Camping Etiquette

Helo Tam,
What you take with you is really up to you and your needs, from experience over the years you learn what to and what not to take so if you think you need it, take it you will find out after a couple of times what you need, enjoy your holiday

all the best Pistol.

Don't buy too much but instead just get the basics and build from there as you gain camping expirience....you can have too much and also have a lot of stuff you don't need....it is only through camping expirience you find out what works for you and what does not....we are all different in our needs and wants.

Like I said just start with the basics and go from there....shelter, sleeping, cooking, eating, etc.

Remember you have to set it up and pack it all up as you go...so keep it simple.

Thanks Pistol and Redbakk for your replies, I had thought something similar. We saw campers with hardly anything but a tent and others with everything down to a cutlery drainer.

I'm sure the first few times we go there will be things we can't believe we forgot and other things we don't even use. I can't wait!

Tam.

Hi Tam,

I have been a long time camper & caravaner.
before the caravan I had 3 tents depending on the length of stay & the amount & type of equipment I took depended on the length of stay and where I was staying.
One of the most important things is a notebook to write down the things you wish you had as soon as you realise you need it, then you won't forget to add it to the kit for next trip

I might add that over 35 years of camping I never had a sink, I found a dish (with a lid so you can carry things in it) on the table was as good as anything...& use the lid as a draining tray :-)

Happy camping
- daryl

Hi Tam. We have camped under the same routine as Daryl above and as he says,a notebook is a must. You will find the areas you are looking at have very good shopping facilities nearby to each area(Nowra, Ulladulla, Batemans Bay) so if you do really need something you will be able to purchase it. Take a look at Lake Conjola on your way down the coast.(Just before Milton)We have been going there for 38 years and never get sick of it.Regards,Bob.

Hi Tam,

Our practice is to keep it simple and wherever possible make items serve more than one purpose. Our washing up is done in a plastic dish (that has worked perfectly well for nearly 20 years). Then when we are travelling our vegies are in a basket that sits inside the dish.

Dont worry about what others do and dont have - they may be novice campers too! Everything you carry has to be packed and unpacked, so generally less is more. Just start out with the minimum and build from there, but before you rush out to buy something extra try to think if you really need it or whether you have another piece of gear that could double up.

Have a great time. You will love Depot Beach.

Val.

Hi Tam,
As others have said, what your comfortable with and need.
The KISS method,
Keep It Simple Stupid, You can't go wrong.

A couple of years ago at Woody head, there was the perfect eg; of this with two lots of campers.
There where a couple in their Seventies, Moron & Silver 2 tone VB Commodore Vacationer, for all you car nuts, it was a 308 Auto.
They had a two man dome tent, one of those rubber backed throw out rugs, Butane cooker, Fry pan, Utensils & plates, cups and a small esky. They cooked and sat crossed legged on the rug, packed it all up and go for a walk after their meal. Come back just after dark and off to bed.

Next to them was a young couple in their early twenties, with a baby about 3 month old. They had BMW soft roader, Jayco Outback finch(I think). They would argue each afternoon whether they were going to the Pub 'Sedgers reef' or the Bowling club for dinner each night. Never saw them prepare any kind of meal in four days.

I know who would of been enjoying themselves more.

What you take Tam is up to you, What you don't take you can easily buy.
In 8 weeks we are off to Woody again for a week to spend some time with a good mate and his young family. We go camping about three times a year and between each trip it feels like eternity. You know that feeling when you were younger the night before Christmas, Love It.

It will all come together for you Tam.
Over the last 4 four years we have chopped and changed things, and we are still learning. 4 Years of Changing setup

you'll have a blast.

Hi Tam, lining up next to fellow campers using the communal facilities - be it the sink, barbecue or other stuff, is part of the caravan park camping experience. I find you often strike up a conversation and end up making new contacts and friends. You will end up trading information about other parks/places and get useful information about where to go and what to do. It's all part of the fun. Cheers. doc.

I have a squarish plastic small wash basin with two handles that i use for washing up in . I keep cooking odds and ends in it when travelling . I have a six foot folding table and a smaller table and also one of these bench seat

Tam,
Make a list of everything that goes.
Google Desert Access for a comprehensive list which if you consider what is on it then you won't forget the eggflip or tongs.
You don't need everything but at least you will think about everything you may need and then move on from there to a list that works for you.
Enjoy

Been doing the tent camping thing for a long while now and basically have what I need. All my crockery/cutlery/pots/pans go into a little back pack. The two canister stoves have their own box. My table folds into a circular bag and the esky or fridge sits in the back of the Paj. My camp chair goes along with it. I suppose that this is a modular approach and I can unload my gear from the car in less than a minute (if I wish). Set up takes another 10 - 15 minutes depending where I am.

It's all down to routine now. If I'm leaving the next day, after I finish a meal and wash up, all my gear goes back into their separate containers/bags before I pack into the 4by.

Yes. I do have a Versalite but a head torch is just as efficient, especially if I want to read in my tent before nodding off.

This is a KISS way of doing things but took a long while to develop.