On along trip, what is the ONE thing you couldn't live without?

The wife, She does all the little things I am either too lazy to do or forget about. Especially now we have a 5 month old who now comes camping........

Cheers Luke

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"Question is, for those that have done long trips, what is the ONE thing, that you could not have lived without?
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my multi tap-handle

BEER!!!

we (myself, wife and two young children) did a 3 month trip with camper trailer last year. Whilst we were completely self sufficient we appreciated an electric kettle, toaster and heater (for when we were in the cooler areas) when we had electricity

In no particular order I would add these to your list;

1. A good broadcast radio with in-ear headphones. I am a light sleeper and while away many of the dark hours listening to some very interesting programmes including of course the weather forecast.

2. Anti itch / anti histamine cream for midge bites etc... Saves me tearing my shins to bits from scratching them.

3. A good book (or two)

KK

Enough water to sustain your family, just in case................

with kids, a must is DVD player for the car. What a lifesaver. Makes trips must more pleasant.

1. A head torch
2. Paraderm plus cream (magic cream) anaesthetic, antiseptic and anti inflammatory all in one. Before kids I'd never heard of it - now we don't leave home without it - bites, burns, cuts anything......

Lia,

A piece of flat rubber 120 X 120mm for when some rotter has removed all the plugs from the laundry or the shower block. Rubber from an old inner tube is good; I got mine from the roadside courtesy of someones blowout !

Cheers,
Netnut

thongs for feet for public showers...

CASH money! Credit cards are fine but cash speaks very loudly in isolated areas. Brings discounts and many thanks to the small traders who get stuck.
I never, ever, move without at least $1,000 in cash in my wallet,glove-box etc..

A really good camera is a must. We have some amazing photos from all over the country that we will now get blown up to put on the wall, no need to buy a Ken Duncan picture lol.
Also a water filter for your water tank and a jug with a filter. As you will fill up from many different places the taste of water will vary. In the cities it tastes like a swimming pool and in the outback it has lots of minerals, or may even be bore water. Our water tasted the same for the 3 yrs we were on the road as we always filtered it before it went into the tank and then again as we drank it. If you put contaminated water in your tank it is always tainted.
We never bother with a tv or dvd player in the car. We wanted our girls aged 3 & 5 when we left to see our amazing country and never regretted it. If they got restless we pulled over for a break and stretch.
The most important thing to take is your sense of humour for the days that things don't quite go right. With a sense of humour you will be able to laugh about it later. Like when our kids room blew off the camper trailer one day and the rain blew straight in and filled the inside with water and wet everything. It was 3 weeks before we moved into a house so how ironic but now we laugh.

Josh

Lia,

It's more than one...but I could'nt think of just one thing

As mentioned, with Kids DVDs [a box with stuff in for each - books, pencils, colouring books, etc within easy reach so they can get to them themselves]

Rugged Tool Roll - it has come in handy many times

Dream Pot [or similar] so you can prepare in the morning and come back and dinner is done!

Sturdy torch - we like the Iron man ones that can hang, and can be charged up 240v or 12volt

We did have solar panels - however can be tricky when running fridges etc, and now have a honda gennie - very quiet

On the subject of fridges - we took 2 - one acted as a freezer but you could use one soley for drinks

A fridge in the car is handy too!

Surf Socks - for the kids [and you] to explor rock pools etc in

and...

one of the first things I pack is my walking pole - I have habit of falling/slipping and I just love walking through the bush with it [and no I'm not old...hahahha]

happy travels...
Lyn

Money and Fuel, can't go anywhere without them!!

Baz.

Toilet paper is much softer than gum leaves - don't forget the toilet paper.

Also, some means to create fire is always handy as well.

Music....the roads in places are very long and can get boring , searching for a radio station can be APITA...we have 2 Sansas that between them have over 3000 tracks on them , they are set to play these tracks in random order...I doubt very much that we will ever run out of entertainment..just the 2 of us....cheers

What I did without & wish I hadn't was a fridge! A month long trip in the trailer to QLD resulted in numerous bags of ice & soggy margarine, meat - the worx! Definitely recommend a fridge & that's next on my list - no more esky & ice!

The DVD never went on in the car, but the DS got a work out!

Portable dvd player for the kids to watch while driving is a must . Otherwise i would go insane .

The one thing I wish we had is a bigger bladder in SWMBO ;)) Nothing more frustrating when you just gotta keep on stopping and it just happens to be away from decent scenery etc and its only seems like you stopped 20 mins ago.

I think you should start another thread - On along trip, what is the one thing you could have lived without and left behind? We all take too much which adds up to too much weight. For me - taking canned goods, or too much of them. Better to travel lighter and buy local where possible

A spare set of keys.....secure them in a hidden place on the underside of the car or camper.

I take those magic plastic containers that are water tight and air tight called 'Lock & Lock'. You can put your lunch meat, cheese, butter etc. in them and put the container in your esky with all that sloppy melting ice and they don't leak no matter how much they get tossed around.

Regards,
Bob

If you are passing through Charleville go to the chemist there and get some Simmons and Co Fly Repellent, it is made from organic natural ingredients.
It is made in Vic and is probably available else where, though the lady in the shop commented that a lot of out of town people call here and buy this stuff.
It does work and stops the annoying little blighters from landing on you.
Thinking of that town I got some sage advice from an "Old Fellow" there a few years ago. You better get yourself a decent hat, the sun out here will frizzle your ears off !.

Hi Lia,
We have an article on the site called "What to Take" - have you seen this?

From my personal perspective I am surprised no one has listed their shoes. I always say that 3 pairs is the limit. So I take hiking boots, thongs, and slippers. I cannot go camping without my hiking boots. They are very expensive ($300+) quality hiking boots - mine are Sherpa brand. I've had them for 12 years but they still sell the same thing in Mountain Design, Paddy Palin, Katmandu etc. I love walking and climbing rocks, mountains etc but I wear them in the car and all day on trips as you can jump out onto any road, mud, sand etc and have firm footing.

The slippers are for just chilling out when the boots come off and its still cold. I have recently started using the hut booties we sell on our shop and find them ideal - the whole family has a pair and we use them on trips and at home.

The other item that comes to mind (other than obvious camping essentials) is moisturiser, yet I hardly use it at home. I keep it handy in the door pocket as my hands always dry out and get cracked and it hurts. There's lots more that could go on the list for sure... as eveyone is so different the list of personals can be huge!

Have fun with the planning!
Michelle