Want to take your camping experience to a whole new level? Here are the basic tips and advice you’ll need to become an instant camping expert!

THERE’S NOTHING WORSE THAN TRIPPING OVER YOUR OWN FEET AS YOU’RE SETTING UP CAMP IN THE DARK

FOXES, POSSUMS AND MAGPIES ARE JUST SOME OF THE CULPRITS THAT LIKE TO CAUSE A RUCKUS 

Everybody wants their camping experience to be a complete success. After all, that’s why we fork out an arm and a leg to buy a camper trailer and all the rest of the gear, right? Unfortunately, for some of us a night or two under the stars can be a complete pain in the you-know-what. In fact, it’s not uncommon to need a holiday after your holiday if you get it all wrong! Either way, we thought we’d lift the lid on a few of the basic yet essential tips and tricks to help make your next camping trip run smoother than ever before.         

1. THE PERFECT CAMPSITE

Now we all know you’ll need nice, flat and level ground to set your camper trailer up on, right? If your tent actually touches the ground, it’s also important to clear the site from sharp rocks or anything that might damage the canvas. Next up, avoid setting up under trees where possible; the sap of fallen leaves and seeds can damage the canvas, but more importantly the last thing you need is a tree branch to fall on top of you.  

The next thing is to ensure your spot isn’t going to get flooded in the event of heavy rainfall. For example, setting up in a gully isn’t a really good idea! Oh, and always try to arrive at camp well before the sun drops – it sure beats setting up in the dark! 

SIMPLIFYING YOUR SETUP 

Setting up camp isn’t always easy, but there are a few tips and tricks of the trade that can help take the stress out of your next set-up.   

THE PERFECT ADJUSTMENT 

The first thing to do is to mark out your tent pole adjustment, so you know how far to extend your tent poles to stretch the canvas just-right every time. A permanent marker will do the job for a while but applying a thin sticker strip or engraving a line will last a lot longer.

PRIORITIZED POLES

The next tip is to keep any loose poles that are absolutely essential to the basic set-up in an easy to reach location, like in a canvas bag on the bed. That way you don’t have to go sorting through dozens of poles for the right ones every single time. 

WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER

For soft floor campers, tying a rope to the canvas corner rings furthest from the trailer to help pull the tent over the top will reduce the labour involved. In fact, it could be the difference between a one-man set-up or calling for back up!

PACKING DOWN CAMPER TIPS 

1.  When you collapse the poles in your camper, lock them in the closed position to reduce any movement during travel.

2. Zipping up the window panels will help protect flyscreens from being damaged when stored or wedged between the tent poles.

3.  Always leave at least one canvas door/window open when closing up a basic camper trailer tent. The idea being it allows the air to escape easily when the tent is being compressed closed.

PACKING SMART

An itemised inventory list for your vehicle and trailers’ contents can come in extremely handy. The idea being if you run out or break an item you can look at your list and know exactly what needs to be replaced. It sure beats racking your brain while you’re down at the shops, and you can even write any suggestions of what you need for next time too.

SET UP IN DAY LIGHT 

Always aim to be setting up camp in daylight. There’s nothing worse than tripping over your own feet as you’re setting up camp in the dark, while getting a fire and dinner going in an unorganised mess! It’s even worse if you wake up to find you’ve set up camp in a shocking spot too!

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

Before you head off, research where it is you are going. Find out things like what the weather will be like, what attractions and facilities are available. Know what other campgrounds are available of your chosen one is no longer accessible. 

THE DRY RUN

If you haven’t used your equipment for a while or you’ve just purchased new gear, set it all up before you leave. That way you know that nothing is missing or broken, and you work out exactly how to use it.

 LOCKABLE RUBBISH 

There’s nothing worse than waking up to find that bag of rubbish you left out overnight have been spread from wide side of the campsite to the other by the local animals. Foxes, possums and magpies are just some of the culprits that like to cause a ruckus. So a lockable container is a life saver! 

THE GEAR YOU DIDN’T KNOW YOU NEEDED!

• HAND WIPES: Invaluable for cleaning hands, faces and bums, especially when water is scarce.
• SPARE ROPE: Extra rope can be used for a million things, from washing lines to holding tarps down.
• SOLAR LIGHTS: Solar lights from the garden make fantastic night lights, and don’t need batteries or gas. Use them to mark the path to the toilet of a night or highlight any tripping hazards around camp.