonment and fellow campers.... I tend to avoid the places where the technology junkies congregate, and I have seen some extreme examples eg a couple pulled into a site next to us a few years back at Mitchell in the outback of Qld and the first thing they unpacked and set up much to the s******ing amusement of all was a solar powered fountain, I jest not, who would bother with such impedima? For the people who insist on running a noisy generator to power a voluminous CD player at all hours I have a simple solution - an insulated pair of side cutting pliers -too easy....
JRH said
01:28 PM Dec 30, 2008
G'day Dave, The ones that really annoy me are those who set their tv up inside the caravan opposite the door then they sit outside and crank up the volume so they and their neighbours can hear the dialogue.
Then there is the guy that gets out the generator and sets it up away from his van but closer to yours and in answer to the question why bother to come away at all they reply "Oh the missus wouldn't come away without her telly and mod cons, she needs her comfort." I have to ask myself who needs the comfort him or her?
I must say that some of the new,beaut products make life a bit easier, such as Porta - Potties and I must admit to having one 85 watt solar panel on the van roof coupled to a 100amp hour battery so we have the convenience of electric light instead of the old kero lantern that is in the van cupboard along with a bottle of citronella oil. The Porta - Pottie saves digging a hole and the solar saves striking a match.
Guess I must be getting soft.
Best Regards and Safe Travelling. John
dave06 said
01:44 PM Dec 30, 2008
I was down the murray a few years ago now, Mannum I think, this couple pulled up and out came all the junk as well as the genny, we immediately packed up and shifted down the other end, we thought we knew what was coming noisewise, this bloke fired his genny up, the big bloke having a cuppa just a bit down from us wasnt having a bar of that, he threw the fellows genny in the water
cops called trouble ensued, we put the chairs away and went to the free camp at morgan, much quieter, no dopy city drongoes and their annoying must have parfanalia
we have "slurpy" the potty and we run "chilly" our engel, plus lights, all can be done simply by a second onboard battery, we have stayed put for a week without even troubling the second battery, which is recharged either by solar panel or alternater whilst driving
why people would want an idiot box with them is beyond me, a radio annoys me after a while with all its mindless dribble, but necesary for weather reports and the occasional bit of news
when touring, the emphasis is on travelling light and quick, we like to see the sights and not waste half the day setting up and striking camp, if we squat, we put the chairs out and have a yak and we may even put the annexe and rear tent up, (see my avatar) but thats as extravagant as we get
tonyd said
03:25 PM Dec 30, 2008
Yes, you have to wonder. Researching battery power for fridges (and what a bloody minefield that is), I came across a serious discussion about how big a genny was needed to run the caravan air con, the telly and the microwave! You wonder why they bother ever leaving home. Think of all the fuel money they could save by staying home. Loved the bloke who threw the genny into the river. I'd like to buy him several beers! Cheers, Tony
dave06 said
03:57 PM Dec 30, 2008
yes we had a yak with him when we first arrived, seemed like a very reasonable likeable man, softly spoken, but obviously had his likes and dislikes, and he liked his peace and quiet, dont know how he got on with the law but he wasnt in too good a mood when we left, hopefully he didnt do anything else too stupid
we've travelled this fantastic country for what seems like a lifetime, we still are, and we have never had the need for air con or microwaves, I guess its where you go and when you go, when we are home we have all the mod cons and we do miss them for a day or two at first but when you stay out for 6 months or more and then return it seems like a nightmare all the noise and hustle and bustle and extravagant waste
about 5 years ago we circled the country over a 2 year period and you know the thing we missed most, was to be able to consumate ones ablutions all in one area, whoopsies, wee wee's, washing the hands and showering all in one room absolutely amazing, the next was our king size bed, my god THE ROOM hell we got lost for the first week, then it was the ammount of food in the fridge and to be able to turn on a tap and stay in the shower for as long as we liked, and the overall space we have in a house, jeeezzz!!! wheres she gone now, oh and to just jump out of bed and walk nakey to the loo instead of having to get partially dressed to accomplish the mission
the rest you could shove up your bum
I think most people have an inate fear of the unknown so thereby they surround themselves with things that are familiar, tv, microwaves, computers, air con, instead of "ditching" all that junk and just getting back to whats important,
the best form of air con is under a big old gum with the feet in a river or stream, fishing rod in one hand and a coldie in the other and yakking to the missus
the benefits of that are self explanitory, no noise, quality time with your best mate and quite possibly a fishy for tea, and with all that fresh air you will sleep like a bought one
Bridgee said
07:17 PM Dec 30, 2008
Hmm yes we must be getting soft we too remember camping with non of the mod cons and when our kids used to ask if we will have a tv...........in a tent I don't think so! but they were the best holidays playing board and card games with the kids. I have mentioned before on this site that we travelled this wonderful country nearly 35 years ago - in a small car, just the two of us we packed a few things and off we went, mobile phone, emails, internet, what the hell were they! We did not have the instant contact but we rang home from a phone box whenever we could, these days we don't even go to the shops without the mobile!
We did a short trip 12 years ago but with our children and once again it was wonderful to get 'back to basics' and be a family doing things together was for me just wonderful, the day we got back our son said thanks for a great holiday and now he was going to catch up with one of his mates....holiday over!
We are planning to set off in March 2009....whoopeeeeee!!! and of course we plan to have a few more creature comforts than we had 35 years ago so we will let you know how this compares to our first trip.
As for the TV I got the impression you never get to watch tv as there is always someone to have a yak with which is fine with us, and the music yes I agree with Dave the radio stations play a lot of s*** but hubby got an iPod for his birthday, gosh so different to the vinyls records we are used to!! now that we have learnt to drive it we have put heaps of 'real' music on it - songs that never gets air play anymore, so if you hear a van blasting out good old rock 'n' roll that will be us!! But we are aware that we will not be on 8 acres like we are now! and the volume will be kept low when in use but we tend to want to listen more to the sounds of nature.
Well we have stopped 'talking' about when we are going to set off and set a date for March next year, so all you nomads out there get ready for the heap of questions we will be asking, funny thing is we did not ask any questions 35 years ago, bought some food, a single burner primus, a few clothes and away we went, and we still talk about what a great adventure it was. However we can't wait for the next one!
Bridgee said
07:19 PM Dec 30, 2008
Hmm yes we must be getting soft we too remember camping with non of the mod cons and when our kids used to ask if we will have a tv...........in a tent I don't think so! but they were the best holidays playing board and card games with the kids. I have mentioned before on this site that we travelled this wonderful country nearly 35 years ago - in a small car, just the two of us we packed a few things and off we went, mobile phone, emails, internet, what the hell were they! We did not have the instant contact but we rang home from a phone box whenever we could, these days we don't even go to the shops without the mobile!
We did a short trip 12 years ago but with our children and once again it was wonderful to get 'back to basics' and be a family doing things together was for me just wonderful, the day we got back our son said thanks for a great holiday and now he was going to catch up with one of his mates....holiday over!
We are planning to set off in March 2009....whoopeeeeee!!! and of course we plan to have a few more creature comforts than we had 35 years ago so we will let you know how this compares to our first trip.
As for the TV I got the impression you never get to watch tv as there is always someone to have a yak with which is fine with us, and the music yes I agree with Dave the radio stations play a lot of s*** but hubby got an iPod for his birthday, gosh so different to the vinyls records we are used to!! now that we have learnt to drive it we have put heaps of 'real' music on it - songs that never gets air play anymore, so if you hear a van blasting out good old rock 'n' roll that will be us!! But we are aware that we will not be on 8 acres like we are now! and the volume will be kept low when in use but we tend to want to listen more to the sounds of nature.
Well we have stopped 'talking' about when we are going to set off and set a date for March next year, so all you nomads out there get ready for the heap of questions we will be asking, funny thing is we did not ask any questions 35 years ago, bought some food, a single burner primus, a few clothes and away we went, and we still talk about what a great adventure it was. However we can't wait for the next one!
dave06 said
10:15 PM Dec 30, 2008
yes magical things these ipods, I have itunes on my putey for my son as well as limewire I have been burning and borrowing music for ages, so I generally get the music that I like,
I have been working on an all time standout rip snorter of a cd for about two months, whenever I heard or remembered a song from my glory, happy, happy, joy, joy days, I would race in and "borrow" it and put it in my desktop folder
I went to fire up my putey the day before yesterday and it fired up through the bios and came up with an error message "windows explorer has stopped working" tried a reboot over two days and then an insert with the vista disc, nothing, my hard drive has spat the dummy so all my "stuff" is history, my motherboard only supports two drive inputs and I am using one for the dvd burner the other is for my hard drive so not sure if I can salvage anything off my old drive when I buy a new one
I am using the dragons laptop which I hate, nothing fits, my fingers are too damn big and the screen is too small even though it is a toshiba satellite I just cant get used to it, my machine has a microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse, much more betterer!!
mike and Judy said
09:01 AM Dec 31, 2008
Hi John very much a yes! most definatly! certainly! I've been around the block a few times, north and south a few times, east and west a few times, at 18 I was cutting telegraph poles with an axe, ----chain saws, what the hell were they, driving a car with wooden wheels, (actually saw one, a Whippet in Longreach in front of a tourist trap Kinnon and co) but ours was a rust bucket, with a fruit crate for a seat, try driving that across a paddock or a rough track , 4wd ha ha ha, off to the Mitta Mitta river in winter fishing for trout, water would freeze your b****, if you were in too long, certainly had dificulty finding them on coming out, or up to the Murray in summer around Gunbower, swim across in the evening dragging your baited line after you, anchor it with a slip knot, and have a big feed of redfin for breakfast, (couldn't swim 3 strokes now) after spending all night on nothing more than a Tarp, (couldn't get down that low now,) tent was a canvas world war 1 cottage tent, with a coupla tears in it, (couldn't lift it now,) spent all day in the sun digging for sapphire when the Capricon Hwy was a dirt road in parts, ( now 2 hours and I'm done in) so I can.t answer for all you Hoary, Hairy, Hirsuite, Handsome, Heros, but I am getting soft, I been there and Ive done that, will continue to do there and that in the comfort of a bus strike that , a mobile home, and listen to the snickers of the young as they lay in there lightwieght tents and airbeds, but the answer is definatly affirmative for me
brickies said
09:39 AM Dec 31, 2008
come on all you guys i bet i had it harder than all off you , i had to eat watermelon seed has if i stop to spit out the seed i would miss out on a second peice , SO NOW enjoy living soft i am and i hope it doesnt stop
Wombat 280 said
11:20 AM Dec 31, 2008
You see some of the setups that rival a military deployment of a MASH unit Gennies big enough to power a small city , aircon, sat TV's, 4 burner electric stoves including oven , microwaves, 240lt fridge freezer, internal and external hot and cold showers,water filters , cryovac machines, radios ,Ipods, 10 Ghz computers, mobile phones array of battery charged equipment not to mention the push bikes skate boards and 2 stroke dirt e bikes to annoy the **** out of everyone in the wee hours of the morning. Never mind the caravan that's just for two people in a camper trailer for a weekend stay .
Times have changed and it's with great amusement and pleasure that I sit and watch the arrival of such parties at a bush camp site, it's better than a Carry On movie .
Enjoy your freedom while you still have it .
Happy New year to all
dave06 said
11:33 AM Dec 31, 2008
when I see an idiot and his entourage move in, I move out because the peace and quiet will go very quickly as well.
more luxuries for one means less relaxation for all, bring yourself to a decent standard and leave the crap behind for all our sakes
JRH said
12:37 PM Dec 31, 2008
G'day,
After some thought I must admit I have got soft and do like some of the new, beaut toys available for the traveller these days. The thought of putting up a heavy canvas 12x12 tent these days makes me cringe, been there done that as so many have already stated, but I must say that when we (Irona and myself) are travelling we are a lot healthier and fitter than we are at home, we tend to get a lot more exercise and spend a lot more time outdoors in the fresh air, away from the polution of the cities and towns.
When we are at home we listen to the weather forecast every evening and if it is going to be hot (over 35) we tend to stay indoors. When we are away in the caravan we only listen to a weather forecast if it looks like the weather may turn nasty.
I think it is a psychological thing, if we know the temp is going to climb we tend to stay at home in the airconditioned comfort, if we don't know what the forecast temp is we simply go out and enjoy ourselves.
I hope I am making some sort of sense.
Dave06, Sorry to read your 'puter's hard drive gave up the ghost, don't throw it out, if you don't have the expertise to recover your files take the drive or even the computer to an expert, you will be surprised how much information can be salvaged from a dead drive.
Best Regards and Safe Travelling. John
Basil Faulty said
01:34 PM Dec 31, 2008
dave06 wrote:
yes magical things these ipods, I have itunes on my putey for my son as well as limewire I have been burning and borrowing music for ages, so I generally get the music that I like,
I have been working on an all time standout rip snorter of a cd for about two months, whenever I heard or remembered a song from my glory, happy, happy, joy, joy days, I would race in and "borrow" it and put it in my desktop folder
I went to fire up my putey the day before yesterday and it fired up through the bios and came up with an error message "windows explorer has stopped working" tried a reboot over two days and then an insert with the vista disc, nothing, my hard drive has spat the dummy so all my "stuff" is history, my motherboard only supports two drive inputs and I am using one for the dvd burner the other is for my hard drive so not sure if I can salvage anything off my old drive when I buy a new one
I am using the dragons laptop which I hate, nothing fits, my fingers are too damn big and the screen is too small even though it is a toshiba satellite I just cant get used to it, my machine has a microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse, much more betterer!!
What a bummer Dave..... When you get it fixed you can do what I had to do... Buy an external case for the dead HD and try acessing it via the USB port. You may have to download some "recovery" or "undelete" software from tucows but I got most of the data off my old dead drive, reformated it to use only the good part so I recovered about 80gb of the 120Gb works well now via the USB port, slow but handy just for storage.
Basil Faulty said
01:53 PM Dec 31, 2008
I think the ultimate was at Cloncurry in 2005..... we are all sitting round having a chat and this guy pulls in with a motor home towing a pan technican trailer which we all wrongly assumed concealed a smaller car... how wrong we were!!!!!!! Trailer opens on 3 sides, the back side folds up into the sky and is painted white..... and there are a few portmanteaus visible - everyone has by now stopped chatting and watching this show.... as the crates are moved a Wurlitzer Organ is revealed.... other boxes are strategically positioned, A projector comes out of one and is stood on top of it. Leads are run out, connections made and the couple retreat into the Winnebago We though for a cuppa after their exertions... They reappeard 30 mins later, she in an ushserettes outfit he respendent in smart strides and sequined jacket... Then they hand out invites to a silent movie evening. Well I tell you it was a majical event, I'd seen the movie " The Sentimental Bloke" ( "I luvs Ya Doreen") before at the NF&SA, but presented like this it took little imagination to discard the high tech side of things, imagining the Winny was a bullock wagon.... Anyone else seen this couple, they come from Pomona near Noosa. If you can handle high tech gadgetry it is a show full to the brim with nostalgia well worth seeing... Now all I have to do is get them to set up next to Dave....
dave06 said
01:53 PM Dec 31, 2008
I reckon I can get over it by installing a new master hard drive, installing all drivers and operating system and then unplugging the DVD burner and plug in the original hard drive and then transfer all files from that to my new one, fingers crossed it should bypass the operating boot system in the slave drive and go straight to the locker, perhaps if I hold it upside down and shake the bejabbers out of it then I can catch the programs and info on the way out, pigs may fly as well
I may just say bugger it and just build a new one from scratch as this motherboard only supports two drives, I can still use the tower, power supply, DVD burner, DVD player, my 4 gig of ram, graphics card, so really all I need is a new motherboard capable of supporting four drives and maybe new processors even though mine is a Pentium 4 dual core I dont know what the next step up is, quad core dual processors I think I haven't researched it as yet. I have only just had a motherboard replacement in the last two years by a professional company they installed an S series GA-945GM-S2 motherboard worth about $250 -$300 and they charged me $1200 all up, so my putey will never go back to so called professionals, this was caused by dust in the tower creating a short on the motherboard which zapped the system
I installed an extra 3 gig of ram (bringing the total to 4 gig off ebay) and an nvidea geforce 9 graphics accelerator card (off ebay) after overheating the old graphics card, it was too close to my tv card, I also put in a couple of extra cooling fans
I hear people saying "why would you want all that power" well it costs about the same to go powerfull (off ebay) as it does to go cheap and nasty through the professional outlets
by building my own computer I can save in the region of $1500 and end up with a high end high performance machine at half the retail price and the pride to say " I built that"
I use quite a few high power requiring programs such as photoshop cs2 (with two screens) and cad
so john I really am hoping I can salvage all information off my old drive, but not holding my breath but at the moment not really happy, I still have hundreds of unprocessed photos from various trips locked up in that little mongrel box of sparks, they took me hours to scan in over a period of months, plus family, sons wedding, grandaughters, grand neice photos and my songs as well as all my passwords in a digital locker, god knows what they are
it is my fault entirely, the experts kept telling me to back up to an external drive but in reality who does that, the "it wont happen to me" syndrome is alive and well, unfortunately this time it spun around and bit me, a lesson for young players in there I think,
its a strange feeling not having the box humming and the twin 23" lcd widescreens giving all sorts of info, but it can wait till I get back from tassie and then I will make up my mind,
but in the meantime "NOT HAPPY JAN"!!!
Cupie said
10:04 AM Jan 1, 2009
Are we getting soft?
I suppose most generations as they mature & become reflective, ask themselves the same question as they observe the changes arround them.
Judging by many of the previous posts, most of us have done it 'hard' at some stage of our lives .. I too have memories of things like -
- At home, at the age of say 8 to 12, on the end of a cross cut saw (still got it on the BBQ area wall), sawing endless piles of telephone poles making firewood for ourselves & the neighbours. Earlier than that ie. younger than 8yo, I had the job of cutting the chips & second wood with a tommy axe & keeping the wood boxes full. Cut the grass with a reaping hook (occasionally).
-Spent a lot of the teen age holidays bush bashing in beat up cars that often broke down. Sleeping rough, under a canvass sheet by the fire in winter with a hip hole for comfort, eating what we could shoot plus a few tins thrown in the fire & dragged out before they exploded. Opened them with a sheath knife & ate off the blade (whiped on the leg of the jeans to clean off the blood from skinning roos first .. of course). Sometimes had a swim in a muddy dam (our drinking water) if we stank too much.
These days as the body ages I am very happy to have my Van's gas, electric & microwave cookers, Queen sized inner spring bed with carpet on the floor in the 'bedroom'. Of course there is the gas hot shower in the en-suite & filtered water to quench the thirst .. chilled of course (& of course I take bottled wine & drink out of good wine glasses). Then there's the A/C should it get too hot & the TV & DVD player should the inclination take me. I rarely use them prefering to lounge outside under the awning on my Caribee Relax chair, feet up with a good book about the travails of the early explorers & pioneers & wonder at how tough THEY did it!
I make no apologies for this but do it in a way that is considerate of other travellers. No, I don't use bush camps, so have no generator to annoy others.
I say each to his/her own .. do what you enjoy without impacting negatively on others. Soft or not is a relative term and of no real consequence to me.
ps. Mike & Judy .. I remember a great mate of mine, a survivor of the great Milne Bay victory in WW2, who came across from WA to Qld a few years after WW2 in an old whippet. It had wooden spokes on the wheels, wooden steering wheel & a ute body. He drove it around town for many years after.
ps. Dave .. re your PC .. how does it go .. Back up Back up Back up. From your comments it seems to me that you have enough PC smarts to recover the situation .. good luck.
dave06 said
10:45 AM Jan 1, 2009
everybody keeps saying how hard they had it and they dont want to rough it, jeezz! I went through as much "character building" times as any I guess, coming up in much the same generation, worked after school in a garage and a couple of farms, full time work on heavy machinery at 15 and I can tell you all they were the happiest and most fullfilling days of my life, still working now I start again monday
hows that saying go from a famous aussie movie, "friday night too tired, saturday night too drunk, sunday too far away"
I dragged the camper trailer out of mothballs the other day, built it myself a million years ago, we are going to take that up to uluru and the alice for a couple of weeks in august, we put her up in about 20 minutes, give the redbacks their marching orders and let her air out
the mattress is still as comfy as ever and remembers my backside very nicely, not one home comfort in there but we dragged that up hill and down dale (dale was not impressed), I am looking forward to doing a little bit more of it
simple camps and a lot of company for me, air con and tv for others and if you do absolutely need these then please go to the far end of a free camp and keep it down to a minimum
silent movie would have been great, we did see one strange thing just down from perth somewhere, this 4wd came in with the usual oversized trailer we watched as he started to open up, I said to the dragon "here it goes" well he opened up the side, fired up a generator, I started putting the chairs away and said oorroo to a couple that were with us when the owner of the trailer placed a small sign out proclaiming the sale of hot dogs and coffee, everything needed was in the trailer
he and his wife slept in the toyota and sold hot dogs and coffee, a nicer couple of people you would not meet, oh and the hot dogs and coffee went down a treat and the extra company was fantastic
Cupie said
09:48 AM Jan 2, 2009
Maybe I should have highlighted the main messages in my previous post, to more clearly convey my view ....
"I say each to his/her own ..
do what you enjoy without impacting negatively on others.
Soft or not is a relative term and of no real consequence to me".
dave06 said
12:33 PM Jan 4, 2009
if BOLD lettering is considered shouting in the unspeakables perplexing language, what does this colour and extra large mean, is it screaming in extreme anger, if so who are you screaming at and why, if it is me please reread my post as I am stating exactly the same thing as you, live and live
take your house with you on roller skates with your pool and jacussi on a trailer, I dont give a fat rats black arse, just dont interfere with others (which is what most of you seem to do) most that bring this stuff camp right next to free campers because they dont want to be "right out there on our own"
I am not saying drag your tent around and then put it up in a force nine gale on the top of a mountain in the middle of winter in a snowstorm and you all had to do it as 2 year old kid, although a lot still do just that and they have a ball doing it, it has nothing to do with the hard times you or I used to have its what you do now that matters, and I'm not saying you should continue chopping down hardened steel stobie poles with a fingernail file, although if thats what you want to do so be it, whatever spins your wheels
what I am saying is if you must have all your home comforts including the french maid then dont inflict them on others, camp well away from others, and shut the genny down by ten o'clock we are travellers and we get up early, you may like the late night movie with the volume at 59 we dont, we need sleep, and peace and quiet if you dont then dont go there
a cpap machine, or positive pressure device can easily be run off either batteries or an inverter from the onboard battery, thats not an excuse for a generator, if yours doesnt then get one that does, it is far cheaper than a generator, my brother in law and his wife has one each to stop their snoring (recommended by a doctor) and they both run off batteries what a sight that would be for a burglar
as for getting soft I think a lot of people are getting downright bloody ignorant, "I want my luxuries and I dont care who I annoy to have them attitude" is getting stronger all the time particularly on the east coast, and it should stop,
free camps should be peacefull, relaxing and a time to make freinds if you dont want any of that and you wish to stay in complete solitude and luxury, why bother going out at all, "I had it hard as kid and I'm having it all now" doesnt wash
JRH said
03:40 PM Jan 4, 2009
G'day all,
First let me say a big thankyou to all who took the time to reply to this topic and helped to make it an interesting one.
It would seem there are a variety of thoughts on the subject matter and the general consensus would be that as we age we do become somewhat more prone to having some, if not all the luxuries available to us.
Years ago I was quite happy to sleep on a camp stretcher but now admit to having an innerspring mattress on my caravan bed for comfort, I don't regard this as becoming soft but more like becoming a little wiser as I gain experience. Sleep and a good, comfortable sleep at that is in my opinion paramount to maintaining good health and energy. I do use a Sat Nav in conjunction with some good maps and find the Sat Nav a real boon in towns and cities. If wanting a little more comfort as I get older is getting soft then yes like a lot of others I must say I am getting softer.
As Dave has said Live and let Live. It is really the only way to enjoy the lifestyle we have chosen for ourselves. Imagine for one moment how clear the night sky is in a remote bush camp without all the light pollution of the towns and cities, then along comes someone with all the frills and lights the place up like Luna Park. I ask myself why is it necessary to have so much light on and the only answer I can come up with is they are not comfortable without a lot of light and do not care if they infringe on someone else's peace and quiet. Maybe they feel more secure by camping close to another van, I can only say that I have never had anything stolen whist in a bush camp, now a caravan park, well that is another matter.
As for these big new beaut rigs, well I reckon they would be a burgulars paradise and God forbid one should get a scratch on it, I know we all like to take pride in our rigs and keep them looking as nice as possible but if I get some scratches on my old 1984 Jayco or my 1993 Falcon then a bit of touch up paint does a good job and I don't stress about it as some I have met on my travels and I reckon I have a much more stress free and enjoyable time.
Best Regards and Safe Travelling to you all.
John
Cupie said
12:51 PM Jan 5, 2009
dave06 wrote:
"if BOLD lettering is considered shouting in the unspeakables perplexing language, what does this colour and extra large mean, is it screaming in extreme anger, if so who are you screaming at and why, if it is me please reread my post as I am stating exactly the same thing as you, live and live"
_________________________________________________
I wasn't going to respond to Dave but on reflection decided to try to clear the air & answer the question ..
Of course I'm not angry or yelling .. why should I be?
The colour & bold underline was chosen to draw attention to the quotes (maybe as was done in Dave's reply).
The Font size was incidental & not a conscious choice.
I didn't use all capitals either (I have heard that that is impolite)
______________________________________________
"take your house with you on roller skates with your pool and jacussi on a trailer, I dont give a fat rats black arse, just dont interfere with others (which is what most of you seem to do) "
________________________________________________
I read the above as a general comment.
I have mentioned on several occasions on this forum that I don't free (bush) camp, unlike "what most of you seem to do" I certainly will not impose on anyone's privacy. Though I can't speak for other free campers who might have different likes. In any case I too "dont give a fat rats black arse".
Maybe these conflicts of interests between some free campers as the situation changes, is just one of the reasons that I don't free camp. I choose & pay for CPs & van sites (that usually come with behaviour rules & defined sites) that meet my requirements. If the don't, I go somewhere else.
ps. One of the things that attracts me to this forum is the helpfulness and sense of friendliness of its contributors. I hope that my attempt to clear the air is taken in that context.
-- Edited by Cupie at 11:55, 2009-01-05
dave06 said
01:46 PM Jan 5, 2009
graham the comments were not aimed at you, as I know from your previous post that you rarely free camp, I hope to change this,
I would also say that almost all free camps that I have been in have been a pleasurable and peacefull experience, we agree in principle at the rights of fellow campers, and I couldnt understand your return post with the obviuos screaming letters, the first section of my reply was aimed at that, I cant even find the area to enlarge my lettering to that extent
and I quote "if BOLD lettering is considered shouting in the unspeakables perplexing language, what does this colour and extra large mean, is it screaming in extreme anger, if so who are you screaming at and why, if it is me please reread my post as I am stating exactly the same thing as you, live and let live" end quote! and that is the only section aimed specifically at your post!!
the comment on taking everything was a generalisation to those that do take eveything with them and not you, as I stated before you rarely free camp so you do not belong to the group to which I speak, but they know who they are I will, in an attempt to rectify a percieved ugly post by me,
I aimed it at the ignorant, not at the ones who do the right thing by others, and they are by far the vast majority, who respect others, the term "your" is the only one that I could come up with, it was not "your" as in anyone in particular, "they" does not fit "one's" does not fit, and they wont allow me to use the word that best describes them, if you can come up with a better adjective that fits then please let me know, I still say "live and let live" and take what you (the travelling public) want with you I really, really dont care, not you as in you graham
have a bit of thought for the people around you (the ignoramuses) is all we (the free campers) ask, this rubbish is normal in the citys hustle and bustle and dog eat dog world but dont bring your selfish bull**** out here,
me I pack up and go but there are others out there that are not so forgiving and some do take action, in all my years of travel I have really only come across this problem a couple of times, the closer one gets to a major city the more prevalent it gets, most free campers enjoy the peace and quiet of the camps, thats why we go out
I recall many years ago when we went camping or caravanning we did not have all the mod cons we have today, we would simply pack the tent and equipment into the car or hitch the van up and head off into the bright blue yonder. We didn't have 12 volt power for lights and TV, in fact we didn't want T.V. when we travelled, we used a kero lantern, we didn't have a fridge, only an ice box. We certainly did not have Satellite Navigation, we relied on maps. We went to bed when it got dark and the camp fire was getting low and got up with sun. We took our Holdens and Ford cars over some very rough dirt roads but today we need a 4 wheel drive, mind you I would think twice about some of our dirt roads and today's modern plastic cars.
Today most would not dream of camping off road without solar power or a gen set for lights, Sat. T.V., radio, DVD player, fridge and even air con.
My question is: Are we getting soft in our old age or are we just making use of all the new and expensive toys that are available to todays camper and caravanner. Are we so used to our soft and comfortable life at home that the thought of roughing it a little makes us shudder?
Best Regards and Safe Travelling.
John
one question to those that "take it all with them" why bother going out, why not stay in a park or at home, you would save the expense and leave the free campsites to people who enjoy being there and apreciate the peace and quiet and the banter with other travellers we dont apreciate the idiots who must watch days of our lives and have the genny running all night with the music of your choice or whatever
I have watched the posts on this site with extreme amusement, people advising other people what they need to "survive in free camps", the list is endless, batteries, solar, solenoids and all the while they are going to be staying in caravan parks anyway or they dont go out, or rarely at all, brag factor high, camping factor non existant when we go out, and we do all the time,
we stay the maximum time for the minimum power and impact on others, basic is always best Kiss principal will always rule with me
we carry a generator onboard squeaky as well as satelite tv, both have yet to be used out there, we tried satelite internet and gave it up as waste of valuable time
-- Edited by dave06 at 12:26, 2008-12-30
Maybe I am going soft, or maybe I'm just being practical after all most of the roads I travelled over in the back of a ute all those years ago were dirt, hell we used to go to a disused hut at Broulee before the island was an island and it was a dirt road from Nowra.....
I like a few mod cons, not fussed about TV, internet etc but unfortunatley they are inconveniences of the modern world and getting harder to avoid, well the internet is anyway, EVERYONE has to have an email addy these days or you simply can't pay your bills and 240 volt power is necessary for some of us for medical reasons (did I give you my lengthy discourse on using an inverter to run my CPAP machine? well I bought one for $1 on Ebay with only $38 postage but after trying it out I discovered the outer case was live 240VAC, still trying to get a refund)....
Some younger people enjoy roughing it but today what we had to carry in a trailer can be carried in a backpack....
I believe you can still have adventure with a mix of convenience that is minimal impact on both the envirnonment and fellow campers....
I tend to avoid the places where the technology junkies congregate, and I have seen some extreme examples eg a couple pulled into a site next to us a few years back at Mitchell in the outback of Qld and the first thing they unpacked and set up much to the s******ing amusement of all was a solar powered fountain, I jest not, who would bother with such impedima?
For the people who insist on running a noisy generator to power a voluminous CD player at all hours I have a simple solution - an insulated pair of side cutting pliers -too easy....
The ones that really annoy me are those who set their tv up inside the caravan opposite the door then they sit outside and crank up the volume so they and their neighbours can hear the dialogue.
Then there is the guy that gets out the generator and sets it up away from his van but closer to yours and in answer to the question why bother to come away at all they reply "Oh the missus wouldn't come away without her telly and mod cons, she needs her comfort." I have to ask myself who needs the comfort him or her?
I must say that some of the new,beaut products make life a bit easier, such as Porta - Potties and I must admit to having one 85 watt solar panel on the van roof coupled to a 100amp hour battery so we have the convenience of electric light instead of the old kero lantern that is in the van cupboard along with a bottle of citronella oil. The Porta - Pottie saves digging a hole and the solar saves striking a match.
Guess I must be getting soft.
Best Regards and Safe Travelling.
John
Loved the bloke who threw the genny into the river. I'd like to buy him several beers! Cheers, Tony
We did a short trip 12 years ago but with our children and once again it was wonderful to get 'back to basics' and be a family doing things together was for me just wonderful, the day we got back our son said thanks for a great holiday and now he was going to catch up with one of his mates....holiday over!
We are planning to set off in March 2009....whoopeeeeee!!! and of course we plan to have a few more creature comforts than we had 35 years ago so we will let you know how this compares to our first trip.
As for the TV I got the impression you never get to watch tv as there is always someone to have a yak with which is fine with us, and the music yes I agree with Dave the radio stations play a lot of s*** but hubby got an iPod for his birthday, gosh so different to the vinyls records we are used to!! now that we have learnt to drive it we have put heaps of 'real' music on it - songs that never gets air play anymore, so if you hear a van blasting out good old rock 'n' roll that will be us!! But we are aware that we will not be on 8 acres like we are now! and the volume will be kept low when in use but we tend to want to listen more to the sounds of nature.
Well we have stopped 'talking' about when we are going to set off and set a date for March next year, so all you nomads out there get ready for the heap of questions we will be asking, funny thing is we did not ask any questions 35 years ago, bought some food, a single burner primus, a few clothes and away we went, and we still talk about what a great adventure it was. However we can't wait for the next one!
We did a short trip 12 years ago but with our children and once again it was wonderful to get 'back to basics' and be a family doing things together was for me just wonderful, the day we got back our son said thanks for a great holiday and now he was going to catch up with one of his mates....holiday over!
We are planning to set off in March 2009....whoopeeeeee!!! and of course we plan to have a few more creature comforts than we had 35 years ago so we will let you know how this compares to our first trip.
As for the TV I got the impression you never get to watch tv as there is always someone to have a yak with which is fine with us, and the music yes I agree with Dave the radio stations play a lot of s*** but hubby got an iPod for his birthday, gosh so different to the vinyls records we are used to!! now that we have learnt to drive it we have put heaps of 'real' music on it - songs that never gets air play anymore, so if you hear a van blasting out good old rock 'n' roll that will be us!! But we are aware that we will not be on 8 acres like we are now! and the volume will be kept low when in use but we tend to want to listen more to the sounds of nature.
Well we have stopped 'talking' about when we are going to set off and set a date for March next year, so all you nomads out there get ready for the heap of questions we will be asking, funny thing is we did not ask any questions 35 years ago, bought some food, a single burner primus, a few clothes and away we went, and we still talk about what a great adventure it was. However we can't wait for the next one!
very much a yes! most definatly! certainly!
I've been around the block a few times, north and south a few times, east and west a few times, at 18 I was cutting telegraph poles with an axe, ----chain saws, what the hell were they, driving a car with wooden wheels, (actually saw one, a Whippet in Longreach in front of a tourist trap Kinnon and co) but ours was a rust bucket, with a fruit crate for a seat, try driving that across a paddock or a rough track , 4wd ha ha ha, off to the Mitta Mitta river in winter fishing for trout, water would freeze your b****, if you were in too long, certainly had dificulty finding them on coming out, or up to the Murray in summer around Gunbower, swim across in the evening dragging your baited line after you, anchor it with a slip knot, and have a big feed of redfin for breakfast, (couldn't swim 3 strokes now) after spending all night on nothing more than a Tarp, (couldn't get down that low now,) tent was a canvas world war 1 cottage tent, with a coupla tears in it, (couldn't lift it now,) spent all day in the sun digging for sapphire when the Capricon Hwy was a dirt road in parts, ( now 2 hours and I'm done in) so I can.t answer for all you Hoary, Hairy, Hirsuite, Handsome, Heros, but I am getting soft,
I been there and Ive done that, will continue to do there and that in the comfort of a bus strike that , a mobile home, and listen to the snickers of the young as they lay in there lightwieght tents and airbeds, but the answer is definatly affirmative for me
After some thought I must admit I have got soft and do like some of the new, beaut toys available for the traveller these days. The thought of putting up a heavy canvas 12x12 tent these days makes me cringe, been there done that as so many have already stated, but I must say that when we (Irona and myself) are travelling we are a lot healthier and fitter than we are at home, we tend to get a lot more exercise and spend a lot more time outdoors in the fresh air, away from the polution of the cities and towns.
When we are at home we listen to the weather forecast every evening and if it is going to be hot (over 35) we tend to stay indoors. When we are away in the caravan we only listen to a weather forecast if it looks like the weather may turn nasty.
I think it is a psychological thing, if we know the temp is going to climb we tend to stay at home in the airconditioned comfort, if we don't know what the forecast temp is we simply go out and enjoy ourselves.
I hope I am making some sort of sense.
Dave06,
Sorry to read your 'puter's hard drive gave up the ghost, don't throw it out, if you don't have the expertise to recover your files take the drive or even the computer to an expert, you will be surprised how much information can be salvaged from a dead drive.
Best Regards and Safe Travelling.
John
Well I tell you it was a majical event, I'd seen the movie " The Sentimental Bloke" ( "I luvs Ya Doreen") before at the NF&SA, but presented like this it took little imagination to discard the high tech side of things, imagining the Winny was a bullock wagon....
Anyone else seen this couple, they come from Pomona near Noosa. If you can handle high tech gadgetry it is a show full to the brim with nostalgia well worth seeing...
Now all I have to do is get them to set up next to Dave....
I suppose most generations as they mature & become reflective, ask themselves the same question as they observe the changes arround them.
Judging by many of the previous posts, most of us have done it 'hard' at some stage of our lives .. I too have memories of things like -
- At home, at the age of say 8 to 12, on the end of a cross cut saw (still got it on the BBQ area wall), sawing endless piles of telephone poles making firewood for ourselves & the neighbours. Earlier than that ie. younger than 8yo, I had the job of cutting the chips & second wood with a tommy axe & keeping the wood boxes full. Cut the grass with a reaping hook (occasionally).
-Spent a lot of the teen age holidays bush bashing in beat up cars that often broke down. Sleeping rough, under a canvass sheet by the fire in winter with a hip hole for comfort, eating what we could shoot plus a few tins thrown in the fire & dragged out before they exploded. Opened them with a sheath knife & ate off the blade (whiped on the leg of the jeans to clean off the blood from skinning roos first .. of course). Sometimes had a swim in a muddy dam (our drinking water) if we stank too much.
These days as the body ages I am very happy to have my Van's gas, electric & microwave cookers, Queen sized inner spring bed with carpet on the floor in the 'bedroom'. Of course there is the gas hot shower in the en-suite & filtered water to quench the thirst .. chilled of course (& of course I take bottled wine & drink out of good wine glasses).
Then there's the A/C should it get too hot & the TV & DVD player should the inclination take me. I rarely use them prefering to lounge outside under the awning on my Caribee Relax chair, feet up with a good book about the travails of the early explorers & pioneers & wonder at how tough THEY did it!
I make no apologies for this but do it in a way that is considerate of other travellers. No, I don't use bush camps, so have no generator to annoy others.
I say each to his/her own .. do what you enjoy without impacting negatively on others. Soft or not is a relative term and of no real consequence to me.
ps. Mike & Judy .. I remember a great mate of mine, a survivor of the great Milne Bay victory in WW2, who came across from WA to Qld a few years after WW2 in an old whippet. It had wooden spokes on the wheels, wooden steering wheel & a ute body. He drove it around town for many years after.
ps. Dave .. re your PC .. how does it go .. Back up Back up Back up. From your comments it seems to me that you have enough PC smarts to recover the situation .. good luck.
Maybe I should have highlighted the main messages in my previous post, to more clearly convey my view ....
"I say each to his/her own ..
do what you enjoy without impacting negatively on others.
Soft or not is a relative term and of no real consequence to me".
take your house with you on roller skates with your pool and jacussi on a trailer, I dont give a fat rats black arse, just dont interfere with others (which is what most of you seem to do) most that bring this stuff camp right next to free campers because they dont want to be "right out there on our own"
I am not saying drag your tent around and then put it up in a force nine gale on the top of a mountain in the middle of winter in a snowstorm and you all had to do it as 2 year old kid, although a lot still do just that and they have a ball doing it, it has nothing to do with the hard times you or I used to have its what you do now that matters, and I'm not saying you should continue chopping down hardened steel stobie poles with a fingernail file, although if thats what you want to do so be it, whatever spins your wheels
what I am saying is if you must have all your home comforts including the french maid then dont inflict them on others, camp well away from others, and shut the genny down by ten o'clock we are travellers and we get up early, you may like the late night movie with the volume at 59 we dont, we need sleep, and peace and quiet if you dont then dont go there
a cpap machine, or positive pressure device can easily be run off either batteries or an inverter from the onboard battery, thats not an excuse for a generator, if yours doesnt then get one that does, it is far cheaper than a generator, my brother in law and his wife has one each to stop their snoring (recommended by a doctor) and they both run off batteries what a sight that would be for a burglar
as for getting soft I think a lot of people are getting downright bloody ignorant, "I want my luxuries and I dont care who I annoy to have them attitude" is getting stronger all the time particularly on the east coast, and it should stop,
free camps should be peacefull, relaxing and a time to make freinds if you dont want any of that and you wish to stay in complete solitude and luxury, why bother going out at all, "I had it hard as kid and I'm having it all now" doesnt wash
First let me say a big thankyou to all who took the time to reply to this topic and helped to make it an interesting one.
It would seem there are a variety of thoughts on the subject matter and the general consensus would be that as we age we do become somewhat more prone to having some, if not all the luxuries available to us.
Years ago I was quite happy to sleep on a camp stretcher but now admit to having an innerspring mattress on my caravan bed for comfort, I don't regard this as becoming soft but more like becoming a little wiser as I gain experience. Sleep and a good, comfortable sleep at that is in my opinion paramount to maintaining good health and energy. I do use a Sat Nav in conjunction with some good maps and find the Sat Nav a real boon in towns and cities. If wanting a little more comfort as I get older is getting soft then yes like a lot of others I must say I am getting softer.
As Dave has said Live and let Live. It is really the only way to enjoy the lifestyle we have chosen for ourselves. Imagine for one moment how clear the night sky is in a remote bush camp without all the light pollution of the towns and cities, then along comes someone with all the frills and lights the place up like Luna Park. I ask myself why is it necessary to have so much light on and the only answer I can come up with is they are not comfortable without a lot of light and do not care if they infringe on someone else's peace and quiet. Maybe they feel more secure by camping close to another van, I can only say that I have never had anything stolen whist in a bush camp, now a caravan park, well that is another matter.
As for these big new beaut rigs, well I reckon they would be a burgulars paradise and God forbid one should get a scratch on it, I know we all like to take pride in our rigs and keep them looking as nice as possible but if I get some scratches on my old 1984 Jayco or my 1993 Falcon then a bit of touch up paint does a good job and I don't stress about it as some I have met on my travels and I reckon I have a much more stress free and enjoyable time.
Best Regards and Safe Travelling to you all.
John
-- Edited by Cupie at 11:55, 2009-01-05
I would also say that almost all free camps that I have been in have been a pleasurable and peacefull experience, we agree in principle at the rights of fellow campers, and I couldnt understand your return post with the obviuos screaming letters, the first section of my reply was aimed at that, I cant even find the area to enlarge my lettering to that extent
and I quote "if BOLD lettering is considered shouting in the unspeakables perplexing language, what does this colour and extra large mean, is it screaming in extreme anger, if so who are you screaming at and why, if it is me please reread my post as I am stating exactly the same thing as you, live and let live" end quote! and that is the only section aimed specifically at your post!!
the comment on taking everything was a generalisation to those that do take eveything with them and not you, as I stated before you rarely free camp so you do not belong to the group to which I speak, but they know who they are I will, in an attempt to rectify a percieved ugly post by me,
I aimed it at the ignorant, not at the ones who do the right thing by others, and they are by far the vast majority, who respect others, the term "your" is the only one that I could come up with, it was not "your" as in anyone in particular, "they" does not fit "one's" does not fit, and they wont allow me to use the word that best describes them, if you can come up with a better adjective that fits then please let me know, I still say "live and let live" and take what you (the travelling public) want with you I really, really dont care, not you as in you graham
have a bit of thought for the people around you (the ignoramuses) is all we (the free campers) ask, this rubbish is normal in the citys hustle and bustle and dog eat dog world but dont bring your selfish bull**** out here,
me I pack up and go but there are others out there that are not so forgiving and some do take action, in all my years of travel I have really only come across this problem a couple of times, the closer one gets to a major city the more prevalent it gets, most free campers enjoy the peace and quiet of the camps, thats why we go out
-- Edited by dave06 at 16:52, 2009-01-05