Top-5 camping tips

HAVE A PRACTICE RUN

You don’t really need that much to go camping – tent or swag, pocket knife, sleeping bag, esky – but it’s a good idea you know how it all works before arriving at your often, far-flung destination.

When using new equipment, have a practice run before you leave – set up the tent, blow up the mattress, fire up the generator…

While every camping trip has its dramas (it’s all part of the fun) you’ll avoid family feuds and other headaches if you know what you’re doing and have the right gear.

After all, the best camping spots I know don’t have a Bunnings store close by for any forgotten items!

ARRIVE EARLY

Sometimes you can’t avoid arriving into camp late, but there are good reasons most experienced campers set-up by mid-afternoon or earlier.

Apart from snagging the best spot in the campground, you’ll want to avoid potential problems by choosing a fairly flat and level area, with no overhanging tree branches, and that's not on top of an ants' nest, or too close to the water (river or beach).

Setting up well before dark also means you’ll be able to organise the fire pit and dinner, in time to enjoy the sunset with your favourite refreshment in hand…

LIGHTS, CAMERA…

There are so many gadgets available now for camping, and ways to power them, that you could easily take a courier van on your next trip filled with all the latest, 'must-have' accessories.

But isn’t sleeping under the stars in nature supposed to simplify things and provide a break from all our ‘essential’ iGadgets?

Regardless of what you decide to take, lighting is an important consideration, and in our view you can’t have enough including a good head lamp, powerful torch, and an elevated, fixed lamp for cooking and other jobs.

And with the latest, lightweight LED technology, power consumption and weight is not an issue like it used to be.

BE NICE TO THE NEIGHBOURS

Caravan parks usually have a strict 'no noise' curfew around 10pm, but there’s generally nothing stopping you from running the generators and music late into the night, at less regulated campgrounds.

While having fun is a key ingredient of any camping trip, it’s worth considering the needs of those camping around you (especially younger children), as one day it might be you who wants an early night….

LEAVE NO TRACE

Of course, you also want to consider the ‘native’ neighbours too – both flora and fauna -- by leaving no trace.

As well as putting out the campfire and taking home all rubbish, that includes other environmentally-unfriendly by-products like toileting and cleaning products.