I have been on this
forum for nigh on two and half years now and do the odd stir every now and then by putting my point of view across much to the chagrin of some :o)
I am still amazed at the constant barrage of questions on fridges and batteries and many other things electrical. I am even more amazed at the technical know-how by some of the forumites who can give a break down on how many ohms there are in a degree of BTU. More posts evolve about tyres, where proponents claim outlandish results from the brands which they have shod their truck with Then there have been the dumb questions about the weather which have brought out responses uninvited from a whole sector of the community especially when a bit of tongue in cheek is used. On the whole this website and its
forum has provided for many hours of entertainment when maybe I should have been reading a book or working in the shed.
So now we are all going through a technical revolution and gadgetry seems to run our lives. I for one have also bought a lot of toys recently and do play with them as often as I can. I do find however that I do not need them and they are only a distraction and a not essential to enjoying a trip in to the bush. Running a GPS and mapping software on a laptop is purely a waste of time as most roads and tracks are marked these days. A GPS, Oziexplorer and Natmap Mosaics do have their uses when going cross country though.
By way of the thousands of posts on this
forum I have come to the conclusion that we are not travelling to marvel at nature, to enjoy the quiet of the outdoors or to look around us and to see that we are also part of the equation. Most travellers are now hell bent on doing a few thousand kilometres in a very short space of time whilst driving at breakneck speeds and keeping the kids entertained with continuous music or DVD’s. Scant notice is taken of the environment( as we see very little posted about that) and the scenery, as long as the trucks, trailers and tyres last.
The recreational industry is a billion light-years ahead of what it was in the 1970’s when I started going bush. Now it seems that we must have what everyone else has got and if they get something new then we have to get something better.
I still try to go bush and
camp in the simplest way I can despite all the technology I have with me. I try to keep the weight of all the gear to the minimum and leave things behind of not considered necessary.
Normally I travel alone and do not go anywhere in a group unless it is a special occasion
I have had a car fridge since the 1980’s. Fridge contents are prefrozen and lately I have meat cryovaced. I run the fridge just under freeze when travelling and switch it off at night from about 8pm till early morning. I do not take beer with me so there is no need to get paranoid over cold drinks.
I sometimes carry a drop of Chateaux Cardboard. Vegetables are individually wrapped in newspaper. I make fresh damper as often as I can and carry very little tinned food.
I light a small fire for cooking whenever and wherever I can unless it is in a fire ban area. I carry a gas canister fired stove which works OK. I carry 40 litres of
water for drinking and food preparation and minimise by washing of the body to two litres of
water per day. I do have a cheap shower unit which I seldom use. I have a sleeping arrangement inside my truck and any passengers have to accommodate themselves outside in their own mode.
I bury human waste and burn the paper and take all my rubbish with me till I get to the next town. My truck does not have a Long Range
tank and I rely on carrying jerries with me when doing remote travelling. I carry one extra spare wheel and have the necessary recovery gear to get myself out of strife should I have to. I have UHF, HF and Satphone communications.
I try to keep my travelling simple and make it as enjoyable as I can by going down tracks to
places I would not always go and by planning one big trip per year if the budget allows it
So take care out there forumites and have a good festive season.