The ol blokes would turn over, with the camping gear of to-day.

Axle my father was the same only he was a bit up market with his tenting. Mind you he had a family to contend with, 4 useless boys, poor sod. LOL.

His tent was exactly like that Oz tent only it has guy ropes etc.

Now back in their day they had primus stoves which you had to hand pump the pressure up before you could get them going and which were started with metho and ran on kero. Could be dam dangerous if it got away with you and you never went anywhere without a primus pricker. remember them. Tilly lamps were an upmarket gadget which superseded kero lanterns. The Tilley lamps were the fore runner of LPG lights and worked on the same principal, a cross between a primus kero stove and an LPG stove. Aahh the memories.

Well I reckon the old blokes would have given their right arm for the things we have at our disposal today and I guess they would have been right up there with us having all the latest gear and mod cons.

My father used to build caravans with his elder brother back in the late fourties and early fifties I think although he never owned what you would call good caravan. Some of his younger brothers did but dad was too busy working and could not afford such luxuries anyway. But all this gear available today is cheap compared to what was available back in those days you mention.

As I said to a mate the other day, back in the sixties and seventies we would have given our right arm for a 4 inch angle grinder, a reciprocating saw was not even invented nor was a DIY metal drop saw or half the tools we use today. What was available was through the roof price wise.

Their only disadvantage back then was product availability and price versus income. They were battling either way. So they, and we, made do with what was available.

We are very spoilt today for choice and price. Are we grateful, I doubt it. We take most things for granted I think.

Good times were had indeed and I am a firm believer that it is the company we keep and the people we meet that create the good times. Certainly the good memories I think, and all you need is a drink a seat and someone to natter with.
Showing my age now by the looks. LOL

Cheers, Bruce.

I think there is good and bad in the modern camping equipment.

Some of the inovations like LED lighting and gas cartridge stoves are realy practical.

But so many people want to take too much of home camping with them...the result is an overloaded vehicle and an empty wallet.

My brother who is 10 years older than me....untill recently used to camp for up to 6 weeks at a time on the job site and for several years lived wth his wife in a 10 x 10 canvas tent with their only refrigeration being a 30 litre engel......believe me he likes to be comfortable and does not lack for much.

while his current home has an electric stove...if he is cooking to impress or for his own satisfaction.....he lights a fire and breaks out the camp ovens.

Then we hear of people wanting to carry a 50 litre fridge and a 40 litre freezer for two people.

"Camper" trailers weiging near 2 tonnes with airconditioning or diesel heaters FGS.
Rolling b@#%y canvas McMansions.

Serioulsy..this whole "camping" thing has got out of hand....its suposed to be all about simplicity, low cost and traveing light.

cheers

Hi Axle,
Good post, but it wouldn't just be the old blokes who would roll over, the old girls would too. My parents spent their early years living under canvas during the depression, and raising kids too. No refrigeration, and not many creature comforts either. My eldest sister (quite a bit older than me) lived in railway tents for a few years in the 50s, and had a young family at the time. Those tents had wooden floors that must have made things a bit more bearable.

When John and I were much younger we bought a block of land at the coast and over the years built a little holiday cottage there. We camped on site over many weekends and holidays while the cottage slowly took shape. One time we were camping there for a few weeks with a student friend to help us out. We had a couple of canvas tents, no floors of course. Our kids then were aged 18 months and about 6weeks old. It started to rain which went on for endless days. Eventually we had the walls sheeted, windows in and a strip of flooring about a metre wide laid down. It was time to move in to get out of the rain, and that was what we did, with beds sitting on the floor joists!

Much of the fun of camping is IMHO about being innovative, finding ways to be comfortable with a minimal amount of stuff. Much of what passes for camping now is hardly camping at all - hence the glamping tag.

Cheers,

Val.

Hi Axle, In 1978 as a 15 yo going for 3 day camps to Mt Korong, vic.
I had a new wizz bang 2 man tent with a fly from kmart, $30-, 2 kero lamps, sleeping bag, pillow, blanket, an esky with ice blocks made from 1 litre milk cartons,(reusable) a saucepan, frying pan and a 2 person picnic set put together by raiding the kitchen, Lol, The ferret and nets, and between my mate and I with some shrewd management, we had a couple of bottles of beer each for the weekend. Those were the days, no seats, no table, no mattress, no radio, just a fire to cook on and a million star view and the company of a good mate ! Back then as a first year apprentice that little tent cost me almost 4 days pay ! And I could hardly wait until I'd saved enough money to buy a Tilly lamp and a gas bottle ! Gee they're good memories !

Axle,

You always find some good topics mate.

My Dad, born in 1911, had a pretty hard childhood so as an escape, took up bushwalking about time the Depression started. Had a 2 man japarra tent and "A" frame rucksack, made by Paddy Pallin, plus a bit of aluminium cooking gear and feather down sleeping bag.

One of his favourite haunts was North Era beach, adjacent to Royal National Park. He'd catch a train from Central Station to Waterfall on Friday arvo, and walk the 10-12 kms down to the beach, and camp back against the scrub, where there was good water. People used to run cattle down there then, and it was almost like a maintained park.

Come Sunday arvo, he'd head off and catch a late train into Sydeny. Return train fare cost him 1 shilling & sixpence(15c), and with a few snags, bit of rice and bread, the weekend would cost him 5/-(50c).

Years later, we were still using that tent, in our travels in an '56 Morris Minor.

Bob.

A piece of canvas over the fence - luxury
We had it tough - had to sleep in a fresh cow paddy to keep warm.

Try telling that to the young ones and they won't believe you.