Your camping invention / modification

The small stool converting into a table are sold by BCF. I have two of them. $25.

It's not a invention, more of a survival pack. The toilet essential survival pack...........and the girls won't leave home without it.

Compact waterproof small bag................toilet roll, moist baby wipes, hand sanitizer and small aerosol can of glen 20.

My girls love me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love the toolbox for heading into the bush to do a job..............

Years ago I bought one of those gas hot water units, Primus I think it was. They were great, took about 10 minutes to set it all up, another 5 to light it and then if you turned the water off or ran out of water the unit turned itself off. Excellent when you’re half way through a shower. What a waste of $400 that was. Anyway, I thought there has to be a better way than this so put my thinking cap on and the unit I made for $20 worked great, I used it for about 10/15 years.

I bought two S/S pots, one 20 litre and one 15 litre. I next made up a round tubular burner with a short spigot welded to the side and fixed it inside the 20 litre container with a short spigot exiting the side. I also attached a piezo ignitor to the ring and permanently mounted a shower pump inside the 15 litre container In operation the unit took about a minute to set up and another two minutes to bring the water to shower temperature. The 15 litre container, filled with water, was placed inside the larger container, the handles keeping it clear of the burner ring, gas turned on and the gas ignited via the piezo igniter. Best thing was the unit would heat water regardless of conditions. Wind and rain don't affect it and there was no risk of setting the surrounding bush on fire. It took a little longer to cook crabs.

Another idea I had was a break down frame which when assembled fitted inside and around the perimeter of the tent floor of my camper trailer keeping the floor flat and free of wrinkles. Best thing was it was self centering so once the frame was in position it held the canvas in the ideal position with no input from me and negating the need for pegs. No pictures, but I posted both on campertrailers.org a few years ago.

3 camp kettles. All made by John. The 2 large ones have gnarly gidgee tree branch handles.
We have 1 large one for the TVan and the other large one for other trips when we need a little more hot water (camping with friends)
They all have names.
One large kettle is called "The Can-ning" after our Canning model TVan
The other large one called "Gidg-e- can" after the gidgee tree wooden handle
The smaller one goes with us anywhere we will need a cuppa break. That one is our "Cuppa-Can"
I sewed 3 embroidered denim bags with appropriate "logo's" on them

The MAXE

Years ago we came to the conclusion that a Matock was actually the most useful tool in getting thru the bush, however an AXE is also very useful so we carried both.

For Xmas one year the kids realized that carrying both was inefficent , so they got an old Axe head and welded it to the Matock .

Seriously effective tool now.

Like the table but not sure about storing matches etc with flammables

We too have our little toolbox, not one to take bush with a shovel but one with everything needed to make a cuppa. Tea leaves, tea bags, coffee grounds, sugar, tea spoons, matches, even coffee bags just lately! Can't claim to invented it as we saw one somewhere and simply appropriated the idea. Works for us so well, that we've even given it a name: Polly, as in Polly put the kettle on!

Rick,

Probably over 50 years ago, when my Dad was still boiler making, he made a folding fireplace that we'd take on travels in the old Morris Minor. Always thought they were a good idea, so knocked one up myself, during bouts of enthusiasm. :-)



Noticed that you can buy them at camping stores now too, but nothing like homemade.

Bob

Not terribly exciting, however for the Canning trip a few years back I fashioned a length of 12 guage with a 'T' handle at the top, a 2 foot or so shank, and a hook at the bottom to use as a brush/grass puller/cleaner in case brush got snagged under the tailshaft or exhuast.

Didn't wind up using it for that purpose, however I discovered it made a perfect billy lifter for the campfire. Now lives premanently in the back of my camper - also useful for pulling out stubborn tent pegs and stoking the fire. Wouldn't leave home without it now ...