Camping is the new black. It’s the new hipster activity when we’re not out drinking beetroot lattes, eating smashed avocados and boutique beer brewed by teeny bees. It seems that every bearded man, handbag designer bred dog and faux retro lady are off on a camping trip to experience the wilderness.
Personally, I blame people like myself for this influx of newbies. For years I’ve been spruiking about the wonders of camping and hiking. Even science is now advising us to get out and explore the wonders of nature. Even going as far as to tell you all to get your glamp on. For those old school campers like myself, I do apologise. For those of you who are new to the camping world or perhaps want to take a dip into this world let me tell you that you don’t need to break open the piggy bank and destroy your savings to have a great camping experience. It really is the little things that make our camping adventures so much more enjoyable. The following items are things that we use and abuse on our camping trips. Most of these are less than $30 AU.
A Big and Beautiful Water Bottle
Water is life. There’s no worse feeling than being slightly dehydrated and not having a clean bottle of clean water.
Grab a big and beautiful water bottle here
For those mornings that you have woken up after overindulging don’t be afraid to pop in a little SOS to your water. I personally lived off the mango flavored SOS when we were hiking in South America. Hydrate me right now
Light My Fire
Campfire coffee is pretty spectacular if I do say so myself. Though it does take a bit of time to get the fire up and going, boil the water. Making your quick coffee into a good 30min ritual. You know the coffee making drill. By carrying a small stove top you can easily whip up a latte in no time. It’s also super convenient for quickly boiling water for washing dishes or really anything that needs to be heated up.
GSI Insulated Mug
Coffee. Tea. Coffee. It really doesn’t matter what you’re drinking. These insulated mugs are simply marvellous. They are on the larger side of life, meaning that they do quite easily double up as a bowel for breakfast.
Safety First
No adventure is complete without a few cuts and bruises. But even the little cuts can turn into nasty wounds. Such a common first aid mistake can cause you huge issues down the track which you don’t really want to be wasting time on. Nor do you want to find out that those painkillers and disinfectant cream expired in the early 1990s.
Slip-On Shoes
It may seem silly but having a pair of flip flops to wander around in is a wonderfully delightful and nearly subconscious pleasure. It’s no secret that either myself or the dogs, usually both, need a bathroom break during the night. It’s such a hassle trying to find boots to put on, lace up and still get out of the tent before the dogs lose their little minds. A pair of flipflops makes this menial life task so much easier.
Camping really doesn’t need to break your budget. Nor does it need to be cheap, nasty supermarket sausages in white bread. There are so many more fun gadgets, toys and general things that you’ll probably never need for a good camp lifestyle.
If you want to know the worst camping gifts we’ve received or have a cracker of a crap camping gift let us know in the comments below.
Jeanette
Founder, Principal Blogger & Coffee Drinker
Coffee Lover | Travel Blogger | Horse Rider | Adventure Racer | Donut Dame. Generally nice lady-enjoys wine, indie movies & random dance parties in my tent.
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Travellers are some of the most financially savvy people you will ever meet.
Travellers are some of the most financially savvy people you will ever meet. Have you ever wondered how people afford to travel, invest & drink take away coffee?
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I have actually found quite interesting the list despite the fact that I never camped in my life! So definitely saving this for a future reference!
I didn’t realise that camping was the new “in” thing. Have always loved camping and I’d definitely say it’s part of the Aussie culture and lifestyle. My must is a fridge – particularly for long camping trips.
Yup it’s gotten even bigger here in Australia. Perhaps because it’s so easy and affordable to do.
I can’t say that I go camping very often but I thought I am prepared. To be honest, I’ve never thought about bringing flip-flops. Ingenious tip.
I’m feeling up for a Memorial Day “camping” trip at the moment. Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll contemplate them while sipping my beetroot latte.
I am saving it as my camping packing list. Small stove is actually a good idea as I am coffee freak and it would come very handy.
Slip on shoes!! Such a great suggestion. That’s seriously the one thing that I always manage to forget but always wish I had!
Nice post! I’ll keep your tips and tricks in mind for my next camp expedition! 🙂
All great camping accessories! Safety is important and I always remember to bring the first aid kit 🙂
OMG your opening paragraph is hilarious! I’ve been camping for decades though I do regularly enjoy smashed avocados. In which camp does that put me? 😉
The fun camp. I love avo too!
We fulltime RVed for 8 years but sold our RV last March 2017. Your post gave me happy memories!
Happy to help bring back the good memories!
I will have to pass this post link onto my husband. 😉 He is more of a camper than I am. I am more of a cabin gal, lol.
Hi Jeanette. Great post. You are so right, that camping options now take us from the truly simplistic, to the truly glamorous! You might be able to talk me into Glamping, but I fear my traditional camping days are over. But there definitely is no better way to connect with nature.
I do love the simplicity of camping but wouldnt be without a hot drink so the insulated mug is a must for me on any travels