just thinking (yes it can be dangerous for some!)

milo · Guru

just thinking (yes it can be dangerous for some!)

elliemike · Guru

Milo

Heaps of travelling people use tents.

And Caravan Parks usualy do have Powered or Unpowered sites for Tents.

We have camped in tents In Australia, New Zealand, Europe (France, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland , Germany, Switzerland) and North America.

Never had anything ever pinched or interferred with. Even leaving the tent unoccupied at night while on the town (in the pub)

Interesting to see the number of Chineese backpackers visiting Australia these days. We camped next to a few in Alice Springs earlier this year. They all had jobs in Alice and were away all day from their tents. Kept bumping ito them at Supermarkets, Restraunts, etc. Nice crowd of young people they were too.

The tent styles available these days, are numerous so light and versatile.

Give it a go mate.

Regards

Mike

lyn-n-ken · Senior Member

yes milo you can camp in cp's. and get a powered site dosnt matter if your a tent or 5 wheeler a powered site is up to you. we get powered when we camp in our tent need it for the pc and the tv, i take an electric skillet best thing i ever bouhgt can cook anything from bacon and eggs to a small roast, nearly all cp's have camp kithens and bbqs and you set and stay till you leave. mind you i dont leave my pc there when we go outor personal details.. but never had any trouble and dont buy a tent bigger than your needs. most camping stores have them set up so go walk around, sit etc in one before you decide.
happy camping

Evie n Rhys · Senior Member

Hi Milo,
You should definitely give it a go. I have till this year taken a tent with me sometimes. I am not up to the sleeping that low down now. I have a powered site when in a van park for the very same reasons as you. I even tried out an ensuite site once just to see what it was like. A bit of overkill but fun to try. No problems at all. I had a stretcher in those days too and they are much better than they used to be. I still just used the gas hotplate with canisters etc or park bar b q. I met a couple who had an oz tent, solar panels and a battery system who were heading off around Australia. Go for it I say.
the Pod.

gordon_adl · Senior Member

Milo, the mrs and I strictly use tents only for the time being. Have never had any issues leaving it alone for the day or night. In fact, sometimes we base ourselves at a particular place but do night trips away further bush in another tent. If you're after a good tent, may I suggest blackwolf. Very easy to set up. Bit pricey but very good quality.

stoney123 · Senior Member

Milo,

I camp in tent, but never get a power site. 1) they cost more, 2) you get packed in like mt druitt. Unpowered sites are much more pleasant, you also tend to get better and larger spots.

I take an extra car battery (will get an AGM next) , for my lappy and a small 10watt panel to top it up. I don't have a fridge, i use a magic esky, it keeps ice for days. Lappy also can charge off car lighter.

Most campgrounds have camp kitchens, some parks let you use your lappy (and charge it in kitchen) other parks take a dim view. In some camp kitchens i can freeze water bottles for ice. If travelling i will also freeze food to take on the next step.

Also most of the best camp spots are not caravan parks but nat parks, forests etc...........

btw, i go for a cheap tent, with a large tarp, so i can sit outside in the rain whilst those in dome tents have to seal up and hide.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

A young man in a tiny little tent was beside us with a power cord into his tent in a cold and windy town in WA. It was a fairly nice park, and he put his tent beside a tree giving himself a tiny bit of privacy.

He told us the power cord was to charge all his "stuff" and power his electric blanket!

So, no you dont need to have a powered site Milo, but you can if you want to, every now and then.

We have 2 tents, a cheapie and a Coleman. Would definitely recommend you get yourself a good tent that wont leak or blow away in bad weather.

Cupie · Guru

Not quite on topic but like others I have seen many in tents in CPs both on powered & unpowered sites.

I am usually impressed with the quality of the camp kitchens.

eg.

The new one at Woolgoolga has all the mod cons plus a herb garden just outside.

Sydney's Narrabeen Lakeside has a monster chest freezer and a large glass fronted fridge, under cover cafe style eating area plus all the usual stuff.

At Victoria's Mallacoota one that caught the eye was set up as a slab hut on top of a rise with possibly the best views in the park plus open fireplaces at both ends. Is was filled with lots of historical memboribillia.

For my part, when I go without the van. I use a very cheap 2 man tent that can fit inside the hull my largest sit on top kayak for overnight paddling trips.

When I stay at bush camp sites, I use the tent to house all of the food & stuff & sleep in the patrol on a cut down mattress. Secure, comfortable, warm & dry but most importantly for my old bones, it is easy to get in & out of.

You can get comfortably set up in tents these days .. go for it.

-- Edited by Cupie on Wednesday 16th of November 2011 09:15:10 AM

johnq · Guru

By the time you buy a half-decent tent and half-decent kit for camping you might as well have bought a secondhand, basic, camper trailer. A camper trailer also has the advantage of being quick to pack and you don't usually forget the essentials. You will get away more often through less packing and unpacking of camping gear. Don't pay extra for all of the canvas extensions that may rarely be used. Sellers will throw a lot in to get the sale.

Weekend trader or ex-hire, equipped trailers from hire companies - Google and Yellow Pages, eg Johnnos (I know nothing about them, just a name I have seen).

Then again, I'd save a bit more to get an older small, light, pop-top.

milo · Guru

thanks guys, i also have been looking at the camper trailers to john..
some of them are pretty good but darn pricy..
oh i know when being with dad in the tardis, you need that big 15amp lead to plug into the van
from the cp power, if im tenting or campertrailig, what do you plug your laptop ,fridge etc into?

johnq · Guru

Tropical brand esky. Use the lappy in the c'park hut. Or jump starter pack.

milo, you may not have seen the excellent posts by jimricho and others on portable power and communication and recently too.

Pejay · Guru

Hey Milo, what about a pre-loved camper-trailer - some of them can be quite reasonably priced?

milo · Guru

been looking at those too pejay..

milo · Guru

i had a long look at one of the oztent3 and 4 and were quite impressed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CalFmi_3wzk

also going up to warrawong tomorrow to look at some campertrailers
more in my price range

http://www.kangarootentcity.com.au/welcome/page43.php

-- Edited by milo on Wednesday 16th of November 2011 08:11:12 PM

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Milo are you intending to use your little car? An oztent is a bit awkward to carry, folds up to a long bundle, wouldnt fit in or on it. (I have a Mazda 2 too

)

milo · Guru

Gerty Dancer wrote:
Milo are you intending to use your little car? An oztent is a bit awkward to carry, folds up to a long bundle, wouldnt fit in or on it. (I have a Mazda 2 too)

hi Gerty, yeah i intend using my little m2.. i talked to the guy at the camping joint and we were looking at the the rv-3 will fit, if i put the back seats down and fold the front seats down abit , then i just need a bed & fridge.. to start off with..

what year is yours Gerty? mines a 2004 and just love it.. only done 63000 ks on it!!

http://au.oztent.com/products/viewProduct.asp?productid=3

but i do feel some day i may go the 4wd way, wether i can afford to have a 4wd and still keep the m2,,who knows, also whats a good entry level 4wd , ive never learned to drive a manual, would it be easy to learn?

its ssomething im thinking about

-- Edited by milo on Wednesday 16th of November 2011 11:37:45 PM

milo · Guru

think i found my camper

http://www.kangarootentcity.com.au/welcome/page43.php#Kangaroo_Camper_7

camper 7 looks good and will suit my car to a t.. all i need to know now ,

with out blowing up myself or the trailer or the world , is how to get power to run my laptop, tv and fridge, and maybe microwave.. from the caravan park

thatd probably be it.. ive looked at tents, and i really think the camper trailer is better,

-- Edited by milo on Thursday 17th of November 2011 09:05:22 PM

milo · Guru

well, for now im going with the tent idea, oztent, i quite like them, after looking at others and seeing how there put up and sort out my power as i go along..

see how things go.. smile

Gerty Dancer · Guru

The camper trailer is something to plan for in the future for sure Milo. The tent is compatible with the car you already own and enjoy, you'll be able to fit an esky and everything else you need in there too.While you are driving along you can charge your lap-top with a special "regulated adaptor" to increase the voltage to whatever your lap-top uses by plugging into the cigarette lighter. Mr D got his from UK via the internet. I've already been hunting for a small car fridge that will fit into and run off the battery of the Mazda 2 and so far I dont think there is such a thing.
Take baby steps to start, then as you learn and can afford it you will have experience to choose what else you might want.

-- Edited by Gerty Dancer on Saturday 19th of November 2011 08:38:12 AM

blaze · Guru

What about a lottle box trailer to load a your camping gear in milo. Would be safer than having it all jamed in your car and make it a much more pleasurable driving experience
cheers
blaze

Esmeralda · Guru

Gerty Dancer wrote:
The camper trailer is something to plan for in the future for sure Milo. The tent is compatible with the car you already own and enjoy, you'll be able to fit an esky and everything else you need in there too.While you are driving along you can charge your lap-top with a special "regulated adaptor" to increase the voltage to whatever your lap-top uses by plugging into the cigarette lighter. Mr D got his from UK via the internet. I've already been hunting for a small car fridge that will fit into and run off the battery of the Mazda 2 and so far I dont think there is such a thing.
Take baby steps to start, then as you learn and can afford it you will have experience to choose what else you might want.

-- Edited by Gerty Dancer on Saturday 19th of November 2011 08:38:12 AM

Chargers for laptops can be found at Jaycar - I bought mine in Shepparton but there are lots of stores and a website.

Re the fridge - I have one that runs of battery - just plug into a 12V plug in the car. Mine is an old one but I think they have been around at Aldi and maybe Rays (but I'm not sure of that one - apart from the "big boys" of course).

-- Edited by Esmeralda on Saturday 19th of November 2011 02:03:45 PM

johnq · Guru

Oztents are good but you still have to get the pegs in, which takes time. Not always the first choice of taller people either (check).

The size and weight of the packed tent might put me off and the higher cost of course. You say you have worked out how to put it in your vehicle but have you also figured for other bulky and awkward camping essentials? At the weight, putting it on a roof rack is borderline and the rack has to be bought if you ever wanted to go that way.

-- Edited by johnq on Saturday 19th of November 2011 10:53:32 PM

milo · Guru

blaze wrote:
What about a lottle box trailer to load a your camping gear in milo. Would be safer than having it all jamed in your car and make it a much more pleasurable driving experience
cheers
blaze

not a bad idea blaze, will think about it..

Elle on Wheels · Guru

Milo

Blaze is probably more spot on but if you could pick up a cheap campertrailer that would be the go- like a cub supramatic - it has a fridge and sink etc and tows like a litle trailer.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Milo do you know what weight your little Mazda will tow?

milo · Guru

Gerty Dancer wrote:
Milo do you know what weight your little Mazda will tow?

yep, 400 kg unbreaked and 700 kg breaked