The Camping Thread

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by prydey

didn't realise you had a van. thought you just had the camper trailer.

Yeah, funny story actually.

My eldest lad moved out of home last year to live with his girlfriend and we kept his room empty until we thought things were serious.
When that time came we asked him if he was settled and if he was happy to let his younger Brother have it to which he said yes.
We have a 4bdrm home and with 3 kids remaining at home they then had their own room.
A month later he split up with the girlfriend and came home tail between legs begging for his room back.
As you can imagine, it would have caused WW3 so we had him stay with his Grandparents for a month whilst we worked out what to do.
He was going to rent a flat until i suggested a Van in the driveway and free rent so long as he doubled up on the repayments so it still had good value when paid off.
He could only get a loan for $13k as he has his car loan to keep and for $13k you couldn't get much never mind something with A/C so i said we'd go him halves and use it when we wanted to go away.
We went looking around in the 20k range and found a real nice 98 Roadstar poptop at the Camp agent on Pt Wakefield Rd however they refused to throw an anderson plug on my wagon in the deal after we agreed to pay retail for the van so we moved on.
Later that day we found a 19' 2000 model Roadstar Voyager full van in immaculate condition, they wanted 22k for it and after telling them the trouble we had at the other mob they knocked 3.5k off on the spot and agreed to fit a battery and charger and weight distribution hitch in the price so we bought it.
Then they appologised when we picked it up as it hadnt been washed as they couldn't get reliable detailers so i said you just found one and i picked up work with them.
I also travel all around the state picking up vans we buy and consignments, in the past 2 weeks i've been to Pt Wakefield, Gawler, Pt Augusta, Strathalbyn and Port Willunga.
Its only part time but suits me fine and when they saw the quality of my work they upped the hourly rate by $3 on my first day.
2 days later i landed my retired Mother inlaw a job with them detailing the interiors.
People regularly comment on the vans and suggest they are the best presented vans in Adelaide, cant ask for more than that..lol

I wont advertise the yards name on here but if you ever need anything done to yours let me know and ill see what i can do for you, our mechanic is a whiz and a wealth of knowledge.

Not a great pic, but all i have at the moment.
https://imgur.com/uDJlzPW

[jstanovic]

I have a Jayco Dove, the only time it is quicker than our old soft floor camper is when setting up for a quick overnight stop. Its all the other crap you take that is time consuming eg floor mats, cooking gear etc. If the weather is looking dodgy and you want to use the bed ends and awning, any time saving over our old soft floor camper is pretty much gone.

I wasn't too impressed with the standard storage space, while there is a enough room I found it a real pain to access all the gear as most of the storage was small spaces where you had to lift off seat cushions and the wooden bases and so on. I ended up gutting ours and making the storage much more user friendly. Each of us has a basket for our clothes, other storage is made accessible from the outside too. I'm surprised Jayco/Goldstream don't make a model similar to this, there are many that have modified them in a similar way.

[prydey]

headed back to our favourite little camping spot on the weekend just gone.

Naracoorte caves national park.

We did end up doing a few caves as well, but the main appeal of the campground in the national park is the fact that its very quiet, and a great place to just kick back and unwind.

If you need more than nature and the odd bushwalk to keep you entertained, then this place isn't for you.

there are only 13 powered sites and a big grassed area for tenting plus a shower and toilet block. we had the whole place to ourselves, which isn't unusual. its also our 3rd visit there. loved it so much when we started camping in 2016 we have made it a yearly thing.

some pics

just leaving. we were in the site behind us


looking the other way. like I said, a small campground with not much else.


the company


the set up


the obligatory fire


and a couple of cave pics



just on the caves, whilst they are fascinating, we found them quite expensive. also, when I asked if I needed scuba gear, it looked like they'd heard it quite a few times already

quite cold overnight and only just getting in to double figures in the day, but still, as long as you went prepared, which we did, the weather was pretty good. walking is much more enjoyable in cooler conditions anyway I find, as you don't get all hot and sweaty and don't have to continually brush away flies.

weather turned south on pack up day, and so we had to pack up in the rain. of course, as soon as we'd finished, the rain stopped and some blue sky appeared. once on the road, the blue sky was short lived and we ended up with some of the worst weather I've ever driven in. high wind, debris and rain so heavy at times visibility was down to less than 100m. I believe parts of Adelaide also suffered from the same storm system as it made its way across the state and down to the south east where we were coming from.

[Beastie]

We had our first trip away in our recently renovated caravan...

Newcastle down to Heathcote (via Canberra) for the AFF Drag Day in June...

Leaving home...



Arrived to mum & dad's in Canberra (we were sooks and stayed inside...)



A few pit stops along the way to Rutherglen in Vic...





Our first ever 'dump' stop... (We have setup the van to free camp with a porta loo & grey water etc)



We finally made it to Rutherglen where we setup for the night and met up with a few other AFF members for dinner & beers...





We had to check out the Lolly Shop - It was like a time warp back to the 70's / 80's inside...



Setting up at Heathcote (great weather...not...)





Was a great 4 days away with some good friends made right here on the forum...

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by prydey

when I asked if I needed scuba gear, it looked like they'd heard it quite a few times already

Brutal..i like it!

Thats something i would say and then..

[Beastie]

A couple of shots of the reno...

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Beastie

A couple of shots of the reno...

awesome work on the reno. looks great.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by prydey

awesome work on the reno. looks great.

Thanks...It's 90 - 95% done...

I've just bought weight distribution kit and heavy duty towbar. We are also going to upgrade the suspension and axle to lift our GVM up from 1190kgs to 1600kgs (hence the heavy duty t/bar).

We have 2 x solar panels, 2 x 110Ah batteries, an electric hot water system & pump, and a 100l fridge.

[Beastie]

What it looked like inside when we bought it...

[prydey]

that's a pretty serious transformation isn't it! can't even tell its the same van. no doubt a darn sight cheaper and lighter than buying the equivalent 'modern' van.

[Beastie]

Funny you say that...

About a week before we finished the reno, we went to a local Caravan & Camping show just for a bit of a gander...

In the end we decided that our <$10K van (including purchase price & reno's) had everything we needed compared to the >$50K vans...

I felt bad about 'blobs' of silicone to seal pipes going to my water tank in my van, until I opened the cupboards of some brand new vans and saw the same 'blobs' of silicone...

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Beastie

, we went to a local Caravan & Camping show just for a bit of a gander...

we do this still from time to time. we keep thinking about going to a full size van or pop top, rather than the wind up, but we always leave much happier with what we have.

no one makes a 'simple' van anymore.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by prydey

we do this still from time to time. we keep thinking about going to a full size van or pop top, rather than the wind up, but we always leave much happier with what we have.

no one makes a 'simple' van anymore.

Very true.

I had been looking for a van for 12 months before we found this one...

Nothing against them, but we didn't want a pop top or a camper van. We were also restricted by our tow vehicle, so we had to look for something sub 17 foot and sub 1600kg.

Try finding a sub 17 foot van with a shower and toilet for less than $10K (second hand)...

So our only option was to buy an older van and have a crack at renovating it.

I was lucky, as I have experienced caravaning friends who gave me plenty of advice and help along the way...

I also read a lot of caravan & camping magazines, which was interesting as they seem to say what you are saying - have modern caravans become too 'modern'...

Anyway, we are happy and looking forward to our next trip which will be in September to a town called Sofala, Australia's oldest surviving Gold Mining town...

http://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/sofala-nsw

[ebxr8240]

Some have it good .

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Beastie

We had our first trip away in our recently renovated caravan...


A few pit stops along the way to Rutherglen in Vic...

Our first ever 'dump' stop... (We have setup the van to free camp with a porta loo & grey water etc)


We finally made it to Rutherglen where we setup for the night and met up with a few other AFF members for dinner & beers...

We had to check out the Lolly Shop - It was like a time warp back to the 70's / 80's inside...

Great job on the van conversion.
Looks like Albury station where the dump point is cause that looks like my local train sitting behind it.
Rutherglen and Chiltern are great town's, real time warps I'm currently staying in Chiltern again for work.
Regarding motorhomes and caravans..... the bigger they are the less they move.

[Beastie]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Great job on the van conversion.
Looks like Albury station where the dump point is cause that looks like my local train sitting behind it.
Rutherglen and Chiltern are great town's, real time warps I'm currently staying in Chiltern again for work.
Regarding motorhomes and caravans..... the bigger they are the less they move.

Yep, it was Albury.

[kinksta]

Looking forward to heading to Mount Remarkable National Park camping for 4 nights next week. Got an awning and lightbar set up for the trip (finally), pretty much have everything for that amount of time.

Next lot of camping "mods" will be a fridge and deep cell battery system etc. Oh, I also need to raise the G6ET up of it's stomach too. I am in the hunt for probably some XT shocks/springs but not 100% on what to do as yet. Obviously an RTV/4WD is the answer but Falcons were "built" for this country haha.

300,000kms is just around the corner too!

[kinksta]

We set up in the dark but everything seems all good. Lovely spot out here! We have a 2nd tent for storage but unsure if we need it yet. #Falconswerebuiltforthis

[prydey]

what number campsite are you at? Looks like 41? If so, its nice that side looking out to the bush. Any visits from the lace monitors yet?

We stayed along a bit at site 7 the first time we went. Although its opposite the facilities, we found it quite nice. I have 3 females with me (wife and 2 daughters) so being close to the facilities had its benefits

Last easter we stayed at 29. It was a case of leaving things to the last minute and having to take whatever was still available. Although its an open site (no real shade) we actually quite liked it. Its a bit separate on all sides, with no one opposite.

next time we reckon we'll try for site 20/21.

Its such a nice campground that one. Enjoy your stay.

[kinksta]

Literally strolled through 10mins ago.

Yea mate s41 haha. We picked it using Google maps lol.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by kinksta

Literally strolled through 10mins ago.

there's a couple of those around. keep your food and scraps secure.

Originally Posted by kinksta

Yea mate s41 haha. We picked it using Google maps lol.

yep. its handy that the street view car drove around the whole campsite. We used that also. found it quite helpful.

[kinksta]

When we camped throughout America we street viewed all the campgrounds, glad they did it here too.

Bears there, monitors here haha.

[kinksta]

We are all done, sad to pack this beautiful mess up.

We did the Alligator Gorge 10km hike yesterday. Half of it was absolutely brilliant the other half was quite bland to be honest.

[kinksta]

Few more mods to make for next time. 245/45/18 tyres, XT front and rear struts within a week or so, some windscreens for the weber and burner, bigger power supply and maybe solar.

[prydey]

we've done alligator gorge a couple of times and agree, the gorge part is quite stunning, but then the rest of the short walk we did was just a bushwalk back to the carpark. Now that we've done it a couple of times, i'm not sure we'll do it again, or at least not every time we go there.

When my youngest is older i'll have a go at doing the hidden gorge hike. currently its just a bit too far for the youngest (and probably wife).

Originally Posted by kinksta

bigger power supply

I bought one of those lithium jump starter batteries when I was in a tent. 18AH. was enough to run lights (Korr 50mm led light bar) and charge devices for 4-5 nights.

this is the one I have, which no longer has a pic
http://performance12voltaccessories....mp-you-bastard

also available on ebay under different brands
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Powercon...0AAOSwax5Yyx7z

its the same thing. one labelled 'monster' as well I think.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by kinksta

We are all done, sad to pack this beautiful mess up.

We did the Alligator Gorge 10km hike yesterday. Half of it was absolutely brilliant the other half was quite bland to be honest. image

Alligator is a bit more arid than the southern parts of the park, if you have reasonable fitness, adequate gear and dont mind a decent walk
, the battery track and hidden gorge loop is a great experience, something to consider if heading back in the future.
I prefer to head up the bluff and return via the gorge as its a lot cooler and easier descending in the afternoon and the views from the top of the battery ridge are spectacular.
Its called the battery ridge as back in the day the powers that be were concerned of a hostile invasion to central Australia through the Gulf so they set up armourments along the long ridge top to pick off enemy ships.

[kinksta]

Well there ya go! Good information for next time cheers!

And prydey that's what we are thinking size wise, thanks for the links. If we go the fridge route I'm not sure what we would get. But it's all good ideas for now!

[kinksta]

Oh and one more thing, those with no kids and Falcons, I found removing the bottom of the rear seat and replacing with a false floor like this to be an immense help. Level surface and also more room.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by kinksta

And prydey that's what we are thinking size wise, thanks for the links. If we go the fridge route I'm not sure what we would get. But it's all good ideas for now!

Not sure how it would go running a fridge. As an experiment, before we used it the first time, I fully charged it and then plugged my korr led strip light in, which is rated at 0.6amp draw, and left it on until it went flat, to see how long it would last. It went for about 22 hours from memory. So that was enough to run a light for about 4 hours each night and keep devices charged.

I bought a cheap ebay power bank that was supposed to be 20000mah, but it lasted about 2 phone charges. No idea how they claim what they do. I've heard other stories of people buying some of the cheaper ebay stuff and being more than happy with it.

Another option is a small AGM battery, in a battery box. That's quite expensive (the boxes are almost as dear as the batteries), but they will run a fridge and can be topped up with solar.

If you are planning on sticking with tenting or even upgrading to a camper trailer, it will be a good investment as it can all be used for many years.

[BENT_8]

Perhaps one of these might be worth a look, will run your fridge and led lighting.
When i spoke to various people about 12v power for fridges etc. i was told to get a battery big enough to run it over night and a solar panel kit big enough to charge it quickly the next day.

https://www.tentworld.com.au/buy-sal...h-battery-pack

I run 2 fridges, a 60l for cooling drinks and food and an 18l as a freezer so i went with an Arkpak and 130ah AGM battery and i charge it with 180w of solar panels.
I can run both fridges for 48hrs before i hit the critical point for the battery and can charge it on a reasonable day easily.
Also comes in handy during blackouts, whilst everyone else is hovering around candles i simply put the Arkpak on the kitchen bench and plug in a touch lamp.