CAMPING TIPS (that you might not have thought of, post here)

[toad]

Toad, which hospital can we visit you in?

I'm actually in charge at home, she's gone away with work for a couple of days. Hope she doesn't see my post when she returns!

[Shemdaph]

Alcohol Gel is great for washing hands before preparing a meal or after a nature call.

By the way my Solar lights were nicked by some lowlife . Also be careful where you place them because they can easily be run over.

Also when having a campfire. It is advisable to have closed shoes when sitting around it. I had a friend who had a piece of coal landed between his thong and sole. Nasty.

Also make sure you have your little ones under controlled and educated about the danger of fires.

In addition to children (the real little ones), make sure you always know where they are, what they doing and who they are with. Common sense really, but I have seen parents at campsites yelling frantically for their little ones, and getting everyone on a search party and checking waters edge. You also never know with snakes and such like. Apparently I picked up a deadly snake when I was young(long time ago).

Also do not assume your little ones cannot get out of a zipped up tent. If possible have the tent have zips that zip upwards.

[Dasnowman]

My tip is, if the ground is hard/packed down, and you cannot get the tent pegs in without much cursing, use a 3/8th drill bit, and drill a hole first, and the pegs will go straight in.

Dasnowman

[kranky al]

if you dont have an antenna - grab an extra long usb extension cable for your mobile broadband/ mobile phone used as modem

then you can put the device where the best signal is and your computer wherever

[fishfinder]

Fishfinder,
I'd have to disagree with you on that one.
We give the Kids jobs to do.
5 and 3.  Their jobs include.

Setting up the folding table and chairs.
Get poles out of pole box for us and put them back when we pack up.  (usually one at a time... keeps em busy)
Roll ropes up. fetch pegs etc... All the small jobs and it really does help.

We had to pack up last trip without them as they were off playing with their cousins, and I really noticed not having my pole picker-upa-rer.  I reckon it added time to the packup cause they wernt doing their jobs.

It also gives them some ownership of the holiday!  my 2 c anyway!

Rossow.

yes but when you reward yourself with a beer after woods you tend to get there quicker and the mrs not around you dont have her saying your not quite finished yet 

[blackstump]

I cant take the credit for this, but, capsicum cut into rings make really good egg rings on the hot plate.

 

[rossow]

so do Onion rings. If you have to cut onions, save the middle part for egg rings. You can get about 3 decent sized rings out of 1 onion. (depending on the size of the onion and egg of course)

Rossow.

[Gunna Do]

My tip is, if the ground is hard/packed down, and you cannot get the tent pegs in without much cursing, use a 3/8th drill bit, and drill a hole first, and the pegs will go straight in.

I saw where one person actually used long coach bolts instead of tent pegs so that he could screw them all into the ground with the cordless drill, and not have to use any tent pegs.  At pack up time, it was out with the cordless drill again to screw the bolts out.

[Dion]

While on the subject - if you have any devices that use rechargable batteries (especially internal ones) make sure you put them back on the charge when you get home as leaving them discharged for long periods of time can damage the batteries and lower their performance.

Get yourself some Sanyo eneloops.  They don't self-discharge like normal rechargable batteries.

[speewa158]

swaggers
            hate the bugs flys& mozzies  then off to spotlight buy 12m of black tule  & a big bunch of paperclips . attach tule to annex with paperclips instant light easy to work  .
along top & bottom of tule i have glued small canvas strip to strengthen the material

[prlamb]

got sick of having to thread ropes into eyelets and back through them selves on our Jayco hawk awning. so i got some elcheapo carabinas from supercheap, i think they were a dollar each and now everyone of my awning ropes have them permanatly attatched to the loop, so now it is just a matter of clicking the carrabina into the eyelet and the rope is connected to the awning, driving a tent peg into the ground and adjusting it up to the required tension.

[BigJules]

swaggers
            hate the bugs flys& mozzies  then off to spotlight buy 12m of black tule  & a big bunch of paperclips . attach tule to annex with paperclips instant light easy to work  .
along top & bottom of tule i have glued small canvas strip to strengthen the material

As always Speewa you have me intrigued
 
 

[kranky al]

swaggers
            hate the bugs flys& mozzies  then off to spotlight buy 12m of black tule  & a big bunch of paperclips . attach tule to annex with paperclips instant light easy to work  .
along top & bottom of tule i have glued small canvas strip to strengthen the material

As always Speewa you have me intrigued
 
 

me too ***embarrassed*** what is tule?

[baldheadedgit]

Oh c'mon guy's,,, its easy,, a tule is like a spanner, or a hammer, thought you lot was edgermercated...lmao.

[SteveandViv]

swaggers
            hate the bugs flys& mozzies  then off to spotlight buy 12m of black tule  & a big bunch of paperclips . attach tule to annex with paperclips instant light easy to work  .
along top & bottom of tule i have glued small canvas strip to strengthen the material

As always Speewa you have me intrigued
 
 

me too ***embarrassed*** what is tule?

Ha Ha, glad you asked what it is No really I knew what it was - promise

[seqfisho]

swaggers
            hate the bugs flys& mozzies  then off to spotlight buy 12m of black tule  & a big bunch of paperclips . attach tule to annex with paperclips instant light easy to work  .
along top & bottom of tule i have glued small canvas strip to strengthen the material

As always Speewa you have me intrigued
 
 

me too ***embarrassed*** what is tule?

The "TUTU" wearers among us will know

[Darcy7]

ok...not quite what I had in mind.

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/tulle6.html

[Ricey]

I am always impressed with how Metrosexual the Blokes on My Swag are.

Next thing we will have a post on the benefits of Facials and what hair products people use.

LOL

 

[gumby ii]

If you have a toilet tent without a roof (like most of them are), either don't leave the toilet paper in there or put it in a plastic bag overnight.  Nothing worse than getting up in the morning and finding soggy toilet paper from the dew.

When we are away on a long trip with a group, we normally give a spare key to somebody else in the group.  We had to use it once recently because we could not find the keys, however later that day we found the orignal set of keys, the better half was sitting on them.

Have also done the packed up the tent and realised that the keys were in the pocket of the tent.  The bugger was the tent was the first thing that got packed in the cruiser (I have since seen the light and converted to a patrol) and it was packed to the rafters with stuff.  We had to unpack everything to get the keys out.  That was nearly 20 years ago and have learnt the lesson well, have never done it again since.

[toad]

If you have a toilet tent without a roof (like most of them are), either don't leave the toilet paper in there or put it in a plastic bag overnight.  Nothing worse than getting up in the morning and finding soggy toilet paper from the dew.

The big breakthrough in toilet tissue?

[speewa158]

NOT to be read by those under 18 years !!!!!!!!!!!!
swaggers
             did i happen to tell you that tulle  is indeed the fluffy stuff that is attached to the lower portion of a ballerinas tutu ,,,.
not that i have one ( that fits so i cut it up  no really !!!! dont i have one  )
stop laughing this is important .....!!!!!!!!!
i was looking for a product that is light in weight , easy to work cost effective ,that allowed air flow & didnt block the light & no bugs .
tulle is the go when setting  up & improves the  comfort level when there are on bugsout .
fly screen is ok but hard to stow away , fiberglass flywire has to be rolled not scrunched
ohhhhhhh whats a CAMP site without a bloke encased in 13 5m of black tulle,,,,,,,,,,,, have a tinnie & think about  it !!!!!!!
                               

 

[speewa158]

swaggers
            there are some sick puppies out there !!!!! but at least big jules is intrigued  ,, think about the no dont you are the bloke that builds huge fires to destroy the evidence  so they say .
 

[NewcastleKnight]

got sick of having to thread ropes into eyelets and back through them selves on our Jayco hawk awning. so i got some elcheapo carabinas from supercheap, i think they were a dollar each and now everyone of my awning ropes have them permanatly attatched to the loop, so now it is just a matter of clicking the carrabina into the eyelet and the rope is connected to the awning, driving a tent peg into the ground and adjusting it up to the required tension.

x2 that is what I have done.  Plus it allows u to use the better ropes rather then the small thin ones that jayco gives you.

[macca]

If you have a toilet tent without a roof (like most of them are), either don't leave the toilet paper in there or put it in a plastic bag overnight.  Nothing worse than getting up in the morning and finding soggy toilet paper from the dew.

or put it in a small aluminium billy, keeps the spiders off it and that keeps the girls happy, and that means I'm happy

[speewa158]

Swaggers
             have we run out of hints & tips  on how to do it better out there !!
there must be more to come  ,,,, get into it !!