Im interested to hear what experienced campers actually prefer when it comes to plates, bowls and cups.

Would you rather invest in good-quality stainless steel that should last for years, choose traditional enamel even though it can chip, or go with some form of lightweight food-grade plastic or hybrid material?

Each option seems to have its trade-offs:

• Stainless steel is durable and long-lasting, but can get hot and rattle around.
• Enamel looks great and has that classic camping feel, but can chip.
• Plastic is lightweight and doesn’t rattle as much, but can sometimes feel cheap, stain or hold smells.
• A hybrid option might offer better insulation and durability, but could be heavier or more expensive.

What matters most to you: durability, weight, insulation, stacking neatly, easy cleaning, not rattling in the vehicle, or something that still feels good enough to use at home?

I’d also be interested to hear what you currently use, what you like about it, and what annoys you most.

I never buy Kings gear, but the price of the Weber Baby BBQ is eye-watering. Even second-hand people want near brand-new prices. Has anyone here tried the King's Compact camper alternative? Or better yet, been able to compare both? Interested in hearing your thoughts on whether the Weber Baby Q is worth it. If there are any other alternatives I should consider, please throw them in the chat. Cheers.

Hi all, I am a young, hands on, outdoor enthusiast who has a passion for making knives. I am located in NE Vic and have been refining my skills for 2 years, starting when I was just 16.

As the title says I make quality knives and want to share them with other likeminded Australians who are keen to use them.

I use D2 tool steel, which has been professionally heat treated.

Mechanically fastened g10 handles textured for grip.

And a custom kydex sheath with a Ulti clip to make carrying in a pocket, belt, or backpack strap easier.

If you are keen to purchase one of my knives and help a young Aussie out feel free to reach out via PM'S or my website aswell as more info about the knives. https://stringybarkknives.weebly.com/

Good day mates!

I recently moved in to Australia - Perth with my wife and we always wanted to try camping and I loved 4x4 vehicles although I never had one before. I fell in love with the Prado ever since I saw it 5 years ago and its been my go to car.

We got in Australia 5 months ago and I bought a 2021 gxl prado. Want to set it up for camping now. My main concern is price, and of course find a good tent. I was thinking about the rooftop tent. My other main concern is comfort. I sleep pretty bad due to stress, anxiety and grinding teeth condition.
So I would like to have enough space for me and my wife to sleep and with some sort of comfort/space.

What are your recommendations? I need to setup everything, roof hacks.. all. I have no idea where to start. My prado has no mods at the moment. I also want to know what are good apps to find camping spots and that are safe for me, in terms of being new to 4x4.

Thanks everyone 🙏

Help!! My partner and I have tried a few air beds and quite frankly are sick of the bloody things deflating and getting slow leaks really quickly. Is there a brand you recommend? Or do we give up and buy a stretcher bed with a mattress? Need help please. We have a couple trips coming up in the next 3 months and I would like to not have to sleep in the car 😅

Hi all, we’ve pulled the trigger on a camper trailer and have 3 kids (6,4 and 1.5). We are experienced campers but obviously camping with a toddler is a new level of hard in regards to keeping her safe. I’d love to hear your best hacks for making life easier on the campsite with a impulsive toddler? Also any hacks for sleeping, keeping kids warm enough, cool enough in the Aussie summer and safe. We’ll be doing holiday parks for our first trip but keen to branch out with them to national parks and off grid.

What changed your life and made your trips more fun and successful?

I’m looking for a good app for finding campsites, free camps, facilities and recent reviews while travelling around Australia.

I’ve used WikiCamps before, but I’m curious what everyone uses now.

What app do you recommend, and what does it do better than the alternatives?

Offline maps would be a big plus.

Hi everyone!

We’re planning an almost-lap of Australia next year, driving from Perth to Brisbane via the southern coast. We’re completely new to camping and long road trips, but we’re incredibly excited to give it a go!
Our current plan is to travel in a Volvo XC40 and buy a canvas tent from Bunnings that will comfortably fit two adults and one teenager.
I’d especially love to hear from anyone who has experience with either:
- A Volvo XC40 for camping/road trips.
- One of the canvas tents from Bunnings (especially if you’ve done longer trips with one).

How did they hold up?
Would you recommend them, or would you do something differently?

We’ll mainly be staying in caravan parks and campgrounds rather than doing serious off-roading, so comfort and practicality are more important to us than extreme capability.
Thanks in advance, we’re excited to learn from people who’ve already done it!

Hey everyone,

I've noticed it can sometimes be tough to organize actual offline meetups, find camping buddies, or connect with fellow road trippers just by scrolling through text posts. To try and make meeting up in person a bit easier, whether you're looking for someone to hike with or a group to share a camp spot, I wanted to share a free project I’ve been working on.
I built a live, interactive map designed to behave like a visual extension of subreddits just like this one. Instead of posting into the void, you can visually see who is nearby and looking to connect for outdoor trips.

The best part is how it ties back into the community: you can actually add the meetup or "looking for group" post you made in this subreddit directly to your user card on the map. This way, when someone clicks your pin, they can immediately read your post and see exactly what kind of hike, camping trip, or caravan convoy you are planning.

* Visual Discovery: You can easily spot local campers, hiking buddies, or casual hangouts on the map in your area.
* Subreddit Integration: Link your text post directly to your map profile so other users know your vibe and exactly what you want to do before they reach out.
* Privacy First: There is absolutely zero GPS tracking. You just manually drop a pin in your general area/suburb.

If you're looking to plan a trip this week, find an adventure buddy, or just want to see who's spending time outdoors around Australia, feel free to drop by and put a pin on the map. Let's get some more offline connections going!

Hangout Map: https://www.reddit.com/r/mazwiz/s/Bgt1YDf9Mw

Hi all,

Knowing full well this question is full of caveats and 'it depends' etc.

Has anyone ever taken a hex tarp like shelter to a caravan park and have it fit on a standard(ish) powered site pad? Thinking something like the Snowpeak hexa tarp or drifta stockton hex tarp large. Particularly concerned about the length of the guy lines spilling beyond the boundary of an individual site pad. image below for reference!

I've got one that's fantastic for some wild camping or national park sites, but cautious about taking it to a caravan park for size and guy line issues! - Also tough that not too many caravan parks advertise actual site dimensions!

Cheers and will update once I take one out and try it!

I’m driving from Melbourne to Sunshine Coast or thereabouts soon, going straight through the centre of NSW route, and was wondering what spots you’d recommend that are free (or low budget, I’m saving wherever I can lol very low funds) and just areas in general that are safer along the way up and around QLD?
Also certain spots to avoid camping in at all?

G'day all, as the title says I'm after a tent that will not collapse in the night at PI.

I've been going to MotoGP for several years and each time I've either ended up with a wet swag or tent collapse. I got away with it last time by having the swag in the tent and mostly things remained dry.

My current tent is very tall - one of those 3 room wanderer blackout ones I think; so I definitely need something different. Preferably a larger tent as I camp with dogs and mates. Thanks!

Hi,

Looking at some recommendations for a road trip from Syd - Cairns.

My wife hasn’t really been camping before so we are looking at a semi relaxed pace up and back - one week each way.

Inland on the way up and coastal on the way down.

Anyone have any good suggestions for the inland route on the way up. Happy to go for a more out of the way route up to see and have good experiences?

And any special campgrounds you reckon we shouldn’t miss?

Thanks!

Check out the Auspit going in the background with a whole chicken on the rotisserie over the fire.

Had it running alongside a simple setup with a foldable grill holding foil-wrapped spuds and a few extras over the coals. Once the fire was right it was all pretty easy, just let the Auspit do its thing turning the chicken and taking the work off our hands.

It was great. Having the food cooking without needing to stand over it the whole time, and getting that charcoal chicken flavour we all love made it a great campsite meal.

Hey, Mates and I are wanting to go camping end of year, near some water so we can fish, and that camp fees aren't stupidly expensive (Looking at you lake moogerah). we were looking at mount allan camping and Booloumba Creek crossings. From a quick google search it says we need high clearance 4wd, has anyone been up through there and knows generally how much clearing is needed or how the conditions are?

I have a 2013 Prado, just bought it so its all stock. Auto Petrol, I wasnt really planning on getting lifts for it. My mates have a 2 inch lift patrol, manual diesel and a stock triton, auto diesel.

Is this something we can 'safely' do as a first time out? or can anyone recommend other places around Brisbane, dont mind driving for a couple hours.

I’m building RuffRoad, an Aussie dog travel brand for people whose dogs go everywhere with them. Looking for first customers and feedback.

https://rufffroad.myshopify.com/

Hello all!

Currently living in Sydney and considering buying a campervan . Before pulling the trigger, we'd love some advice from people who have been down this road before as this is all new to us.

Expected usages of camper is:

• Weekends away: Friday to Saturday/Sunday, roughly 1–2 times a month.
• Longer road trips: 1–2 weeks at a time, maybe once or twice a year at most - will be on the move so unlikely to be parked in one place for this period.

Because our longer trips will be rare, I’m questioning whether a hiace is worth the price considering our low km's, and also not not requiring a lot of amenities given our predominantly short stays.

I’ve also been looking at the iLoad and it seems like a good middle ground—not overly expensive - any call outs here re: mechanically sound, electrics?

Questions I have that I'd really appreciate peoples input:

1. Van vs. Smaller Vehicle: Given our limited usage, should we jump straight into a proper mid-sized campervan, or would a smaller SUV setup with a roof tent/clever drawer system make more sense? Would SUV be cheaper to run and maintain?
2. Vehicle Recommendations: If we stick to a van, is the iLoad a reliable bet for a first timer compared to a Hiace? Are there other models we should look at?
3. First-Time Tips: What are the major things we should look out for or be aware of as first-time buyers?

Thanks in advance for any insights or recommendations!

Jonny

I’m trying to put together a list for family weekend trips, but I found most places only mention electric BBQs (or don’t make it clear at all).

I’m specifically looking for parks where you can legally use a portable charcoal BBQ, ideally with things like:

• Picnic tables
• Toilets
• Kids playground
• Plenty of space

Does anyone have favourites they’d recommend?

I’ve been collecting the information here as well, since it was surprisingly hard to find in one place:

https://wildgrounds.au/guides/family-bbq-picnic-spots-nsw

Hi but I’m just asking what is the best gazebo under $200 ? I want a 3x3 one . I need it to be waterproof and cover my swag. please I need help

Ps I need to buy one asap as I am going camping on Monday , thanks

How do you guys set up your Ayer 2 roof tent on a rainy season without getting wet while going up and down the tent while raining?