Tag Archives: How To

Easy set-up sun and rain awning for your 4WD — gear & photos

A quick-erect sun and rain awning is a very handy addition to any four wheel drive vehicle. Rather than purchasing an of-the-shelf awning, I have developed my own from some surplus gear in my camping kit. There are numerous different awnings available on the market that bolt semi-permanently to roof racks — examples include those available from ARB, TJM, Bushranger, and OZtrail. While I could have easily purchased an off-the-shelf awning, I have … more »

Seasoning your carbon steel or cast iron fry pan or wok — instructions

How do you season and clean your brand new carbon steel (black steel) or cast iron fry pan or wok? Different manufacturers recommend many different techniques. In the first instance, you may want to try their recommended method. When that does not work, try the following. I have tested this method on a de Buyer Carbone Plus carbon steel fry pan; a Wiltshire carbon steel wok; and an eBay, no-brand cast iron griddle pan. Following … more »

Camping gear checklist — revised and updated

I have updated my camping gear checklist to reflect changes in my camping kit as a result of losing a lot of gear in the Queensland 2011 flood, but also changing my preference for gear based on our camping experience. The biggest changes are away from gas stoves/lanterns to Coleman dual fuel appliances, and away from a huge tarp that covers our tent, to a smaller tarp for eating under. I like to pack … more »

Riding rollers – it’s not as hard as you think!

Sometimes spin training is the only way to get some time on your bike. When the weather has turned foul, you are looking after kids or don’t want to venture out in the middle of the night, doing a spin session can be a good option. There are may different sorts of equipment for doing a spin training session. My favourite is to ride my own bike on training rollers. Some other examples are stationery … more »

Loading your car with camping gear

Going camping, but don’t want to tow a trailer? Fitting your camping gear in your car is only half the challenge – staying under the car’s maximum load rating is the other challenge that a lot of people do not consider. When you do the math, a dual cab ute starts to make a lot of sense as a family camping vehicle. Surprisingly, it is relatively easy to overload a vehicle. Not only … more »

An alternative tarp setup

I am always looking for faster, better ways of doing my camp setup. In the past, I have used an OZtrail UltraRig 20′ x 24′ poly tarpaulin over my camp site. This has been fantastic for providing shade and shelter from rain, but the ridge pole is time consuming and awkward to put up — particularly for one person. But who says that you even need to use a ridge pole? Most people set up … more »

The rich man buys once, the poor man buys twice — camping wisdom, or not?

“The rich man buys once, the poor man buys twice.” In other words, the rich man can afford to buy quality gear that performs its intended function and lasts a long time; the poor many buys cheap gear that either breaks or does not work and needs to be replaced after a short period. I see/hear this saying touted around the camping scene quite regularly. Quite frankly, it annoys me. If we all waited … more »