Camping is a whole lot of fun if you plan your set up correctly. If you get it wrong, it might be the last time you and you’re families ever do it.
Over the years, it’s been noticeable the amount of people who travel solo. There usually fairly seasoned travellers that will tell you the wife just hates camping. When you ask why, it usually comes back to the first or second time their family had a crack at setting up a campsite on a beautiful beach, or bush camp location. They just didn’t tick all the boxes for mum and the kids.
Rain, wind, cold or heat, are reasons that will upset the apple cart. Not being prepared before leaving home is the most common reason for this. On the other hand, stacking every single piece of gear you have at your disposal can cause another problem fitting in the car.
Having done it our selves, the biggest no no in camping is basically trying to fit your house in the car and expect to get it all set up in half an hour when you reach the camp site you’ve waited weeks and months to go to.
“You can spot this family a mile away; they set up camp at dark, then start bickering. The kids complain of hunger and the adults become frustrated. There’s no fun in that”
Keep it simple stupid!
Talk to your family about what you are trying to achieve. Sure it sounds obvious, but has every one paid attention to you during the family dinner table debrief?
Get the whole family involved at home first. When you get tents or swags etc., set them up in the backyard. Give everyone a small job to do and complete the entire set up.
Time it while your doing it. The first time will always be the slowest, so work on the best way to set up from there.
Make sure you also set up your bedding,
chairs and any cooking gear. Pegs, ropes, tarps, poles, and ground sheets, set it all up. This will give everyone a better understanding of what needs to be done and a good way to check all the gear. Keep a few spare pegs and ropes in your kit just incase you lose them or if they break.
If your camping in the bush, steel pegs are needed to hold everything down, but if you’re off to a beach location, you will need sand pegs. Seems obvious but when your trying to think of everything yourself, even the smartest mum & dad will miss something.
When you have worked out what it is you need, pack it all in the 4WD. You need to allow for clothing bags, food, and drinks.
Does everything fit?
At this point new problems can arise. Utilize roof racks, under seats, & storage compartments.
Don’t overload your vehicle, make some decisions about what items are a must and what items you really don’t need.
The saying “less is more” comes down to good planning.