Beginners to camping (advise)wanted

Hi Sawdoctor,

Welcome to the site. You can keep asking questions but you will probably get better answers if you do some research first. For starters have a search through some of the blogs - there is a comprehensive camping list here to get you started. Also you haven't given a lot of info about when you want to camp (summer, winter?) or for how long or where - camping ground with facilities or in the bush where you need to be self sufficient. I will assume that you are just going to do short trips - weekends, school holidays.

You really dont need much gear to have a great time camping. You will be limited by what you can carry, and with five children the "stuff" will mount up pretty quickly. But you can buy gear fairly cheaply if you look at second hand gear that is in good condition.

I assume you are using a tent. Comfortable bedding is essential but you can get by with low cost doonas if you dont have sleeping bags and/or swags.

You will need at least one possibly two folding tables.
A 2 burner gas stove from any camping store or K Mart will work fine, plus a 2kg gas bottle. A cheaper alternative might be a butane stove that uses disposable cannisters.
Unless you are relying on a camp kitchen you will need a billy to heat water, cooking utensils (an old saucepan and frying pan will work quite satisfactorily). If you expect to have a campfire a folding BBQ and a cast iron camp oven (no need to buy expensive ones provided you follow the instructions to cure them properly before using).
A plastic bucket and dish or two for washing.

Lighting - we gave up gas lights years ago - bulky, fragile etc. We use 12v halogen lights that run off the gig lighter/s. You could get 12v LED lights which use very little power. If you want to get into more electrical stuff have a look here

A good sized esky will be all you need for short trips. Freeze some juice bottles of water a couple of weeks before you set out and they will last a few days, and provide water when they melt.

If you are camping somewhere away from mains water you will need some plastic containers to cerry water.

Plus a camera to record all the fun you have.....there is a lot that you could add to this list but this will get you started.
Have fun,

Val

Wow, you went from 3 kids to 5!

We have 4 boys 12, 10, 8, 6.

Essentials: The main thing here is be able to keep everyone as happy as possible. They need to be warm enough when sleeping as well as if your fishing or just walking on the beach, they need to be able to stay dry if it is raining & have a dry set of clothes (maybe 2 or 3?) so they can get dry if required.

They will need stuff to do if its wet.....games/books.

They need plenty of food/fruit so they can't continue to say they are hungry.

Drinks also are important if its warm, drink bottles are good if you are walking or just out & about.

As far as stoves go I have 2 portable gas burners that run of the gas cartridges. The key here is that when cooking for 6 you need to be able to cook a few things at once else your cooking time is overly long. Most of my trips are camp for the night & move on in remote locations so space is a premium for us. If your spending most of the time in one spot, you can take bigger & more items to assist.

Meals probably are the thing that needs the most planning....cooking/eating & cleaning up. 3 times a day can take up a fair bit of the day especially with consideration of sunset times.

Good lighting will help but can't match sunlight for seeing whats going on. Also once its dark you probably want to have the kids sorted & ready for bed :)

The only other thing I can suggest is that how your family experiences camping early on will help you later on. As an example if you always have lunch at McDonalds then they will feel let down when you don't want to do that for some reason. Also lollies & treats, it should be any different than being at home in most respects & if the kids understand that it will take a lot of pressure off of you & your partner, you will have a fair bit to organise with simply camping & keeping the children occupied that you don't what to add to it.

Camping is wonderful for a family unit to work together, with a little planning in advance the first few camping trips can run as smoothly as possible - you will learn greatly as you go & even experienced campers learn things from every trip!

The best part is spending the quality time with your family...hopefully without too many phones & computer consoles involved!

Cheers & enjoy!

thanks stormy....yes we wanted 4 and got one free!!!!!!!was a shock but they are fine 2 boys (twins and 3 girls ) .......think you are right good planning and some dummy runs in the garden and give each girl a responsability or two ,and encourage them to help put up the tent with me ........i wont be doing too much one nighters ,probs stay put till we all get use to it .......but bush camping is my aim!!!!!! maybe not my wifes as yet though.......! thanks again pal .....hope you can help again.....

Hi Nick & welcome.

There is a good caravan park at Dwellingup with areas for tents. It is a very bush like feel as all the sites are tucked into the bush. No lawn unfortunately.
I wouldn't stay there at the moment due to the heat but in a month or so it would be a great place to get a feel for bush camping.

Lane Pool reserve is only a short drive away and there are some interesting places there for the kids to explore (e.g Nanga Townsite)

John & Helen

I have (I think) the same tent for me and my three boys. I find that I can get it up and my 8 yr old and now the 6yr are both actually useful. The 4yr old I try to make feel useful by holding the pegs and bringing them to us as we need them. last time sucked - I hate putting up (and even worse - putting down) the tent in the rain!

When we go it is just me and the boys and I have started to let them stay up a little later than usual when camping (usually we are strict with bedtimes). We take a few treats - our first camping trip on our own I taught them how to put cheesels on their fingers so we often throw in a box (not something they get often at home) and we have a 'pancake breakfast' tradition. We have been using the shaker pancakes but next time I'm gunna put flour in the right amount in zip lock bags so I can just pop it in a bowl with flour and milk (1 cup flour, 1 egg, 1 cup of milk = good simple pancakes). We use long life milk and don't bother to keep it cold so much that way.

Food is our biggest issue- keeping it simple but still getting good stuff into them. I make homemade hamburgers and freeze them to take with us with zucchini, carrot and lentils in them so while they think cheeseburger I know its healthy! We often do the simple pasta & sauce packet too and add a can of tuna...if I can cook it in one pot or on the bbq grill its all good.

Pack some colouring in or puzzle books etc and pencils for the kids in case of wet weather but mostly mine just enjoy being outside. Last time, despite the rain, they had a ball just running amok with the other boys in the van park (and still where I could see them).

We have yet to do the bush camping bit....will get there but only started ourselves a year ago...looking forward to Easter in Swan Hill.

Well , my boys are 11 and 16 now . The first thing you want is a video camera because in a blink of an eye they are grown up . I use hand held led inspection lamps (Narva) for lights . Lights with cords are a real pain . I would personally avoid anything that can burn , fall over and break , leak etc with kids around . One of those folding portable aluminium clothes lines would be real handy i guess . A really strong torch with a wide beam for when the kids run off in the dark . The table iuseis a 6x4 foot blow moulded table blow moulded table that folds in half and you can buy the bench seats as well .

Already have some good advice above. I would like to suggest that you do not rush out and buy heaps of gear and 'things'. Buy the bare minimum and then buy as you identify a real need. In my experience camping and travelling can be spoilt by having too much gear on board and having the wrong things because they were bought before the necessary experience was built up.

good luck and have fun
alastair

If you are planning to venture outside built-up areas a GOOD first-aid kit plus the usual range of medications from chemist/supermarket (sting relief, painkillers, burn gel/cream, throat lozenges, antiseptics etc) is absolutely essential. Plenty of kits available and a little bit of online research will get you what you want/need. Kids will remember camping experiences all their lives. Enjoy!

We had a lunch box for years big enough for our cutlery and cooking utencls. If you have the room for a cheap dome its a great toy room for the toys and colour in gear, great if its raining(we have one even with the van). That keeps the kids out of the sleeping area. Imagine five kids running a mock jumping all over the beds with dirty feet, then a down pour comes and the dounas leaning up against the walls gets wet. Been there. We gave up gas lights a long time ago. Too dangerous with little ones running around. We bought a red Coleman rechargable light for around $80 it has a yellow night light. As we are currently living in our van we get to see a lot of families ruin their trips with no organisation. They leave their food out. The worst last Christmas was people using indoor power boards with lights,tv's and one even had their toaster and kettle plugged in on a fold up table under the awning of their tent. Their kids were running around all this kaos winging as their dad wanted to sleep in. While they were here I put my fridge on gas to avoid a power spark as they were hooked up the same power post as me. So when you do go camping have a look at what others do, hopefully learn from others mistakes. Camping is the best holiday for kids try not to overload your self with stuff that makes you work the whole time away.
We have 3 children 6,8 & 11 they have their own jobs and are responsible for their own stuff.
Sharon

guys ,thanks for all your replies ,you have been very helpful.......but please send me more advise if you can think of any no matter how small......regards nick

Gumboots for all, (maybe down the track for the littlest).
I started with a 2 burner and moved to a 3 burner stove as it gives you more flexibility. If you can afford the square frying pans they are great as well as it will get a much greater cooking area for your brood.
I would also suggest that the older girls could have thier own tent ( 4 Man as it gives them ownership) which will free up the main tent area when the weather is not great or just for day to day living.
Some sort of area that is covered by a poly tarp is also great, gets the kids out from under foot on goods days (shade) and gives you extra living space when wet.
Put up your tent and then work out your tarp.
Try and keep it as small as possible but big enough to do the job as you will have to carry the pegs/poles/ropes as well.
It does not have to cover your whole tent but over one of the entrances would be good.
Cheers
Trevor