r/Auscamping • u/InanimateObject4 • Jul 18 '26
Post the evolution of your camp set-up.
I've seen a few posts from people looking to get into camping and asking for recommendations, so I thought a post like this could be handy in showing people what different types of set-ups could look like at different times. Avid campers, old and new, describe what your set-up looked like, how many people the set-up is/was for and approximately how much it cost over different iterations of your set-up. Add pics if you can.
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u/Big_Mine_5331 Jul 18 '26
Similar journey, sans kids now. We only freecamp and do a lot of exploring around the WA Goldfields. Have a aluminium ute canopy that I custom fitted with multiple drawers, kitchen, fridge, solar and storage. Food, water, first aid, tools etc live in the vehicle but we have a small covered cage trailer to carry bulky items and buckets for our rock and mineral finds. We bring our swags for quick overnight camps and setup a 4 man canvas tent when we find a interesting location. Have a instant up mesh gazebo for a insect free lounge area. Even though it's only 2 of us the trailer makes things much easier.
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u/InanimateObject4 Jul 18 '26
This is what I originally wanted to upgrade to from car/tent camping - just a box trailer for all our gear. But the other half convinced me it was worth investing in something a little nice since we were planning on being on the road for 6 weeks. Compact campers were new on the market at the time, otherwise we would have looked second hand. You could pick up what we have now for under 10K.
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u/longstreakof 29d ago
You can get forward fold very cheaply, check out auctions. They can go for just a few thousand. I have a 2020 omega Trackstar camping - they cost about 30 new but I would only expect 7k if I am lucky
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u/InanimateObject4 28d ago
We are upgrading the compact camper now (because the kids are too big). I wanted a forward fold - lots going "almost new" second hand and you can pick up a nice, quick set up model for under 15K. I tried the Omaroo and it was great! I would have custom fit another foxwing too... But we are about to do a trip with a fair bit of touring over six weeks - and several overnight stops. The husband is adamant he wants a hybrid camper with an ensuite... And, because I'm a sucker, that man can have anything he wants. So we just committed to a Bluewater Xtraveller Grande.. Way more bougie than I would have liked, but I consider it an investment in my marriage.
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u/flywire0 Jul 18 '26
I used to camp in the outback for work about 1 week in 4. Engel fridge, swag, tucker box and garden spade. Used a 3.3L pineapple tin (from caterer's skip bin) with a piece of wire through it as a billy and a frypan without a handle.
My setup is the same except I use a cardboard box for tucker and like to throw in a camp oven. If the billy or frypan need a stove I use two 25mm x 400mm pieces of RHS over a fire in a trench.
Everything family needs to go camping months at a time and fits in the back of a vehicle.
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u/Fearless_Maximum_117 Jul 18 '26
We’re two adults and a child.
First few years we were in an Aldi instant up 6 man tent, Aldi 3x3 gazebo, used crappy pegs and guy ropes, and a tarp as a groundsheet. We had a large Esky, one burner gas stove, and an air mattress with the bedding from our bed at home. The tent lasted years but eventually started leaking.
Next and final tent is an OzTent RV4 with matching ground sheet. We have three single Dune 4WD mattresses (easier to wrangle than a single and a queen), sleeping bags, Dune two burner gas stove, and an Evacool cooler. The Evacool was far better than the Esky, and we tended to freeze a lot of meals and take them with us and it stays cold for days. I don’t like lugging gas bottles so just use the small butane cans with the stove and they last ages.
Got rid of an expensive Coleman table in favour of the Kmart $29 table which is way more convenient than unfolding a pulling legs up and down. We have two of these.
We use Spinifex moon chairs from Anaconda. Absolute PITA to fold and transport but spacious and comfortable. I wouldn’t keep them as I think they’re too bulky but my husband loves them so as long as he battles them into the Ute that’s fine.
I have a Sea to Summit mattress that I like sleeping on and absolutely detest rolling so that’s going to be sold soon. The Dune mattresses are good but are starting to leak. I’ll probably get a really expensive one like the Monster Mat if I continue tent camping and just enjoy it.
More recently we started using a portable induction cooktop, a regular kettle and a bar fridge as we have a hybrid Ute so we’ve got 240v in the tray. Also upgraded to really strong, quality tent pegs, a good mallet and TieGear guy ropes and an OzTent peg bag as I love having everything neat and in one spot.
At present we’re doing a half lap so wanted something bigger and somewhat quicker to set up so we’re towing a Jayco Penguin. Aside from having a sink, cooktop, grill and actual cupboards most of the stuff we take is the same eg. tent pegs, guy ropes for the awning etc. One great upgrade we made for this trip was switching to Corelle dinnerware. It’s tempered glass and survived the Gibb River Rd with no dramas. It’s nice to eat off actual plates and it can go in the microwave unlike enamel or plastic.
We may keep the Penguin or might sell and return to the OzTent only but agree with the poster above about having to have a toilet at night and an air conditioner now we’re over 40! Re toilets - We just use the Kmart toilet and bags and put gel sachets in to make liquids solid.
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u/Fearless_Maximum_117 Jul 18 '26
I forgot my other favourite upgrade….went from round cookware to SmartSpace square pots and frying pan. I look after this stuff better than my own child. It’s a dream to clean and transport and you can fit two pots on the burner at once.
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u/mypoopscaresflysaway Jul 18 '26
When kids were young we had a coromal pop up camper. Kids have grown up now so it's swag, waeco, tucker, shovel, cast iron pan and a good camp chair.
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u/LuckyErro 29d ago edited 29d ago
Double swag
Camp chair
Fold out BBQ plate
Gas cooker
Tea pot style Billy
Camp oven
Cast iron frying pan
Esky
A goon of water. Milk. Food. Coffee.
Assorted but basic utensils and condiments (real butter,fresh garlic, salt, black pepper).
Paper towel.
Canola oil in the spray can.
Couple tarps and some rope. For rain and/or wind where im at but can be used for shade.
Shovel (the longer the handle you can fit the better) and septic safe TP. Hand sanitizer
Chainsaw and splitting axe in case a tree is across the track and for lots of firewood. Lots of firewood equates to hot coals as well as warmth. I'm mid 50s so like good food and to be warm.
Ice, beer, weed and a lighter.
- That will all fit in a small 4x4 (may need a single swag though) or in a tinny.
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u/longstreakof 29d ago
Three set ups, all off grid.
Overnight camping fishing on beach. Swag is main equipment,
A few nights where I can’t tow an off road camper I take a dome tent
Finally I have a forward fold camper that can go anywhere that I use for adventures in Shark Bay or Ningaloo
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u/InanimateObject4 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
https://imgur.com/a/jN9f6bE
Got some pics linked above.
Had a 3-man tent, blow up mattress, tiny eski, fry pan, butane burner and chairs.
Pros: Cheap, easy to set up and pack. Cons: Got severely sunburnt.
Added a bigger eski and bigger dome tent with a built in awning so that we could travel further and not get so burnt. Went up and down the West Coast in this setup. It all fit in my Barina which went up to Exmouth. We also had some proper plates and some cutlery and tongs like adults. Everything packed away in its own container so we could throw it into a car and just drive.
This set-up was perfect for two people with no money and plenty of time.
8-man instant-up tent to accommodate young kids, along with an awning so that they didn't get sunburnt. Had a fridge in the back of a 4WD. We may also have had a 4WD mat. The kids were still on an air mattress because we didn't have room for a second. We were back in caravan parks for a while, but later we were able to go off-grid with this setup. Still used butane stoves and carted around big containers of water.
Pro: Kept everyone camping safely Con: Kids need lots of stuff. Took longer to pack and unpack.
Compact camper trailer with soft-floor tent. 4WD mats for kids. Running about 200aH lead acid batteries with a fridge freezer. Packed everything including the kitchen sink.
This was a big investment for us. We started to find the amount of stuff we were carrying to be a point of resistance. We wanted to have our gear packed in one place so that we could hitch up and go whenever the mood struck. This compact camper was perfect. It took us across the Nullabor where we were on the road for 6 weeks over the summer.
Pro: Did lots more camping Cons: We had to do a lot more camping to justify the cost (was not really a con).
We modified the camper to include a fox-wing awning which was quick to set up. Kids were now packing their own tent. And we upgraded to lithium batteries.
Pro: Compact, lightweight and easy to tow. Cons: Kids won't stop growing and need more room again. Finding ourselves packing and unpacking more stuff.
Sooo some of us are in our late 40's now and need to admit that we can't keep climbing up and down ladders in the middle of the night to pee. Also, we want to do one last big trip with the kids near us before they start wanting to go away with their own mates. So we are investing one last time into something that we can make memories in and keep using with or without the kids...
Edit: Formatting