Get a box trailer? Buy a bigger car? or SQUEEZE it in?

a station-wagon might be the go, an un-canopied tralior is a security-risk...

The harsh reality is the bigger the car the trailer ect the more
crap you can take and you end up in the same boat.
All depends on how many times a year you are going to go camping,and what you want to invest into for maybe 2/3 times a year.
But a roof rack basket could be a cheaper more simple option.
Trailers are good and easy to pack but get a good one or hire one.

Rob

Gidday

Been there done that. in the 1990s we (2+2) had a holiday in SA which involved travelling via the Indian Pacific from Perth with the car on the train then driving back. We loaded up the car, loaded up our cabin on the train ... and when we got to Adelaide there was literaly no room in the car when we transferred the stuff from the train.

Talk about a learning experience. We actually had to freight stuff back to Perth!

I am still no expert but learnt from that and having only resumed camping again the last few years every trip is better and there actually seems to be more room in the ute each time

An idea may be when you get home make a note of anything you did not use and don't take it next time. Clothes are one of the hardest things, particularly with kids, but how many changes of jeans and jumper do you need for a weekend away?

On my first visit to the CSR I decided after 5 or 6 days to put on a clean pair of strides.Within a few minutes i Figured out that was a waste of time and next trip didnt bother with too many extra clothes. After all, everybody else was in the same situation

I see you have a lot of things in boxes. Maybe rethink how many you need, as clothes and soft things like sleeping bags can usually squish into a small space better than if packed in a box.

And as suggested above, a roof rack is great for lighter items it may cost you some extra in fuel but that is a small price to pay for getting out there.

Cheers

Rocco

In my opinion you'll never fit enough into a medium sized sedan to have a comfortable camping experience.
I'd probably suggest a bigger car (maybe a territory or kluger?) but a trailer would also do the job.

The girl and I started our teavelling life with our whole world jammed into a Camira, after that we figured we needed a trailer, that proved to be an issue with security and water-proofness. After that we moved on to a Commodore wagon, and the trailer. That was OK till we discovered the joys of the 4wd from work. The Triton and trailer allowed us a lot more freedom, especially with 2 young boys at that stage. A year ago we ditched the tent (most of the time) for a Jayco offroad Flight, which cut back on some of the need for other equipment which we previously had to carry. Now we have recently purchased a Patrol to tow the van easier and on it goes.
From my experience, limit what you can carry if at all possible, but with a growing family you will need to look at a larger/ more powerful vehicle sooner or later (usually sooner) and enjoy what you can do and see with whats available to you at the time.

If you are going to do a bit of this consider a dual cab ute. With young kids there's going to be bikes and odds and ends that will no doubt require room. Have a great time, the kids will always look back on these times with great joy! Cheers and happy travels.

Hi

welcome to camping. whatever you decide on you will never have enough room as you become more adventurous. so my suggestion is you think ahead with any purchase you make from this point forward and buy the best quality product that you can for anything you need so it lasts. that way you can keep adding to your equipment as you go without needing to wait while you replace the cheap nasties that wont last.

2 x cars equals 2 x rego and other significant costs. So unless you really need another car i would give that a miss. if you do get another car, or change to a larger one, think about if you would like to travel off road a bit later on even if it isnt 'hard core' off road, a better choice vehicle will mean the difference between a great camping experience and a poor time or even a possible disaster. plenty of inexpensive 4wd's out there as the city folks downsize to more fuel conscious vehicles. Most of those 4wd's have never been off road so you can end up with a great vehicle if you search and plan well. Choices of petrol, diesel and LPG and of course a combination of these.

trailers can be really handy to have if you have somewhere to store one. Cheap to rego too. Buy the best quality one you can afford if you go this option and look at your security options for both the trailer and its load. Your security measures wont stop anyone dead set on flogging your gear though - unless you take a watch dog with you :))

roof racks or roof pods are ok but plan the load so it is safe.

Of course you could make everyone wear all the clothes they want to take with them, layer upon layer, and nurse their sleeping bags and pillows etc etc on their laps. Wouldnt be much fun but i guess everything else would then fit in the Camry ;)

remember you may add larger items like generators, car fridges etc as you get more experienced, so whatever you decide on now may not last too long before you are back in the same situation. its very easy to take way to much stuff with you from your clothes and food to all those tools and little things you take "just in case"

Whatever you do I am sure you will continue to have fun

P.S. didnt see a first aid kit on your list above :)

We have also gone through the same evolution. Here is what we did.

Once the car was too full with kids to pack all our camping gear in, we bought an O'Brien's offroad butterfly trailer. It has been fantastic for us, with a kitchen on one side (with stove & plenty of storage room for food, etc), the other side set asise for all our camping gear and fridge and is fully lockable and waterproof. It's also meant the car is not chock a block with camping gear - unfortunately it is still always full of all the junk that the kids must have with them in the car!

The trailer has seen us grow from 2 kids to 4 (with the 5th due this Monday!); migrate from a pajero to recently a landcruiser and our holidays go from the tamer caravan parks to the more adventorous off the beaten track. It has been the best purchase we have made in many a year.

Now for the sales pitch - maybe. With the new bubs almost here; our trusty tent finally wearing out on our last holidays and our plans to head round Australia next year, we are tossing up whether to migrate to a Trak Shak campervan or stick with a new tent and trailer. So the trailer may be up for sale soon - although just thinking of getting rid of it now has me thinking of reasons not to.

Anyhow it was not meant to be a plug for my trailer. If an offroad trailer is not what you are after,you could always get an onroad tradesman's trailer which have heaps of room and are also lockable.

The dual-cab ute is a great option. The new ones are not too uncomfortable and you have room for just about everything.

Having said that one of my work colleagues set off for Fraser this morning (jealous again, offered to go as a guide but he declined). He has the boss on board and 2 girls aged 5 and 3. They are travelling in a dual-cab Hilux with a camper trailer.

I recently did an 11 day trip with my son and one other guy. The biggest problem we had was getting the back of the Patrol to close. It was a bit full but gee we were comfortable.

The bottom line is you will fill the space you have.

If you have two cars as it appears from your post I would suggest making one of them big enough for your camping set up. You could probably trade the 05 Camrey and end up with a half decent mid size 4wd or dual cab ute for not much more money and if you got a dual fuel the running costs would not be too bad.

I hate to say it but if you enjoy camping you have started the snow ball down the hill. It will only grow.

Duncs

DadAgain


My experience is that I have kept getting bigger vehicles to fit all my camping gear.

My camping gear however seems to have grown with each vehicle I have owned and now requires a camper trailer as well.

The trouble and strife is now complaining about no toilet, shower or air-conditioning in the camper trailer. I feel a caravan will be next.

My advice therefore is whilst your family is happy tenting it keep to your present vehicle and just take the essentials.

When it is time to upgrade your Camry look at a vehicle more suitable for your needs at that time.

It would also be cheaper to purchase a camper trailer than to upgrade your vehicle.



Tjilpi

Get a cheap BOX TRAILER....yearly rego costs cheap - no comp, insurance necessary and you can use it at home when you arent camping (or family and friends will).....they always come in handy....

We have one and we will never get rid of it....it was old and rusty and we did it up cheapily and we take it away every xmas camping with 2 kids and 2 adults and often take the home gas 4 burner bbq with us - loads of room with the trailer for bikes etc too....but not loads of money sitting in the shed all year hardly being used!

Very practical idea....

We currently have a caravan and have had camper trailers as well but we still use the tent and box trailer every xmas.....

ENJOY - CAMPING IS A REAL HOLIDAY! NO WALLS AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS!

Start with a trailer, then if you have the finances and change your set up from there I'm sure the trailer will always come in handy at one time or another!

We've always had a 4x4, when it was just the two of us it was a Ute with storage then a bed on top and canopy overhead. We got a cheap box trailer after that and added some of our own touches.
Since then we've had a few quite expensive camper trailers towed behind a Trooie or 80 Series Toyota. And now we have kind of gone backwards, just purchased a cheap Daihatsu Applause and Hubby still has his beloved Cruiser Ute (which isn't much good to transport two adults and two kids!).

We haven't been camping in the last few years really, that combined with finiancial restraints has seen us downgrade. But we do have a good trailer that with a tradesman top added down the track (similar to that Obrien) I reckon it will be a beaut set up to still go away camping and travelling. Well either than of find $20k to convert the Cruiser to a dual cab...which would be our ultimate vehicle....maybe in a few years!

I am curious how much it costs to put a tow bar on a normal car as well because our Applause hasn't got one... can't be more than a few hundred surely?

But yes before I ramble on too much more, I'd seriously consider a trailer, security issues would be the same if you have a dual cab, particularly one with a tray & no canopy etc.

Depends how serious your camping and travels are likely to get and how quickly. A prime consideration is weather you will soon be wanting to go off road on 4x4 only tracks? In which case a new car could be the best investment.

Check out the POD range

POD price lists

I was impressed and eventually bought the camper to go in it...

Lockable and light - bit pricey but they are good units ..

Mandrake - Still PODDING along .

Hi Dadagain

Welcome to the forum.

We have had the same problem when surfing the net for camping options.

Started looking around for a caravan, then a pop top caravan, then a jayco dove, then we looked at camper trailers, then simple trailers and finally decided for a tent.

It's seems that one could spend a fortune on camping gear! Options are endless...

We have a Camry wagon 01 and we bought a good quality tent and matress. One of the back seats gets folded (2/3 one) for accomodating the tent, matress and table+chairs and the boot space gets loaded up with stuff.

Our daughter is 20 mo and we are expecting another baby next year. I guess we will finnaly end up with a box trailer and that will accomodate kayaks and bikes but this is still couple of years from now on...

Check out this for light "weight" car camping.

http://mycampgear.com/2009/07/25/tips-packing-smaller-vehicle-camping-trip