Just wondering what to do next?

amithereyet · Member

Just wondering what to do next?

moblet · Senior Member

I'm tenting on an indefinite basis and it's very do-able. It does put you on a slightly different frequency and itinerary to most of the nomads with vans etc, but as you're clearly independent types this isn't likely to bother you.

Like you I'm not able to throw around money like there's no tomorrow, but so far still prefer tenting to the idea of pulling even a camper trailer (though I do like the look of the teardrop ones). I do have some phobias about towing myself - caravans remind me of being bored as a child in coastal caravan parks, and my health isn't perfect enough that I would feel safe with the cognitive challenges of driving with a trailer of any kind (e.g. remembering that it's there). What I would ask you in relation to your own phobia is whether the cause of your previous incident was identified. If it was, and the cause is something that you can manage to the extent that you feel you have some control over it, then you might be able to get that particular fear back in its box. I would also say that you have been through that experience and handled it, meaning that you've proven that you can bring yourself to a stop in one piece in that situation, and also simply having been through it before puts you way ahead of all the other caravanners who've neither trained for it nor experienced it for real. It's also less of a risk on a van with multiple axles.

But back to tenting. There are some huge advantages as I see them:

- Lower fuel consumption, towing vehicle upgrading and wear and tear, and ownership costs

- Ability to go and park anywhere in a town or campground

- Greater freedom to take back roads and get into national parks and forests, or anywhere else that may have loose surfaces, steep grades, or require you to U-turn in a confined space. I'm one of those path-less-travelled types and it sounds like you may be too.

- Better safety on the road (stopping distance, capacity for evasive action, vulnerability to sudden changes in road conditions, less paraphernalia)

There are also some disadvantages:

- Less insulation against heat, light, and noise. We need to think about things like whether the headlights of vehicles driving in or out of a campground will wake us up at night. If you plan on sitting around in your tent during the day, or even just sleeping in for an hour or two after sunrise, then if the tent isn't designed to keep you shaded, you need to think about how to shade yourself. If you've camped a bit before you'll be well aware of this stuff. Noise sources such as dogs and generators can be more of an issue too.

- Less protection against falling branches

- Less security against thieves (some nomads seem to be phobic about being attacked, but until I'm shown evidence that this is a greater risk than, say, losing control of one's caravan on the highway, I can't share their concern)

- Depending on the tent design they can be harder to get in and out of, and/or be more vulnerable to bad weather. Things like cooking in bad weather can be problematic.

- Tents can't be stored wet (no limitation if you're setting up again same day, but a hassle if there's rain or dew and you're not tenting every night). I just shove wet items into garbage bags rather than fold them up.

Initially I thought that a tent was a lot of work to set up and pack up compared with what most nomads had, but having watched a few people's routines and all the work they go through, I no longer think this. I am travelling with two tents: a tiny one that goes up in a couple of minutes with minimal effort, and a larger one that I can lounge about in. For overnight stops, or places that offer sheltered space for daytime use, I save time and energy by throwing up the small one. A second tent also gives me a backup should a tent fail. I have a bivvy bag also that I can use as a third-last resort, the second-last resort being to half unload the car and sleep in that, and the last resort being to pay for a bed.

We also have less capacity to carry stuff, again as you probably know how to travel light you'll probably not see this as a disadvantage. In days of better health I travelled by bicycle, so the capacity of just a car still seems like a lot to me.

Having travelled with Camps 6 with always an eye out for the tent symbol, I've noticed that some popular spots with the general nomad crowd aren't tent-friendly. On the other hand, there are lots of forest and national park campgrounds that aren't in Camps that we can readily use, and some of the lovely ones that are in Camps have very limited space for trailers compared to the space available for tents.

Last thing I'll say is that not all tents, even pricey ones, seem to be durable enough to be lived in for months or more. If you're going away for more than a few weeks don't be surprised if one starts falling apart around you.

-- Edited by moblet on Saturday 13th of October 2012 11:17:27 PM

neilnruth · Guru

Wow! Sounds like you've been having a ball.Welcome AmIThereYet. No, we are not tenting it. We tried that once with four boys. So hope there is someone else out there to help you.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Fantastic story, Amithereyet. Have you considered a motorhome ? No towing, and more comfy than a tent.

Happywanderer · The Master

I read it right through as was so interesting.
A bit hard to keep up with the lines, being so condensed but read the whole lot and Wow! you certainly have had an interesting life.
Not much that I can add to give you any advice. You know more than me.
If you don't mind I will spread your story out a bit for easier reading.

amithereyet wrote:
About ten years ago my wife and I more or less retired or were having a mid-life crisis and bought a small van and set off travelling full-time. After about a year our carefree lifestyle took a dramatic turn for the worst when our van had a puncture at high speed.
We almost lost the lot and it really scared us both. You could say I now have a phobia about towing anything.
So what to do?   Still wanting to carry on our carefree life style we decided to try our luck at teaching English as a second language overseas. So without any qualifications or experience it wasnt long before we found ourselves high up in the Himilayan Mountains of far western China teaching english.
We did this on and off for several years. We would teach in various places throughout China for 6-9 months then would return to oz to catch up, etc, and then off we would go again.   In all we lived and taught there for 3 years. It was great and I would recommend it.
All we did was via this website http://www.eslcafe.com    select the region we were intersted in and apply for a job. There are many similar sites.
You get to choose everything and the more grey hairs you have the better.    We were never refused any job we applied for.    So, with our new found confidence and with some english teaching experience under our belts we went on to teach english in Slovakia, somewhere down on the Danube (which isnt blue by the way), Sardinia (no sardines there) and the Greek island of Kefalonia.
We also worked in England twice between teaching english. In England we found paying live-in jobs as caretakers at posh peoples country mansions - one near Oxford and the other in Dorset. We found these jobs by simply posting a few paragraph resume and photo at http://www.gumtree.com on both occasions our employers contacted us first.
We did all this over a period of 7 years. Unfortunately we then had to return to oz because of a few family issues that we had to sort out. Now the family issues are finally sorted are we are wondering what to do next.
Because of our age (65) we probably wont go overseas again as there are issues with travel insurance etc (too expensive) so we are thinking of doing some camping with our tent starting next April when it starts to cool down.       I still cant bring myself to tow a van but maybe one day I might be able to tow a smaller campertrailer. We'll see.
We live up on the Atherton tablelands and we are thinking of traveling with said tent south via Charters Towers to berhaps the Broken Hill region and even perhaps the Murray River and back up via the coast.    Anyways thats several months away.
For those of you who are still with me reading my long epistle I just wanted to share some of our retirement experiences all done on a shoestring and which involved our need to work at the same time. At the end of the day (7years X 365) it never cost us a penny as our salarys more than paid for everything.
I also wanted to point out how our plans had to change due to my towing phobia and not having as much money as we would have liked. Everything turned out just fabulous in the end. We had 7 great years or working, meeting new people and travel.
We are now on pensions and recently we tried out some volunteer work in Queensland via the http://helpx.net site. We did three assignmets with only one being not to our liking.  We think two out of three is preety good and might try some more later.
Okay enough of me: just wondering if anyone here is also tenting? and if so how is it going?
AmIthereYet

-- Edited by amithereyet on Saturday 13th of October 2012 07:18:04 PM

amithereyet · Member

Hi Guru,

Yes, we could consider a smaller campervan perhaps, but we dont intend spending too much time travelling and camping - just every now and then for maybe a month or two at a time..

amithereyet · Member

Happywanderer wrote:
I read it right through as was so interesting.
A bit hard to keep up with the lines, being so condensed but read the whole lot and Wow! you certainly have had an interesting life.
Not much that I can add to give you any advice. You know more than me.
If you don't mind I will spread your story out a bit for easier reading.

Glad you liked it and yes, thanks for spreading it out.

amithereyet wrote:
About ten years ago my wife and I more or less retired or were having a mid-life crisis and bought a small van and set off travelling full-time. After about a year our carefree lifestyle took a dramatic turn for the worst when our van had a puncture at high speed.
We almost lost the lot and it really scared us both. You could say I now have a phobia about towing anything.
So what to do?   Still wanting to carry on our carefree life style we decided to try our luck at teaching English as a second language overseas. So without any qualifications or experience it wasnt long before we found ourselves high up in the Himilayan Mountains of far western China teaching english.
We did this on and off for several years. We would teach in various places throughout China for 6-9 months then would return to oz to catch up, etc, and then off we would go again.   In all we lived and taught there for 3 years. It was great and I would recommend it.
All we did was via this website http://www.eslcafe.com    select the region we were intersted in and apply for a job. There are many similar sites.
You get to choose everything and the more grey hairs you have the better.    We were never refused any job we applied for.    So, with our new found confidence and with some english teaching experience under our belts we went on to teach english in Slovakia, somewhere down on the Danube (which isnt blue by the way), Sardinia (no sardines there) and the Greek island of Kefalonia.
We also worked in England twice between teaching english. In England we found paying live-in jobs as caretakers at posh peoples country mansions - one near Oxford and the other in Dorset. We found these jobs by simply posting a few paragraph resume and photo at http://www.gumtree.com on both occasions our employers contacted us first.
We did all this over a period of 7 years. Unfortunately we then had to return to oz because of a few family issues that we had to sort out. Now the family issues are finally sorted are we are wondering what to do next.
Because of our age (65) we probably wont go overseas again as there are issues with travel insurance etc (too expensive) so we are thinking of doing some camping with our tent starting next April when it starts to cool down.       I still cant bring myself to tow a van but maybe one day I might be able to tow a smaller campertrailer. We'll see.
We live up on the Atherton tablelands and we are thinking of traveling with said tent south via Charters Towers to berhaps the Broken Hill region and even perhaps the Murray River and back up via the coast.    Anyways thats several months away.
For those of you who are still with me reading my long epistle I just wanted to share some of our retirement experiences all done on a shoestring and which involved our need to work at the same time. At the end of the day (7years X 365) it never cost us a penny as our salarys more than paid for everything.
I also wanted to point out how our plans had to change due to my towing phobia and not having as much money as we would have liked. Everything turned out just fabulous in the end. We had 7 great years or working, meeting new people and travel.
We are now on pensions and recently we tried out some volunteer work in Queensland via the http://helpx.net site. We did three assignmets with only one being not to our liking.  We think two out of three is preety good and might try some more later.
Okay enough of me: just wondering if anyone here is also tenting? and if so how is it going?
AmIthereYet

-- Edited by amithereyet on Saturday 13th of October 2012 07:18:04 PM

jetj · Guru

Hi and welcome to the forum. Very interesting post thank you. Done so much and been to so many places.

Nothing wrong with a tent, there are some very easy to erect tents around now. Mind you I like to be locked in my Hiace to sleep and off the ground, but started with a tent.

Good to get out there and get a feel for which way to go for the best. I can understand why you would have a phobia.

briggspc · Senior Member

Good on you guys for giving it ago and welcome, we also come from the Atherton Tablelands and when we were 60 klm east side of Broom we lost a wheel from the van so I know were you are coming from, have another go things should work out next time for sure, we are still on the road after 18 months and love it and on a pension as well so do things week by week, it can be done hope you try again. smile

Kauki · Member

Thank you amIthereyet for your most interesting notes of working/travelling life overseas.

Also moblet for some edifying details re camping longer term.

We will be camping along the Murray in a newly acquired tent this January and although
I am a novice camper, my husband has spent many years camping and has almost completely
won me over to the joys of tenting!

I have been most surprised at how physically active camping can be, quite a lot of moving around
collecting things, finding things, tending to cooking etc which is a bonus for me as I enjoy being on
the move.

The tent itself is also very well designed for airflow, with separate awnings over the window spaces
for privacy, and good headroom.

Camping over summer will be a new experience and I am actually looking forward to the challenge.

I wish you the best in your new ventures and maybe we can compare notes in the new year!

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Moblet, your response brought back some cherished memories of camping in our tent, and I still hanker after that style of nomadding.
Would like to ask what do you do in severe weather? We endured the mother of all hail storms south of Nowra on the NSW coast a few nights ago, and with the pop-top down were (relatively) safe, even houses were damaged. Just thinking about being in a tent in that storm freaks me out. Would you sleep in your car?

amithereyet · Member

Thanks so much Moblet for your comprehensive response.

I didnt mention earlier that one of the other motivating reasons why we are going to tentit from now on is the challenge factor. We live in a comfortable house here on the Atherton tablelands and, to me, tenting has always had a certain challenge quality about it especially as you get older. For example one has to maintain a reasonable level of fitness and be able to compromise and change plans etc according to weather conditions and other factors. I have all the conveniences, gadgets and electronic essentials here at home and going low tech for a month or so holds a certain appeal to me as well as all the other advantages you have set out in your reply.

Our setup consists of a quality canvas tent - one that has a single pole up the centre so that it goes up in a mater of minutes. If we are staying put a few days then we have a seperate awning which goes out the front. We also have folding stretcher beds. We can put the tent and beds up in about 5-10 minutes with a further 30 mins required to erect the seperate awning when we decide to use it. Other than that its all so simple and quick.

I once weighed all our camping equipment including food, clothing and bedding and it weighed in at 120 kilos, which is less weight than having two passengers in the back seat, so as you say, fuel costs, wear and tear and mobility, etc, are so much more enhanced, not to mention stress free.

Once we did encounter a severe storm with hail and destructive winds. Everything was blown down but no damage was done and we simply sat in the car well away from trees. We dont really care if our equipment were to be damaged in this way as we would just replace items which were destroyed. Our most expensive item is our tent which cost us $350. We are also happy to cheat now and then by holding up in a motel.

Regarding the cause of the caravan tyre bowout: it seems it could have been because the rim was a little too old and maybe rust had accumulated where the tube touches the wheel rim. The rim was so damaged after the event that it was really impossible to be certain.

So moblet, do you mind if I ask: where are you camped now? and how long have you been camping on this indefinate journey?

amithereyet · Member

Hi Kauki,

Thanks for your well wishes and we hope your Murray River summer camp goes well. We hope to get down that way one day soon.

amithereyet · Member

Hi Gerty dancer,

We did go through such a destructive storm once. It blew everything down but no damage was done. We stayed in our car till it was all over and if it became necessay we would seek refuge in a motel, but as yet we have never had to flee to a motel.

moblet · Senior Member

Gerty Dancer wrote:
Moblet, your response brought back some cherished memories of camping in our tent, and I still hanker after that style of nomadding.
Would like to ask what do you do in severe weather? We endured the mother of all hail storms south of Nowra on the NSW coast a few nights ago, and with the pop-top down were (relatively) safe, even houses were damaged. Just thinking about being in a tent in that storm freaks me out. Would you sleep in your car?

In my lifetime I wouldn't have spent more than 12 months sleeping in tents and have yet to encounter a hailstorm while camping. I've been hailed on while cycling but not huge stones and in those instances I was wearing a helmet anyway. As a hailstorm is a brief event it wouldn't be exhausting to manage, if the stones were big I expect I would collapse the tent to protect it from damage and go find somewhere to shelter my body (under the car if nowhere else). Really I'd be most concerned about damage to the car, and would pull the tarp off the tent and throw it over the car.

Wind is what concerns me most, and it's one of my chief considerations in choosing a tent. My expectation is that 60-80km/h of wind shouldn't be a drama, and I choose my gear accordingly. My small tent is a tough little Swedish-designed one, made from what is virtually parachute fabric; I bought it in Scotland, where it was recommended for its ability to withstand "hoolies". Most places I camp are fairly sheltered from the wind, and if I know a big blow is coming I'll make sure I'm camped somewhere that won't cop the full force of it. As for truly severe weather that one wouldn't dare camp in, first option would be to drive to somewhere out of its path, or if that wasn't possible, stay at a youth hostel or pub or some other relatively inexpensive place with four walls and a roof.

The back of my car is long enough for me to lie in fully extended with the back seats folded flat - looks quite tempting to sleep on, actually - but to use the space I'd have to more or less completely unload the car, and put my gear somewhere else (e.g. in a tent or wrapped in a tarp). So I'd definitely sleep in it if I had to, I've even got a flyscreen for the sunroof so I can close and lock all the doors and windows and have insect-proof ventilation (I can throw a tarp or tent fly across the roof rails to keep rain or dew out, not to mention light). Getting in and out of the car would be much harder than getting in and out of a tent, though, as I can't pop the tailgate from the inside and the back doors get half-blocked by the folded rear seats. I suppose I should try it sometime - I might find I like it better than the tent!

Kauki, have fun down there and let us know how you get on. January on the Murray will be an excellent test of your tent's capacity to shed heat!

Harr0 · Member

Hi Harro here i'm doing the same as the above ,i'm in China now and have been in Asia for 8 years nearly,i have travelled Australia for years as well, mate i bought a Toyota diesel landcruiser 1996 and put a bed in the back,roof racks and storage under the bed, ,i also might say that i'm a bit hard core when it come to travelling,only take what's needed,tools, ,fishing gear,camp where ever i want ,ill be back soon i can here the call of my Toyota now.you all take care driving about always some nutter on the roads.
Harro

moblet · Senior Member

Ha! We were posting at the same time...
amithereyet wrote:
I didnt mention earlier that one of the other motivating reasons why we are going to tentit from now on is the challenge factor. We live in a comfortable house here on the Atherton tablelands and, to me, tenting has always had a certain challenge quality about it especially as you get older. For example one has to maintain a reasonable level of fitness and be able to compromise and change plans etc according to weather conditions and other factors. I have all the conveniences, gadgets and electronic essentials here at home and going low tech for a month or so holds a certain appeal to me as well as all the other advantages you have set out in your reply.
For me camping is no psychological challenge as I've previously done so much of it while cycling or hiking (including in Western China! well, western Sichuan, anyway). It's the most familiar way to travel for me.
Physically it's a different story as while I'm not technically not yet a grey nomad age-wise, my hair's grey and I'm less capable than the average healthy 70yo thanks to some long-term health issues that have finally improved to the extent that I am no longer housebound and can travel. I rarely travel on successive days and spend more days lying around resting than I do travelling or sightseeing, though.

amithereyet wrote:
Our setup consists of a quality canvas tent - one that has a single pole up the centre so that it goes up in a mater of minutes. If we are staying put a few days then we have a seperate awning which goes out the front. We also have folding stretcher beds. We can put the tent and beds up in about 5-10 minutes with a further 30 mins required to erect the seperate awning when we decide to use it. Other than that its all so simple and quick.
I've started out with a nylon dome tent with the flexible poles (familiarity again), which is a reasonable quality one but I doubt it was designed to be slept in more than 100 times and the door zip is starting to become problematic. I'm considering switching to a canvas one such as what you are using. Would you recommend yours? Do they handle wind well? How hot does it get inside under the sun? Is it easy for one person to pitch?

amithereyet wrote:

So moblet, do you mind if I ask: where are you camped now? and how long have you been camping on this indefinate journey?

I put my household into storage at the beginning of March this year, although I've probably spent 8-10 weeks staying with family in various places over that time (most of camped in a backyard, though!). Was recently up in Cairns of all places as I have family there, and I love the Tablelands and perfectly understand why you choose to live there. I have to get treatment regularly, which is a big constraint on ranging far and wide as it's not available in remote areas, and am spending the rest of this year tethered to the Lismore-Byron area, which I've never previously explored. Landed at Canungra Showgrounds today, as I want to get up to Brisbane this week to give a hand to a bloke I know who is seriously housebound. Might also have a poke around the paragliding set while I'm in the area, as I'm toying with the idea of taking that up.

If you want to wander on a shoestring within Australia you could also consider house-sitting (or farm sitting if you want more challenge), there are websites devoted to matching people.

Harr0 · Member

Hiya tents, why not ive done that myself, ive also found out it's not good to set up under gum trees, as they tend to drop limbs,canvas can get heavy at times, i also bought one of those dubble bed ground tents and put a tarp cover over the top, best thing i ever done, there about 400 for a good one tho, as for bad weather keep your eyes on the skys,or as the man said bail out,stay in the car or just have some cash stashed for that reson,the murry is a great spot to camp,keep the tent zipped up well and always roll up your sleeping gear when you awake ,they have nice lizards down that way,camping good idear ,good luck.
Harro

amithereyet · Member

Hi Moblet,

We just got back from a 4 day camp at Lake Tinaroo. Was very windy but no problem with the canvas tent. Its easily possible to erect our tent with just one person but it does get a bit hot inside in the direct sun, but I would imagine all tents do. We have a seperate awning which we can put over the tent or out front depending upon the situation.

Sichuan - we spent 6 months in Kunming, Yunnan Provence - well just outside Kunming in the town of Anning.

moblet · Senior Member

I've managed to solve my zipper problem for the time being (just needed to squeeze the sliders using a pair of pliers) and replace a failing pole so at least I don't have to replace my existing tent urgently. Saw some like yours at a shop the other day and they seem like mansions compared to what I'm using. Also overhead some chaps discussing car-top tents on the UHF the other day and remembered another question - how do the walls of these $300-500 canvas tents handle wet conditions? Specifically, do you need to avoid touching them?

Kunming! Half your luck. Did you see any of that colourful patchwork farmland that some of the nearby countryside is famous for? I've never been there but seen some great photos.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

moblet wrote:
Also overhead some chaps discussing car-top tents on the UHF the other day and remembered another question - how do the walls of these $300-500 canvas tents handle wet conditions? Specifically, do you need to avoid touching them?

Moblet, if they are like our canvas camper-trailer, the answer is YES! Anything touching the walls will be damp, even on dewy nights. And canvas is very heavy to pack up when its wet too. I prefer our 2-layer nylon one.