Snowys Camping Show | Podcast

Sea to Summit Mosquito Net – Double

Shelters

Insect Protection

Thermacell Mosquito Repellent

Hardkorr Lifestyle 4 Bar Orange & White LED Camping Light Kit

Down Sleeping Bags

Synthetic Sleeping Bags

Gazebos

OZtrail Gazebos

Air Gazebos

Quest Outdoors Air Gazebo Tent 3.0

Zempire Aerobase Air Shelters

Zempire Roadiebase Air Shelters

Pegs, Poles & Repair

Podcasts:

Ep8 – Dealing with Wind & Rain When Camping

Ep127 – Managing Mouldy Gear

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep186 – All-Conditions Camp Comfort: Q&A Edition appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep185 – Pumped Up for the Outdoors

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 16 Nov 2025 03:12:46 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From lung-busting manual effort to push-button perfection, Ben and Lauren talk inflation innovation

In this episode, our gear gurus blow through Snowys’ comprehensive pump range from basic manual options to advanced 12V, 240V, and rechargeable powerhouses that handle both inflation and deflation. Be it PSI considerations, comparing compact solutions against mega pump monsters, and decoding the versatility differences that separate budget picks from premium performers – this conversation covers it all. Tune in to this comprehensive guide, designed for anyone who’s had enough of the puff!

Our gear gurus blow through Snowys’ comprehensive pump range.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:00 – Overview of the Snowys Pump Range

02:23 – Basic Pump Options (Inflation Only)

09:43 – Advanced Pump Options (Inflation and Deflation): 12V and 240V

15:04 – Rechargeable Pump Options

16:53 – Considering PSI

21:24 – Versatility of Rechargeable Pumps

21:48 – Compact Pump Options

29:05 – Mega Pump Options

32:24 – So… What Pumps for What?

34:14 – Zempire Supercell Vs Dometic Gale

37:23 – Valve Types

44:43 – Lauren and Ben’s Pumped Up Set-Up

48:56 – Summary

Mentioned in This Episode:

Products:

All Pumps

Sea to Summit Air Stream Dry Sack

OZtrail Air Pump 12V

Coleman Quickpump range

Zempire Monstapump Rechargeable Inflator/Deflator

FLEXTAIL Pumps

Exped Mega Pump

Dometic Gale 12V Pump

Zempire Supercell Pump

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep185 – Pumped Up for the Outdoors appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep184 – Communal Camping

Ben and Lauren — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 03:18:33 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Building campsite communities that actually work together…

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren tackle the art of communal camping, from Zempire’s clever Shape Shifter range built for group gatherings to Lauren’s recent multi-family camping lessons. Our gear gurus cover everything from coordinated trips to creating shared living zones with tarps, gazebos, and heavy-duty shelter solutions.

Listen up for the lowdown on how to set up the communal spaces that keep the crew connected, and Ben and Lauren’s take on how to maintain togetherness without the tension.

Listen up for the lowdown on how to set up the communal spaces that keep the crew connected.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:29 – Talking Zempire’s Shape Shifter Range

08:33 – Communal Camping: a ‘Joined’ System

09:58 – Lauren’s Recent Experience with Communal Camping

13:53 – How to Organise a Communal Camping Trip

16:24 – Setting Up for Communal Camping: Shelters and Tarps

19:04 – Gazebos

24:40 – Heavy-Duty Set-Up Options

26:29 – Summary

Mentioned in This Episode:

Products:

Zempire Shapeshifter range

Naturehike Cloud Skies Tarp

Oztent RV Touring Tents

Quest Outdoors Air Gazebo 3.0

OZtrail Gazebo Portico Deluxe 3.0M

OZtrail Hiker Fly

Podcasts & Blogs:

Ep179 – Dynamic Shelter Solutions

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep184 – Communal Camping appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep183 – From The Archives: Fire Ban Seasons with the CFS

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 21:37:34 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

They’re our hot weather heroes…

…fighting the flames and forewarning the community of dangerous conditions. While every state and territory have a rural fire service of their own, Ben and Lauren chat with Phil from the South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS) and extinguish any confusion around Fire Ban Seasons.

From considerations in campfire cooking, to seeking the right refuge – in this heated throwback episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Phil cools the coals and clarifies all regulations that are relevant to travellers and tourers during the Fire Danger periods.

Phil from the South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS) extinguishes confusion surrounding the Fire Ban Seasons.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:50 – Introducing Phil from the CFS

01:43 – Gas Stove Regulations

04:16 – Travelling During the High Season

08:17 – Radios

09:14 – Protection in Bushfire-Risk Zones

13:08 – Bushfire Refuges

18:04 – Travelling on Foot

20:36 – Identifying a Fire

22:59 – The Fire Ban Season: Unpacked

28:03 – Braziers and Above-Ground Fires

29:20 – Comfort Fires

29:57 – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Legislation

32:15 – “Gas” Stove Terminology

33:33 – Use of Gas Appliances

35:30 – Generators

37:45 – Induction Cooktops

40:00 – Extinguishing a Fire

45:08 – Find Out More or Get Involved!

Mentioned in This Episode:

Products:

Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)

Solar and power devices

Other:

What Can I Do / What Can’t I Do?

Bushfire Safer Places and Bushfire Last Resort Refuges

Emergency WA – Fire Danger Ratings

CFS SA – Fire Danger Season Dates

Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service – Campfires and Cooking

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep183 – From The Archives: Fire Ban Seasons with the CFS appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep182 – Warm Nights, Dry Mornings: Rooftop Tent Tips

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 01:43:40 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

When morning dew hits new heights…

Ben and Lauren tackle the challenges of heat and condensation in rooftop tents, touching on how materials, insulation, and ventilation affect your overnight microclimate. Our gear gurus unpack the Inspired Overland Stargazer to illustrate smart design solutions, as well as cover the differences between standard and rooftop tents and the real causes of moisture buildup.

Tune in for your guide to staying dry while camping high!

Ben and Lauren cover the real causes of moisture buildup.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:18 – Condensation While Camping

01:42 – The Inspired Overland Stargazer

03:38 – Addressing Condensation and Heat with Rooftop Tents

04:19 – Insulation

07:05 – Considering Materials for Heat Absorption

07:44 – Choosing When to Camp

08:45 – Standard Tents Vs Rooftop Tents

09:14 – Considering Condensation

12:38 – Causes of and Solutions to Condensation

18:10 – Ventilation

18:50 – Summary

Mentioned in This Episode:

Products:

Inspired Overland Stargazer Duo Rooftop Tent

Camping Tents

Rooftop Tents

Podcasts & Blogs:

Ep9 – Dealing With Tent Condensation

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep182 – Warm Nights, Dry Mornings: Rooftop Tent Tips appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep181 – Lightweight Rooftop Tents: What’s New

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 06 Oct 2025 00:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

The minimalist movement: rooftop tents cutting weight without compromise

Ben and Lauren climb the ladder of the latest lightweight rooftop tent innovations, from 23ZERO’s Super Lite range to Inspired Overland’s carbon fibre brilliance and Darche’s detachable designs. Our gear gurus examine the critical trade-offs between shedding kilos and sacrificing features, explore how new materials and technology are pushing boundaries, and reveal what’s coming down the pipeline like Inspired Overland’s Trailpeak.

From removable features allowing customisable weight versus functionality, to integrated lighting and power points for convenience without bulk – this episode is essential listening for anyone chasing that sweet spot between roof rack-friendly weight and ultimate camping comfort – because sometimes less is more if you’re not losing what matters.

Ben and Lauren climb the ladder of the latest lightweight rooftop tent innovations!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:48 – The Latest in Lightweight Rooftop Tents

02:06 – Reflecting on Ep178

03:22 – 23ZERO Dakota Super Lite Rooftop Tent

04:35 – 23ZERO Saber Super Lite Rooftop Tent

05:44 – 23ZERO Saber Vert-X1450 Hard Shell and Super Fly Lightweight Rooftop Tent

07:12 – Lightweight Vs Features: Determining the Trade-Off

08:54 – Inspired Overland XL Lightweight and Carbonlite Rooftop Tent

09:55 – Inspired Overland Stargazer Duo Rooftop Tent

10:49 – Coming Soon: Inspired Overland Trailpeak Rooftop Tent

12:44 – Darche Detachable Rooftop Tent

13:13 – Front Runner Roof Top Tent

13:52 – Inspired Overland Standard and Carbonlite: Removable Features

16:35 – Technology, Materials, and Sacrifices in Lightweight Rooftop Tents

24:00 – Sleeping Gear and Bedding

25:36 – Integrated Lighting, Power Points, and Other Features

26:27 – Final Thoughts

28:08 – Summary

Mentioned in This Episode:

Products:

23ZERO Dakota Super Lite Rooftop Tent

23ZERO Saber Super Lite Rooftop Tent

23ZERO Saber Vert-X 1450 Hard Shell

23ZERO Super Fly Lightweight Rooftop Tent

Inspired Overland Standard Lightweight Rooftop Tent

Inspired Overland XL Lightweight

Inspired Overland Carbonlite Rooftop Tent

Inspired Overland Stargazer Duo Rooftop Tent

Darche Detachable Rooftop Tent

Front Runner Roof Top Tent

Podcasts & Blogs:

Ep176 – Our 8 Hottest Rooftop Tents

Ep178 – The Best Vehicles to Camp Out Of

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep181 – Lightweight Rooftop Tents: What’s New appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep180 – Stack It & Strap It! Tubs & Tie-Downs

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 01:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From chaos to cargo control, without feeling tied-down…

Ben and Lauren expand on their previous episode, Ep171 – Roof Rack Storage, with a deep dive into the abundance of tubs, bags, containers, and strapping systems that keep your gear tight and together. In that, they discuss cam buckle reliability, and the pros and cons of ratchet straps, bungee cords, and occy straps for different securing scenarios.

From hard tubs versus soft storage options and dedicated roof rack-style containers, to settling the age-old debate of straps versus ropes – this episode bears the load.

This episode bears the load!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:07 – A Spin-Off of Ep171: Roof Rack Storage

02:48 – Hard Tubs and Storage Boxes

09:13 – Dedicated Roof Rack-Style Tubs

10:18 – Soft Options and Storage Bags

14:00 – Straps Vs Ropes

14:49 – Ben’s Take on Ropes and Knots

17:33 – Cam Buckle Straps

19:57 – Bungee, Occy, and Stretch Straps

14:07 – Ratchet Straps

28:44 – Ben’s Recommendation

29:32 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Frontrunner Wolfpack Pro Stackable Storage Box

Dometic GO Portable Hard Storage

OZtrail Canvas Duffle Bag

Darche Nero

23ZERO Transpac 60L Bag

Sea to Summit Duffle Bags

Caribee Titan 50L Gear Bag

Monkey Grip CB straps

Monkey Grip Ratchet Tie Downs

Sea to Summit Tie Downs

KickAss Cam Buckle Straps

Darche Cam Buckle Tie Down 2 Pack

Wildtrak Leisure Australia Heavy Duty Bungee Cords

Podcasts & Blogs:

Ep171 – Roof Rack Storage

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep180 – Stack It & Strap It! Tubs & Tie-Downs appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep179 – Dynamic Shelter Solutions

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 02:25:34 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

The shape-shifting camp shelters in the outdoor space as we know it!

Ben and Lauren tackle the clever world of shelter systems that adapt to your outdoor adventures and expanding families. Our gear gurus examine setups from the Oztent RV5 to Zempire’s tent cities, explore modular brilliance of multi-structure setups, and discuss how investing in foundational tents with smart add-ons beats constantly upgrading your full kit.

Tune in for a camper’s guide to having gear that grows with you – not dictates your limits!

Ben and Lauren tackle the clever world of shelter systems that adapt to your outdoor adventures and expanding families.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:49 – Setups That Can Grow With You

06:09 – Ben’s Current Setup with the Oztent RV5

09:05 – The BlackWolf Turbo Range

11:05 – Adapting Your Setup Footprint to Suit the Campsite

11:55 – Modular Setups for Fairweather Camping

17:47 – Benefits of Investing in Foundational Tents with Add-Ons

20:58 – The Evolution of Camping Options

24:43 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Coleman Instant Up 10P Lighted Northstar Darkroom tent

Oztent RV-5 Canvas Touring Tent

Oztent RX-5 Tent + Panel System & Floor

OZtrail Gazebo Portico Deluxe 3.0M

Quest Outdoors Air Gazebo Tent 3.0

Zempire Aerobase tents

Zempire Link Living System

YouTube:

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep179 – Dynamic Shelter Solutions appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep178 – The Best Vehicles to Camp Out Of

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 01:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From slick family sedans to more rugged rigs, Ben and Lauren discuss how to choose your camping chariot…

From Lauren’s efficient car setup to wicked 4WD configurations, our gear gurus explore how different vehicles suit different camping approaches. It’s the practical stuff that matters – payload limits, towing capacity, hidden costs, and listener feedback on everything from wagons to dual-cabs. The conversation includes clever solutions like sedan camping setups and how lightweight rooftop tents are expanding options for smaller vehicles.

Tune in for essential, go-to guidance that reveals your ride’s role in camping adventures – and if it can handle your outdoor ambitions!

Tune in for essential, go-to guidance that reveals your ride’s role in camping adventures.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:45 – Hardcore Vehicle Setups

03:40 – Lauren’s Car Camping Setup

07:52 – Considering Your Camping Setup and Style

08:47 – Feedback From Others: Covering 4WDs, Vans, Wagons, Utes, and SUVs

12:01 – Towing a Trailer

13:21 – Considering Payload

18:49 – Katrina’s Grand Sedan Setup!

20:39 – Setups for Efficiency and Accessibility

22:17 – Considering Hidden Costs

24:50 – Ben’s Suggested Starting Point

27:58 – Lightweight Rooftop Tents in SUV Setups

29:12 – 4WD, Wagon, and Dual-Cab Setups

31:40 – Enhancing a Sedan Setup

35:11 – Camping Options for Compact Setups

39:54 – Considering Extension Cords and Power Plugs

41:40 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Inspired Overland rooftop tents

Camping tents

Gazebos

RacksBrax

Zempire Aerospeed tents

Hardkorr U-Lite Dual Colour LED Lanterns 4 Pack

OZtrail Loomie Line String Lights

Hardkorr LED Light Bar systems

JetBoil Genesis Basecamp Stove

KickAss QuickFire Portable 2000W Induction Cooktop

Westinghouse Induction Cooktops

Power Cables & Accessories

Podcasts and Blogs:

Ep110 – Car Camping Without Cramming

Understanding 12V Battery & Solar Setups for Camping and 4WDing

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep178 – The Best Vehicles to Camp Out Of appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep177 – Blockout Tents: Yay or Nay?

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 01:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

In the dark about Blockout technology? Ben and Lauren address the great debate dividing the tent world…

In this episode, our outdoor experts tackle one of camping’s most polarising fabric technologies – blockout coatings that promise pitch-black mornings but deliver heated tent controversies.

A camping luxury, or an expensive “solution” to an inevitable aspect of outdoor living? From sleeping soundly through the sunrise to waking in oven-like conditions, and exploring the affect of light-blocking treatments and enhanced materials on durability, waterhead ratings, pack weight, and performance – this conversation covers the science behind fabric coatings, the fundamental tension between ventilation and insulation, and the unbeatable bliss of simply waking up with the sun.

A camping luxury, or an expensive solution to an inevitable aspect of outdoor living?

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:22 – Blockout Technology

02:19 – Tent Ventilation Vs Insulation

04:37 – Pros of Blockout Technology

06:44 – Cons of Blockout Technology

09:41 – The Impact of Fabric Coatings on Durability and Waterhead Ratings

13:47 – Weight Considerations of Fabric Coatings

15:43 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

All tents and shelters

Zempire camping tents

OZtrail camping tents

Coleman camping tents

Podcasts and Blogs:

Ep138 – Zempire: Innovating the Outdoors with Richard Knauf

Ep163 – What Makes a Fabric Waterproof?

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep177 – Blockout Tents: Yay or Nay? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep176 – Our 8 Hottest Rooftop Tents

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 01:42:57 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

The Elite Eight! Our rooftop tent options that elevate every campsite setup…

Ben and Lauren scale the heights of rooftop tent excellence, breaking down their top eight picks from powerhouse brands like 23ZERO, Darche, and Inspired Overland. Our gear gurus compare equivalent models across manufacturers, and explore everything from detachable designs to solar-integrated solutions. The conversation covers lightweight alternatives for weight-conscious campers, brands beyond the Snowys shelves, and confessions of their own rooftop tent FOMO!

The best elevated sleeping isn’t just about getting off the ground, it’s about not breaking the bank – or your roof racks!

Ben and Lauren break down their top eight picks from powerhouse brands like Inspired Overland.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:10 – Top Rooftop Tent Brands

03:24 – 23ZERO Rooftop Tents

10:58 – Darche Rooftop Tents

18:00 – Darche and 23ZERO’s Equivalent Rooftop Tent Models

19:06 – Inspired Overland Ultralight Rooftop Tents

23:53 – Lightweight Rooftop Tent Alternatives

26:56 – Darche Detachable Rooftop Tent

28:24 – Darche Solar Rooftop Tent

29:45 – Coming Soon From 23ZERO

30:17 – Rooftop Tent Brands Beyond the Snowys Shelves

31:00 – Ben and Lauren’s Rooftop Tent FOMO?!

33:03 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

All rooftop tents

23ZERO rooftop tents

Darche rooftop tents

Inspired Overland rooftop tents

Podcasts and Blogs:

Ep114 – Rooftop Tents With Dave & Jacob From Snowys Brendale

Ep125 – Rooftop Tents, Awnings, & Everything OZtrail 2024 with Michael & Ben

Ep165 – Revolutionised Rooftop Tents With Inspired Overland

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep176 – Our 8 Hottest Rooftop Tents appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep175 – How Much Water to Carry

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 01:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Your liquid lifeline: a guide to water wisdom when you’re miles from a water main!

You can’t go hiking or camping without water. Why? Ben and Lauren tackle the topic water storage and rationing while camping, suggesting how much H2O separates a successful adventure from a survival situation. From Ben’s recommended daily drinking quantities to the reserves that could save your bacon, our gear gurus address the sobering reality of basic survival minimums. The conversation flows through emergency versus everyday calculations, smart storage solutions, and the best refilling strategies for different expedition styles.

Water planning isn’t just another box to tick – it prevents your outdoor adventures from becoming waterborne wake-up calls!

Water planning prevents your outdoor adventures from becoming waterborne wake-up calls!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:27 – Water Storage, Refilling, and How Much to Carry

03:33 – How Much Water to Carry, Daily: A Serious Topic

05:32 – Ben’s Suggested Quantity of Drinking Water

07:00 – Additional Water Rations and Reserves

08:25 – The Least Amount of Water Needed for “Basic Survival”

10:30 – Calculating Water Rations: Day to Day Vs Emergencies

14:44 – Water Storage

15:40 – Best Options for Refilling

18:41 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

All Food & Water Storage

Bulk Water Storage

Hoses and Filters

Jerry cans

Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter System 4 Litre

Sawyer Filter/Filtration Systems

Katadyn Micropur Forte Tablets

Podcasts and Blogs:

Ep14 – Water Storage Options for Camping

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep175 – How Much Water to Carry appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep174 – Canvas Vs Synthetic Tents

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 01:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

The age-old tent tussle: canvas champions versus synthetic titans…

This episode unpacks Ben and Lauren’s pitch on a deceptively simple yet loaded question: which out of canvas or synthetic tents are the most superior for various types of outdoor adventuring? Our gear gurus start by laying down the foundation; addressing primary differences in weight, durability, and water resistance, while considering how your camping style influences the best choice.

From lighter canvas innovations, keeping natural fibres dry, and the trade-offs between robustness and portability, to why sacrificing features for simplicity might be the ultimate weight-saving strategy – tune in for a comprehensive guide that proves the ‘better’ tent is simply what suits your style of adventure.

Tune in for a comprehensive guide that proves the ‘better’ tent is simply what suits your style of adventure.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:23 – Canvas Vs Synthetic Tents: Which Is ‘Better’?

03:24 – Primary Differences

04:54 – Canvas Tents: Weight, Durability and Water Resistance

05:55 – Synthetic Tents: Weight, Durability and Water Resistance

06:51 – Types of Camping and Duration of Stay

08:38 – Lighter Canvas

09:10 – Keeping Canvas Dry

09:32 – Best for Longevity and Robustness

10:12 – Best for Lightweight Portability

11:09 – Which Tent Suits What You’re Doing?

13:19 – Ben’s First Mid-Episode Sneeze!

13:30 – Saving Weight: Sacrificing Features for Simplicity

14:39 – Rooftop Tents

15:11 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Canvas tents

Synthetic tents

Oztent RV Canvas Touring Tents

Darche Safari Touring Tents

Zempire Air Tents

Coleman Instant Up Tents

OZtrail Fast Frame Tents

Dome tents

Podcasts and Blogs:

Ep113 – Our Pitch on Picking a Tent

Best Family Camping Tents for 2025

Best 4WD & Touring Tents for 2025

Pitch Perfect: Choosing the Right Tent

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep174 – Canvas Vs Synthetic Tents appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep173 – Non-EN-Rated Sleeping Bags

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 11 Aug 2025 01:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

The sleeping bag rebels going rogue on ratings!

Ben and Lauren dive into non-EN-rated sleeping bags, explaining why these rating renegades might actually be onto something! Our gear gurus decode what EN standards really tell you (and what they don’t), and introduce their very own Snowys rating – focusing on real-world warmth over laboratory perfection.

The conversation covers Lauren’s field-tested, cold-weather survival tactics, warranty claims that’ll leave you out in the cold, and Ben’s refreshingly honest take on why some of the best bags don’t always boast a certification.

The sleeping bag rebels going rogue on ratings!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:46 – Sleeping Bags Without an EN Rating

02:56 – EN Ratings: What Are They and What Do They Mean?

06:18 – Contributing Factors to How Well We Sleep

08:40 – The ‘Snowys’ Rating

09:52 – Reputable Sleeping Bag Brands Without EN Ratings

10:55 – Lauren’s Cold-Weather Sleep System

13:45 – Comparing Sleeping Bag Models

15:50 – What’s Not A Warranty Claim

16:34 – Ben’s Conclusion

17:32 – Being Dynamic With Your Sleep Setup

20:28 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

All sleeping bags

Coleman sleeping bags

Darche sleeping bags

23ZERO sleeping bags

OZtrail sleeping bags

Podcasts and Blogs:

The Best Sleeping Bags for Camping: 2025 Review

Ep102 – Sleeping Bags Unpacked

Zempire Monstabeds – Single and Twin

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep173 – Non-EN-Rated Sleeping Bags appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep172 – Getting Back Into Camping

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 04 Aug 2025 01:19:01 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Your camping comeback: when the great outdoors feels a little too great…

Ben and Lauren tackle the daunting prospect of returning to camping, addressing everything from solo adventure anxiety to navigating gear choices with physical limitations and tight budgets. Our gear gurus break down the sleep system essentials that actually matter, decode camp cooking without the complexity, pull up a seat to discuss why your choice of chair can make a difference, and lay everything out on the table about how the ultimate slat-top can elevate your time outdoors.

A go-getting, geared-up guide for anyone who’s as ready to get out there as they are frozen at the front door – tune in for the conversation that paves the way for your new outdoor mojo!

A go-getting, geared-up guide for anyone who’s as ready to get out there as they are frozen at the front door!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:17 – The Intimidating Side of Camping Alone

04:01 – Getting Back into Camping as a Beginner with Limitations

07:26 – Sleep Systems: Sleeping Bags and Mattresses

16:11 – Food Storage, Prep, and Cooking

23:13 – Tables

29:04 – Chairs

35:10 – The Two Camp Items Not to Skimp On…

36:04 – Summary

36:41 – Ben’s Suggestion For a Tent

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

OZtrail 3D Fatmat

Coleman Pilbara sleeping bags

Coleman Mudgee sleeping bags

Sea To Summit Basecamp Down Sleeping Bag

Darche Cold Mountain sleeping bags

23ZERO Arctic Black sleeping bags

EvaKool IceKool iceboxes

Wandalite tables and chairs

Food & Water Storage

Wildtrak Leisure Australia Compact 70cm Table

Zempire Kitpac Pro Camping Tables

Zempire Slatpac Camp Tables

Quest Outdoors Camp Tables

Quest Outdoors Versalite BBQ 120 Multi Height Table

Helinox Chairs

Darche Revolver Chair

Darche Flat Pack Chair

BlackWolf Compact Directors Chair

Frontrunner Expanders Camping Chair

OZtrail King Goanna Chair

OZtrail Cooler Arm Chair

Coleman King Cooler Arm Chair

Zempire Aerospeed 6 Air Tent

Podcasts and Blogs:

Ep13 – Camping on a Budget

Ep39 – Fridges Vs. Iceboxes

Ep153 – Fridge Capacity: Is Bigger Better?

Ep64 – Compare the Chairs

Best Camp Chairs for 2025

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep172 – Getting Back Into Camping appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep171 – Roof Rack Storage

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 23:36:23 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From forehead tattoos to foolproof roof rack setups…

Our podcast playlist is officially racking up with this week’s packed-in episode of content that stacks up!

First, Lauren asks the million-dollar question that tests Ben’s brand loyalty – before our gear gurus tackle the art of roof rack storage without losing your gear to the elements. The conversation covers waterproofing strategies, Ben’s personal setup secrets, and his top three tips for keeping everything secure and accessible. Our outdoor experts debate the merits of top-loading versus end-loading waterproof bags, explore different packing philosophies, and prove that there’s more than one way to conquer roof rack organisation.

Shout it from the roof racks, and tune in for the ultimate guide to practical packing up top!

This week’s episode is packed with content that stacks up!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:08 – Lauren Asks: Would Ben Tattoo a Brand Name on His Forehead for $1M?

04:09 – The Best Way to Stow Gear on Your Roof Rack

04:23 – Waterproofing Gear on a Roof Rack: Is it Possible?

07:05 – Ben’s Roof Rack System: Setup and Waterproofing

10:48 – Ben’s Top 3 Tips to Roof Rack Storage

11:40 – Top-Loading Vs End-Loading Waterproof Bags

17:27 – There’s No Right or Wrong Way…

18:22 – Closing Comments and Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Darche Nero Gear Bags

Caribee Expedition Waterproof Kit Bag

23ZERO Transpac 60L Bag

Tiegear Tie-Downs

OZtrail Heavy Duty Poly Tarp

Rightline Gear Moki Ascent Car Door Step

Podcasts and Blogs:

The Ultimate Guide to 4WD Roof Racks

Ep148 – How to Mount a Roof Top Tent

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep171 – Roof Rack Storage appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep170 – The Snowys Story with Richard Wescombe

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 17:03:38 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From shearing sheep and dishing pizza to doorsteps, to shepherding outdoor adventurers with the right gear, get-up, and guidance…

Ben unlocks the rich, robust, entrepreneurial past of Snowys Outdoors founder Richard Wescombe, from his humble beginnings to today’s outdoor retail royalty. Richard’s early ventures with Dial-A-Dino’s pizza delivery service, Stanford Mowers, and Ring-A-Ling Brothers Chinese food together built the solid foundation of experience and know-how to found his proudest establishment and asset to every Aussie adventurer – Snowys Outdoors.

From the inspiration behind the Snowys brand to the art of building a team that sticks around, Richard tells a story of true grit, Aussie wit, and team spirit, underpinned by his all-too authentic passion for people. Tune in for a feel-good, warm-and-fuzzy discussion about a business driven not by dollars and cents, but customer service, collaboration, and connection.

The business driven not by dollars and cents, but customer service, collaboration, and connection.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:31 – Introducing Founder of Snowys Outdoors, Richard Wescombe

02:12 – From Humble Beginnings on a Sheep Farm

05:19 – Richard’s Business Portfolio

06:06 – Dial-A Dino’s

08:54 – Remembering Greg

09:58 – Stanford Mowers

10:46 – Ring-A-Ling Brothers

12:04 – Building the Snowys Brand: The Inspiration, Name, and Logo

16:01 – The Adelaide Market in 1995

18:15 – Richard’s Approach to Choosing the Right Team

19:59 – The Evolution of Snowys’ Advertising

21:51 – Ben: A Snowys Asset!

24:56 – ‘Build Your Own Brand’: Richard’s Philosophy on Fostering Employee Growth

25:52 – Branding Strategies

27:55 – Snowys Brand Values: the ‘Why’ Behind the Business

29:18 – Growing the Snowys’ Web Business and E-Commerce

34:45 – Challenges and Set Backs

40:27 – Business Expansion

43:46 – Opening the Snowys Stores

47:28 – The ‘Leaner’ Team of Today: Efficient, Committed, and Multi-Skilled

49:09 – Phasing Out Footwear and Apparel

52:58 – Doubling Down on Snowys Principles

55:20 – The Feathers in Ben’s Cap

56:11 – Running a Family Business

01:00:15 – Richard’s Dreams for Snowys Outdoors

01:04:05 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

‘Dial a Dino’s’ Pizza Delivery

Stanford Mowers

Snowys Outdoors

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep170 – The Snowys Story with Richard Wescombe appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep169 – Gear Up: Top 10 Best Sellers Right Now!

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 17:07:08 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

The gear that’s got everyone going!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren bust open the bag and let cat go rogue – revealing the top 10 best sellers that are flying off the Snowys’ shelves!

From the ever-proving-popular Hard Korr lanterns to Darche’s Cold Mountain sleeping bags that boast superior warmth for a bargain – our gear gurus decode what’s driving these camping cravings, and which products are genuinely worth the hype.

Ben and Lauren decode what’s driving the camping cravings!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:33 – Top 10 Best Sellers

02:20 – Hard Korr U-Lite Dual Colour LED Lanterns

03:57 – Rock Tamers Mud Flaps

06:00 – Oricom Wireless Reversing Camera

08:03 – Exped Mega Pump

11:28 – KickAss 12V 120Ah Deep Cycle AGM Battery

14:29 – KickAss Portable Vacuum Cleaner

17:30 – Milenco Mirrors

20:52 – Muk Mats

22:21 – Exped MegaMat Max

24:45 – Darche Cold Mountain Sleeping Bags

29:48 – Other Best Sellers

32:30 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts and Blogs:

Ep145 – New Year, New Gear

Products:

Hard Korr U-Lite Dual Colour LED Lanterns 4-Pack

Darche Mini Multi LED Camp Light 3-Pack

Rock Tamers Mudflap Systems

Oricom Wireless Reversing Camera with Magnetic Base WRC001

Exped Mega Pump

KickAss 12V 120Ah Deep Cycle AGM Battery

KickAss Portable Vacuum Cleaner

Milenco Mirrors

Darche Cold Mountain Sleeping Bags

Exped MegaMat Max

Hex Pegs

Aqua Soft Toilet Paper 6-Pack

Joolca GottaGo Modular Separating Toilets

Gear Aid Seam Grip

Tiegear STEADFAST Guy Ropes

OZtrail Loomie Line String Lights

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep169 – Gear Up: Top 10 Best Sellers Right Now! appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep168 – Sea to Summit Sleep Mats with Ross Smith

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 22:41:26 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From sleeping rough to sleeping right, we hear from the mat masters!

Ben and Lauren roll out the welcome mat for their all-time favourite guest, Ross from Sea to Summit, to discuss the ins, outs, and updates to their sleeping mat range. Our gear gurus explore the impact of global legislation on manufacturing, unpack updates to the Ether Light series, and discover the science behind the Delta Core technology in the Pursuit range. Plus, Ross hints at some developments still on the down-low, while Lauren declares that gear aesthetics aren’t optional – they’re scientific fact!

Tune in for insider insights from the brand turning rough ground into royal slumber.

Ben and Lauren roll out the welcome mat for their all-time favourite guest, Ross from Sea to Summit.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:04 – Introducing Our All-Time Favourite: Ross from Sea to Summit!

02:12 – The Changes to Legislation and Manufacturing of Sleeping Mats

04:05 – Balancing Legislative Requirements Across the Globe

04:46 – Updates to the Sea to Summit Ether Light Series

09:47 – Durability and Reliability of a Sea to Summit Sleeping Mat

16:30 – Minimising Leaks

17:49 – Mat Insulation

21:52 – Gender-Specific Sleeping Mats Vs Bags

24:01 – R-Value

25:02 – Updates to the Sea to Summit Pursuit Self-Inflating Mats

27:32 – Delta Core Technology

29:53 – Where Does the Pursuit Sit in Sea to Summit’s Current Range?

32:13 – Pack Size

34:21 – Sea to Summit Sleep Systems: Is There a Magic Combination?

35:45 – An Ideal Sleep System for an Adelaidean

37:21 – Updates to Pillows, Accessories, and Sleep Systems

39:15 – Considering Colours

41:14 – Lauren’s Stance on Underestimating Aesthetics: ‘You Can’t, It’s Science!’

42:16 – Summary: Secrets and Exciting News?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts and Blogs:

Ep106 – Sea to Summit Tents with Ross Smith

Ep109 – Behind the Scenes with Sea to Summit

Products:

Sea to Summit Sleeping Mats

Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Insulated Air Sleeping Mat

Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated Air Sleeping Mat

Sea to Summit Pursuit Self Inflating Mat

Sea to Summit Pursuit Plus Self Inflating Mat

Sea to Summit Reactor Liners

Sea to Summit Aeros Down Pillow

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep168 – Sea to Summit Sleep Mats with Ross Smith appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep167 – The HipCamp Story & 5 Hidden Camping Gems

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 15:46:09 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Reshaping outdoor access, one private paddock at a time…

In this episode, Ben and Lauren pull up a chair at the campsite with HipCamp’s Global Social Media Strategist, Brooke, to discuss how this clever concept is solving the camping shortage by unlocking access to private properties. Our gear gurus explore the journey from ‘YouCamp’ beginnings to navigating state regulations, booking systems, and the fine art of balancing host happiness with camper satisfaction. The conversation covers self-contained camping requirements, community reviews, and the ongoing tussle with local council red tape – plus, Brooke reveals five hidden camping gems that remain humbly off the beaten track.

Brooke reveals five hidden camping gems that remain humbly off the beaten track.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:28 – Introducing Brooke from HipCamp

03:00 – From YouCamp to HipCamp

07:10 – What Makes HipCamp Different?

08:40 – More Than Just a Camping Airbnb…

10:10 – State Rules and Regulations

11:25 – Listings

13:34 – Booking Through HipCamp

16:12 – Hosting on HipCamp: Facilities Vs Self-Contained Camping

20:40 – Reviews: Support for Hosts and Campers

29:51 – Hosting on HipCamp

30:48 – Aligning with State Rules and Regulations

39:14 – The Scenic Rim Petition

45:00 – 5 Hidden Camping Gems

49:20 – The HipCamp Social Media Community

51:14 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts and Blogs:

Ep161 – Ghost Camping Crackdown and a Camping Fee Overhaul

Other:

HipCamp

The Scenic Rim

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep167 – The HipCamp Story & 5 Hidden Camping Gems appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep166 – Is It Normal for Your Tent to Get Flooded?

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 02:26:57 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

That sinking feeling of a flooded tent: are they an unfortunate reality or a gear failure red flag?

Ben and Lauren drain the delusion from this soggy subject by diving into condensation versus leakage, separating the drips from deluges, and revealing which tent floor materials keep you high and dry. Plus, our gear gurus explain what happens when the weather stress-tests every stitch and seam.

Tune in for a no-nonsense guide that reassures campers their shelter should repel water – not collect it!

Tune in for a no-nonsense guide that reassures campers their shelter should repel water – not collect it!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:59 – Is It Normal for Your Tent to Get Flooded?

02:00 – Firstly – NO!

02:51 – Some Exceptions and Condensation

05:50 – Condensation Vs Leakage

09:58 – Best Types of Tent Floors

15:39 – Unprecedented Rain

16:37 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Family Camping Tents

Hiking Tents

Ep165 – What Makes a Fabric Waterproof?

Podcasts and Blogs:

Ep9 – Dealing with Tent Condensation

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep166 – Is It Normal for Your Tent to Get Flooded? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep165 – Revolutionised Rooftop Tents with Inspired Overland

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 21:09:01 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From heavyweight tradition to featherweight innovation: we meet the tent techs who have taken over!

Ben and Lauren sit down with Ferdinand and Ronnie from Inspired Overland to unpack how they’re reshaping the rooftop tent game with cutting-edge carbon fibre technology. Our gear gurus explore the journey from hobby project to global distribution, the sacrifices made to keep weight down without compromising durability, and the community-focused values that drive their product development.

The conversation covers everything from materials and manufacturing processes to consumer feedback and future innovations. Tune in for a fascinating look at how obsessing over every gram can transform your camping experience – proving that sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from thinking lighter, not larger!

Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come from thinking lighter, not larger!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:46 – Introducing Ferdinand and Ronnie from Inspired Overland

10:17 – The Viral Video

11:44 – The Products: a Hobby Vs a Job

15:47 – Staying Loyal to Lightweightness: The Sacrifices

16:53 – From Concept to Distribution

20:20 – A Community-Focused Company

25:44 – Ferdinand’s Background

27:37 – Shout-Out to Ronnie’s Clothing Brand: Highland Trail Club!

26:55 – Materials: Talking Durability

32:30 – Innovation and Consumer Feedback

41:15 – Inspired Overland’s Global Representation

45:10 – Sponsorships and Reviews

48:05 – Other Parts and Products

50:12 – The Carbon Fibre Manufacturing Process

54:30 – The Downside of Carbon Fibre?

55:41 – The Stargazer

59:58 – The Future of Inspired Overland

1:05:00 – Less Weight, More Fun! How Weight Affects Your Camping Experience

1:09:00 – Final Words

1:11:35 – See You at the National 4X4 Outdoors Show in Sydney!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep165 – Revolutionised Rooftop Tents with Inspired Overland appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep164 – How to Choose a Headlamp

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 20:55:04 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

In this episode, Ben and Lauren have several lightbulb moments…

Our gear gurus navigate the headlamp highway, shedding light on choosing the perfect hands-free lighting solution for your outdoor adventures. This 25-minute breakdown is as bright as it is tight, exploring the technical details from lumens versus lux ratings to flood versus spotlight beam patterns.

The conversation covers power options, red light function, and practical considerations for both night hiking and campsite dynamics. Tune in for illuminating advice on how to choose the best headlamp for you!

Our gear gurus shed light on choosing the perfect hands-free lighting solution for your outdoor adventures.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:48 – How to Choose a Headlamp

02:53 – Ben and Lauren’s Headlamps

04:29 – The Petzl Range

05:41 – Lumens

08:19 – Lux

09:07 – Night Hiking

09:57 – Flood and Spotlight Beam

11:03 – Value for Money

12:28 – How a Headlamp is Powered

16:46 – The Red Light Function

18:49 – Petzl Vs Black Diamond

22:49 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

Products:

Petzl Tikkina 300 Headlamp

Petzl Tikka 350 Headlamp

Petzl Tikka Core 450 Headlamp

Petzl Swift RL 1100 Headlamp

Black Diamond Spot 400 Headlamps

Black Diamond Cosmos 350 Headlamps

Hardkorr headlamps

Podcasts and Blogs:

Best Headlamps for Hiking & Camping – 2025 Review

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep164 – How to Choose a Headlamp appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep163 – What Makes a Fabric Waterproof?

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 01:43:45 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Water meets its match: fabric technologies demystified!

When it rains, it pours – but it doesn’t have to bore! In this episode, Ben is presented with another opportunity to geek out, and this time our gear gurus unfold the complex world of waterproof fabrics. From the fundamental differences between waterproof, water-resistant, and water-repellent, to hydrostatic head ratings and coatings – Ben and Lauren decode every last drop.

The conversation flows through PE versus PU treatments, siliconised fabrics, laminated materials, and the beading beauty of DWR coatings. Tune in for a masterclass in fabric technology that proves keeping dry is equal parts chemistry, engineering, and outdoor know-how!

From the differences between waterproof, water-resistant, and water-repellent, to hydrostatic head ratings – Ben and Lauren decode every last drop.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:45 – Another Excuse for Ben to Geek Out…

02:06 – Waterproof, Water-Resistant, and Water-Repellant

03:55 – Maintaining Realistic Expectations

06:23 – Waterhead and Hydrostatic Head

08:49 – Coatings and Laminations

11:37 – Hydrophilic Coatings and Preventing Hydrolysis

13:01 – PE Vs PU Coatings

13:53 – Siliconised Fabrics

15:21 – Laminated Fabrics

16:23 – Durable Water Repellant (DWR)

18:20 – Canvas Vs Polyester

27:14 – Re-Waterproofing

31:01 – Another Geek-Out Done!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

All camping tents

Canvas camping tents

Polyester camping tents

All swags

Canvas swags

Polyester swags

Podcasts and Blogs:

Tent Waterhead Ratings: Explained

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep163 – What Makes a Fabric Waterproof? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep162 – All About myCOOLMAN with Charlie Graham

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 25 May 2025 23:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

A deep-freeze dive into myCOOLMAN with the guy who keeps his cool for a living…

Staying cool under pressure is both an art and a science. In this episode, Ben and Lauren sit down with myCOOLMAN’s Technical Sales and Product Specialist, Charlie Graham, to unpack what makes this Aussie fridge manufacturer tick. Our gear gurus explore the brand’s ground-up origins, tap into the Blue-Gen compressor technology, and discover the hidden features that set myCOOLMAN apart from the frosty competition.

From efficiency and quality control processes to battery integration and secrets to reducing noise, tune in for the cold, hard truth on how local engineering expertise builds the best fridges for Australian adventures.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren sit down with myCOOLMAN’s Technical Sales and Product Specialist, Charlie Graham.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:35 – Introducing Technical Sales and Product Specialist, Charlie Graham

08:26 – Brands Beneath the myCOOLMAN Umbrella

08:57 – The Origin of the myCOOLMAN Name

11:47 – The Team Involved From the Ground Up

14:44 – What Makes myCOOLMAN Different (and Better)?

18:14 – The Blue-Gen Compressor

26:35 – The Recreational Series

29:17 – myCOOLMAN’s Hidden Secrets and Features

32:03 – Efficiency

38:11 – Testing Standards and Quality Control

40:18 – Insulation

42:08 – Battery Power Packs

47:35 – Example myCOOLMAN Setup

49:43 – Reducing Noise

53:00 – Troubleshooting: Service Agents, Spare Parts, and Warranties

55:38 – The myCOOLMAN Aesthetic

1:04:00 – What’s in myCOOLMAN’s Future?

1:05:51 – Charlie’s Final Notes

1:09:48 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

Products:

All Fridges & Coolers

myCOOLMAN Fridges & Coolers

myCOOLMAN Portable Fridge Power Pack CPP15

myCOOLMAN Recreational Series

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep162 – All About myCOOLMAN with Charlie Graham appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep161- Ghost Camping Crackdown and a Camping Fee Overhaul

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 19 May 2025 17:48:22 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

No-shows, know-hows, and new fees: the camping reservation revolution…

In an episode as haunting as it is helpful, Ben and Lauren unpack the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service’s proposed camping fee reforms, from new facility-based pricing tiers to the crackdown on ‘ghost camping’ – the frustrating practice of booking sites that go unused. Our outdoor experts examine the results of the 2022 survey that sparked these changes, debate the effectiveness of various booking systems, and share their own approaches to responsible reservation practices.

From Ben’s unwritten campers’ code to comparing cancellation policies across Australia, tune in for an honest conversation about balancing access, affordability, and accountability in our cherished natural spaces.

Tune in for an honest conversation about balancing access, affordability, and accountability in our cherished natural spaces.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:17 – Camping Fees Reformed: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service

04:53 – Hipcamp

06:33 – Booking Systems

09:21 – 2022 Survey Topics of Note

10:41 – Fees and Charges

12:07 – The Proposal: Facility-Based Fees

14:40 – Unpacking the 6 Tiers: Inclusions and Party Numbers

17:34 – Cancellations

18:42 – Ghost Camping Crackdown

24:40 – Lauren’s Approach to Ghost Camping

29:05 – Last Minute Changes and Cancellations

30:50 – An Unsaid Campers’ Code!

35:25 – Addressing Ghost Camping as the Primary Issue

39:10 – Cancellation Policies in VIC, QLD, SA, and WA

41:13 – Speculative Bookings

43:33 – Lauren’s Key to Preventing Ghost Camping

45:25 – Feedback Due on May 25

46:10 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service

Hipcamp

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep161- Ghost Camping Crackdown and a Camping Fee Overhaul appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep160 – Decoding LP Gas & Choosing a Stove

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 12 May 2025 21:06:15 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Fueling your flames: the gas-tronomy of camp cooking…

Our gear gurus demystify LP gas and camping stoves, breaking down the crucial differences between high-pressure sizzlers and low-pressure simmers.

In a fired-up discussion, Ben and Lauren go from propane, n-butane, and isobutane science, to practical connections, canister considerations, and selecting stoves that best suit your style of camp cuisine. Tune in for a technical yet digestible guide to understanding why your flame might fizzle at altitude or freeze in colder conditions!

Our gear gurus break down the crucial differences between high-pressure sizzlers and low-pressure simmers!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

03:55 – Ben’s Episode Overview

04:22 – Thanks, Tugboat!

07:33 – High Pressure Vs Low Pressure Stoves

08:43 – Low Pressure Stoves: How Regulators Work

11:43 – Maintaining a Steady Gas Output: From 800kPa to 2.75kPa!

12:02 – The Effect of External Temperature

12:49 – High Pressure Stoves: No Regulator

13:59 – kPa of Single-Use Propane Cylinders?

15:25 – What Exactly is LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas)?

16:28 – Propane: External Temperatures, Internal Pressure, and Boiling Points

17:28 – N-Butane and Isobutane: External Temperatures, Internal Pressure, and Boiling Points

22:20 – Connecting the Right Gas to the Right Stove

24:04 – Weather Performance

26:59 – Cylinder and Canister Types

33:39 – Choosing a Stove

42:14 – Accessories

43:30 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands and Products:

All Coleman stoves

Coleman HyperFlame FyreKnight Camping Stove

Coleman Cascade 3 in 1 – 2 Burner Stove

Coleman Peak 1 Trekking Stove

All Companion stoves

Companion 2 Burner High Output Stove

Companion Wok Cookers

Companion stove windshields

All Dometic stoves

Dometic Cadac 2 Cook 3 Pro Deluxe 2 Burner Stove

All Jetboil stoves

MSR PocketRocket Hiking Stoves

Stove stands

Blogs & Podcasts:

Blogs:

Understanding Gas for Camping and Caravan Stoves & Appliances – by Ben Collaton

Podcasts:

Ep83 – LCC27 Gas Regulations: The New Standards

Other:

LG Accounting Solutions

Australian Gas Association

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep160 – Decoding LP Gas & Choosing a Stove appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep159 – Bedrolls for Camping

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 05 May 2025 16:49:13 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Bedrolls for bushcraft: when simplicity beats sophistication…

Ben and Lauren unfold the timeless charm of bedroll camping for those seeking simplicity under the stars. From envelope-style swags to canvas-covered mats and sturdy stretcher beds, our gear gurus roll through both commercial options and clever DIY solutions for every budget and backroad.

Covering practical aspects of different designs, tune in for an overall glimpse at minimalist sleeping arrangements that reconnect you with camping’s rugged roots while still delivering a decent night’s rest.

Ben and Lauren roll through both commercial options and clever DIY solutions for every budget and backroad.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

04:12 – Best Options for a Bedroll Sleeping Arrangement

06:07 – Pole-Free, Envelope-Style Swags

07:39 – Canvas-Covered Sleeping Mats

08:34 – Stretcher Beds

09:34 – If Money Was No Objection…

10:38 – Ben and Lauren’s DIY Bedroll Suggestions

14:03 – Yoga Mats Vs Canvas

15:18 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands and Products:

23ZERO Dual Swags

Darche Dusk to Dawn Swags

Explore Planet Earth Pegasus Deluxe Stretcher

Zempire W-Leg Stretcher Bed V2

Helinox Cot One Camp Stretch

Blogs & Podcasts:

Blogs:

Sleep Options for the Restless Camper

How to Choose the Best Sleeping Bag

Best Sleeping Mats for Camping: 2025 Review

Toasty Tips for a Warmer Sleep

Podcasts:

Ep91 – Selecting Your Dream Sleeping Mat

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep159 – Bedrolls for Camping appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep158 – Camping Clothes, Hats, & Shoes for All Weather

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 01:12:32 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From boots to beanies, Ben and Lauren unpack the camping gear on the cusp of convenient and comfy…

Our outdoor experts wade into the footwear debate, untangle cotton versus synthetic, and reveal why merino wool is Best On (Camp)Ground for all-round, all-weather performance.

From mozzie-deterrent strategies to the unexpected uses of dishwashing gloves, the focus remains on adaptable and practical camp clothing. Tune in for an essential guide to resilient outdoor attire – your first line of defense against the elements in unpredictable weather!

Tune in for an essential guide to resilient outdoor attire!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:36 – Clothing Recommendations for Camping in All Weather

02:49 – Lauren’s Footwear Stance

03:43 – Ben’s Footwear Selections

05:40 – Crocs, Tevas, and Standard Flip-Flops

07:34 – Shorts and Long Pants

08:42 – Cotton Vs Synthetic

09:22 – Managing Milder Weather

10:36 – Packing and Dressing for Comfort

11:37 – Managing Mozzies

12:43 – Merino Wool

13:33 – Gloves, Beanies, and Hats

16:30 – Merino Liners and… Dishwashing Gloves?!

17:10 – Fleece and Jackets

19:30 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands and Products:

Blogs & Podcasts:

Blogs:

Tips for Packing & Travelling Like a Minimalist

Podcasts:

Ep8 – Dealing With Wind & Rain When Camping

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep158 – Camping Clothes, Hats, & Shoes for All Weather appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep157 – How to Store a Self-Inflating Mat

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 14:50:19 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Putting it all out in the open(cell): the mat storage methods that matter!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren unpack the proper storage techniques for self-inflating sleeping mats, addressing the critical balance between compression damage and storage space. Our gear gurus explain the science behind foam cell recovery, differences between bonded and single-layer mats, and practical solutions for preserving your mat’s loft and longevity.

From Ben’s space-saving suggestions to Lauren’s maintenance tips – tune in for a concise guide to ensuring your sleeping mat remains comfortable for countless adventures to come.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren unpack the proper storage techniques for self-inflating sleeping mats.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:40 – Ben’s New Favourite Snack?!

02:59 – How to Store a Self-Inflating Mat

03:36 – The Result of Compressing

04:36 – Bonded Mats

05:10 – The General Rule: Store it Uncompressed

05:57 – Managing Space

06:07 – Ben’s Recommendation

06:59 – Lauren’s Tips for Mat Care

08:26 – Storing Your Mat Loosely Compressed

09:38 – Thanks, Kelly!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Self-inflating camping mats

Self-inflating hiking mats

Blogs & Podcasts:

Blogs:

Best Sleeping Mats for Camping: 2025 Review

Podcasts:

Ep91 – Selecting Your Dream Sleeping Mat

Lightweight sleeping bags

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep157 – How to Store a Self-Inflating Mat appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep156 – How Long We’d Last on ‘Alone’ and Our 10 Must-Have Items

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 00:21:12 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From bushcraft to breaking point…

Ben and Lauren tackle the ultimate outdoor enthusiast’s question: how long would they last on the survival show ‘Alone’? Our gear gurus dive into both the physical and psychological challenges of true isolation, while revealing their personal top 10 survival items.

This episode covers everything from fishing and hunting gear to sleep and hygiene considerations, peppered with plenty of candid self-assessment of their survival skills! Tune in for an entertaining glimpse into what separates gear knowledge from true survival expertise, and whether our hosts have what it takes to endure the outdoors – completely alone.

Tune in for an entertaining glimpse into whether our hosts have what it takes to endure the outdoors – completely alone.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:33 – Shout Out to Jack!

03:37 – How Long Would We Last on ‘Alone’ (and What Are Our 10 Must-Have Items)?

04:50 – Fish Talk

06:13 – The Psychological Pressure of Being Alone

08:08 – Lauren’s Answer

09:20 – Ben’s Must-Have Items

11:15 – The ‘Alone’ Gear List

13:37 – Sleeping Gear and Hygiene

14:24 – Hunting Items

15:16 – Ben and Lauren’s Top Ten Items

17:31 – Summary

18:55 – Thanks, Heather!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Cast iron camp ovens

Steel camp oven

Multi-functional knives

Campfire Tin Billy

Tarps

Blogs & Podcasts:

Blogs:

Introducing Kate Grarock

Podcasts:

Ep55 – Food for Adventure with Kate Grarock

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep156 – How Long We’d Last on ‘Alone’ and Our 10 Must-Have Items appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep155 – Which Tents Are Wind-Resistant?

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 06 Apr 2025 20:50:41 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Nature’s stress test: which tent designs pass the windstorm challenge?

From boxy tents to shapes that shed the wind – Ben and Lauren sweep through what truly anchors a tent against wild winds. Our gear gurus unfold the mysteries of structural integrity, air out the differences between waterhead and wind ratings, and pitch manufacturer claims against real-world scenarios.

Tune in for their gusty guide; a whirlwind of everything from inflatable shelters and guy rope strategies to frame construction and proper pegging techniques!

From boxy tents to shapes that shed the wind – Ben and Lauren sweep through what truly anchors a tent against wild winds.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:54 – What is ‘Wind-Resistance’?

03:48 – ‘Will I Feel the Wind Sitting Inside?’

05:23 – Structural Integrity

06:02 – Waterhead Rating Vs Wind Rating

07:20 – Wind Tunnel Testing

07:50 – Air Tents

08:49 – Claims and Expectations

10:21 – Dome and Sloped Tents Vs Boxy Tents

10:47 – Fabrics

11:37 – Guy Ropes, Eyelets, and Trace Springs

14:22 – Frame Size and Construction

16:26 – Anchoring Your Tent

19:15 – Tarp-Buddies

20:02 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

Products:

Inflatable Tents

OZtrail BlockOut Lumos Tents

Coleman Instant Up Tents

Pegs, Ropes, and Fittings

Blogs & Podcasts:

Ep8 – Dealing With Wind & Rain When Camping

Ep54 – Talkin’ Tent Pegs

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep155 – Which Tents Are Wind-Resistant? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep154 – JetBoil Stove Systems with Mike Hebert

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 02:51:17 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Where brilliance meets boiling point: inside the JetBoil phenomenon…

In this episode, Ben and Lauren’s hour-long episode bubbles over in a hot-to-go interview with JetBoil’s Mike Hebert, uncovering the brand’s revolutionary journey from concept to camp essential! Our gear gurus crank the heat on JetBoil’s evolution, exploring everything from early prototypes to engineering challenges, international standards, and the science behind those lightning-fast boil times.

Tune in for a comprehensive look at what sets the authentic product apart from imitators, feature variations across the globe, and intriguing hints about where this innovative cooking system might be heading next.

Our gear gurus crank the heat on JetBoil’s evolution.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:28 – Introducing Mike Hebert from JetBoil

03:08 – The Beginnings of JetBoil

05:23 – From the PCS to the Flash, and the Protoypes in Between

07:18 – JetBoil’s Footprint

08:37 – Timeline: From Initial Concept to Packaged Product

11:37 – Mike’s Favourite JetBoil Product

13:50 – JetBoil’s Range Review

14:36 – The Flash: Versions From 2019 to Now

14:43 – The Flash 1.0L and Zip 0.8L: Model Updates

20:18 – Improvements and Enhancements

22:40 – The Pot Support

24:09 – The Cook Pot

27:11 – ‘Light before attaching the pot’?

28:28 – Sell Us the Zip!

30:11 – Reheating Food

31:55 – Regulators

35:08 – Gas Mixers

37:55 – Engineering Challenges

40:28 – The Real Deal Vs Dupes

45:15 – International Standards

55:17 – One Product, Multiple Countries: How Many Feature Variations?

57:28 – Google: ‘Robot from Flubber’!

58:28 – Products in 2026?

58:57 – The Future of JetBoil: Inhouse or Global?

01:01:00 – BTU Rating

01:03:51 – Testing Boil Time and Gas Consumption

01:06:20 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

JetBoil

Products:

JetBoil Flash Hiking Stove

JetBoil Flash 1.0L

JetBoil Zip Hiking Stove

JetBoil Zip 0.8L

JetBoil MiniMo Cooking System with Pot Support

JetBoil Sumo Hiking Stove

JetBoil Genesis Basecamp Stove

Blogs & Podcasts:

The Basics and Best of Hiking Stoves

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep154 – JetBoil Stove Systems with Mike Hebert appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep153 – Fridge Capacity: Is Bigger Better?

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 24 Mar 2025 15:42:06 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Is your camping fridge bigger than your appetite?

From 45L single-zones to 80L dual compartments, Ben and Lauren unpack the cold, hard facts about fridge capacity. Our gear gurus consider how vehicle space, party size, climate, and even adventure style can affect your ideal setup. They dive into practical considerations like fridge slides, temperature zones, and efficient compartmentalizing – proving that sometimes the bigger choice can be a little too much cold to carry.

Tune in for a refreshingly practical guide to matching your mobile refrigeration to your real-world needs.

Ben and Lauren unpack the cold, hard facts about fridge capacity.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:22 – Lauren’s Adventure on the Overland Track

04:57 – Is 45L the Right Size Fridge for One Person?

05:58 – Considering Space: Ben’s Setup

06:56 – Dual-Zone Fridges

07:46 – Operating as a Fridge Vs Freezer

08:48 – Family Vs Single

09:11 – Location and Climate

10:35 – Fridge Slides

12:12 – Compartmentalising in Dual-Zone Fridges

14:20 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

Clearview Accessories

KickAss

Products:

Portable Fridges

Dual-Zone Fridges

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep153 – Fridge Capacity: Is Bigger Better? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep152 – What Size Solar Panel Do I Need?

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 18 Mar 2025 18:36:27 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

**So… watt solar panel size is the missing piece to your power puzzle?**

From recharging depleted batteries to powering your camp kitchen, Ben and Lauren shed some (sun)light on the complexities of solar panel sizing. Our gear gurus break down the practical differences between 100W and 200W panels by explaining controller requirements, power station compatibility, and real-world limitations.

Tune in for a sun-soaked discussion of valuable amp calculations, plug-and-play recommendations, and Ben and Lauren’s personal approach to solar setups, so you can keep the campsite powered up off the grid.

Ben and Lauren shed some (sun)light on the complexities of solar panel sizing.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:59 – What Sized Solar Panel Do I Need?

03:44 – The ‘One-Line’ Answer…

04:45 – Considering a 200W Vs 100W Solar Panel

06:06 – Limitations

07:06 – Considering a Solar Controller with Your Panel

10:01 – The Companion Rover 500 Power Station

11:50 – What Would Ben Do?

14:12 – Amp Replenishment

15:45 – Plug ‘N Play

18:07 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

Products:

Companion Rover 500 Power Station

Hard Korr 200W Heavy Duty Solar Mat MKII with 15A Lithium Compatible Regulator

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep152 – What Size Solar Panel Do I Need? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep151 – Double Stretchers: Bar or No Bar?

Ben and Lauren — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 02:57:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From saving your back to saving your relationship, a double camp stretcher with a centre bar could make or break both!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren tackle the age-old camping conundrum of double stretchers – specifically, whether that infamous centre bar is a deal-breaker or just a minor inconvenience. From Kulkyne Kampers’ design to Darche’s approach and Quest Outdoors’ innovative solution (coming soon), our gear gurus weigh up the pros and cons of double camp stretchers with an without centre bars, be you a solo camper or the other half of your adventure duo.

Tune in for a practical discussion that proves sleeping arrangements shouldn’t come between you and your camping companion!

Is the infamous centre bar a deal-breaker, back breaker, or just a minor inconvenience?

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

03:08 – Double Stretchers: Bar or No Bar?

04:33 – Kulkyne Kampers Double Stretcher

05:57 – Managing a Centre Bar

07:02 – Darche XL 1400 Double Swag Stretcher

08:19 – The Function of a Centre Bar

10:35 – Solo Campers Vs Couples

10:58 – Quest Outdoors’ ‘Platform’

13:13 – Try Instore!

13:30 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

Darche

Quest Outdoors

Products:

Darche XL 1400 Double Swag Stretcher

Stretcher Beds

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep151 – Double Stretchers: Bar or No Bar? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep150 – Is a Thicker Mat More Comfortable?

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 03:01:30 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Thicker mats… better naps?

Ben and Lauren roll out the facts on sleeping mat thickness, challenging the assumption that more centimeters means more comfort. Our gear gurus weigh up pack size versus plushness, solo sleep versus shared slumber, and how insulation value varies.

Kick back for a concise breakdown of what really matters when choosing your next camping mattress, where the perfect night’s sleep may not require the thickest mat in the tent.

Kick back for a concise breakdown of what really matters when choosing your next camping mattress.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:52 – Is a Thicker Mat More Comfortable?

03:36 – Pack Size

03:56 – Soft Vs Firm

04:32 – Sleeping Solo Vs With Company

07:09 – 15cm Vs 10cm: Insulation

08:29 – Considering Uneven Ground

08:44 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

Products:

Exped MegaMat 10 LXW Self Inflating Camp Mat

Zempire Monstamat Single Camp Mat

Sea to Summit Comfort Deluxe Self Inflating Sleeping Mat

OZtrail 3D Fatmat 750

BlackWolf Hexatherm 3D15 SP Single Mattress

All sleeping mats for camping

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep150 – Is a Thicker Mat More Comfortable? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep149 – Brand Spotlight: Quest Outdoors

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 18:51:53 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From marketplace newcomer to must-have gear maker…

Ben and Lauren sit down with co-founder of Quest Outdoors, Chris, to unpack the brand’s meteoric three-year rise from industry outsiders to outdoor living experts. Be it the meaning behind the name, navigating business from across the ocean, or the meticulous product development process – our gear gurus establish what sets Quest apart, including the highs, lows, and laughs of the Air Sofa!

Tune in for a candid conversation about camping kit expectations, industry evolution, and how Quest plans to keep pitching above their weight in the outdoor space.

Ben and Lauren sit down with co-founder Chris, unpacking the Quest Outdoors’ meteoric rise from industry outsiders to outdoor living experts.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:07 – Introducing Chris from Quest Outdoors

03:31 – The Story of Quest Outdoors

05:45 – Needing Vs Wanting

06:55 – The Origin of ‘Quest’

08:19 – Separating Quest from the Rest

11:40 – Three Years Young: Quest’s Rate of Growth

14:18 – Attention to Detail

17:01 – Product Development, Research, and Feedback

22:01 – Marketing for Customer Expectations

26:15 – The Air Sofa 1: Expectations Vs Reality!

31:01 – Design Considerations of the Air Sofa

37:05 – New Releases in the Pipeline

40:25 – Velcro Vs Zippered Wall Attachments

43:28 – The Future of the Camping Industry

48:29 – The Future of Quest Outdoors

51:25 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

Quest Outdoors

OZtrail

Products:

Quest Outdoors Air Sofa 1

Quest Outdoors Air Sofa 3

Quest Outdoors Camp Table 4

Quest Outdoors Camp Table 5

Quest Outdoors Air Gazebo 2.4

Quest Outdoors Air Gazebo 3

OZtrail Deluxe 2.4 Gazebo with Hydro Flow

Podcasts:

Ep147 – When Camping Goes Wrong!

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep149 – Brand Spotlight: Quest Outdoors appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep148 – How to Mount a Roof Top Tent

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 18 Feb 2025 16:33:35 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Racking your brain about raising the roof?

Whether you’re tackling it solo or hosting a mounting party, Ben and Lauren break down the essential know-how of roof top tent installation. Our gear gurus explore everything from weight ratings and rack configurations to platform systems and positioning preferences – proving that with the right approach and a helping hand, you’ll have a mounting success story and elevated sleeping quarters in no time!

Ben and Lauren unpack how to handle camping catastrophes with a productive, spring-back attitude.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:35 – How to Mount a Roof Top Tent

02:32 – Roof Load and Racks Weight Rating

02:50 – Roof Top Tent Operation

03:13 – Awning Considerations

03:21 – Host a Mounting Party!

04:52 – Have Fun but Be Safe

05:41 – Mounting Off-Centre

07:18 – Door-to-Door and Boot-to-Bonnet Systems

08:49 – Platform Roof Racks

11:37 – Ben’s RTT Mounting Experience

14:05 – Rhino-Rack Pioneer Platforms x Roof Top Tent Designs

16:53 – Door-to-Door Vs Boot-to-Bonnet Configurations

17:31 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

OZtrail Canning 1300 Rooftop Tent

23ZERO Panther Hard Shell Rooftop Tents

23ZERO Yowie Hard Shell Rooftop Tents

Inspired Overland Lightweight Rooftop Tents

Darche Rooftop Tents

KAON Rhino-Rack Pioneer Bracket Set

4WD Awnings

Podcasts:

Ep114 – Roof Top Tents with Dave & Jacob from Snowys Brendale

Ep125 – Rooftop Tents, Awnings, & Everything OZtrail 2024 with Michael & Ben

Blogs:

The Ultimate Guide to 4WD Roof Racks

Best 4WD and Touring Tents for 2024

How to Choose the Best Roof Top Tent for You

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep148 – How to Mount a Roof Top Tent appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep147 – When Camping Goes Wrong!

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 16:36:41 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

So the pegs won’t peg, the storm won’t settle, and you’re all wheel, no drive?

From flyaway tents and flooded campsites, to painful neighbours and malfunctions in the middle of nowhere – Ben and Lauren unpack how to handle camping catastrophes with a productive, spring-back attitude. Be it battening down the hatches or packing up early, our gear gurus share their hard-won wisdom on making the call between riding out the storm or hitting the road.

Ben and Lauren unpack how to handle camping catastrophes with a productive, spring-back attitude.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:20 – When Camping Goes Wrong

02:02 – Covering the Basics

03:10 – The Right Mindset

03:56 – Lauren’s Stance

05:03 – Fix the Problem, or Hit the Road

06:04 – Resilience and Resourcefulness

09:48 – Weather, Health, and Safety

11:18 – Campsites and Neighbours

14:08 – Additional Advice

17:27 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep98 – Staying Safe on the Road

Ep61 – Finding the Best Campsites

Ep58 – How to Camp Cosy

Blogs:

Camping Etiquette: Being the Best Camper

How to Get the Best Weather for Your Lap of Australia

How to Repair a Broken Tent Pole

How to be a Self-Sufficient Camper

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep147 – When Camping Goes Wrong! appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep146 – How Long Will a Battery Run Your Fridge For?

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 15:57:28 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

The cold, hard maths behind keeping your camp food chilled!

From battery capacity and power consumption to solar solutions and real-world runtime – Ben and Lauren crunch the numbers on vehicle-based fridge systems. Tune in as they break down lithium vs lead-acid setups, calculate usable amp hours, and provide practical examples so you can keep your camping fridge running efficiently in any condition.

Ben and Lauren crunch the numbers on vehicle-based fridge systems.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:25 – How Long Will a Rover Run a Fridge For?

02:23 – The Maths: Lithium Batteries

02:56 – No. of Usable Amps / Fridge Consumption

04:08 – Examples and Circumstances

06:02 – Sealed Lead-Acid Batteries

06:25 – Solar Panels

07:43 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

Dometic Fridges & Coolers

Engel Fridges & Coolers

Blogs:

Understanding 12V Battery & Solar Setups for Your 4WD – by Ben Collaton

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep146 – How Long Will a Battery Run Your Fridge For? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep145 – New Year, New Gear

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 02:31:16 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From first-time investments to upgrading the essentials… what’s worth watching in 2025?

Starting fresh doesn’t always mean starting from scratch. In this episode, Ben and Lauren kick off the year with a showcase of 2025’s most promising gear innovations. From TOAKS’ ultralight cooking solutions, to MPOWERD’s innovative lighting system, and Dometic’s latest fridge technology to surprising new players in the roof top tent game – tune in as our gear gurus unpack what’s worth watching in the world of outdoor gear.

Tune in as our gear gurus unpack what’s worth watching in the world of outdoor gear!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:52 – Lauren’s Fan Moment!

02:48 – New Brands

03:08 – TOAKS: Lightweight Hiking

06:36 – KAON: Fixing and Mounting Tools

09:10 – Oz Braai

10:11 – Dometic CFX5 Fridge/Freezers

14:42 – Darche Alien Light and Speaker, Solar Fan and Light, and Magic Magnets

17:57 – Darche Datachable Roof Top Tent

21:40 – Darche Solar Roof Top Tent

22:05 – Harry Fisher’s ‘Fire II Fork’

23:05 – Quest Outdoors Pop Top Camp Cupboards

24:28 – Companion Recycled Ground Mat

25:19 – Companion Caravan Awning Clothesline

25:32 – Companion Deluxe Towing Mirrors

25:50 – Companion Aero Breeze Fan

26:50 – MPOWERD Luci Solar Site Lights

29:59 – Coleman Event 15 Deluxe Shelters

32:17 – Teasers

32:37 – Exped Sleeping Mats: Overhaul!

36:49 – Sea to Summit Updates

37:30 – Oztent Roof Top Tents?!

39:26 – KickAss Air Conditioner

40:55 – 23ZERO Yowie Aluminium-Shell Roof Top Tent

42:07 – New Concepts from Inspired Overland

42:44 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Dometic CFX5 Fridge/Freezers

Darche Alien Light and Speaker

Darche Solar Fan and Light

Darche Magic Magnets 3 Pack

Darche Datachable Roof Top Tent

Harry Fisher’s ‘Fire II Fork – More Camp Cooking’

Quest Outdoors Pop Top Camp Cupboards

Companion Recycled Ground Mat

Companion Caravan Awning Clothesline

Companion Deluxe Towing Mirrors (Set of 2)

Companion Aero Breeze Fans

MPOWERD Luci Solar Site Lights

Coleman Event 15 Deluxe Shelter

Brands:

YouTube:

Dometic CFX5 95DZ Dual Zone Fridge/Freezer 94L

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep145 – New Year, New Gear appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep144 – Season 4 Wrap-Up

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 22:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From jam-packed interviews to banter bites, Season 4 wrapped up with… Vegemite croissants?

Following chats with industry legends, product deep-dives, and plenty of banter about Ben’s beard – in this episode, Ben and Lauren recount their favorite moments of 2024.

From touching base with some of our favourite brands, introducing Tilda’s insights on a stylish campsite, and Zempire’s latest lineup – tune in for a year’s worth of highlights, some surprising stats about what you loved watching, and who we’re keen to see in the hot seat for 2025!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren recount their favorite moments of 2024.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:00 – A Tumultuous Season!

04:28 – S4’s Most Listened To / Watched Episodes

07:10 – Ben and Lauren’s Favourite Episodes

09:06 – Snowys’ Brick and Mortar – Brendale, QLD and Adelaide, SA

10:54 – Interviewing OZtrail

12:10 – Glamping Gear and Maddy Bockett from Tilda Outdoors

14:28 – Interviewing Joolca

16:16 – The Banter on Ben’s Beard!

20:21 – Zempire’s New Range

21:23 – Snowys’ First OZ Braai Product!

22:13 – Cam’s Back on YouTube!

24:03 – Ben’s Biggest Realisation (4 Seasons Later)

25:20 – Who Do You Want Us to Interview in 2025?

27:30 – Sea to Summit Vs Zempire Models

29:27 – Vegemite Croissants…?

30:56 – Happy Christmas from Ben and Lauren!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

OZtrail rooftop tents

OZtrail Sundowner swags

Zempire Monstabeds

Zempire Hexolite camping tables

Zempire Aerospeed tents

OZ Braai Camp Braai

Podcasts:

Ep123 – Weird & Wonderful Camping Gear #3

Ep126 – New Season, New Gear: Winter ’24

Ep122 – Keeping it Clean with Camp Showers

Ep120 – Beach & Island Camping with Dave & Bec from Snowys Brendale

Ep114 – Rooftop Tents with Dave & Jacob from Snowys Brendale

Ep125 – Rooftop Tents, Awnings, & Everything OZtrail 2024 with Michael & Ben

Ep133 – Tilda Outdoors with Maddy Bockett

Ep142 – Joolca with Maciek Slodyczka

Ep138 – Zempire: Innovating the Outdoors with Richard Knauf

YouTube:

Sea to Summit Detour Stainless Steel Pan with Cam

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep144 – Season 4 Wrap-Up appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep143 – Is It Covered Under Warranty?

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 08 Dec 2024 22:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

That awkward warranty moment, when ‘lifetime’ doesn’t mean forever and ‘covered’ comes with conditions.

From manufacturing faults to wear and tear, the world of warranties isn’t always black and white. In this episode, Ben and Lauren decode the difference between warranties and consumer guarantees, share real-world warranty stories, and explain why providing more information up front leads to better outcomes.

Tune in for the clear facts about your consumer rights and the steps to take to make a claim!

Tune in for the clear facts about your consumer rights and the steps to take to make a claim!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:50 – ‘Is It Covered Under Warranty?’

02:44 – Inclusions and Exclusions

03:47 – ‘Lifetime’ Warranty: Explained

04:35 – Manufacturing Faults Vs Wear and Tear

06:58 – Managing a Warranty and Customer Experience

08:15 – Lauren’s Real-Life Example

10:10 – Manufacturing Warranties Vs Consumer Guarantees

11:57 – The More Information, the Better

13:43 – Education on Products

14:57 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep8 – Dealing with Wind & Rain When Camping

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep143 – Is It Covered Under Warranty? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep142 – Joolca with Maciek Slodyczka

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 22:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From civil construction to creature comforts: Joolca’s founder Mack pulls back the curtain on how simple ideas become outdoor innovations…

Hot showers, composting toilets, and even a portable hot tub – in this episode, Ben and Lauren dive deep with the man behind Joolca’s most intriguing designs. They explore everything from the birth of the Hottap to what’s heating up on the horizon – including tent warming solutions!

Tune in for an hour of product evolution stories, quality control insights, and why sometimes the simplest ideas make the biggest splash in the outdoor world!

From civil construction to creature comforts…

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:30 – Introducing Mack from Joolca

06:05 – Design and Engineer Process of the Hottap V1

07:59 – From Civil Engineering to Portable Outdoor Camping Showers

10:30 – Where Did Joolca’s Successful Ideas Come From?

11:35 – The GottaGo: How Could a Camping Toilet be so Interesting?!

16:27 – The ‘Pooca’

18:26 – Introducing Creature Comforts into the Outdoors: Design and Practicality

20:57 – The Joolca Ensuite Shower Base

22:12 – The Joolca Hottub

24:35 – Quality Control and Troubleshooting

29:56 – Approach to Re-Works

31:20 – Customer Feedback

33:52 – What’s on the Horizon?

36:41 – The ‘Joolca’ Name

37:35 – Dual-Purpose Products

38:59 – Tent Heating

41:13 – Gas Certification: Safety and Testing

46:43 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Joolca HOTTAP V2

Joolca GottaGo Toilet

Joolca ENSUITE Shower Base

Blogs:

Smarttek Vs Joolca: Comparing Two Hot Water Heavyweights

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep142 – Joolca with Maciek Slodyczka appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep141 – Are Awnings Really Freestanding?

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 24 Nov 2024 22:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

‘Freestanding’ claims can be a little… wobbly. Time to peg out some truths and read between the (guy)lines.

From manufacturer statements to warranty fine print – in this episode, Ben and Lauren unfold the facts, tackle the disclaimers, give the lowdown on limitations, and share some common sense when Mother Nature demands a few extra pegs.

Tune in for some straight-up talk about keeping your awning upright!

Tune in for some straight-up talk about keeping your awning upright!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:56 – ‘Is This Awning Really Freestanding?’

04:03 – What Does The Manufacturer Say?

05:11 – Fine Print, Disclaimers, and Warranties

06:09 – Considering Common Sense and Limitations

07:25 – Weather Considerations

10:08 – Summary

10:27 – Lauren’s Last Consideration

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

4WD awnings

Freestanding awnings

Podcasts:

Ep104 – Awnings for Adventure

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep141 – Are Awnings Really Freestanding? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep140 – Christmas Gift Guide ’24

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 17 Nov 2024 22:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Stumped for a stocking stuffer? Banking on something a little bigger?

From compact coffee makers to endless after-dark movie nights under the stars, this year’s Christmas lineup has landed. Be it lightweight, luxury, simple, or practical – in this episode, Ben and Lauren unwrap their top picks for 2024, featuring fresh releases like the KickAss Projector and Sea to Summit’s new Detour range, alongside tried-and-tested favorites (even for four-legged campers).

Be them coffee connoisseurs, tech enthusiasts, or rug rats running amuck and ready to hit the trail – tune in for your complete outdoor adventure gift guide!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren unwrap their top picks for 2024.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:25 – KickAss Projector

04:45 – OZtrail Loomie String Lights

07:23 – Other Compact Lighting Options

09:25 – Camelbak and LifeStraw Drink Bottles

12:13 – Camelbak Mini Mule and Kids Eddie Drink Bottle

13:20 – Wacaco Minipresso GR2

14:54 – Sea to Summit Stainless Steel Detour Mugs

16:10 – Sea to Summit Detour Camp Cooking Range

17:52 – Quest Outdoors Air Sofa

20:55 – Flextail and Exped Compact Pumps

22:27 – Sea to Summit Classic Sleeping Bag Range

24:08 – Naturehike Tarp Shelter

25:24 – Blacksmith Camping Supplies Bags

27:10 – Muk Mats

27:47 – Beach Shelters and Camp Wagons

30:02 – Dometic Cool-Ice Iceboxes

31:20 – Outdoor Connection Quad-Fold Dog Bed

32:41 – 23ZERO Woof Den

33:30 – KickAss Jaffle Maker

34:27 – Tiegear Lite Terra Pegs and Guyropes

36:25 – Buff

37:59 – Staun Tyre Deflators

40:33 – Helinox and Wanderlite Compact Chairs

40:45 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

KickAss Projector & 100″ Eyelet Screen Cinema Package

Hardkorr U-Lite Dual Colour LED Lanterns 4-Pack

MPOWERD Luci lights

BioLite SiteLight String

Zempire Megadome lanterns

Ledlenser lanterns

Black Diamond Moji lanterns

Camelbak drink bottles

LifeStraw water bottles

Dometic Thermo Bottle

Camelbak Mini Mule Kids Hydration Pack

Camelbak Eddy+ Kids Bottle

Wacaco Minipresso GR2 Portable Espresso Machine

AeroPress Original Coffee Maker

Sea to Summit Detour Stainless Steel Collapsible Mugs

Sea to Summit Detour range

Sea to Summit Detour Stainless Steel Utensil Set – 4 Piece

Quest Outdoors Air Sofa

FLEXTAIL pumps

Exped pumps

Sea to Summit sleeping bags

Naturehike Cloud Skies Tarp

Blacksmith Camping Supplies bags

OZtrail Collapsible Camp Wagon

Beach shelters

Dometic Cool-Ice Iceboxes

Outdoor Connection dog beds

23ZERO Woof Den Dog Swag

KickAss 12V Camping Jaffle Maker

Tiegear STEADFAST Terra Driver Lite T40 Hex

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep140 – Christmas Gift Guide ’24 appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep139 – Are Camping Fridges Waterproof?

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 12 Nov 2024 22:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Crossing the creek with a $2K fridge in your rig? Let’s talk about what happens when water meets today’s technology…

From warranty claims to weather protection, the world of waterproof vs water-resistant fridges can be murky. In this episode, Ben and Lauren keep their cool on how to protect your 12V investment, consider integrated batteries, and exercise common sense.

Tune in for a solid, no-drip guide to keeping your camping fridge high and dry!

Ben and Lauren keep their cool on how to protect your 12V investment, consider integrated batteries, and exercise common sense.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:06 – Are Camping Fridges Waterproof?

02:30 – Fridges with Integrated Batteries

03:04 – Warranty Claims

03:40 – All-Weather Protection

04:40 – Common Sense

05:02 – Ben’s Recommendation

05:50 – Lauren’s Suggestion

06:56 – Waterproof Vs Water-Resistant

08:16 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Fridges & Iceboxes

Engel MT-45J 40L ELITE Series Fridge Freezer

Engel MT-60J 60L ELITE Series Fridge Freezer

Podcasts:

Ep39 – Fridges Vs. Iceboxes

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep139 – Are Camping Fridges Waterproof? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep138 – Zempire: Innovating the Outdoors with Richard Knauf

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 22:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

What happens when New Zealand innovation meets camping comfort? Zempire founder Richard Knauf pulls up a Hexolite table to share the story.

From lightweight yet sturdy camp tables to their ‘Lasagna of Glory’ Monstabeds – in this episode, Ben and Lauren unpack Zempire’s latest gear innovations with the man who helped dream them into existence. They dive deep into the tech behind the Aerospeed Air Tent range, discuss the balanced stance on blackout fabric, and discover why air poles might just be stronger than you think.

Tune in for an hour of product insights, the lowdown on designs, and how feedback from real campers turns a ‘what if’ into a rustic reality!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren unpack Zempire’s latest gear innovations with the man who helped dream them into existence.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:28 – Introducing Rich from Zempire

01:17 – Richard’s Story

02:22 – Zempire’s Hottest Products

02:39 – Hexolite Camp Tables

03:48 – Achieving Lightweight but Sturdy Strength

06:30 – Heat Resistance

06:54 – Adjustment Mechanism

07:58 – Hangdome Lanterns

08:09 – Monstabeds

15:00 – Inflating the Monstabed (for a ‘Lasagna of Glory’)

16:25 – Total Weight and Pack Size

16:46 – Puncture Resistance

18:27 – Aerospeed Air Tent Range

25:30 – Size and Weight Comparison: Aerospeed 10 Air Tent

26:15 – User Experience for Air Tent Beginners

26:43 – ‘Something’s Gotta Give – What’s the Catch?’

32:27 – Burst Strength of Zempire Air Poles (PSI)

33:09 – UV Resistance

35:51 – Aerospeed Air Tent Storage Bags

40:16 – Aerospeed Air Tent Walls and Door Configurations

43:20 – ‘Blackout’ Fabrics

47:22 – Aerospeed Air Tent Accessories

49:09 – Roof Covers

50;52 – One Product, Many Markets

51:46 – Connectivity

53:18 – Compatibility of Aerospeed Link with Legacy Models

54:35 – The Feedback Loop and Design Process

57:15 – Zempire Pumps

01:02:13 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Zempire Hexolite Camp Tables

Zempire Monstabeds

Zempire Aerospeed Air Tents

Podcasts:

Ep21 – Camp Furniture Setups with Zempire

Ep40 – All About Air Tents with Zempire

Blogs:

5 Reasons to Own an Air Tent

YouTube:

Zempire Monstabed Camp Bed

Zempire Monstabed Camp Bed – How to Set Up & Pack Away

Zempire Monstapump Rechargeable Inflator/Deflator

Zempire Aerospeed Air Tent – How to Set Up & Pack Away

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep138 – Zempire: Innovating the Outdoors with Richard Knauf appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep137 – How Do Camping Toilets Work?

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 27 Oct 2024 22:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

On the go, but gotta go? A camping toilet can be the clean solution to a road-side dump.

From chemical cassettes to composting solutions, the topic of portable toilets can get a little deep for the first-timer (despite the shallow bowl!). In this episode, Ben and Lauren unclog the brain-drain and break down exactly how camping toilets work, diving into tank designs, chemical requirements, and the ins and outs of the Joolca GottaGo.

Listen up to get to the bottom of every outdoor toilet doubt!

From chemical cassettes to composting solutions, the topic of portable toilets can get a little deep for the first-timer.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:55 – How Do Camping Toilets Work?

02:42 – Chemical Toilets

04:33 – Recommended Chemicals

05:48 – What Do the Chemicals Do?

06:08 – Toilet Tank Design

06:47 – Joolca GottaGo Toilets

08:18 – Bagged and Composting Toilets

09:04 – Most Common Toilet Types

10:05 – Can I Buy Another Waste Tank for my Thetford Porta Potti?

10:58 – Other Suggestions

11:42 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Camp Toilets

Joolca GottaGo Toilets and Cassettes

Thetford Porta Potti

Podcasts:

Ep 51 – Taking Care of Business with Camp Toilets

YouTube:

Thetford Porta Potti 565E & 565P Camp Toilet

Joolca GottaGo Eco Cassette

Joolca GottaGo Modular Separating Toilet

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep137 – How Do Camping Toilets Work? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep136 – Can I Use My Stove with This Camp Table?

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 20 Oct 2024 22:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

When the sizzle of your stove meets the surface of your camp table – is this combo is about to cause a campground meltdown?

Can your blow-moulded camp table handle the heat of your two-burner? Is your steel-top about to become a scorched memory? In this episode, Ben and Lauren serve up the facts about pairing camp stoves with camp tables, from materials and design to heat-resistant hacks.

Tune in for all the camp stove Vs tabletop know-how, including the lowdown on induction cookers, smokers, spillage solutions, and secrets to keeping that table stable!

Ben and Lauren serve up the facts about pairing camp stoves with camp tables.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:50 – Can I Put My Stove on this Camp Table?

02:30 – Common Camp Table Materials

03:02 – Steel-Topped Camp Tables

03:55 – Blow-Moulded Plastic Camp Tables

04:53 – Induction Cookers and Hotplates

05:22 – Other Stoves and Scenarios

06:06 – Self Trialing and Testing

06:55 – Heat-Resistant Layers

07:12 – Smokers

07:35 – Other Tips and Suggestions

07:53 – MDF Laminate vs Other Materials: Spillage

09:41 – Camp Stove Stands

09:59 – Considering the Table’s Size and Stability

10:48 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Camping Tables

Camping Stoves

Quest Outdoors Razor Table 120

Zempire Hexolite 160 Camping Table

Podcasts:

Ep41 – Camp Stove Comparisons

Ep88 – Top Tables for Every Trip

Other:

Camp Cooking with Cam

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep136 – Can I Use My Stove with This Camp Table? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep135 – Can I Use a 270 Awning with a Lift Back Tailgate?

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 14 Oct 2024 22:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

When your 4WD has a lift-back tailgate, the 270-degree dream can feel more like a geometry nightmare…

…But is fitting a wrap-around awning to your vehicle actually impossible? In this episode, Ben and Lauren unfold the facts about mounting 270-degree awnings on lift-back vehicles, from crafty L-bracket solutions to pro-level product recommendations.

Be it a deep dive into the 23ZERO Falcon Pro, considering critical mounting measurements, or Lauren’s tried-and-tested ‘strap method’ — tune in for the know-how you need to turn your awning installation from a puzzle to a possibility!

Ben and Lauren unfold the facts about mounting 270-degree awnings on lift-back vehicles.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:54 – New Podcast Format: ‘Banter Bites’!

02:45 – Can I Use a 270n Awning with a Lift Back Tailgate?

03:26 – Considerations When Fitting Your Awning

04:56 – L-Brackets for Mounting

05:24 – Backing Plate Height

06:02 – 23ZERO Falcon Pro 270 Awning

07:09 – Other Mounting Suggestions

08:10 – Lauren’s ‘Strap Method’

08:42 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

270 Awnings

23ZERO Falcon Pro 270 Awning Left Side

23ZERO Falcon X-Treme 270 (6 Arm) Freestanding Awning

Podcasts:

Ep104 – Awnings for Adventure

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep135 – Can I Use a 270 Awning with a Lift Back Tailgate? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep134 – First Aid For Your Tent

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 29 Sep 2024 23:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Is your tent looking more hole-y than heavenly?

Today we’re talking tent repair! Ben and Lauren are back with a practical episode all about fixing your camping shelter. They’ll cover common tent issues like tears, broken zippers, and leaky seams, sharing their top tips for easy DIY repairs.

Whether you’re dealing with a small rip or a major malfunction, our hosts have got you covered with budget-friendly solutions to keep your tent in top shape for many adventures to come. So grab your repair kit and join us for some canvas first aid!

Ben and Lauren are back with a practical episode all about fixing your camping shelter.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:34 – Wombat Attacks…?

04:30 – Fabric Repairs: Patches and Tapes

08:59 – Fabric Repairs: Glues

11:08 – Pole Repairs

15:50 – Ben’s Recommended Way to Avoid Pole Breakages

17:29 – Air Poles

19:32 – Zippers

23:21 – Summary

23:38 – What’s Your Worst Repair Story? Ever Had a Wombat Attack Your Tent?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Product:

Repair and Treatment

Australian RV Heavy Duty Awning Repair Tape

Tear-Aid Type A Fabric Repair Tape

Gear Aid Seam Grip + WP Sealer & Adhesive

Poles

Trace Springs

Pegs

Blogs

Repairing and Caring for a Camp Mattress

Guide to Camping Gear Maintenance & Repair

Podcasts:

Ep12 – Caring for Your Camping Gear

Other:

FixnZip

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep134 – First Aid For Your Tent appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep133 – Tilda Outdoors with Maddy Bockett

Ben and Lauren — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 06:32:40 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

The swags turning campsites into girly getaways!

Gather ’round the virtual campfire as we spill the beans on the new kid on the camping block.

Ben & Lauren are stoked to introduce you to Tilda Outdoors, the fresh face in the camping game that’s got us buzzing like mozzies around a lantern. This newcomer is shaking things up with gear that screams ‘glamping meets girlpower’. Their standout piece? The Rosie Swag – a freestanding dome swag that’s tougher than your grandma’s fruit cake but prettier than a sunset over Uluru. With its midge-proof mesh and plush 50mm foam mattress, it’s bringing a touch of luxury to the outback without sacrificing durability. So, strap in, camping enthusiasts – we’re about to dive deeper into what makes Tilda Outdoors the talk of the campground!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren introduce you to Tilda Outdoors, the fresh face in the camping game. Image: Tilda Outdoors.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:00 – Welcome Tilda

02:36 – Swag Colours

03:00 – How Tilda Started

05:16 – Aesthetics of Camp Gear

08:13 – Building a Brand with Social Media

09:06 – Why Start with Swags

10:36 – Manufacturing Process

11:47 – Features

14:19 – Feedback from Camping Community

17:05 – Women in Camping

19:02 – Concerns Launching into Saturated Market

21:04 – Future of Tilda Outdoors

22:24 – Tilda’s Point of Difference

23:47 – Type of Canvas

26:54 – Outro

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Tilda Outdoors Matilda Swag

Tilda Outdoors Rosie Swag

Podcasts:

Ep132 – Comparing & Choosing Swags

Blogs:

A Girl’s Guide to a Solo Outback Adventure

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep133 – Tilda Outdoors with Maddy Bockett appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep132 – Comparing & Choosing Swags

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 07:36:23 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Roll into the great outdoors with ultimate SWAG!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren unzip the world of swags, comparing everything from classic bed rolls, to compact canvas castles.

We’ll cover the key features – from sky windows to comfy foam mattresses – and share tips on choosing the perfect-sized swag for your next adventure. Whether you’re a solo explorer, looking for a double swag to share, or part of a camping clan, we’ve got the lowdown on what makes a great swag stand out.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren unpack how a fast-pitch style tent can upgrade your campsite. Image: OZtrail.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:23 – Swags

02:40 – Defining a Fast-Pitch Tent

05:02 – Swag sizing

08:29 – Do you choose a swag or tent?

09:09 – Swag mats

14:42 – Swag poles

17:27 – Air pole swags

24:00 – Swag styles

34:11 – Features

37:33 – Accessories

41:43 – Using a stretcher & swag combo

47:00 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Swag Accessories & Spares

Podcasts:

Ep50 – Swag, Tent, or ‘Swent’?

Ep15 – Comparing Tents, Swags & Rooftop Tents

Blogs:

Why Sleeping in a Swag is Awesome

Seasoning, Packing & Cleaning Your Swag

Darche vs 23ZERO – Which Swag Should I Buy?

Other:

Jolly Swagman – Replacement poles for all swags

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep132 – Comparing & Choosing Swags appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep131 – Down Vs Synthetic Insulation

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 18 Aug 2024 23:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Dive into the fluffy world of sleeping bag insulation!

It’s time to unpack the down vs synthetic sleeping bag debate to help you stay cozy on your next adventure.

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren dive into the age-old debate of down versus synthetic insulation for sleeping bags. They’ll unpack the pros and cons of each, covering everything from warmth-to-weight ratios and packability to performance in wet conditions. Whether you’re a fair-weather camper or a hardcore winter adventurer, this episode will help you choose the right sleeping bag to keep you toasty on your next outdoor escape.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren unpack how a fast-pitch style tent can upgrade your campsite. Image: OZtrail.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:36 – Down Insulative Construction

04:47 – Synthetic Insulative Construction

06:08 – Key Considerations When Choosing a Bag

06:54 – Warmth and Temperate Ratings

09:38 – Moisture, Condensation, and Damp Conditions

12:03 – Breathability

13:43 – Weight and Compressibility

17:42 – Durability and Longevity

20:45 – Cost and Value

25:40 – Summary of Down: Advantages and Disadvantages

27:16 – Summary of Synthetic: Advantages and Disadvantages

28:29 – Ben and Lauren’s Dream Sleeping Bag

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Down sleeping bags

Synthetic sleeping bags

Sea to Summit Altitude At1 Women’s Sleeping Bag (-4C)

Sea to Summit Spark Women’s Down Sleeping Bag (-9C)

Sea to Summit Basecamp Down Sleeping Bag (-9C)

Sea to Summit Spark Pro Down Sleeping Bag (-9C)

Podcasts:

Ep 9 – Dealing With Tent Condensation

Ep102 – Sleeping Bags Unpacked

Blogs:

The Best Sleeping Bags for 2024

How to Choose the Best Sleeping Bag

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep131 – Down Vs Synthetic Insulation appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep130 – Gear for Glamping

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 06 Aug 2024 05:36:17 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Elevate your outdoor adventures from basic to bougie!

Grab your plush pillows and fancy camp chairs, because today we’re diving into the world of glamorous camping!

Ben and Lauren are back with a ripper episode all about glamping gear that’ll take your outdoor experience from rough to ritzy. From the OZtrail Fast Frame BlockOut Lumos 10P tent with its built-in LED lighting system, to the Quest Air Sofa 3 for lounging in style, we’re covering all the essentials to turn your campsite into a five-star retreat. So whether you’re a seasoned glamper or just looking to add a touch of luxury to your next adventure, tune in as we explore the gear that’ll have you camping in comfort without sacrificing the great outdoors experience.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren talk gear that’ll take your outdoor experience from rough to ritzy. Image: Mpowerd.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:09 – Bougie Camping

03:02 – What is Glamping

06:28 – Costs of Glamping & Camping

08:05 – Tricked Up Camping

09:45 – Glamourising Your Set Up

10:00 – Shelters

10:42 – Sleep Systems

13:46 – Offgrid Power

15:37 – Furniture

17:59 – Cooking & Camp Kitchen

21:16 – Heating & Cooling

22:50 – Lighting

24:12 – Showering

25:21 – Decorative items

27:25 – Outro

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Zempire Tents

Exped Self Inflating Mats

Heating & Cooling

Luci Solar Lights

UCO Original Candle Lantern

Gas Showers

Joolca Shower Base

Podcasts:

Ep122 – Keeping it Clean with Camp Showers

Blogs:

“Glamping” – A Real Woman’s Survival Kit!

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep130 – Gear for Glamping appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep129 – Unpacking the ‘Fast-Pitch’ Tent

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 14:10:47 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

The speedy, up-standing, stand-out setups!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren unpack how a fast-pitch style tent can upgrade your campsite.

From canvas versus synthetic, to folding frames, flies, and pitch times – tune in for some top-quality, compact, and Turbo-charged talk on the features, benefits, and setup variations of Instant Up, Fast Frame, Turbo, RV, and inflatable tent designs.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren unpack how a fast-pitch style tent can upgrade your campsite. Image: OZtrail.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:35 – Fast Frame, Instant Up, and Quick-Pitch Tents

02:40 – Defining a Fast-Pitch Tent

05:04 – Pop-Up Tents

05:35 – BlackWolf Turbo Series

11:47 – OZtrail Fast Frame series

12:45 – Coleman Instant Up series

13:25 – Distinguishing Turbo from Instant Up and Fast Frame

15:32 – Setup Speeds and Designs

16:59 – OZtrail Fast Frame Upgrades

18:53 – Additional Features: Coleman, OZtrail, and BlackWolf

21:32 – Oztent RV Series

24:25 – Variations of the RV to a Fast Frame

26:22 – Air Tents

30:13 – So…Which Quick-Pitch is Best?

34:22 – Summary

38:24 – Questions? Comments?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

OZtrail Fast Frame series

Coleman Instant Up series

Explore Planet Earth Speedy series

Oztent Malamoo series

BlackWolf Turbo series

Oztent RV series

Zempire Air Tents

Podcasts:

Ep81 – Coleman Instant Up Tents

Blogs:

Best 4WD and Touring Tents

Best Family Camping Tents

Other:

YouTube: Oztent RV-3 Plus Canvas Touring Tent – How to Set Up and Pack Away

YouTube: Oztent RV-5 Plus Canvas Touring Tent – How to Set Up and Pack Away

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep129 – Unpacking the ‘Fast-Pitch’ Tent appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep128 – Campsite Fun & Games

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 08 Jul 2024 02:36:13 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

I spy with my little eye, something beginning with…

Ben, Lauren, and two working microphones. The answer is Episode 128 of the Snowys Camping Show – where our outdoor experts work hard, so you can play hard!

This week, Ben and Lauren bring to the podcast table hours of car and campsite games, guaranteeing ongoing entertainment on every family getaway.

This week, Ben and Lauren bring to the podcast table hours of car and campsite games. Image: BlackWolf

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

03:15 – ‘I Spy’

05:12 – 20 Questions

06:57 – ‘I Went to the ___ and Bought a ___’

08:26 – The Story Game

10:35 – The Whistle Game

13:01 – Change One Letter

15:08 – ‘Did You Hear?’

16:20 – Shotgun

17:40 – Spotto / Punch-Buggie

18:37 – Murder in the Dark, Storm the Lantern, and Spotlight

22:17 – Alpha Challenge

23:47 – Target Practice

25:38 – Travel Documentation

28:00 – Charades

28:53 – Operation

29:50 – Monopoly Deal

30:26 – Uno and Yahtzee

30:52 – Five Crowns

32:52 – Checkers, Connect 4, and Chess

33:36 – Finska

34:30 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep97 – Camping with Kids

Ep10 – Camping with Teenagers

Blogs:

Camping with Young Kids

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep128 – Campsite Fun & Games appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep127 – Managing Mouldy Gear

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 05:47:05 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

If there was ever a topic to associate with a Monday morning, it’s mould.

This week, Ben and Lauren embrace the Monday blues by touching on something just as dampening and dull, but nowhere near as nice on a cracker with quince and a glass of room-temp red: mould.

Nevertheless, this episode builds on how to prevent, remove, and recover your tents, shelters, and swags from the ultimate vampire of longevity that feeds on humidity but fries in UV!

This episode builds on how to prevent, remove, and recover your tents, shelters, and swags from mould. Image: OZtrail

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:57 – Overview: Materials, Humidity, and Prevention

04:04 – Cleaning Your Gear

06:13 – Drying and Airing Out Your Gear

07:34 – Storing Your Gear

10:21 – Moisture Preventatives

11:17 – Cleaning and Removing Mould: Best Methods and Applications

17:46 – Treating Synthetic Tents

20:48 – Durable Water Repellence

21:52 – Sunlight

22:22 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Nikwax: Tent & Gear Solar Proof

Products:

Hiking Tents

Camping Tents and Shelters

Other:

YouTube: How to Re-Waterproof Your Tent

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep127 – Managing Mouldy Gear appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep126 – New Season, New Gear: Winter ‘24

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 11 Jun 2024 03:28:16 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

In this episode, Lauren lifts a rooftop tent with one hand and spins it on her forefinger like a basketball.

…OK, that’s not entirely true. But now that we have your attention – this week on the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren crack into the ~cool~ new gear fresh to the Snowys floor this winter!

From ultralightweight roof top tents and steadfast tent pegs to new and improved sleeping bags and hiking gear redefined, tune in for the gear that’s good to go ahead of your next outdoor getaway.

From steadfast tent pegs to hiking gear redefined, tune in for the gear that’s good to go ahead of your next outdoor getaway! Image: Naturehike

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:49 – Naturehike

04:22 – Joolca

08:39 – Inspired Overland

15:00 – Tiegear’s STEADFAST Range

20:55 – Sea to Summit’s Upgraded Sleeping Bag Range

26:45 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Naturehike

Joolca

Inspired Overland

Tiegear’s STEADFAST range

Sea to Summit’s updated sleeping bag range

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep126 – New Season, New Gear: Winter ‘24 appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep125 – Rooftop Tents, Awnings, & Everything OZtrail 2024 with Michael & Ben

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 13 May 2024 10:17:12 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From hitting the track to hitting the sack…

…OZtrail have successfully designed and delivered rugged outdoor gear to the tourers, travellers, and thrill seekers for over 30 years. In this episode, Ben and Lauren pull up a chair for Michael and Ben from the OZtrail team to talk the origins, evolution, and future of the brand.

OZtrail have successfully designed and delivered rugged outdoor gear to the tourers, travellers, and thrill seekers for over 30 years.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:51 – Introducing Michael and Ben from OZtrail

06:30 – The Origin of the OZtrail Brand

08:50 – Good, Better, Best

11:26 – Operating Within Another Brand

15:30 – The Process of Refining Products

18:11 – Customer Feedback

21:53 – Balancing Product Expectations with Price Points

23:07 – Supplier Management and Quality Control

28:21 – The Overlander Range

32:40 – OZtrail’s Awnings

37:32 – Freestanding Awnings

40:00 – Considering Product Use

41:43 – Roof Top Tents

46:12 – Considering Colours

47:41 – Talking the Overlander Range: Tarkine, Canning, and Birdsville Roof Top Tents

49:49 – The Future of OZtrail’s Roof Top Tents

52:39 – Talking the Overlander Range: Sundowner Swags

01:01:23 – The Universal Swag Awning

01:04:15 – What’s Next for OZtrail?

01:06:41 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

OZtrail

OZtrail Galaxy Chair

OZtrail Awnings

OZtrail Overlander Range: Roof Top Tents

OZtrail Overlander Range: Sundowner Swags

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep125 – Rooftop Tents, Awnings, & Everything OZtrail 2024 with Michael & Ben appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep124 – Go-To Camping & Outdoor Apps

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 05:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Be it traversing the tracks, tracking the weather, or watching for wildlife…

…there’s an abundance of apps to make outdoor adventuring and travelling safer, easier, more interactive, and enjoyable. Some you’ll grow to rely on, others you’ll just love to have.

Enough of the doom-scrolling; gather your baggage and buckle your seatbelt, as Ben and Lauren tap into the Snowys-approved camping and outdoor apps that will boast the most benefits on your next adventure!

There’s an abundance of apps to make outdoor adventuring and travelling safer, easier, more interactive, and enjoyable.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:34 – Petrol Spy and Fuel Map

05:26 – Weatherzone and BOM

07:58 – Gas Finder

09:10 – Caravan Helper

10:31 – Hema Maps

11:47 – AllTrails and Avenza Maps

14:20 – National Parks

17:52 – WikiCamps

20:13 – CamperMate

20:49 – Camps Australia Wide

21:14 – Anycamp and Hipcamp

22:35 – Beachsafe

24:38 – National Public Toilet Map

25:58 – First Aid (Australian Red Cross)

26:44 – Bushfire.io

26:53 – what3words

30:03 – Star Walk

31:43 – iNaturalist

33:01 – Morcombe & Stewart Guide to Birds of Australia

35:57 – Wildflower Identifiers

37:13 – Geocaching

40:33 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

outdoor travel apps

Podcasts:

how to find the best campsites

Fuel and Gas:

Weather:

Caravan:

Navigation:

National Parks

SA National Parks Tours

Campsite Finders

Safety

National Public Toilet Map

First Aid (Australian Red Cross)

Bushfire.io

what3words

Wildflower Identifiers

Plant.id

PlantNet

CRF Wildflowers

Weed Identifier Australia

Other

Star Walk

iNaturalist

Morcombe & Stewart Guide to Birds of Australia

Geocaching

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep124 – Go-To Camping & Outdoor Apps appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep123 – Weird & Wonderful Camping Gear #3

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 12:46:32 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

If you thought two episodes of nonsense inventions and head-scratcher gadgets were quite enough…

Ben and Lauren respectfully challenge that with another twenty! Some are practical, some are peculiar, most are weird, and all are wonderful!

In their third episode of the sort, things get weirder without much warning.

Some are practical, some are peculiar, most are weird, and all are wonderful!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

04:04 – Campfire Popcorn Pan

05:59 – Portable Quad-Fold Camping Snack and Drink Table

07:12 – Fly Repellent Fans

09:19 – Sea to Summit Detour Stainless Steel Utensil Set

11:45 – Fitted Table Cloth

13:17 – Campfire Camp Stove Toaster

14:50 – Kammock Outpost: Vehicle-Based Hammock Stand

16:30 – Pocket Sink

18:41 – Bear Watch System: Portable Electric Fence

21:39 – Magic Fort

23:27 – Guy Rope Lights

24:22 – Lumberjack Flat Titanium Wood Stove

26:02 – SUP Tent

28:39 – Mars Players – The One (All-In-One Heater, Cooker, Lighting System, Chiller, and SOS)

32:26 – Cable Lathe

34:16 – Makita Outdoor Adventure Range

36:08 – PuriBag Water Filter

39:15 – Portable Desal

40:39 – Gerber Freescape Camp Saw

41:36 – GoSun Infusion Solar Camp Oven

45:15 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

Weird, Wonderful & Disturbingly Strange Camping Gear – by Ben Collaton

Podcasts:

Ep57 – Weird & Wonderful Camping Gear #1

Ep96 – Weird & Wonderful Camping Gear #2

Products:

Campfire Popcorn Pan

Portable Quad-Fold Camping Snack and Drink Table

Fly Repellent Fans

Sea to Summit Detour Stainless Steel Utensil Set

Fitted Table Cloth

Campfire Camp Stove Toaster

Kammock Outpost: Vehicle-Based Hammock Stand

Pocket Sink

Bear Watch System: Portable Electric Fence

Magic Fort

Guy Rope Lights

Lumberjack Flat Titanium Wood Stove

SUP Tent

Mars Players – The One (All-In-One Heater, Cooker, Lighting System, Chiller, and SOS)

Cable Lathe

Makita Outdoor Adventure Range

PuriBag Water Filter

Portable Desal

Gerber Freescape Camp Saw

GoSun Infusion Solar Camp Oven

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep123 – Weird & Wonderful Camping Gear #3 appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep122 – Keeping it Clean with Camp Showers

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 02:44:26 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Yeah, Ben and Lauren scrub up alright.

In this episode, they keep it classy in their squeaky clean discussion of what makes a good portable shower.

From pared-back shower bags and basic bucket setups, to compact 12-volt appliances and gas hot water systems – your favourite outdoor experts run the tap on the range of shower options for a refreshingly rustic cleanse out bush!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren run the tap on the range of outdoor showers available. Image: Smarttek

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:57 – Camp Showers

04:29 – Traditional Shower Bags

08:33 – Bucket Showers

12:08 – 12-Volt Showers

16:22 – Deluxe 12-Volt Showers and Hot Water Systems

24:28 – Shower Tents

28:59 – Pop-Up Buckets

31:25 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Camp Showers

Sea to Summit Pocket Shower 10L

12-volt showers

Rechargeable showers and hot water systems

Companion AquaHeat Lithium Gas Shower

Shower tents

Sinks, Tubs & Buckets

Blogs:

‘How to Set Up the Perfect Outdoor Camp Shower’ by Ben Collaton

Brands:

Smarttek

Companion

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep122 – Keeping it Clean with Camp Showers appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep121 – Off-Grid Communication

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 18 Mar 2024 03:10:28 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

‘Don’t call me unless it’s an emergency’ should be taken just as seriously as ‘don’t talk to me until I’ve had my morning coffee.’

In this episode, Ben and Lauren discuss the kind of communication that requires a gadget caught between the all-out, ‘get me out’, sending-out-an-SOS Personal Locator Beacon, and the in-range, down-the-road, yarn-with-Mum mobile phone.

From connecting to satellites and choosing the right device, to navigating, recharging, and maintenance – we’re sending our own important message to every outdoor adventurer ahead of their next off-grid escape.

Ben and Lauren discuss the gadget that falls between the Personal Locator Beacon and the mobile phone. Image: Zoleo

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:06 – Citizen Band (CB) or Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) Radios

03:21 – Short- and Long-Distance Communication

06:36 – Connecting to Satellites

07:09 – Satellite Communication Networks

08:50 – Satellite Navigation Systems

09:35 – Satellite Phones

11:24 – Satellite-Based Communication Devices

14:02 – Zoleo

14:40 – Spot Messenger

15:43 – Choosing the Right Device

18:02 – Maintenance and Recharging

18:26 – Starlink

21:58 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep49 – PLB Comparisons

Ep36 – UHF Radios with GME

Brands:

Oricom

Products:

Zoleo Global Satellite Communicator

Spot Satellite Messenger

Oricom 2 Watt Floating IPX7 UHF CB Radio UHF2600−1

Oricom Waterproof IP67 5 Watt Handheld UHF CB Radio DTX600

Oricom 0.5 Watt Handheld UHF CB Radio Twin Pack PMR795

Oricom 1 Watt Handheld UHF CB Radio Twin Pack UHF1400

Oricom 5 Watt IP67 Waterproof Handheld UHF CB Radio Trade Pack DTXTP600

Oricom Plug and Play Micro 5 Watt UHF CB Radio Pack UHF310

Oricom Micro 5 Watt UHF CB Radio + 6.5dBi Antenna UHF390GP

Other:

Iridium Satellite Communication Network

Thuraya Satellite Communication Network

GLONASS Satellite Navigation System

COSPAS-SARSAT International Satellite System

GALILEO Global Navigation Satellite System

Starlink

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep121 – Off-Grid Communication appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep120 – Beach & Island Camping with Dave & Bec from Snowys Brendale

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 04:30:54 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Take whatever you’ve been told about beach camping with a grain of… sand.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren invite Dave and Bec from our Snowys store in Brendale, Queensland, to unpack the beach camping considerations for those sunlit trips off the bitumen. From the mesh groundsheets, best sand pegs, and suggested tent designs, to mitigating the mozzies, midges, and high tides – it gets a little ~snowy~ on this beach!

In this episode, Ben, Lauren, Dave, and Bec unpack the beach camping considerations for those sunlit trips off the bitumen. Image: Dave Blunt

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:02 – Introducing Dave and Bec from Snowys Brendale

04:08 – General Beach Camping

05:56 – Considerations for a Beach Camping Kit

07:41 – Sand Pegs

09:03 – Polycarbonate Vs Polypropylene Sand Pegs

10:35 – Groundsheets

12:56 – Do You Need a 4WD to go Beach Camping?

14:07 – Environmental Factors

15:22 – Bec’s Family Camping Setup

15:51 – Recommended Tents for Beach Camping

18:09 – Mitigating Mozzies and Midges

22:04 – Tides

24:09 – Toileting and ‘Leave No Trace’ Principles

26:44 – Toilets

29:58 – Expectations in Gear and Vehicle Maintenance

33:32 – Best Islands in QLD for Camping?

34:10 – Moreton Island

37:30 – Bribie Island

41:29 – K’gari (Fraser Island)

43:10 – North Stradbroke Island

45:25 – Other Islands

46:20 – Dave and Bec’s Favourite Island

48:03 – Access to Essentials and Supplies

49:40 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Supa Peg Polypropylene Sand Pegs

BlackWolf Turbo touring tents

Insect Protection

Oztent RV and RX tents

Oztrail Fast Frame tents

Coleman Instant Up touring tents

Inflatable / air tents

OZtrail Ultramesh Tarp

Brands:

C-Gear

Supa Peg

Podcasts:

Ep62 – Aussie Pegs & Poles with Supa Peg

‘Beach Camping – What You Need to Know’ by Aaron Schubert

Blogs:

Other:

Moreton Island

Bribie Island

K’gari (Fraser Island)

North Stradbroke Island

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep120 – Beach & Island Camping with Dave & Bec from Snowys Brendale appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep119 – Campsite Q&A’s #8 with Ben & Lauren

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 01:44:45 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

This week, Ben and Lauren are back behind the mic with their raw, rustic, and never-curated-ever-organic approach to answering even more of your campsite questions.

Be it tent protection from the top down, or preventing mid-adventure vermin invasions – boil the billy and settle in for another Q&A episode with your favourite outdoor experts! There’s usually something to learn, and always something to laugh about.

Be it tent protection from the top down, or preventing mid-adventure vermin invasions – boil the billy and tune in to your favourite outdoor experts! Image: Oztent

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

03:28 – Best Shelter for Weekend Camping from Run and Sun?

08:25 – The Zempire Pronto V2 10P: Manageable Set Up Process for a Bloke with a Bad Back?

11:14 – Best All-Rounder of Gas Stoves / Kitchen Setups?

15:08 – Any Plans for a New Zealand Store?

15:56 – What Exactly is ‘Car Camping’?

19:57 – Pros and Cons of Zempire Roof Covers vs Tarp with Poles?

23:25 – Considerations When Building a ‘Tradie Trailer’ into a Camping Trailer?

30:22 – Tips for Keeping Vermin Out of Gear, in Storage and at Camp?

36:17 – What to Keep in the Emergency-Emergency Kit?

40:45 – Light and Easy-To-Roll Swag for a Solo Female with an Injured Shoulder?

45:21 – Tips for Camping with Kids Close to Rivers and Waterways?

49:49 – Best Way to Power a 35L Fridge and Charge a Phone?

55:59 – Summary

Mentioned in this episode:

Podcasts:

Ep68 – Spare Bits for your Caravan Kit

Ep44 – Ben’s Half Lap

Ep97 – Camping with Kids

Ep5 – Staying Powered Up When Camping

Ep110 – Car Camping Without Cramming

Blogs:

Understanding 12V Battery & Solar Setups for your 4WD – by Ben Collaton

5 Reasons to Own an Air Tent – by Matt McIvor

Products:

OZtrail Gazebos

Zempire Aerobase

Zempire Roadiebase

Quest Outdoors Air Gazebo

Dometic Gale 12V Pump

Camp Kitchens

Camp Tables

Quest Outdoors Grill Table 5

First Aid Kit

Elemental Emergency Survival Blanket

Dometic Pico FTC 1×1 TC Inflatable 1P Swag

Self Inflating Mattresses

Coleman Instant Swagger 1P Tent

Insect Protection

Companion Rover Lithium 100Ah Power Station

Solar & Power

Companion Rover Lithium 40Ah Power Station

HardKorr 200W Heavy Duty Portable Solar Mat – No Regulator

Zempire Roof Covers

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep119 – Campsite Q&A’s #8 with Ben & Lauren appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep118 – Campsite Q&A’s #7 with Ben & Lauren

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 03:20:28 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

With the abundance of budding adventurers and outdoor enthusiasts across the country…

…comes a plethora of keen, campsite questions to be answered!

In this episode, your favourite gear experts prepare their notes, park themselves behind the poddy mics, and produce yet another Q&A episode, addressing your most common queries posed across our Snowys YouTube and social media platforms.

With the abundance of budding adventurers comes a plethora of keen campsite questions! Image: Companion

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:52 – Cooking Options for Total Fire Bans?

07:28 – Advancements in the Outdoor Industry?

13:24 – Perfect Pop-Up, WP, Couple’s Tent for Overnight Boat and Island Camping?

17:11 – Bit of Kit That You No Longer Keep but Wish You Did?

24:36 – Next Guest on the Show?

25:20 – Best Way to Secure Gazebos in High Winds?

30:54 – Weirdest and Most Wonderful Camping Hacks: Genius or Ridiculous?

32:22 – What if Your Husband Hates Camping…?

37:40 – National Parks Annual Passes

39:49 – Pros and Cons of Camp Toilet and Shower Options?

46:08 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep114 – Roof Top Tents with Dave & Jacob from Snowys Brendale

Ep57 – Weird & Wonderful Camping Gear

Ep96 – Weird & Wonderful Camping Gear #2

Ep44 – Ben’s Half Lap

Ep51 – Taking Care of Business with Camp Toilets

Blogs:

‘”You’re Taking THAT?!” The 5 Weirdest Items in my Hike Pack’ by Kate Grarock

‘Weird, Wonderful & Disturbingly Strange Camping Gear’ by Ben Collaton

Products:

Westinghouse Single Induction Cooktop (2000W)

Swag Poles

Darche Dusk to Dawn Composite Swag Pole Set

Air Tents

Rooftop Tents

Solar Panels

Hard Korr Zeal 12V AGM Deep Cycle Batteries

Sleeping Mats

Sleeping Bags

Lightweight Sleep Gear

Dome Tents

BlackWolf Classic Dome

Knives

Down Sleeping Bags

Hard Korr U-Lite Dual Colour LED Lanterns 4 Pack

Pegs

Guy Ropes and Trace Springs

Coleman Instant Up Lighted Gazebo 3×3

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep118 – Campsite Q&A’s #7 with Ben & Lauren appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep117 – Campsite Q&A’s #6 with Ben & Lauren

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 03:06:15 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Fresh at the desk for 2024, Ben and Lauren kickstart Season 4 with their sixth Q&A!

Be you a solo 4WDer or an on-the-road family of five – your favourite outdoor experts detail their answers to the top queries in their inbox, from fridge capacities and battery pack portability, to compact tents, extended trips, setups, and storage advice.

Be you a solo 4WDer or an on-the-road family of five – your favourite outdoor experts detail their answers to the top queries in their inbox. Image: Coleman

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:13 – Kicking Off Season 4 with Another Q&A!

02:07 – Ben and Lauren’s New Year’s Resolutions

04:59 – Induction Cooking for Camping?

12:08 – Will Ben and Lauren Be Back for ACOF 2024?

13:29 – Thoughts on 4WDing Solo?

17:56 – Most Compact 4-Season Tent for a Family of 4?

24:57 – How to Prepare Items for Storage in Muggy Weather

31:40 – Weird Items to Take Camping?

34:14 – Perfect Fridge Capacity for Couples on a 1-2 Week Trip?

38:10 – Recommended Setup for a Family of 5 on the Move?

45:49 – Best Portable Lithium Battery Packs for 70L Fridge/Freezers?

52:11 – Best Way to Manage a Quiet Bush Camping Situation Involving a Petrol Generator?

57:24 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

How to Plan a Solo Vehicle 4WD Trip

Podcasts:

Ep35 – Camping Etiquette

Ep12 – Caring for Your Camping Gear

Other:

The Seasoned Chef

How to Repair Your Tent Fly

Brands:

Products:

Zoleo Global Satellite Communicator

Spot X 2−Way Satellite Messenger with Bluetooth

Hard Korr Heavy Duty Battery Box

BlackWolf Turbo 300

Gear Aid Seam Grip TF Tent Fabric Sealant

Nikwax Tent & Gear Solar Proof

Dometic CFX3 35 Portable Fridge/Freezer 36L

Engel MT−V45F 40L Fridge Freezer

Canvas Touring Tents: 4 Season

Portable Fridges

Rooftop Tents

4WD Awnings

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep117 – Campsite Q&A’s #6 with Ben & Lauren appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep116 – That’s a Wrap on Season 3

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

‘I flicked through all the episodes, and I saw one that was related to pizzas… I don’t remember talking about pizzas?!’ ~ Ben

‘I just feel like I’ve spent a large portion of this year inside an operating washing machine.’ ~ Lauren

Generating the majority of 2023’s content from their stellar new studio, Ben and Lauren unpack the most notable moments of what could be considered a scramble of sound, yet successful series: Season 3!

From their ever-growing Facebook group to the jam-packed chats with some of the best brands – tune in to your favourite gear gurus as they wrap up Season 3, and toss it under the tree!

Ben and Lauren unpack the most notable moments of Season 3.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:58 – How was your 2023?

03:28 – Fortnightly Structure

04:39 – New Studio

05:13 – Q&A Sessions

05:57 – Facebook Community

06:30 – YouTube Channel

07:34 – General and Car Camping

10:26 – ‘Snowys Camping Banter’

10:37 – Setup Developments

12:27 – ‘Hot Cross Buns’!

13:28 – Interviews and Brand Features

19:28 – Our Brendale, QLD Family

24:24 – Our Resident Camp Cook, Cam

27:38 – Vegemite, Promite, or Marmite?

28:01 – ‘Data Ben’

29:42 – Zempire Tent Tour

31:31 – The Copywriter

32:40 – The Most ‘Boss Camp Kitchen’ Lauren Has Ever Seen

35:24 – Ben and Lauren’s Dynamic

38:23 – A Christmas Surprise, from Ben and Lauren to You

39:49 – That’s a Wrap!

Mentioned in this Episode:

LIMITED DISCOUNT CODE:

PODSQUAD5 for 5% off order total at checkout
Valid until midnight 31/12/23

Podcasts:

Ep 90 – Top This: Camp Pizza Prep

Ep106 – Sea to Summit Tents with Ross Smith

Ep92 – Campsite Q&A’s #5 with Ben & Lauren

Ep113 – Car Camping Without Cramming

Ep87 – Building a Bucket List with Mariska Threadgold

Ep93 – Dometic Fridges with Paul Montaut

Ep101 – Evakool Fridges with Leana and Jaimie

Ep95 – Guide to Hiking Packs with Deuter

Ep114 – Roof Top Tents with Dave & Jacob from Snowys Brendale

Ep107 – How the Big Blokes Camp

Products:

Hard Korr U-Lite Dual Colour LED Lanterns (4 Pack)

Zempire Tents

Other:

YouTube: Snowys Outdoors

Facebook Group (Podcast): Snowys Camping Banter

Thanks for listening, tune in again on January 15, 2024, for next season!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep116 – That’s a Wrap on Season 3 appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep115 – Christmas Gift Guide ‘23

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 03 Dec 2023 22:34:47 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Well, Silly Season has officially hit the Snowys podcast room…

In this episode, gear gurus Ben and Lauren work their way down their wish lists, detailing the gear and gadgets fit for every outdoor adventure.

From perfectly practical stocking fillers to perfectly portable water faucets, solar-powered string lights, and Sundowner swags – watch or listen for the ultimate gift guide, bundled together with a bow by your favourite, festive outdoor experts!

Watch or listen for the ultimate gift guide!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:29 – ‘Tis the Season!

05:09 – Ben and Lauren’s Wishlist

06:02 – Tiegear Tiedown Equipment

07:26 – Blacksmith Camping Supplies Wheel Bag

08:50 – Dometic Hydration Faucet*

10:33 – Telescopic Camping Toasting Forks*

11:21 – BlackWolf Quick-Fold Lightweight Chair

12:31 – OZtrail Sundowner Swags

14:56 – Opinel Products

16:54 – MPOWERD Luci String Lights*

19:33 – Wacaco Coffee Maker*

20:24 – Camp Blanket*

22:34 – Dometic Iceboxes*

24:04 – Everclear Drinkware*

25:51 – Hard Korr Multi-Tool Shovel and U-Lites*

27:13 – C-Gear L-Shaped Mats*

28:17 – Firepits

30:35 – Folding / Pop-Up Washing Basket

34:24 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

A Snowy(s) Christmas: Gift Guide 2023

Podcasts:

Ep82 – Christmas Gift Guide ’22

Ep6 – Do You Need a Portable Firepit?

Products:

Tiegear Tiedown Equipment

Blacksmith Camping Supplies 4WD Wheel Bag

Dometic GO Hydration Water Faucet Portable Self-Powered Tap

AFN Fishing & Outdoor Telescopic Camping Forks

BlackWolf Quick Fold Lightweight Chair

OZtrail Sundowner Swags

Opinel Products

My First Opinel

MPOWERD Luci Solar String Lights

Wacaco Minipresso Espresso Machine

Wacaco Nanopresso Espresso Machine

Coleman Outdoor Blanket

OZtrail Drover’s Roll Blanket

23ZERO Canvas Trail Blanket

Dometic Cool Ice CI 15 Icebox

Dometic Cool Ice CI 28 Icebox

Everclear Drinkware

Hard Korr Multi-Tool Shovel

Hard Korr U-Lite Dual Colour LED Lanterns

C-Gear L-Shaped Multimats

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep115 – Christmas Gift Guide ‘23 appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep114 – Roof Top Tents with Dave & Jacob from Snowys Brendale

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 02:22:35 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

A true sanctuary under the stars, the roof top tent quite literally elevates any camp setup.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren call on the RTT experts to expand on everything from the racks to the roof! Dialling in from arguably the largest roof top tent display in Australia, Dave and Jacob from the Snowys store in Brendale touch on the styles, systems, setup versatility, and vehicle suitability of those cabins in the clouds raising expectations across the country!

A true sanctuary under the stars, the roof top tent quite literally elevates any camp setup. Image: Darche

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

Products:

Darche Ridgeback range

23ZERO Saber range

Hard Korr Dual-Lift Hard Shell range

CampBoss Boss Shadow 270 XL Awning with RTT Zip Entry

OZtrail Overlander range

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:55 – Introducing Dave & Jacob from Snowys Brendale

02:53 – Dave & Jacob’s Camping Setup

03:48 – Brendale’s Roof Top Tent Display

04:31 – Why a Roof Top Tent?

06:58 – Pros and Cons of Hard-Shell and Soft-Shell

08:43 – Aerodynamics

09:44 – Roof Rails

10:26 – Dave’s Hard-Shell Vs Soft-Shell

11:08 – Packing Down with Bedding

12:53 – Brands of Roof Top Tents at Snowys

13:52 – Vehicle Suitability

17:06 – Mounting a Roof Top Tent

18:28 – Managing GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass)

22:01 – Installing a Roof Top Tent

23:04 – Roof Rack and Rail Systems

26:18 – Different Styles for Different Setups

28:56 – Independent Tent Capacity and Weight Limit

30:49 – Mattresses

32:18 – Check Out Brendale’s Roof Top Tent Display!

33:37 – Summary

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep114 – Roof Top Tents with Dave & Jacob from Snowys Brendale appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep113 – Our Pitch on Picking a Tent

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 23:39:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

They’re your bedrooms in a bag. Your portable fortresses. Your on-the-road abodes.

They’re tents.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren go back to basics, detailing the main considerations when choosing a tent. From size, space, and weight, to ‘future-proofing’, vestibules, and product reviews – tune in for the most beneficial 45 minutes of tent-talk to date!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren go back to basics, detailing the main considerations when choosing a tent. Image: BlackWolf

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:23 – Choosing a Tent

05:18 – Basic Considerations

05:52 – Environmental Conditions

07:02 – Size and Space

11:19 – ‘Future-Proofing’ and Accessories

15:29 – Pack Size and Weight

20:25 – Pitching

27:04 – Connectivity

30:40 – Additional Features: Walls, Awnings, and Vestibules

32:35 – Waterhead Rating

35:32 – Windows

36:48 – Internal Storage

38:41 – Weather-Protected Ventilation

39:31 – Making the Final Decision

42:05 – Product Reviews

43:58 – Online Camping Groups

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Dome tents

Inflatable / air tents

Coleman Instant Up Northstar tents

Coleman Bedrock 2P Hiking Tent

Blogs:

‘What Are Waterhead Ratings on Tents?’ – By Ben Collaton

Podcasts:

Ep10 – Camping with Teenagers

Leki Wanderfreund Makalu Single Pole

Ep97 – Camping with Kids

Other:

YouTube: product videos

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep113 – Our Pitch on Picking a Tent appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep112 – The Inside Track on Trekking Poles

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 22 Oct 2023 23:22:51 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

In this episode, Ben and Lauren (flick) lock, rock, and roll!

From twist-locking and compact folding, to ‘flex tips’, good grip, and snow baskets – trekking poles provide a no-pressure solution to taking on the rocky trails and slopes to the summit.

Take comfort into your own hands from your palms to the path, and watch or listen here!

From twist-locking to compact folding, Ben and Lauren unpack everything trekking and hiking poles. Image: Leki

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:38 – Hiking Poles: Why Should We Use Them?

04:03 – Muscle Engagement and Weight Distribution

05:28 – Stability and Balance

07:49 – Speed

08:45 – Traction

09:32 – Depth Guage

10:36 – Types of Poles

11:38 – One or Two?

11:59 – Features, Materials, Mechanisms, and Accessories

13:51 – Telescopic or Folding Poles?

16:35 – Carbon, Aluminium, or Alloy?

20:47 – Adjustable or Fixed?

23:32 – Height Adjustment and Sizing

25:14 – Twist-Lock or Flick-Lock?

31:30 – Variations to Features and Mechanisms

32:25 – Handles and Grips

36:20 – Wrist Straps

38:59 – Men’s and Women’s-Specific Poles

40:50 – Leki Wanderfreund Makalu Pole

42:38 – Anti-Shock Feature

46:08 – Accessories and Replacements

50:07 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Hiking Poles

Brands:

Black Diamond

Leki

Elemental

Blogs:

Hike Faster, Easier, and Safer with Hiking and Trekking Poles

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep112 – The Inside Track on Trekking Poles appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep111 – Hiking Stoves for Compact Cooking

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 00:26:54 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

In this episode, Ben and Lauren keep it light.

Of everything on your lightweight pack list, your hiking stove is the essential bit of kit! Turning the dry into rehydrated, it’s your cooking comrade on every alfresco escape.

In this episode, our gear experts throw everything into the pot, touching on fuel types, burners, and tips on how to make the most of your compact cooking package. Let’s crank the heat!

Turning the dry into rehydrated, the hiking stove is your cooking comrade on every alfresco escape. Image: MSR

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:01 – Hiking Stoves

02:56 – Multi-Functions

04:28 – Blog

05:11 – Types of Stove Burners and Systems

06:30 – Types of Fuel

09:25 – Canisters

12:08 – Efficiency

14:09 – All-In-One Systems

16:55 – Ultralight Hiking

19:10 – Single-Burner Stoves

22:11 – Wind Protection

23:01 – Liquid Fuel Stoves

30:27 – Carrying Liquid Fuel

31:12 – Don’t Try This at Home…

32:46 – Other MSR Stoves

34:56 – Other Brands

35:50 – Camping and Hiking (Crossover Features)

38:31 – Stoves for Compact Car Camping

46:00 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

The Basics and Best of Hiking Stoves for 2023

Products:

MSR PocketRocket Deluxe

MSR Whisperlite

360 Degrees Furno Stove and Pot Set

Trangia

Dometic Cadac Safari Chef 30

Fuel Bottles

Other:

Product Review (YouTube): Dometic Cadac Safari Chef

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep111 – Hiking Stoves for Compact Cooking appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep110 – Car Camping Without Cramming

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 02:23:44 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Off-road runaway vacations, backroad adventures, outback escapes…

they all have one thing in common: a vehicle. In this episode, our resident gear gurus Ben and Lauren share the driving, exploring the pared-back packing approaches to car camping and proving that there’s no limit to how good outdoor living can get – not even the size of your car.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren explore the pared-back packing approaches to car camping.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:17 – Car Camping

03:45 – Hybrid-Style Gear

05:20 – Adopt a Hiking Gear Approach

06:50 – Tents

09:02 – Other Shelter

10:59 – Bedding

14:25 – Stretchers

15:55 – Sleeping Bags

17:27 – Furniture

22:16 – Food

22:51 – Kitchen Gear and Community Kitchens

24:04 – Stoves and Compact Cookers

29:32 – Fridges, Iceboxes, and Keeping Food Cold

31:14 – Cookware

34:01 – Storage

36:05 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep39 – Fridges Vs. Iceboxes

Ep104 – Awnings for Adventure

Blogs:

8 Tips for Keeping Ice Longer in Your Icebox

Products:

Lightweight Sleeping Bags

Helinox furniture

Zempire Kitpac Spike Table

Zempire Slatpac Camp Tables

Sea to Summit X-Pot range

Pop-Up cookware

Collapsible Space Saving cookware

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep110 – Car Camping Without Cramming appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep109 – Behind the Scenes with Sea to Summit

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 03:50:12 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From the infinite horizon where the sea meets the sunlight, to the mountaintops that pierce the sky…

the range of outdoor gear by Sea to Summit covers the curves and contours of adventures that take on both water and land.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren check back in with Sea to Summit’s Brand Manager Ross Smith to reveal the parts, parcels, and processes behind the brand’s ever-growing success – from their first logo to their future innovations.

Tune in for their trailblazing tale!

The range of outdoor gear by Sea to Summit covers the curves and contours of adventures that take on both water and land. Image: Sea to Summit

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:29 – Introducing Ross from Sea to Summit

03:46 – Who Are Sea to Summit?

05:14 – Distribution and Representation

09:40 – Considerations and Limitations of Aussie Distributing

12:22 – The Story Behind the Name

13:18 – Sea to Summit on an International Level

14:04 – The Head Office

15:17 – The Product Range

17:30 – The Sea to Summit Team

18:48 – Field Testing and Quality Control

20:16 – What Determines a Successful Range?

22:14 – Australian Manufacturing

25:08 – The Story Behind the Alpha Pots

30:01 – Additional Steps in Quality Control

31:43 – How Often do Products Need Revamping?

33:35 – What’s in the Pipeline?

34:39 – Sustainability

36:15 – Product Range in Australia Vs Overseas

37:25 – Post-Sales Process

38:57 – Support and Service

39:42 – Ross’s Favourite Sea to Summit Product

40:34 – Ben’s Favourite Sea to Summit Product

42:07 – Lauren’s Sea to Summit Product(s)

43:30 – Parting Words

44:02 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep106 – Sea to Summit Tents with Ross Smith

Blogs:

Sea to Summit – full range

Products:

Sea to Summit – sleeping bags

Sea to Summit – women’s sleeping bags

Sea to Summit Alpha range

Sea to Summit X-Pot Kettle

Sea to Summit Hydraulic Packing Cubes

Sea to Summit ultralight tents and accessories

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep109 – Behind the Scenes with Sea to Summit appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep108 – New Season, New Gear: Spring ‘23

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 05:45:12 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

For the outdoorsy type, a good drink bottle is like a good handbag.

Be it new bottle brands like Nalgene or new colours from Grayl – the Snowys warehouse is brimming with new gear, just in time for Spring. This week, Ben and Lauren harvest the outdoor gear in full bloom!

From storage bags and awning brackets, to camp tables and solar blankets – in this episode, Ben and Lauren detail the new camp clobber fit for the budding adventurers.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren detail the new camp clobber fit for the budding adventurers. Image: Tiegear

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:13 – Tiegear

06:24 – RacksBrax

11:04 – Oztent Storage Bags

13:54 – Nalgene Water Bottles

16:38 – Grayl GeoPress Water Bottles (New Colours)

18:05 – Oztent and 23ZERO Chainsaw Bags

20:08 – Wanderlite Camp Chairs and Table

25:33 – Zempire Links, Wall Sets, Roof Covers, and Groundsheets

29:03 – Hardkorr 300W Portable Solar Blanket

33:14 – Surprise Product!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Tiegear

RacksBrax

Oztent Gear Bags

Oztent Hanging Storage Pockets and Shelves

Blacksmith Camping Supplies drawer bag

Exped Mesh and Vista Organisers

Nalgene Water Bottles

Grayl GeoPress Water Bottles

Oztent Chainsaw Bags

23ZERO Chainsaw Bag

Wanderlite Camp Chairs and Table

Zempire Links, Wall Sets, Roof Covers, and Groundsheets

Hardkorr 200W Portable Solar Blanket

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep108 – New Season, New Gear: Spring ‘23 appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep107 – How the Big Blokes Camp

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 00:18:14 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

In this episode, Ben and Lauren discover that less is most certainly not more.

From the mats on the wider side to the gear with a bigger pack size, Snowys’ resident camp cook Cam shares how he manages to camp comfortably off the grid as one of the bigger blokes in the group.

Listen in for how to live larger on every pared-back, outdoor escape!

Snowys’ resident camp cook Cam shares how he manages to camp comfortably off the grid.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:32 – Camping for Big Blokes

02:12 – Introducing Cam from Snowys

03:36 – Cam’s Camping Background

07:25 – Sleeping Gear

12:38 – Self-Inflating Sleeping Mats

13:46 – Cam’s Setup

15:16 – Stretchers

16:17 – Packing Space

19:48 – Food

20:53 – Furniture

32:10 – Tents

34:13 – Double Mats?

36:53 – The Take-Home Tips

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

OZtrail Easy Fold stretchers

Blogs:

Camp Cooking with Cam

Products:

Exped Mega Mats

OZtrail Fatmats

Zempire Monstamats

Quest Camp Table 4

Helinox

Wanderlite

Other:

Camp Cooking with Cam – YouTube

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep107 – How the Big Blokes Camp appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep106 – Sea to Summit Tents with Ross Smith

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 03:25:55 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From mountainside to campsite,

the new ultralight tent range by Sea to Summit offers ultimate versatility for ventures beyond suburbia. In this episode, Ben and Lauren sit with Brand Manager Ross Smith to discuss the success of their most recent tent line.

Be it breaking into the tent market, the argument for aluminium, or engaging ‘Hangout’ mode, here’s their pitch for why the Alto and Telos ultralight tents are the gear guru’s choice for off-grid getaways – from the sea to the summit!

From mountainside to campsite, the new ultralight tent range by Sea to Summit offers ultimate versatility. Image: Sea to Summit

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:43 – Introducing Sea to Summit’s Tents

01:26 – Introducing Ross from Sea to Summit

04:28 – The Sea to Summit Tents

09:11 – Breaking into the Tent Market

09:56 – The Design Process

14:27 – Time Frame

16:30 – Manufacturing

17:39 – Collaboration

18:36 – Why Aluminium?

19:45 – Field Reparability

12:02 – Flooring

23:55 – Keeping the Finger on the Pulse

24:39 – Materials and Construction

26:15 – Fly

28:00 – Storing the Inner and Fly

28:39 – Damaged Tent Components and Repair

29:44 – The Alto and Telos Tent Range

31:30 – Optional Footprints

33:12 – Alto Vs Telos

34:27 – Mesh Vs Solid Inner

38:27 – Bikepacking Versions

42:15 – Packing and Versatility

44:39 – Lightbar

46:35 – ‘Hangout’ Mode

48:17 – DAC Pole Frame

48:59 – The Ikos Tent

51:43 – Keeping Relevant: Future Products

55:13 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Sea to Summit – full range

Products:

Sea to Summit ultralight tents and accessories

Sea to Summit Alto tent range

Sea to Summit Telos tent range

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep106 – Sea to Summit Tents with Ross Smith appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep105 – Camp Security & Safety Tips

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 06:37:02 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Camping is supposed to be a freeing experience…

…but often, the paranoia surrounding campsite theft can leave us feeling more tied to our setup than a guy rope to a tent peg!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren lock in the tried and tested tips and tricks for keeping your camp clobber contained and the tent intact.

Ben and Lauren detail how to keep your camp clobber contained and the tent intact!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:28 – Camp Security and Safety

03:36 – Vehicle Security

07:06 – Campsite Security

10:40 – Don’t Appear to Have Something to Steal!

13:32 – Get to Know Your Neighbours

14:50 – Your Campsite Configuration

15:42 – Cable Loops, Padlocks, and Chains

17:10 – The Luck of the Draw

19:18 – Insurance

22:15 – Paranoia

22:48 – Home Safety and Social Media

24:30 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep35 – Camping Etiquette

Products:

Korjo Solid Brass Padlocks 2 Pack

Korjo TSA Indicator Combination Lock

Korjo TSA Flexicable Lock

Korjo TSA Combilock Duopack 2 Pack

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep105 – Camp Security & Safety Tips appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep104 – Awnings for Adventure

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 02:30:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From a weather shelter to a private space…

the all-too-adaptable awning is the sail of your four-wheeled ship. In this episode, Ben and Lauren throw some serious shade in only the best ways, shedding light instead on the awnings designed for 4WDs and vehicles.

Be it how to mount, when to peg out, the types that pull out, or the styles that curve around – tune in for all there is to know about the ultimate setup extender ahead of your next escape!

The all-too-adaptable awning is like the sail of your four-wheeled ship. Credit: Supa Peg

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:19 – 4WD and Vehicle Awnings

03:22 – The Awning

05:39 – Ideal Vehicle Awning Setups

09:09 – Shade

10:33 – Installation

15:09 – Roof Racks

19:18 – Mounting Bracket Requirements

20:29 – Preventing Flexing

23:35 – Dual Cabs

25:45 – Mounting with a Roof Top Tent

27:20 – Pull-Out / Roll-Out Awnings

30:40 – 180-Degree Awnings

34:37 – 270-Degree Awnings

39:10 – Freestanding and Non-Freestanding

42:40 – Stick-On Awnings and Other Alternatives

45:14 – Pros and Cons of Awnings

46:40 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep38 – Awnings, Shelters & Shade for Summer

4WD Awnings & Accessories

Products:

Darche Eclipse 180 Awning Gen 2

Darche Eclipse 270 Awning Gen 2

23ZERO Falcon 270 Passenger Side Awning

23ZERO Osprey 270 Awning

CampBoss Boss Shadow 270 XL Awning

Hard Korr 270 Degree Extra Large Freestanding Awning LHS

Supa Peg Outbound Shield 6 Freestanding Awning

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep104 – Awnings for Adventure appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep103 – Flames & Flavour: Campfire Cooking Gear

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 02:29:15 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From the temperature control of a camp stove to the embers and coals of a camp oven,

cooking at the campsite can range anywhere between clean cut, home kitchen creations, to rustic, flame-cooked feeds with as much mess as finesse!

Be it a fold-away fire pit or a tripod over the flames – in this episode, Ben and Lauren unpack the bits of campfire cooking kit from the hotplates and grills to the pots, pans, and skillets.

Cooking at the campsite can range anywhere between clean cut, home kitchen creations, to rustic, flame-cooked feeds with as much mess as finesse! Image: Campfire

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:50 – Episode Context

05:32 – Gear for Both Campfires and Stoves

07:50 – Long Tongs and Fire Gloves

09:12 – Pain Scraper

10:47 – Fire Pits

11:38 – Cooking on Open Fires

13:50 – Camp Ovens

20:03 – Cast Aluminium and Aluminium Cookware

22:31 – Beginner Campfire Cooking Setups

23:24 – Advanced Campfire Cooking Systems

27:35 – Tripods and Backyard Setups

28:50 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep3 – Comparing Cast Iron & Spun Steel Camp Ovens

Cast Iron Versus Steel Camp Ovens

Blogs:

How to Cook Damper in a Camp Oven

Camp Oven Turducken & Gravy

Products:

Toasty Tips for a Warmer Sleep

Safety Equipment

Hotplates & Grills

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep103 – Flames & Flavour: Campfire Cooking Gear appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep102 – Sleeping Bags Unpacked

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 04:15:36 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

In this episode, Ben and Lauren bivvy down on the basic, pared-back sleeping bag.

From packed size and zip configuration to fills, fabrics, and brand-specific jargon – tune in for the core considerations when selecting your all-round alfresco cocoon!

We bivvy down on what to consider when choosing a basic sleeping bag for your next camping adventure. Image: Coleman

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:42 – New Studio!

02:43 – The Context Around the Topic

05:33 – Sleeping Bags for Car Camping

06:50 – Zip Configuration

08:05 – Packed Size

08:55 – Width and Overall Usage

09:35 – Materials

11:12 – Cold Mountain Vs Cold Mountain Canvas

13:03 – Durability

13:55 – Fabric Outers and Inners

14:44 – Liners

17:17 – Hoods

19:42 – Temperature Ratings

23:16 – Fills

25:50 – Warmth

28:30 – Brand-Specific Terminology

30:03 – Sleeping Surfaces Make a Difference!

31:49 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

Podcasts:

Ep58 – How to Camp Cosy

Ep91 – Selecting Your Dream Sleeping Mat

Products:

Coleman Mudgee sleeping bags

Coleman Pilbara sleeping bags

23ZERO Alaska Black sleeping bags

Darche Cold Mountain sleeping bags

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep102 – Sleeping Bags Unpacked appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep101 – Evakool Fridges with Leana and Jaimie

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 22 May 2023 02:46:20 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From the soft hum to the frosty compartment,

the humble fridge is a core component in a campsite setup. In this episode, Ben and Lauren keep their cool in an interview with Evakool’s Head of Marketing Leana, and Head of Refrigeration (and longstanding, qualified refrigeration mechanic) Jaimie.

Despite their long-established narrative and true-blue Aussie spirit, Evakool consistently generate fresh ideas. Tune in for a chockablock chat that unpacks all from their fruitful history to fridge efficiency.

Ben and Lauren keep their cool in an interview with Evakool’s Leana and Jamie. Image: Evakool

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:03 – Introducing Leana and Jaimie from Evakool

03:29 – The History of Evakool

06:11 – Ownership

06:31 – Brands

08:10 – The Evakool Range

11:39 – ‘Marinised’ Defined

12:35 – Marinised Fridges

15:08 – Power Consumption and Efficiency

19:09 – The ‘Down Under’ Series

20:43 – Australian Manufacturing

23:53 – Fibreglass Vs Plastic Shells

27:51 – Compressor

31:05 – From Concept and Design to Manufacturing and Market

35:15 – Customer Feedback Avenues

37:28 – ‘For Aussies, by Aussies’

40:45 – Questions from Listeners (+ Ben and Lauren!)

52:33 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

Evakool

Products:

All Fridges and Coolers

Evakool Iceboxes

Evakool Covers

Evakool Down Under Series

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep101 – Evakool Fridges with Leana and Jaimie appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep100 – Top 10 Number 1’s for 2023

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 08 May 2023 06:35:50 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

The best campers are the ones who…

…can pitch a tent in the dark without glowing guy ropes. Produce the perfect, char-spotted crust on a damper. Pack their boot like Ben. Van-life like Lauren.

But what about the gear that gets them through?

In their 100^th episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren discuss the top 10 best-of-the-bests. From touring tents and camp lights, to stoves, swags, and gear for the hikes – they’ve got 99 episodes, but this is THE one!

From touring tents and camp lights, to stoves, swags, and gear for the hikes, Ben and Lauren discuss the top 10 best-of-the-bests. Image: Oztent

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:14 – Talking ‘Best Of’ Categories for 2023

04:13 – The Data

07:09 – 4WD and Touring Tents: Oztent RV

12:56 – Family Tents: Coleman Instant Ups

17:37 – Camping Mattresses: Exped MegaMat 10

21:29 – Camping Stoves: Coleman HyperFlame FireKnight

24:32 – Camping Lights and Lanterns: Hardkorr U-Lite Dual Colour Lights

29:56 – Camping Swags: 23Zero Dual Swag

34:07 – Coffee Makers: Wacaco Nanopresso

37:06 – Hiking Tents: Explore Planet Earth Spartan 2 and 3

40:33 – Hiking Stoves: JetBoil Flash

42:58 – Hiking and Lightweight Sleeping Mats: Sea to Summit Ether Light

47:40 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

Camping

Best 4WD & Touring Tents for 2023

Best Family Camping Tents for 2023

Best Camping Mattresses for 2023

The Best Camping Stoves for 2023

Best Camping Lights and Lanterns for 2023

Best Camping Swags for 2023

Guide to Coffee Makers for Camping, 2023

Hiking

The Best Hiking Tents for 2023

The Basics and Best of Hiking Stoves for 2023

Best Hiking & Lightweight Sleeping Mats for 2023

Products:

Oztent RV-5

Coleman Instant Ups

Exped MegaMat 10

Coleman HyperFlame FireKnight

Hardkorr U-Lite Dual Colour Lights

23Zero Dual Swags

Wacaco Nanopresso

Explore Planet Earth Spartan 2 and 3

JetBoil Flash

Sea to Summit Ether Light

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep100 – Top 10 Number 1’s for 2023 appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep99 – A Look Into Recreational Generators

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 01:30:04 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

In this episode, Ben and Lauren drone on like a generator at a caravan park.

Kidding. Although, that’s a great segue into the next line…

From power consumption to fuel efficiency, our outdoor experts swear to hold limited knowledge on these humble pods of emergency energy. Nonetheless, tune in for a pared-back chat that generates 30 minutes of useful tips, basic facts, and the all-round lowdown on powering up.

Pull up, set up, and switch it on – off the grid!

Pull up, set up, and switch it on – off the grid! Image: Engel

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:34 – New Gear

04:36 – Ben and Lauren’s Take on Generators

07:29 – Generators Defined

09:31 – Best Uses for Generators

12:28 – Power and Wattage

13:40 – Recreational Generators Vs Inverter Generators

17:37 – Diesel and Petrol Fuel Consumption

20:08 – Caravan and National Park: Generator Allowances

20:55 – Charging

24:34 – Generator Etiquette

27:26 – You Get What You Pay For…

30:07 – Summary

30:25 – Story of the Week

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

New Gear:

Blacksmith Camping Supplies Australian Made 4WD Wheel Bag

Laken water bottles

Zempire Pro III V2 Air Tent

Other:

Generators

Podcasts:

Ep20 – Fuel Storage Methods for Camping

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next fortnight’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep99 – A Look Into Recreational Generators appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep98 – Staying Safe on the Road

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 01:28:50 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From tedious traffic, detours, and re-directions…

…to beating the heat, sleet, and wet conditions – in this episode, Ben and Lauren take the wheel and steer the Snowys Camping Show in a new direction.

Buckle in for their detailed discussion on road safety more extensive than the Sturt Highway, touching on the plans to make and the precautions to take ahead of your next road trip.

Prepare to take the nearest exit onto the Snowys Expressway!

Ben and Lauren steer the Snowys Camping Show in a new direction! Credit: Visit Victoria

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:17 – New Gear

04:39 – Packing Your Car

05:33 – Weather Conditions

07:19 – Traffic Conditions

07:39 – Planning Your Departure

08:25 – Regular Breaks

09:21 – Keep Your Windscreen Clean

10:05 – Stay Alert

10:49 – Share the Driving

12:04 – Coffee

13:29 – Practice and Awareness

16:24 – Night Driving

18:31 – UHF Radio Channels

19:57 – Sharing the Road with Trucks

21:39 – Overtaking Trucks

25:11 – Making Space

25:52 – Slipstream

27:07 – Passing Trucks

28:28 – Summary

29:30 – Story of the Week (…Sort Of)

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

New Gear:

Sea to Summit: new dry bag and stuff sack range

Lowe Alpine

Other:

Radio and Comms

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep98 – Staying Safe on the Road appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep97 – Camping with Kids

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 01:30:53 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

With the added baggage, recurring toilet breaks, and storage pockets stuffed with snack wrappers and stones from their favourite beach…

Camping with young children simply requires more. Even so, the only time your kids should be added weight on your back on an outdoor adventure is if they’re too tired to walk the extra mile!

This week, family-man-Ben and power-mum-Lauren detail what to pack, where to pull-in, and the principles to pitch from a young age. Just like your little ones, this episode packs a big punch!

Bundle the camp clobber, buckle in your rugged cherubs, and watch or listen here!

Just like your little ones, this episode packs a big punch! Credit: Zempire

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:36 – New Gear

05:01 – Camping with Kids

06:41 – Longer Vs Shorter Trips

07:56 – Start Them Young!

10:28 – Distance and Style of Travel

12:15 – Consider Local Locations

13:06 – Prepare for Longer Stopovers

14:14 – Caravan Park Camping

16:45 – Toilets

18:07 – Meals and Snacks: Logistics

20:53 – Road Trip Entertainment

21:52 – Bearing with Backseat Mess!

23:09 – Other Entertainment Ideas

26:03 – Kid-Friendly Camping Gear

33:19 – Lighting

34:00 – Camping with Limited Amenities

34:53 – Hygiene and Cleaning

36:50 – Clothing and Laundry

38:29 – Downtime

38:59 – Allow Exploring and Educate on Dangers and Risks

39:58 – Familiarise, Normalise, and Expose

40:40 – Lauren’s Zip-Tie Tip

42:18 – Mitigating Concerns and Paranoia

43:08 – More Tips from the Snowys Team

44:34 – Story of the Week

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep10 – Camping with Teenagers

Blogs:

5 Tips for Camping with Kids Under 5

Products:

New Gear

Charmate BBQs, Firepits, and Charcoal Starters

Other:

SupaPeg Frontier Fire Pit

Kids Sleeping Bags

Kids Camping Chairs

Thetford Porta Potti 365 Toilet

Organisers

Headlamps

Torches & Flashlights

Companion 12V Shower

Wilderness Wash 250mL

Collapsible Space Saving 30L Silicone Storage Tub

First Aid

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep97 – Camping with Kids appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep96 – Weird & Wonderful Camping Gear #2

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 06:45:14 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Remember when things got weird in Episode 57…?

There was talk of portable beer kegs for al fresco frothies, canned sandwiches, and even luminous loo roll – the camping gear on the cusp of clever and the tackle that barely tickles normal.

There’s more where that came from! Be it a barbecue from a galaxy far, far away, torches on your shoes, or full-body bug suits – in this episode, Ben and Lauren have 24 products, 52 minutes, 2 microphones, and a whole lot of laughs.

Tune in for the camping gear that’s too weird for words… until it’s not!

The camping gear on the cusp of clever and the tackle that barely tickles normal! Credit: Hard Korr

Shortcuts

00:00 – Intro

00:16 – Weird & Wonderful Gear

02:24 – Star Wars Voyager BBQ

04:05 – YeCup

05:40 – Blub Blub Bottle

07:38 – ‘Random’ Multi-Tool

09:31 – Portable Wind Turbine

11:22 – Glow-In-The-Dark Rope

12:57 – Tree Tent

14:24 – Rainman Camp Shower

15:59 – Mystical Fire

17:44 – Inflatable Lanterns and Coloured Camp Lights

20:25 – Shoe Torches

22:36 – Waterproof Socks

25:19 – SUV Tent (or Dometic Tailgater)

27:42 – Motorcycle Tent

29:27 – Hiking Trailer

31:46 – Krapp Strap

33:28 – Trailer Hitch Lock Box

34:52 – Wearable Umbrella

38:30 – Survival Cards

39:34 – Unightie

43:00 – Clip-On Dragon Flies

44:42 – Full Body Mesh Bug Suit

46:54 – Vortex Blender

48:37 – Eco Camping Dishwasher

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep57 – Weird & Wonderful Camping Gear

Blogs:

Weird, Wonderful & Disturbingly Strange Camping Gear

Products:

Star Wars The Fighter BBQ

YeCup Temperature Adjustable Mug

Blub Blub Bottle (Electric Drinking Portable Dispenser)

Hard Korr Multi-Tool Shovel

Portable Wind Turbine

Glow-In-The-Dark Rope

Tree Tent

RainMan Camp Shower

Mystical Fire Coloured Flames

Inflatable Lanterns and Coloured Camp Lights

Shoe Lights

Bridgedale Waterproof Socks

Dometic Tailgater AIR

Motorcycle Tent

Hiking Trailer

Krapp Strap

Trailer Hitch Lock Box

Full Body Mesh Bug Suit

Vortex Blender

Eco Camping Dishwasher

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep96 – Weird & Wonderful Camping Gear #2 appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep95 – Guide to Hiking Packs with Deuter

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 01:26:45 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Built for the kick-butt hikers, hit-the-road bikers, and all-round outdoor explorers!

Deuter travel and hiking bags and packs boast a superior construction from a multi-step design, test, and reassessment process.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren chat with Manfred from TMO Sports – Deuter’s Australian representative for over 25 years – to unpack the history, commonly asked questions, and essential features of their premium backpack, hiking bag, and rucksack range.

Ben, Lauren, Mandred from Deuter unpack the essential features of their premium backpack and rucksack range. Credit: Deuter

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:41 – Introducing Manfred from TMO Sports

01:46 – Manfred’s Involvement with Deuter

04:33 – The History of Deuter

06:11 – The Deuter Range

07:34 – Harness Systems: Advantages and Disadvantages

10:54 – Travel Packs Vs Hiking Packs

18:02 – Daypacks

19:15 – Hybrid Packs

21:20 – Capacity: How is it Measured?

25:00 – Guide to Size Selection

27:56 – Slimline (SL) Sizing

30:15 – Recommended Pack Weight

31:14 – Weight Ratings

32:48 – Designing, Testing, and Revising

38:58 – Harness Systems: Adjustability

41:47 – Pack Features: The Essentials

44:43 – The Price of Premium

49:27 – New Innovations

51:02 – Is a truly waterproof pack possible?

53:18 – Is an ultra-light model on the radar?

54:51 – Are external frames making a comeback?

55:30 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Deuter Products:

Slimline (SL) Rucksacks

Slimline (SL) Daypacks

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep95 – Guide to Hiking Packs with Deuter appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep94 – Back to Reality: Camp Gear Storage

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 00:36:13 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Be it back to the garage, or straight to the garbage,

this discussion on gear storage seriously stacks up! In this episode, Ben and Lauren unpack how to best manage, maintain, and store your camp clobber following every off-grid getaway.

From the gear bags to the clear tubs – tune in for their tips on tent longevity, pest prevention, and drying out the damp.

From the gear bags to the clear tubs – tune in for Ben and Lauren’s storage tips!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:40 – New Gear

04:53 – Unpacking Before Unwinding

06:05 – Cleaning Your Gear: Drying, Sweeping, and Spot-Cleaning

09:11 – Cleaning Your Gear After Coastal Camping

09:52 – Gear Maintenance: Refilling, Replacing, and Recharging

13:01 – Wet or Damp Gear

16:14 – Storing Your Gear

19:12 – Bedding, Sleeping Mats, and Sleeping Bags

20:31 – Lauren’s Storage Method

21:25 – Ben’s Storage Method

22:43 – Drawer Bags Vs Solid Tubs

23:56 – Reusing Wardrobes, Cupboards, and Drawers

25:42 – Packing Tents for Longevity

27:16 – Storing Self-Inflating Mats

28:17 – Storing Chairs and Furniture

28:48 – Storing Cookware

31:37 – Managing Pests

34:52 – How Do You Store Your Gear?

35:41 – Story of the Week

Mentioned in this Episode:

New Gear:

OZtrail Drover sleeping bags

OZtrail Jindabyne sleeping bags

Companion Proheat 2 Burner High Pressure stove

Companion Proheat 2 Burner Low Pressure stove

Gasmate Wireless BBQ Thermometer 4 Piece

Deuter AirContact packs

Brands:

Blacksmith Camping Supplies

Categories

Podcasts:

Ep72 – Lauren’s Setup

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep94 – Back to Reality: Camp Gear Storage appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep93 – Dometic Fridges with Paul Montaut

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 05 Mar 2023 23:30:50 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

This may just be our coolest interview yet.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren sit down with the Product Manager of Mobile Cooling at Dometic, Paul Montaut.

Kick back and crack open a cold one as the three of them discuss the ins and outs of Dometic fridges – literally, from their capacity and compressor to how well they combat the weather!

Kick back and crack open a cold one as Ben, Lauren, and special guest Paul discuss the ins and outs of Dometic fridges. Credit: Dometic

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:35 – Introducing Paul from Dometic

04:57 – The History of Dometic

07:22 – The RV Industry

09:31 – Dometic’s Transition to Waeco

13:39 – Dometic’s Compressor

20:46 – Noise Level and Harmonics: Contributing Factors

22:33 – Service and Support Network

23:57 – Premium Features and Performance for Value

28:43 – Ventilation

31:19 – Insulation and Flammability

34:53 – Duty Cycle

36:49 – Thermoelectric Coolers

38:15 – The Dometic Product Design Process (DPDP)

45:53 – Dual Zones: Most Efficient Temperature Settings?

51:22 – Capacity

53:20 – Power Draw

56:05 – Drawer Fridges: Limitations

59:09 – Lauren’s Fridge Setup

01:00:21 – Can the CFX Range be Used as a Home Freezer?

01:02:15 – Why Does the CD30 Lack a Divider System?

01:03:23 – Best Place to Store Your Fridge While Camping?

01:04:51 – Exposing Your Fridge to Water and Dust (IP Ratings)

Mentioned in this Episode:

Other Episodes:

Ep52 – Caravan Refrigeration with Kev

Ep39 – Fridges Vs Iceboxes

Brands:

Dometic

Category Pages:

Upright Fridges

Drawer Fridges

Products:

Dometic CFX3 25 Portable Fridge/Freezer 25L

Dometic Coolmatic CD30 Drawer Fridge

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep93 – Dometic Fridges with Paul Montaut appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep92 – Campsite Q&A’s #5 with Ben & Lauren

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 00:00:27 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Ben and Lauren have a combined knowledge of the outdoors that stretches further than a snatch strap hauling a 4WD from a bad back-up job.

In the 5th episode of their Campsite Q&A’s series, your questions are answered – from the gear on its way up, to the gear on its way out.

The billy’s on the boil, the damper’s wrapped in foil, and there’s an empty camp chair waiting loyally by the fire just for you. Tune in here!

The billy’s on the boil, the damper’s wrapped in foil, and there’s an empty camp chair waiting loyally by the fire just for you. Credit: OZtrail

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:47 – New Gear

06:59 – Are Ben and Lauren Involved in Scouting?

11:16 – Do I Need 3x MPPT Chargers for my 2x 120W and 1x 200W Solar Panels?

14:48 – When is the Right Time to Move From a Tent to a Trailer?

20:13 – Has Lauren Decided on Her Upgraded Kids’ Bedding System?

22:15 – Gear On-Trend and Gear Phasing Out?

27:32 – Suction or Magnetic Clip-On Awnings: Are They Good?

30:13 – Removeable Kitchen in a 4WD Boot: Can This Work?

33:46 – Story of the Week

Mentioned in this Episode:

Other Episodes:

Ep23 – Campsite Q&A’s with Ben & Lauren

Ep30 – Campsite Q&A’s #2 with Ben & Lauren

Ep48 – Campsite Q&A’s #3 with Ben & Lauren

Ep65 – Campsite Q&A’s #4 with Ben & Lauren (Part 1)

Ep66 – Campsite Q&A’s #4 with Ben & Lauren (Part 2)

Ep71 – Ben’s Setup

Ep72 – Lauren’s Setup

Brands:

Products:

New or Updated Gear

Dometic Santorini FTK 2×4 TC Inflatable Tent

Dometic Santorini FTK 4×8 TC Inflatable Tent

BioLite BaseCharge 600

BioLite BaseCharge 1500

Hard Korr 40A DC-DC Battery Charger with MPPT Solar Regulator

Hard Korr 25A DC-DC Battery Charger with MPPT Solar Regulator

Other

Camping Tents

Dome Tents

Inflatable Tents

Oztent Malamoo Beach Shelters

Exped Versa 2R LW Sleeping Mat

Outdoor Connection Fiesta Sun Shelter

Darche KOZI Series All-Rounder 1.8m Awning

Camp Kitchen

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep92 – Campsite Q&A’s #5 with Ben & Lauren appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep91 – Selecting Your Dream Sleeping Mat

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 01:21:03 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

‘Bought a sleeping mat yesterday. It still hasn’t woken up.’

From the old-school inflatables to self-inflating technology, Ben and Lauren discuss the queries and considerations involved in choosing your dream sleeping mat.

We understand if you’d rather sleep on it first – but if you snooze, you lose! Watch or listen to the ultimate lullaby right here.

Ben and Lauren discuss the considerations involved in choosing your dream sleeping mat.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:53 – New Gear

08:34 – ‘What Sleeping Mat Should I Choose?’

11:45 – Weight and Packed Size

13:18 – In-Use Thickness

14:19 – R-Value

17:36 – Price

18:41 – Styles

28:51 – Width

31:48 – Fitted Sheets

32:47 – Mat Couplers

33:28 – Compatibility: Stretchers and Swags

36:27 – Story of the Week

Mentioned in this Episode:

Other Episodes:

Ep56 – Will That Stretcher Fit?

Blogs:

R-Value & ASTM Standard for Sleeping Mats Explained

Brands:

Products:

New or Updated Gear

Petzl Tikka 350 Headlamp

Petzl Tikka Core 450 Rechargeable Headlamp

Petzl Tikkina 300 Headlamp

Petzl Actik 450 Headlamp

Petzl Actik Core 600 Headlamp

OZtrail Fast Frame 3 Person Tent

Skratch Labs

Sleeping Mats and Accessories

Darche 900 Wide All Terrain Mattress

Exped MegaMat

OZtrail 3D Fatmat 1500

Exped MegaMat Max 15 LXW Self Inflating Mat

Zempire sleeping mats

Sea to Summit Comfort Plus Self Inflating Rectangular Sleeping Mat

Air Filled Mats

Self-Inflating Mats

Foam Mats

Sea to Summit Sleeping Mat Coupler Loops

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep91 – Selecting Your Dream Sleeping Mat appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep90 – Top This: Camp Pizza Prep

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 01:15:36 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

In this episode, Ben and Lauren cover all bases.

Campsite cooking doesn’t have to be dull. From the leopard-spotted crusts to the colourful, chock-a-block toppings and bubbly cheese blankets – pizzas are (literally) one of the most well-rounded dishes you can cook!

Watch or listen for advice on the perfect slice, and how to take the colour and craft of domestic cooking beyond the flour-dusted kitchen bench to the backcountry!

Pizzas are (literally) one of the most well-rounded dishes you can cook at the campsite! Credit: Ooni

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:44 – New Gear

05:37 – Pizza at the Campsite

08:04 – The Versatility of Pizza Dough

10:28 – Cooking Pizza in the Outdoors

16:19 – Ingredients and Preparation

18:59 – Dessert Pizzas: ‘A Constant Disappointment’!

19:54 – Accessories

24:09 – Story of the Week

Mentioned in this Episode:

Other Episodes:

Ep3 – Comparing Cast Iron & Spun Steel Camp Ovens

Cast Iron Versus Steel Camp Ovens

Blogs:

Products:

New Gear

JetBoil Genesis Basecamp Stove System

OZtrail Camp Series camp chairs

Cooking Appliances:

Ozpig Oven Smoker

Gasmate Orbitor Portable BBQ

Ooni: outdoor pizza ovens and accessories

Other:

Lucy Barnard | YouTube Channel

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep90 – Top This: Camp Pizza Prep appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep89 – Caravan Gas Systems with Kev

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 00:13:35 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Usually when it gets a little gassy in the van, one needs only to crack a window.

In this episode though, our podcast hosts Ben and Lauren sit down with resident caravanning expert Kev from the Snowys Warehouse to chat the ins and outs of caravan gas systems.

We mean that literally too, covering all from internal and external appliances, to compatibility, care, and maintenance.

Ben, Lauren, and Kev cover everything from internal and external appliances, to compatibility, care, and maintenance. Credit: Kevin Leslie

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:32 – Introducing Kev

01:59 – The Basics of a Caravan Gas System

03:18 – LPG

04:29 – Regulators

05:51 – Built-In and Portable Gas Appliances

07:02 – Ventilation

09:29 – Compatible Appliances

10:29 – Internal Caravan Gas Appliances

13:57 – External Appliances and Thermocouples

20:58 – Transitioning to the LCC27 Fitting

23:19 – Gas System Maintenance and Care

26:05 – Second-Hand Van Certification

27:30 – Kev’s Explosive Experience!

30:56 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Other Episodes:

Ep83 – LCC27 Gas Regulations: The New Standards

Blogs:

POL & LCC27 Gas Fittings: Everything You Need to Know by Ben Collaton

Understanding Gas for Camping and Caravan Stoves by Ben Collaton

Products:

Gasmate Orbitor Portable BBQ

Companion Double Burner Wok Cooker

Dometic Pico FTC 2×2 TC Inflatable 2-Person Swag

Gas hoses

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep89 – Caravan Gas Systems with Kev appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep88 – Top Tables for Every Trip

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 00:56:31 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

In this episode, we lay everything out on the table.

Be them the ultimate snack-top flattops, fold-out outdoor kitchens, or benchtop henchmen – Ben and Lauren unpack the tables best suited to your campsite setups.

Tune in for the conversation across the podcast table, where our gear gurus touch on everything from designs and adjustable heights, to aluminium, melamine, and outdoor dining!

Tune in for the conversation across the podcast table. Credit: Zempire

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:48 – New Gear

07:13 – Considering Your Table

10:05 – Table Materials

19:24 – Table Features

27:30 – Table Styles

35:46 – Story of the Week

Mentioned in this Episode:

New Gear

Dometic Pico FTC 1×1 TC Inflatable 2-Person Swag

Coleman Peak 1-2 Burner Stove

Darche Dirty Dee 900 CP Swag

Darche Dirty Dee 1100 CP Swag

Darche Dirty Dee 1400 CP Swag

Tables

All tables

Coleman Pack Away Table & Bench 3 Pce Set

Plastic and Polyethylene tables

Folding tables

Coleman 4 Foot Fold in Half table

Slat tables

Zempire Kitpac Large V2 Camp Table

Coleman Camp Kitchen

Coleman Deluxe Utility Table

Carry bags and storage

Peer Sorensen picnic tables

Zempire Kitpac Spike Table

Helinox Cafe Table

Helinox Table One

Ultralight tables

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep88 – Top Tables for Every Trip appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep87 – Building a Bucket List with Mariska Threadgold

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 02:08:01 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Fellow campers, 4WDers, and outdoor adventurers…

…it’s about time we didn’t let that cardboard calendar hanging by a distorted paper clip dictate how we live our lives. Time is just as much of a factor in planning an off-grid getaway as it is in baking banana bread: there may never be a ‘right’ time, but some times are riper than others.

In this episode, our outdoor experts Ben and Lauren are back behind the mic talking bucket lists with copywriter, content creator, and adventure blogger Mariska Threadgold. From memories of rainbow ice-cream at Monkey Mia, to determining those big, ‘bucket worthy’ journeys – Mariska demonstrates why the time is now, the reason is adventure, and the only question is where.

The time is now, the reason is adventure, and the only question is where.

Shortcuts

00:00 – Intro

00:58 – Introducing Mariska Threadgold

03:03 – Is There Ever a ‘Right Time’?

03:52 – Mariska’s Story

08:10 – 10 Months on the Road

10:54 – Mariska’s Happy Place: Motivation to Move Forward

13:06 – Mariska’s Bucket List

14:20 – What is ‘Bucket Worthy’?

19:49 – Building a Bucket List

22:43 – ‘Bucket List Overwhelm’

27:33 – Ben’s Bucket List

28:54 – Monthly Mini Buckets

32:27 – Your Buckets Vs Theirs

36:28 – Social Media’s Role

37:46 – Mariska’s Inspiration and Research

40:49 – Bucket List Fails

42:50 – Follow Mariska for More

44:06 – Blog Gossip from a Little Birdy…

44:30 – Mariska’s Website

Mentioned in this Episode:

Mariska Threadgold | Copywriter

Mariska Threadgold | Blog

Instagram: Mariska Threadgold

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep87 – Building a Bucket List with Mariska Threadgold appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep86 – That’s a Wrap on Season 2

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 23:53:07 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

We’ve learned a lot this year.

Ben knows a thing or thirty about water filtration. Lauren secretly rates groundsheets. Adding red cordial to a brand new water bladder helps to eradicate the plastic-like flavour. There is such thing as a ‘swent’ (or is there?), and it is possible to talk for 30 minutes about tent pegs.

From burning toilet paper to boiling salt in water – tune in for the laughs, learnings, and most-loved moments of the Snowys Camping Show: Season 2.

We’ve learned alot this year.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:47 – Our New E-Mail Address!

02:54 – The Wrap Up

04:05 – Ben and Lauren: Pure Talent?!

05:26 – Lauren’s Learning: The Sea to Summit Kitchen Sink

07:28 – Ben’s Observation: Season 2’s Swear Words!

09:14 – Lauren’s Favourite Episode

10:17 – Ben’s Water Filtration Episode

11:27 – Lauren: ‘”Swents” Don’t Exist!’

12:59 – Lauren’s Change of Tune on Groundsheets

14:47 – That Time We Talked Tent Pegs for 30 Minutes…

16:21 – The Long, Technical, PLB Episode…

16:50 – Conversations with the CFS

19:02 – The Red Cordial Tip

22:45 – Burning Ben’s Toilet Paper…

24:15 – Adding Salt to Boiling Water

27:06 – Lauren’s Crocs

28:18 – The Beauty of Darkroom Tents

30:00 – The Riverland Camp Oven Festival in Renmark

31:38 – The Australian Camp Oven Festival

32:15 – Wrapping Up the Wrap-Up…

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep55 – Food for Adventure with Kate Grarock

Ep50 – Swag, Tent, or ‘Swent’?

Ep75 – Water Filtration

Ep69 – From the Ground Up: Talking Groundsheets

Ep54 – Talkin’ Tent Pegs

Ep63 – Talkin’ Tent Pegs: Hiking Edition

Ep49 – PLB Comparisons

Ep51 – Taking Care of Business with Camp Toilets

Ep74 – One Pot Wonders

Ep81 – Coleman Instant Up Tents

Ep79 – Aus Camp Oven Festival ’22 Wrap-Up

Other:

The Seasoned Chef

Camp Cooking with Cam

The post Ep86 – That’s a Wrap on Season 2 appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep85 – Strapped In: Talking Tie-Downs

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 03:37:12 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Buckle up, because Ben and Lauren have forty minutes up their sleeves…

…and they’re choosing to spend it talking about tie-down straps.

From fail-safe ropes to ratchet straps, our gear gurus unpack how to best secure your clobber with the right strapping variety. Our hands are tied – this is certainly the most comprehensive conversation on getting your gear together.

Our gear gurus unpack how to best secure your clobber with the right strapping variety.

Shortcuts

00:00 – Intro

01:15 – Tie-Down Straps

03:47 – Fasty Straps and Sea to Summit Bomber Tie-Downs

07:48 – Cam Buckle Tie-Downs

11:27 – Ratchet Straps

16:04 – Fail-Safe Ropes

20:07 – Cost: Rope Vs Straps

21:03 – Logistics of Rope

22:08 – Bungee Cords and Occy Straps

24:51 – Cargo Nets

30:04 – Breaking Strength and Working Load Limit

31:29 – Length and Colours

32:57 – Tightening Mechanism

34:47 – Roof Load Limit Vs Roof Rack Limit

35:45 – Logistics When Loading Up

41:40 – Ben’s Final Notes

Mentioned in this Episode:

Categories

Straps and Shackles

Products

Sea to Summit Tie-Downs

Sea to Summit Bomber Tie-Downs

ROK Straps Stretch Straps

Lion Australia Occy Strap

Wildtrak Leisure Australia Heavy Duty Bungee Cord

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep85 – Strapped In: Talking Tie-Downs appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep84 – The Muk Mat Story with Suze Horton

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 28 Nov 2022 05:52:23 +0000

Listen the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

From the sand and salt post-surf, to the dust, dirt, and turf…

Muk Mat products boast a non-slip, clean-cut solution to preventing muck from making its way into homes, camp spaces, and vehicles.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren chat with Muk Mat founder Suze Horton about the growing success of the business – and why the grass is always greener with a Muk Mat!

Muk Mat products boast a non-slip, clean-cut solution to preventing muck from making its way into living spaces. Credit: Muk Mat

Shortcuts

00:00 – Intro

00:44 – Introducing Suze from Muk Mat

01:53 – Planting the Seed: The Origin of Muk Mat

03:57 – Not Just a Piece of Grass…

07:10 – Muk Mat’s Growing Success

08:44 – ‘Muk Mates’

10:23 – Manufacturing and Distribution

12:47 – Aussie Manufacturing

14:39 – The Real Fake Grass

17:48 – Muk Mat Quality: A Step Up

20:03 – Customised Mats and New Products

22:02 – Coloured Turfs

23:58 – Creative Muk Mat Uses

25:33 – The Plan for Muk Mat

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

Muk Mat

Products:

Muk Mat Original Mat

Muk Mat Large Mat

Muk Mat Pull-Out Step Mat

Muk Mat Step Mat

Muk Mat Extra Large Mat

Muk Mat Storage Bag

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep84 – The Muk Mat Story with Suze Horton appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep83 – LCC27 Gas Regulations: The New Standards

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 01:49:52 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

No, this episode isn’t about bowel movements.

Be it those backyard barbies before sundown, campsite brekkies at the crack of dawn, or just all-round outdoor leisure – the new LCC27 gas fitting now replaces the existing POL on common 4kg and 9kg LPG gas cylinders.

Our gear experts outline the reasons behind the transition, what this means for adventurers carrying gas, and how to proceed accordingly.

The new LCC27 gas fitting now replaces the existing POL on common 4kg and 9kg LPG gas cylinders.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:58 – It’s Ben’s Time to Shine… Again

02:29 – Changes to Australian Gas Standards

03:34 – Ben’s Blog

05:18 – POL to LCC27

06:11 – The Reason for the Change

07:30 – The New LCC27 Fitting

08:36 – Gas Seal

09:47 – Gas Standards Around the Globe

10:35 – Where Does This New Attachment Apply?

11:37 – As of April 2022…

12:15 – From Manufacturer to User

13:41 – The Transition Period

15:19 – Compatibility

18:09 – Distinguishing Old from New

18:40 – The Rubber Nose

20:12 – Regulations These Days

21:50 – Safety Vs Common Sense

27:13 – Adaptors

31:43 – Refills

31:53 – Caravans

32:25 – Taking the Foot Off the Gas: Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs

POL & LCC27 Gas Fittings: Everything You Need To Know by Ben Collaton

Categories

Gas, Hoses & Fittings

Products

Companion 9kg LCC27 Gas Cylinder

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep83 – LCC27 Gas Regulations: The New Standards appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep82 – Christmas Gift Guide ‘22

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 01:08:48 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Jingle bells, jingle bells,

Ben and Lauren here,

Bringing you our gift guide for

The best time of the year…

Who says Christmas in Australia can’t get a little Snowy? In this episode, our gear gurus unwrap the Snowys products they believe will be the most well-received, come Christmas Day.

From Muk Mats and MiniMeis, to beer kegs and knife sets – tune in for the ultimate sleigh ride of a gift guide!

Ben and Lauren unwrap the Snowys products they believe will be the most well-received for Christmas. Credit: iStock

Shortcuts

00:00 – Intro

02:05 – A Snowys Christmas Gift Guide for 2022

03:21 – Portable Coffee Maker

04:53 – Muk Mats

06:42 – Growlers and Beer Kegs

08:17 – Scorpro Explorer Box with Wine Glasses

09:53 – JetBoil

10:37 – Insulated and Silicone Drinkware

13:57 – Engel’s 60^th Anniversary Limited Edition Fridge/Freezer

16:28 – Picnic Tables

18:27 – Scrubba Wash Bag

20:01 – Beach Shelters

22:39 – Camp Knife Sets

25:54 – Cookbooks

26:58 – MiniMeis Child Carriers

29:13 – Zippo Products

30:12 – Water Sports and Aquatic Gear

31:12 – Lawn and Camp Games

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep17 – Coffee Options for Camping

AeroPress Portable Coffee Maker

Brands:

Categories:

Products:

Scorpro Explorer Box with Wine Glasses

JetBoil MiniMo Cooking System with Pot Support

Avanti Silicone Stemless Wine Glasses

Dometic Thermo Beverage Cooler

Stanley Classic Camp Vacuum Mug

Engel MT-V45SY 60th Anniversary Limited Edition 40L Fridge Freezer

Scrubba Wash Bag

Scrubba Wash Bag & Dry Kit

Oztent Malamoo 4-Hub Beach Shelter

Caribee Collaroy Beach Shelter

Tramontina Low & Slow BBQ Knife Package

SICUT Low & Slow BBQ Knife Package

Fire to Fork Adventure Cooking by Harry Fisher

About That Much – Volume 1 by Jase Andrews

MiniMeis G4 Child Shoulder Carrier

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep82 – Christmas Gift Guide ‘22 appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep81 – Coleman Instant Up Tents

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 00:46:57 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

The conversation around Coleman’s Instant Up tents can become a little…

well, intents.

This episode of the Snowys Camping Show is no different, as Ben and Lauren exchange their interpretations of the range.

Be it Lauren’s persistence in sticking to her show plan, or Ben’s strong recommendation to reconsider – our gear gurus deconstruct each Coleman Instant Up model and unpack their features from the floor to the fly, soon coming to mutual revelations and conclusions.

Ben and Lauren discuss the difference between P and PV. Pictured: Coleman Instant Up Gold 4PV Dark Room Tent (Credit: Coleman)

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:09 – Coleman Instant Up Tents

03:42 – The Range

04:26 – Working With Your Tent

06:06 – Sizes and Spacing

08:47 – The Silver Series

13:47 – The Gold Series

20:17 – The Evo Series

23:43 – The Northstar Series: P and PV

25:58 – Compatibility, Shade, and Setup

27:47 – Frames

28:42 – To Summarise…

32:01 – Trace Springs and Upgraded Pegs!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Coleman Instant Swagger 1P Tent

Categories:

Coleman tents

Products:

Coleman Instant Swagger 2P Tent

Coleman Instant Swagger 3P Darkroom Tent

Coleman Instant Up Silver 8P Side Entry Tent

Coleman Instant Up 6P Silver Evo Tent

Coleman Instant Up 4P Lighted Northstar Darkroom Tent

Coleman Instant Up Gold 10P Tent

Coleman Instant Up 4P Gold Evo Tent

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep81 – Coleman Instant Up Tents appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep80 – Caravan Accessories with Kev

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 00:20:49 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Life on the road can look like…

…anything from crisp white coastlines, pillows padding the open boot, and coffee thermoses cradled in the cupholders, to mud-caked wheels, scuffed stone guards, and ongoing kilometres of red dirt road.

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren invite Snowys’ resident caravanning expert Kevin to take the wheel. From chocks and hitch locks, to adaptors and jack pads – Kev lists the most necessary caravan accessories for a well-oiled machine on the open road.

Ben and Lauren invite Snowys’ resident caravanning expert Kevin to take the wheel in this week’s episode. Credit: Kevin Leslie

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:52 – Introducing Kev

01:41 – Mirrors

05:14 – Levellers and Chocks

07:13 – Hoses and Filters

11:47 – Grey Waste Tanks: Needed?

13:00 – Antennas

14:52 – Steps

16:30 – Jack Pads

17:39 – Hitch Locks

20:09 – Caravan and Camper Covers

22:05 – Powered Jockey Wheel

24:18 – Ampfibian Power Cable and Adapter

25:41 – Stone Guards: Necessary?

26:45 – Wind Deflectors

28:01 – Reversing Cameras

28:52 – Brake Controller and Breaker Weight

30:54 – Is Ben Too Basic?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Categories:

Caravan Accessories

Products

Towing Mirrors

Levelling Accessories

Supex 12mm Non-Taint Drinking Water Hose

Supex Smooth Bore Sullage Hoses

Floor and Step Mats

Covers and Security

Jockey Wheel Chock

Ampfibian RV Plus Power Adaptor

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep80 – Caravan Accessories with Kev appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep79 – Aus Camp Oven Festival ‘22 Wrap-Up

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 23:31:09 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here

On the last Friday of September…

Ben, Lauren, and the Snowys Camping Show podcast team rolled into the Australian Camp Oven Festival to find it set up, pegged out, and ready to roar across the weekend. From Friday pub meals and team bonding lawn bowls at sunset, to camp oven dishes and damp, sodden conditions right through to Sunday – this year’s festival was well worth the trip.

Pull up a chair, jostle the campfire coals, and tune in for Ben and Lauren’s wrap up of the Snowys schedule, guests, stalls, and shenanigans.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:35 – ACOF x Snowys

02:12 – First Impressions

03:52 – When, Where, and Why?

05:36 – The Team

06:30 – Setup and Stalls

07:15 – The Snowys Schedule

09:17 – Saturday

10:40 – The Snowys Setup

11:37 – The First Official Fan Photo

12:59 – From Sunny to Sodden

20:05 – Camp Oven Catering

20:31 – Sunday Fun and Family Shenanigans

21:36 – Worth the Weekend Away

Mentioned in this Episode:

Episodes:

Categories:

Campfire Cast Iron Camp Oven – 9 Quart

Products:

Southern Metal Spinners Aussie Camp Oven

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The 2022 Australian Camp Oven Festival was sponsored by Snowys Outdoors.

The post Ep79 – Aus Camp Oven Festival ‘22 Wrap-Up appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep78 – Camp Ovens with Kingbrown and Mick Viller

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 16 Oct 2022 23:44:48 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

At this year’s Australian Camp Oven Festival,

outdoor experts Ben and Lauren are joined by Mick Viller ‘the Camp Oven Cook’ and Ron ‘Kingbrown’ Wilson to discuss fridges.

…Kidding.

From material and make to size and shape, tune in for the origin of the camp oven, and the best practice for cleaning and care – plus, Mick and Ron’s classic camp oven collection, campsite recipes, and the backstory of their craft.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:35 – Introducing Mick Viller and Ron from Kingbrown

01:43 – Kingbrown’s Beginnings

04:12 – Ron’s Food Journey

07:25 – Kingbrown Camp Oven Kitchen

09:47 – Mick the Cast Iron Cook

11:45 – The Fisherman’s Championship

12:25 – Mick’s Backstory

14:33 – Dutch Oven Vs Camp Oven

15:13 – Cast Iron, Cast Aluminium, and Spun Steel

19:31 – Spun Steel Camp Ovens

20:36 – Cast Iron and Cast Aluminium Camp Ovens

23:24 – Suggested Sizes

25:28 – Ron and Mick on Camp Oven Collecting

29:37 – Ron’s Favourite Camp Oven

32:36 – The Origin of Camp Oven Legs

36:13 – Camp Oven Quality

40:24 – Cleaning Methods and Identifying Markings

42:36 – Mick Vs Ron: Camp Oven Care

48:02 – Mick and Ron’s Favourite Camp Oven Recipes

Mentioned in this Episode:

Episodes:

Ep3 – Comparing Cast Iron and Spun Steel Camp Ovens

Blogs:

Cast Iron Versus Steel Camp Ovens

Camp Oven Cooking Temperature Guide & Techniques

Guide to Seasoning Your Camp Oven

Categories:

Campfire Cast Iron Camp Oven – 9 Quart

Products:

Southern Metal Spinners Aussie Camp Oven

Other:

Mick’s website: Mick the Camp Oven Cook

Mick’s YouTube: @The Camp Oven Cook

Ron’s website: Kingbrown Camp Oven Kitchen

Ron’s YouTube: @Kingbrown Camp Oven Adventures

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

From material and make to size and shape, Mick and Ron detail the origin of the camp oven – plus, the backstory of their camp oven cooking craft, and so much more. Credit: Campfire

The post Ep78 – Camp Ovens with Kingbrown and Mick Viller appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep77 – Camp Cooking Competitions with Cam

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 10 Oct 2022 02:43:17 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From that char-spotted damper crust to the smoky smack of flavour in your outback tucker,

camp oven cooking is a skill sought to be mastered by every culinary camper!

In the shade of Lauren’s awning, our outdoor experts sit down with Cam from the Adelaide Snowys store at the country’s largest camp oven event: the Australian Camp Oven Festival. Here, they crank the heat on Cam’s involvement in the cooking competition – from his sweet and spicy ‘gingerbread dudes’, to baked ham, fresh bread, and plum pudding.

Listen until the end to hear where he placed!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:58 – Introducing Cameron from Snowys (Adelaide)!

02:22 – Cam’s Background

04:02 – Cam’s Planning Process

05:59 – Cam’s Campfire

06:43 – What’s Provided, and What’s Required?

07:57 – First-Time Camp Oven Dishes

09:25 – Ingredients: Markets Vs Supermarkets

10:42 – Competition Rules

12:12 – Teams

13:01 – Time Management

14:25 – Cam’s Advice

16:13 – Presentation

17:55 – Judging

19:26 – Coming Up…

19:50 – Breaking News! Cam’s Placings

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep74 – One-Pot Wonders

How to Make Damper in a Camp Oven

Blogs:

Meal Planning and Food Storage for Outdoor Adventuring

Camp Oven Cooking Temperature Guide and Techniques

Tips for Campfire Cooking at Home

Products:

Southern Metal Spinners Aussie Camp Oven – Large 12″

Campfire Cast Iron Camp Oven 9 Quart

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

Camp oven cooking is a skill sought to be mastered by every culinary camper. Credit: Campfire

The post Ep77 – Camp Cooking Competitions with Cam appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep76 – Choosing a Campsite

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 00:30:00 +0000

Or watch the video version here:

Not every camping experience is sunshine, campfires, and fresh damper.

Often, that setup space by the tranquil waterhole seems charming in daylight – but by sundown, becomes a breeding ground for bugs!

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren pare it back to the bare basics, detailing how to best determine the right campsite for your unique setup.

From washing-machine winds behind the dunes, to cutting through campsites to get to the loo (just go around!) – tune in to our outdoor experts for their top campsite considerations, and start kicking back in your outback hangout.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:07 – Back to Basics

02:35 – Not Everyone Gets it Right…

04:15 – Arrive Before Dark

06:27 – Space and Orientation

10:20 – Ground Considerations

13:59 – Overhead Considerations

15:59 – Lighting and Amenities

18:46 – Environmental Factors

20:58 – Privacy

23:56 – Water Courses

26:41 – Paths and Roads

28:30 – Finding and Booking a Campsite

31:00 – Lauren’s Tip

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep61 – Finding the Best Campsites

Category Pages:

Products:

Oztent RV-5 Canvas Touring Tent

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

Tune in to our outdoor experts for their top campsite considerations, and start kicking back in your outback hangout! Credit: OZtrail

The post Ep76 – Choosing a Campsite appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep75 – Water Filtration

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 01:30:17 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

From billabongs to bayous, water pools in nooks and crannies all over the world.

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben notes some of the best water filters for camping, leading the discussion on how to safely filter and purify water for those thirsty, off-track travels beyond the towns and trusted water mains.

Be it filter cartridges, chemicals tablets, silver ions, or chlorine brine, our outdoor experts run the tap on the ways to effectively remove bacteria and heavy metals – so your water is as weightless as you on those free-spirited, outdoor retreats.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:28 – Water for Hiking, Camping, and Travel

02:26 – Why do we Treat Water?

03:11 – How Does Water Become Contaminated?

04:24 – Protozoa, Bacteria, Viruses, and Heavy Metals

07:20 – Boiling Water

08:56 – Filter Pumps, Life Straws, and Bottle Filters

13:12 – UV Light

15:49 – Chemical Treatment

18:38 – Iodine

19:04 – Silver Ions

21:17 – Chlorine Dioxide

22:27 – Other Filtration Technologies

23:49 – Activated Carbon

24:37 – Ion Exchange

25:20 – Pyrenees

27:44 – Exceptions and Combinations

30:29 – Removing the Chlorine Taste

31:57 – Filtration Recommendations for Your Adventures

35:58 – Considerations When Purchasing a Filter

36:26 – Cross-Contamination

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

Guide to Safe Outdoor Hydration & Water Purification – By Ben Collaton

Category Pages:

Water Purification

Products:

Life Straw Water Filter

Life Straw Go Bottle 2-Stage Water Filter Bottle

Life Straw Go Bottle 2-Stage Replacement Filter

MSR MiniWorks EX Microfilter

Grayl UltraPress Water Filter & Purifier Bottle

Grayl GEOPRESS Portable Purifier

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

Ben and Lauren discuss how to safely filter and purify water for those thirsty, off-track travels beyond the trusted water mains. Credit: Grayl

The post Ep75 – Water Filtration appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep74 – One-Pot Wonders

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 19 Sep 2022 03:57:53 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Ben and Lauren reveal the easy, one-pot meals that bolster our bodies and curb the campsite cravings.

Be it hearty pastas chockablock with chopped veg, bakes topped with a leopard-spotted blanket of bubbled cheese, hot-pot soups, or butter bean stews – listen in for a wholesome concoction of campsite creations.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:33 – One Pot Wonders: Explained

03:40 – Gnocchi with Pesto Sauce

06:15 – Nachos

09:50 – Quesadillas

12:05 – Soup

16:00 – Tomato and Vege Pasta

18:39 – White Bean and Lamb Shank Stew

22:06 – Vegetarian Chilli

24:51 – Mac and Cheese

26:58 – Ravioli

30:52 – Paella

34:24 – Stroganoff

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep55 – Food for Adventure with Kate Grarock

Campfire Billy Teapot (Stainless Steel)

Products:

Campfire 12V/240V Vacuum Sealer

Cookware

Cast Iron Cookware

Hotplates and Grills

Stoves & Cookers

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren reveal the easy, one-pot meals that curb the campsite cravings. Credit: Campfire

The post Ep74 – One-Pot Wonders appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep73 – Operation Flinders with Brendan Raets

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 03:49:35 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

From the creature comfort of a campfire, to the rock and rubble of the off-track,

our outdoor experts Ben and Lauren sit down with Brendan Raets to chat Operation Flinders.

Trekking up to 100 kilometres of barren, sunbaked tracks – roughly 70 kilometres north of Adelaide – the young adventurers of Operation Flinders also take part in bushcraft, Indigenous culture, and abseiling.

Brendan details how he and his team travel the red, rugged roads of Outback Australia with them, transforming their lives far from the metropolitan maze.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:39 – Introducing Brendan from Operation Flinders

02:54 – Operation Flinders

04:13 – Participants

04:44 – Community Referral

05:50 – Program Experiences

07:17 – Navigation

08:47 – Bush Bashing

10:08 – Team Leaders: How They Manage

13:01 – Program Frequencies

14:39 – Distance Covered

15:13 – ‘Adventure Therapy’

18:25 – Gear

23:00 – Footwear

24:43 – Gear Maintenance

27:10 – Planning, Groundwork, and Volunteers

31:44 – Replacing and Repairing Gear

32:53 – Safety and Emergency Considerations

34:57 – Interstate Teams

37:15 – Considering ‘Adventure Therapy’

38:29 – Get in Touch!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Hiking Daypacks

Compasses

Lightweight Sleep Gear

Hiking Footwear

Hygiene & Safety

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

Young adventurers involved in Operation Flinders often trek up to 100 kilometres over eight days. Credit: Operation Flinders

From the creature comfort of a campfire, to the rock and rubble of the off-track. Credit: Operation Flinders

The post Ep73 – Operation Flinders with Brendan Raets appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep72 – Lauren’s Setup

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 05:34:22 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Lauren swaps the Oztent RV with the Mercedes backseat, and the swag bags for the Swagger 3Ps!

Be it caravan park setups or roadside pullups, Lauren’s Sprinter van is decked out with the campsite tackle, kitchen kit, and sleep systems for every off-grid adventure.

Join our gear gurus as they unload Lauren’s mobile mover – from the truck tarp shelter fit for family-sized shindigs, to the work-in-progress bevvie station in the crevice of her barn door.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:35 – Last Week on the Snowys Camping Show…

02:22 – Lauren’s Camping Style

03:18 – Lauren’s Sprinter Van Setup

08:59 – Interior

10:06 – Lauren’s Shelters, Awnings and Groundsheets

14:40 – Lauren’s Sleep System

17:39 – Lauren’s Camp Kitchen

21:03 – Lauren’s Drawer Systems

23:33 – Lauren’s Washing Station

24:09 – Water

25:11 – Lauren’s #VanLife

26:00 – Activities and Games

29:27 – Pro’s of Lauren’s Setup

29:43 – Potential Changes

31:08 – Lauren’s Past Setups

32:14 – Lauren’s Future Setups

36:12 – Watch This Space…

Mentioned in this Episode:

Supa Peg Outbound Shield 6 Freestanding Awning

Zempire Bomberpad 3D Camp Mattress

Exped SIM 3.8 M Sleeping Mat

OZtrail Cotton Canvas Jumbo Sleeping Bag

Coleman Stratus Fleece Sleeping Bag Liner

Stoves & Cookers

myCOOLMAN CCP85DZ Dual Zone Portable Fridge/Freezer 85L

Sinks, Tubs & Buckets

Bulk Water Storage

Sea to Summit Watercells

Drawer Fridges

Lauren’s setup can accommodate both a couples’ trip and larger family holiday of six people. Credit: Lauren Wishart

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep72 – Lauren’s Setup appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep71 – Ben’s Setup

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 01:30:51 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

He may carry extensive knowledge of the latest adventure gear and greatest outback gadgets…

but our outdoor expert Ben takes pride in a minimalist campsite setup!

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, we learn how Ben transforms packable camp clobber into his fool-proof family setup. From stackable tubs and collapsible stools, to swag bags on roof racks and multi-use tools – Ben’s mammoth outback road trips contrast with his pared-back car boot that lasts him.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:39 – What the People Want

05:35 – Ben’s Vehicle

07:50 – Ben’s Tent or Sleep Shelter

09:49 – Growing his Setup with his Family

13:29 – Ben’s Awnings or Additional Shelters

16:12 – Ben’s Sleep Systems

20:00 – Ben’s Swag Bag

21:59 – Ben’s Camp Kitchen

26:56 – Activities and Games

29:33 – Ben’s Cooking Utensils

29:54 – Pros of Ben’s Setup

31:00 – Potential Changes

33:13 – Ben’s Past Setups

35:01 – Ben’s Future Setup

37:20 – Bits and Pieces

38:19 – Ben’s Roof Rack

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep69 – From the Ground Up: Talking Groundsheets

Brands:

Products:

Oztent RV-5 Canvas Touring Tent

BlackWolf Tuff Dome Twin Tent

Oztent RV 30-Second Tents

Coleman Instant Up 4P Gold Evo Tent

23Zero Outbreak Double Swag 1550

Exped MegaMat Duo 10 LW+ Self Inflating Sleeping Mat

Self Inflating Sleeping Mats

Swag Bags

AOS Swag Bag – Double

Coleman Heavy Duty Tent Dry Bag

Multi Fuel Stoves

Outdoor Connection Multipurpose Compact Stool

Coleman Utility Table

Camping Tables

Helinox Chair One

Popup 15L Tub

MB Agencies Plastic Water Jerry Can with Pourer 10L

Sea to Summit Watercell X 10L Water Storage

Engel MT-V45F 40L Fridge Freezer

Collapsible Space Saving Non Stick Pot Set

Campfire Billy Teapot

What the People Want

One of the most asked questions across our social media platforms has surrounded the nature of Ben and Lauren’s setup. While a walk-through video of each would be a useful feature on the Snowys YouTube channel, the logistics of doing so have so far proved it difficult to achieve.

Even so, this is still on the cards; Lauren plans to film a walk-through of her setup at the Australian Camp Oven Festival later this year. Throughout certain episodes, Ben and Lauren have referenced their setups in various contexts; this episode consolidates everything mentioned about Ben’s setup into one forty-minute conversation!

He may carry bulk knowledge of the latest adventure gear, but our outdoor expert Ben takes pride in a minimalist setup! Credit: Ben Collaton

Ben’s Vehicle

With two young daughters, Ben’s style of camping and adventuring is 4WD family outback touring, often beyond the beaten track. In that, Ben tends to avoid locations with existing facilities – though admits that his toilet setup requires modification to allow better self-sufficiency.

Ben and his family travel in a 2011 Nissan Patrol. This vehicle boasts standard wheels, basic extras (such as an auxiliary battery), and an upgraded suspension system for touring. The latter is nothing too complicated; an ARB Old Man Emu suspension, since fitted with better quality shocks and springs.

Ben’s Nissan is predominantly the daily driver for family commutes, as well as for long road trips. For this reason, he chose to invest in good quality, all-terrain (70-30) tyres to cover most journey types.

Ben’s Tent and Sleep Shelter

Having used many tent styles in the past, Ben has now resorted to his Oztent RV5. This includes side walls for creating both a sleeping and awning area, where he freely selects walls to either fully enclose a space or allow an opening. The walls deliver as either a windbreak, additional shelter, or privacy screen – and despite preferring a less closed-in setup, Ben appreciates them for their protection from the sun, wind, and rain.

Before children, Ben and his wife slept in a large, BlackWolf twin dome hiking tent. Now with a family, Ben admits it was a significant jump to their current family tent – weighing in at 20 kilograms. On camping trips lasting three to four days, Ben takes the twin dome tent instead of the RV, given its third room offering both more sufficient shelter and a covered living space during adverse weather.

Growing his Setup with his Family

As his children grow older, Lauren queries whether Ben plans to eventually either close off a space in the RV5 as a separate room, or invest in an additional tent. Ben admits this isn’t an idea he’s put much thought into yet; as much as he’d happily sleep out under the stars in a swag, he confirms the setup will depend on what the girls decide they’d prefer at the time. At the moment, they’re young enough to enjoy sleeping in the same space as Mum and Dad!

Whatever the new setup will be – it’ll have to align with Ben’s minimalist style of packing! In the past, he’s used a lightweight Instant Up 4-Person tent. This required anchoring to the vehicle during a sandstorm – and after two weeks on outback roads, was hammered! Nonetheless, Ben admits it was a lightweight option occupying little space in the car, proving less reliable than what he uses now.

Lauren points out that the term ‘lightweight’ mostly refers to the texture of the tent’s fabric/s. The frame of an Instant Up model tends to be heavier than others, due to its rigidity that allows it to free-stand. A standard dome tent would otherwise better withstand storms, given its heavier and arguably more durable fabrics. Considering this, Ben confirms that his RV5 provides a good balance.

Lastly, Lauren queries whether Ben bothers to peg every point when the weather is calm. During short stopovers, Ben is usually content with only pegging the four corners – though often goes the extra mile of pegging the four guy ropes too. This saves him the hassle of doing so in the middle of the night when the wind picks up, or the weather takes an unexpected turn.

Ben’s Awnings or Additional Shelters

As mentioned in previous episodes, Ben has removed his awning from his 4WD for convenience – and is yet to miss it!

As well as the awning on his RV5 tent, Ben carries a number of tarps: a mesh groundsheet for under the tent and awning (the Oztent RV mesh, and the OZtrail Ultramesh Tarp), and a waterproof poly tarp. He prefers the former for multi-use during both outback showering and as a shade awning, using clips with shock cords and hooking the eyelets of the groundsheet to the roof rack. From there, he applies the extendable awning poles and guy ropes to create a simple, lightweight awning on the side of his vehicle. This delivers in both versatility and a pack size smaller than most alternative shelter options.

Additional awning poles work together with the two provided by Oztent; the eyelet on his tarp awning roughly aligns with the width of the awning on his RV. It may not appear as pretty – but Ben maintains that it’s certainly functional, and easy to pack!

Ben’s Sleep Systems

The family assemble their bedding towards the back of his Oztent RV5. Ben and his wife sleep in a simple, envelope-style double swag, which has lasted impressively since he purchased it years ago from a store in Alice Springs. He’s since upgraded the sleeping mat to a double, 10-centimetre thick, self-inflating mat by Exped, while his daughters each have a self-inflating mat by Sea to Summit. Side by side, the sleeping mats are compact, tightly tiling the tent floor.

While the kids sleep directly on their mats in a sleeping bag (a BlackWolf Kids Eskimo, and a Coleman model), Ben and his wife sleep under a doona and sheets within their swag. When it’s time to hit the road the next morning, Ben lies the doona and sheets flat inside the swag, piles the sleeping mats on top, and rolls everything up within the double swag. The sleeping bags are packed separately. Along with a waterproof roll, and a dry bag stuffed with their pillows – everything is then fitted into a swag bag and fastened to the roof of the vehicle. With this approach, Ben avoids any issues in keeping his gear dry.

Ben’s wife prefers to bring her pillow from home, while his daughters use Sea to Summit Thermarest compressible pillows. As for himself, Ben combines the Sea to Summit Aeros and Foamcore pillows to achieve a comfortable balance of both height and suppleness (the ‘Ben’ pillow, as it’s been aptly named!).

Ben’s Swag Bag

An Aussie Outback Supplies (AOS) number, Ben’s swag bag is relatively basic in design with a polyester construction. After his most recent trip into the outback, Ben admits he wouldn’t use this bag again; the seams are beginning to stretch after consistently tight packing, and the bag itself has become weathered by both the sun’s UV and four months of outback travel on the top of his roof racks! While he still acquired his money’s worth in use, Ben plans to invest in a bag of heavier-duty canvas and PVC to better withstand harsh Aussie conditions.

On this, Lauren notes a heavy-duty waterproof tent bag by Coleman, ideal for transporting on roof racks. The bag is essentially a giant dry sack, designed to carry any tent in Coleman‘s range.

Ben’s Camp Kitchen

Like all aspects of Ben’s setup, his kitchen is basic:

A multi-fuel stove. This requires no gas bottle, and therefore saves him space and weight.
A traditional crosswire-leg stove stand, which folds flat and expands like a clothes rack. Ben notes that this can be a pain to pack, often poking at his gear and rattling against the roof racks.
A cross-legged utility table. This sits by the stove, often used at lunchtime and for cooking.
Four Outdoor Connection collapsible stools for sitting on at the dining table.
A 4-person dining table for both food preparation and eating. At this point, Lauren must ask: why pack a table, instead of simply eating from the chairs? Ben clarifies that the stools often double as tables, while the table is also great for playing board games on.
Four Helinox or sling-type chairs for relaxing in. Again, Lauren must ask: for a minimalist, how can Ben justify packing 8 chairs?! Ben admits that, mentally, it’s a challenge to accept – however, he reminds Lauren that his 8 chairs are still lighter and take up less room than four larger camp chairs!
A tub for washing up. In the past, he’s also taken the Sea to Summit kitchen sink – but maintains that a good plastic tub offers more versatility.
Stackable tubs for kitchen utensils and food, stored in the back of the car. For weight and space reasons, Ben doesn’t operate a 4WD drawer system.
A couple of 10-litre jerry cans and Sea to Summit water cells for carrying water. The latter are of a durable fabric, and sit flat.
A 40-litre Engel fridge, with no additional Eskies. That said, Ben has taken an icebox in the past before deciding it occupied too much space.

Activities and Games

On longer road trips, Ben’s family enjoys Operation and Go Fish, both requiring only a deck of cards.

Ben’s wife likes Rush Hour too, which involves a mini carpark, and different cards corresponding to certain levels on which to set up small car figurines. Players aren’t allowed to pick up the cars to escape the car park – only move them forward and backward. Other games include magnetic Chess, Mastermind, and (only if there’s room in the car, of course) Finska and slacklines.

On trips lasting two or more nights, Ben also fastens the bikes to the bike rack so the kids can tear up the tracks.

Ben’s Cooking Utensils

It couldn’t be any less complicated: a collapsible pot or saucepan, and a couple of billies!

Pros of Ben’s Setup

The simplicity!

As an understated camper, Ben is always looking to make processes and approaches simple. For this reason, he advocates for his setup: it’s easy to pack, just as easy to unpack, and allows him to effortlessly keep track of his gear at the campsite.

Ben’s love for hiking stems from his appreciation of having everything he needs on his back, with only water refills and food drops as external requirements. Likewise, when camping, everything Ben needs is packed in the car. Avoiding complexities in his setup makes for a more relaxing experience overall.

Ben’s setup is easy to both pack and unpack, and allows him to keep track of his gear. Credit: Ben Collaton

Potential Changes

Instead of his current utility table, Ben hopes to install a folding table in the rear of his vehicle that allows him to operate entirely from out the back. That said, this will require work in modifying the door of the boot. Still unsure if this is the best solution, Ben nonetheless hopes it goes hand in hand with a better stove and stand combination, given the lack of flexibility offered by the latter.

Due to the limited space of his current kitchen setup, dishes often need to be done before the family settles in for after-dinner activities around the same table. Considering this, Ben hopes to find another space to wash up.

Ben’s Past Setups

Before kids, Ben and his wife toured with just a hiking tent, a couple of storage tubs, and fridge full of food. Since having children, Ben reiterates the evolution of the tent – plus a 4WD awning, and at one stage a ‘bug room’. The latter is no longer a part of the family setup, after Ben sought to save additional setup time by investing in necessary bug-repellants.

Another past item of equipment was an all-in-one table and chairs setup, as well as children-focused gear like a Port-A-Cot during their years as a younger family.

Ben’s Future Setup

In the coming years, Ben’s daughters will likely have their own cars. He and his wife will then look into a dual-cab, rooftop tent scenario, with a kitchen and an awning. With a setup like this, no ground space is needed – just a space to park the car! As well as this, he envisions a lightweight mesh awning option, including a sail track to slide in with two awning poles.

Ben also hopes for a better fridge setup. Currently, the fridge sits on a shelf in his 4WD, which elevates it enough to prevent the lid from opening to its full extent. Given a fridge slide weighs in at almost 15 kilograms, he doesn’t use one for space and weight considerations. He ponders on installing a drawer fridge under the 4WD shelf instead… though sheepishly admits he’s likely to have his trusty Engel for another few years yet!

Bits and Pieces

As well as a basic toolkit, First Aid, sunscreen, and repellants slotted into various nooks and crannies of the car – Ben carries only one spare wheel.

Strapped in the middle seat is also a tub of coloring-in books and games for his kids, and on the backseat are a couple of bike pannier bags to stash headphones, MP3 players, and sometimes snacks.

Ben’s Roof Rack

Ben has a flat tray roof rack without sides, known as a platform rack. Here, he straps his swag bag packed with sleeping gear, an ammo box with Shellite, the stove stand, pool noodles, and occasionally his fishing rods on top. Sometimes instead, Ben uses PVC pipe to collapse the rods down into, before tying them to the cargo barrier.

Lauren points out that some campers have concerns about fixing their RV to the roof racks; Ben explains that platform racks provide adequate support, negating the need for an RV roof rack plate. For added security, he simply cuts a nylon strap into thirds to fasten across the centre.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep71 – Ben’s Setup appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep70 – ‘Fire to Fork’ with Harry Fisher

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 05:11:31 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

From bank statements to steak and chips,

Fire to Fork creator Harry Fisher has demonstrated how taking a gamble on your own creativity can pay off as much as insolvency banking can pay off your debt.

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show – it’s Ben and Lauren who hit subscribe on the campfire cook’s successful transition from banking to innovating, as the three of them talk content creation, campfire food, and the future of Fire to Fork.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:03 – Introducing Harry Fisher from Fire to Fork

02:20 – The Origins of Fire to Fork

06:20 – An Insolvency Banker with a Passion for Food

08:23 – Kickstarting Fire to Fork

11:11 – Managing Financially

15:19 – The Leap of Faith

21:32 – Harry’s Book

23:19 – Campfire Cooking

25:15 – Harry’s Essential Gear

34:00 – Harry’s Essential Pantry Items

37:37 – Cooking Seasonally

40:05 – Preparing a Fire for Cooking

44:55 – Vegetarian Options?

47:07 – Rapid Fire Question Round

01:01:26 – From 2017, to Now

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Gasmate 2-Burner Camping Stove with Grill

Awnings

Zippo Classic Lighter

Pots and Pans

Campfire Protective Leather Gloves

Southern Metal Spinners Aussie Camp Oven

Supa Peg Supa Cube Stainless Steel Fire Pit

Blues Hog 100% Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal

Blues Hog 100% Natural Charcoal Briquettes

Brands:

Zippo

Other:

Fire to Fork (YouTube channel)

Fire to Fork (Instagram)

Fire to Fork (website)

The Origins of Fire to Fork

Before Fire to Fork, Harry completed a degree in Commerce, with a quadruple major in Investment Finance, Corporate Finance, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Management. Maintaining an interest in investment banking, Harry graduated from university during the Global Financial Crisis and secured a job as an insolvency banker. He remained in this job for almost eight years, assisting people in paying off their debts.

One evening, over a beer and some campfire banter with successful 4WDing YouTuber Ronny Dahl, Harry’s passion for food and cooking was addressed. Ronny had noticed that Harry rarely ate the same meal twice – even while camping, preparing dishes like slow-cooked lamb and alike. To this, Ronny suggested he kickstarted an Instagram page centred around food and cooking. Already working exceptionally hard in his finance role, developing an understanding of social media and content creation seemed too hard at the time for Harry – before founding Fire to Fork only two weeks later.

An Insolvency Banker with a Passion for Food

Harry’s mother was an exceptional chef. Like mother like son, she never repeated a home-cooked meal – even in the space of a month. This meant Harry not only grew up with good food, but quickly developed a sound understanding of it.

Harry soon decided he enjoyed the challenge of cooking in the outdoors – namely the bush, without the convenience of standard cooking utilities. Owning just a standard, lunchbox-style, butane gas stove, he claims to not have taken a gas stove camping since 2016!

Kickstarting Fire to Fork

Taking a gamble on your own creative process is a massive decision.

Harry eventually left insolvency banking to be the General Manager of a software company, continuing to foster Fire to Fork for two and half years while working full-time. During this period, he maintained a primary focus on Instagram and released only one YouTube video with successful adventurer and content creator Graham Cahill. Yet to own the adequate filming equipment or microphones, Harry borrowed what he needed from Ronny.

From there, his videos were rather inconsistent, with only one released every four months. Despite remaining the most watched on his channel at 600K views, his first cooking-focused video took two hours to film with only one camera and boom mic!

Managing Financially

After resigning from his General Manager role at the software company, Harry’s intention was to look for another corporate job. While doing so, he leaned on Fire to Fork, filming more videos as well as accepting photography work and shoots for other small companies. In his first year of Fire to Fork, Harry turned over a few grand but made negative $30,000 – reiterating to Ben and Lauren how expensive content creation can be in the initial stages!

For financial support, Harry relied on both his wife – a doctor – and his savings. As well as this, living in the Kimberly with hospital accommodation and renting out of Perth meant expenses were often low; with no children at this stage either, most payments were for food, drink, and holidays.

With this lifestyle, creating and producing content was rather streamlined; Harry would make his way down to Cattle Beach at sunset, set up his awning, finish recording an episode in under two hours, and head straight home again. On the contrary, city living meant he’d instead drive for several hours to reach his destination. This required more packing and preparation, as he was often required to camp overnight.

The Leap of Faith

Given his background in business, Harry understood the most effective ways in which to interact with sponsors – and thanks to the support of his wife Sam, he didn’t have the concern of selling out early.

There are two reasons to pursue a business idea – for fun, and to leave the unfulfilling work of another job. For Harry, Fire to Fork wasn’t for fun – it was sustainable living that allowed for him to spend more time at home and become both a better husband and father. To achieve this, Harry took Fire to Fork from the quick and easy money grabs of non-VPM and League of Legends advertisements, to eventually the more fun, freestyle, and crazy content he creates today.

In his experience, Harry came to realise that content creators require an element of entertainment to develop trust in their audience. That said, he wanted to encourage this in his viewers by maintaining complete transparency behind the camera – which meant he suffered financially in the early stages! Eventually though, this approach paid off; when integrity is maintained, the right companies come to you with the right deals. Nowadays, Harry receives an average of two sponsor offers a day.

An example is Fire to Fork’s current sponsor, Zippo. As a successful company specialising in fire lighters and accessories, Zippo is well suited to the Fire to Fork brand. The agreement between the twois impactful, presenting equal business benefits. On the other hand, carrying out five small sponsorships involves constant brand mentions, devaluing each and so losing consumer trust.

Harry’s Book

While polished and professional, Harry’s book Fire to Fork: Adventure Cooking appeals to the average camper too. With exceptional imagery of mouth-watering meals, his recipes are achievable for any level of cooking.

Keep an eye out for Harry’s second book, to be released soon – and in the meantime, jump onto his YouTube channel for a video demonstrating how to create the Elvis Burger!

While polished and professional, Fire to Fork: Adventure Cooking appeals to the average camper too. Credit: Harry Fisher

Campfire Cooking

Most campers take a gas stove camping, where some believe campfire cooking is a challenging concept. In Harry’s professional opinion, it’s very doable, simply requiring that leap of faith.

For those in the beginner’s phase of campfire cooking, Harry recommends:

Some sort of a grill, or something to put over fire. This simply transforms the fire into something that makes more sense to cook with, like a BBQ or hotplate.
Starting with a familiar utensil, like a frypan, jaffle iron, or wok. A lot of dishes can be cooked with either of these, such as the classic jaffle.
Cooking a simple meal like pasta as your first – because let’s face it, you can’t burn water!

As well as pasta, cooking snags on the fire is also a recommended beginner meal. Snags in a pan can be monitored just as they would be on a BBQ. Many have used BBQ in their life, so a pan is a helpful transition.

Cooking a meal as straightforward as snags also provides an adequate introduction to how campfire heat works. It doesn’t matter if a sausage burns… as much as it would if it were a good cut of steak!

Harry’s Essential Gear

A full gear list can be found on Harry’s website, and he plans to release a more budget-friendly version in due course too. Plus, jump on to the Fire to Fork YouTube channel to check out his cooking set-up from the back of his vehicle.

Harry’s top three recommended pieces of camp cooking equipment are:

A grill. This can be utilised as BBQ, skillet, and more.
Welding gloves. These can range from $8 to $80, but are both useful and important to keep on hand (literally!)
Camp oven. With exceptional versatility, this can be used from cake baking to potato roasting. Harry recommends a spun steel construction, 70% lighter than the cast iron alternatives. While it both heats and cools faster, the temperature it heats to is on par with that of cast iron. Spun steel varieties also don’t crack when they’re dropped, and if dented can be popped back into shape. Their designs are often more ergonomic, with four handles and large lip.

Harry’s Essential Pantry Items

The basics include:

Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
A neutral oil, such as rice bran or peanut (i.e. flavourless) – this is ideal for roasting potatoes with.
Sriracha – with a high garlic content, this is often a punchy addition to sauces.
Balsamic and red wine vinegar, for freshness.
Red cabbage – while lettuce doesn’t keep well in the bush, red cabbage lasts for almost a month! The latter both cooks down well and is great for freshening up a meal with its sweeter flavour profile.
Soy sauce
Sugar – Harry’s tip is to carry these in individual paper sachets. The wrapping can simply be burned on the fire, and Harry appreciates that he can always refer to an accurate measurement. They take up very little room, and given he doesn’t use a lot of sugar in his cooking Harry only takes a small number anyway. Plus, when the box breaks, there’s no spillage.

Balsamic and red wine vinegar each add freshness to a dish. Credit: Harry Fisher

Cooking Seasonally

Throughout the year, Harry’s pantry remains consistent. The biggest alteration is the firepit.

In the summer, a ground fire is prohibited. Instead, Harry carries a tall firepit that sits at barbecue height. During the cooking period, it sits safe and high off the ground. He usually positions a lightweight, carbon welding blanket underneath to catch any bits and pieces that fly from the pit out onto exposed ground. Using a firepit in Summer also prevents Harry from alternatively driving 900 kilometres return, just to reach a campfire-friendly area.

Soon, Harry plans to release a summer series called ‘Friday Beers’ that centres around backyard fire cooking. This idea stemmed from his realization that barbecues out the back are what most people tend to get up to in the warmer months – so why watch someone go out of their way just to cook over a campfire? As cooking that’s closer to home (literally), Harry is also keen on having access to better utensils and ingredients for his content.

Preparing a Fire for Cooking

Ben and Lauren query whether Harry tends to have a preference for log sizes or wood types. While his short answer is ‘no’, he states that the main objective should be for the wood to be dry. If the wood splits or cracks, this is a good sign, while bendy wood often implies it’s too damp to burn sufficiently.

Harry also recommended testing its weight. As pine weighs very little, he recommends using heavier hardwood. Facebook Market Place is often recommended to find the right wood, as those selling via platforms alike often take pride in their firewood. Larger companies, on the other hand, usually lack the same care and quality.

In addition to wood, Harry loves to carry charcoal. Instead of heat beads, he chooses lump charcoal; chunks of carbonised wood. Briquettes, on the other hand, are portions of carbonised wood that have been ground down and bound together again with a type of starch. They smell different to lump charcoal, but work fine. That said, he prefers lump charcoal for its ease of lighting and long, two-hour burn, having it a better option for slow cooking in a camp oven.

Vegetarian Options?

While his mother-in-law is vegan, and some of his friends are vegetarian – Harry maintains that cooking with meat alternatives isn’t a strength of his. In some ways, he feels it would seem too forced if he were attempt it. Having grown up in a family of meat-eaters, vegetarian or vegan cooking isn’t a concept Harry feels comfortable offering good advice in, and doesn’t align with the authenticity of his brand.

That said – the closest he has come to vegetable-based cooking can be found on his website via his guide to roasting vegetables.

Rapid Fire Question Round

Making its first podcast debut, Ben and Lauren’s Rapid Fire Question Round is a series of questions from our listeners and subscribers. The interviewee must give the first answer that springs to mind. This week, it’s Harry Fisher in the hot seat:

What product or attachment would you recommend for steaming over a fire?

A sieve on top of a pot or billy.

How would you approach lifting a camp oven out of the heat?

Good quality welding gloves.

How much money do you make off YouTube alone?

‘Bugger all!’ With 70K + subscribers, Harry makes roughly $35-$40K a year – not enough to live on.

What is your go-to beer if Colonial IPA is unavailable?

Feral Brewing Co. Hop Hog, Pirate Life Brewing, or Balter XPA.

What is your dream collaboration with another YouTuber?

Nat’s Would I Reckon

What is the most fun collaboration you’ve had to date?

WA Camping Adventures for a burger comp, Salty Isolation in WA for fishing and camping-based content… and good friend Ronny Dahl!

Peated or non-peated whisky?

Peated – but he drinks both. Harry prefers Irish and Scottish whiskies over American.

Tents or swags – and why?

Swags! Harry likes the simplicity of rolling up everything in one.

Favourite ice-cream flavour?

Salted caramel or peanut brittle. Harry likes a combination of salty, sweet, and crunchy – like some of Maggie Beer’s varieties.

What was your worst cooking disaster over the fire?

A beef stroganoff. Harry bought the wrong sherry, which was too sweet. To make matters worse, the video took two days to film because he was severely sick at the time. When it came to tasting his stroganoff, he was disgusted! Even so, he left the full video as is, bought a bottle of white wine, and remade the entire dish again – which turned out to be delicious!

Have you ever experienced a disaster that has impacted the filming of an episode?

Yes – and it still made it to air! Harry describes filming his first episode in Broome. It was a very hot day in February, and the recipe heroed mud crab. During the filming process, Harry noticed his dog Fred excreting black urine; he had overheated. Cranking the air-conditioning in the car, Harry drove him straight to the vet where he was diagnosed with pancreatitis caused by overheating. By the time he made it back to filming, he was emotionally exhausted, sweaty, and sunburnt – but finished the episode!

What would you cook for your last ever meal, and where would you cook it?

Harry has somehow managed to incorporate steak and chips into most of his cooking videos – it’s a true favourite. He imagines a green peppercorn sauce or chimichurri on the side, cooked at either Running Waters campground in New South Wales, or – an apt choice – Harry’s Hole in the Kimberly!

If it’s not steak and chips – what is it?

Spaghetti Carbonara! Not only is it an easy, filling, four-ingredient dish, but it makes for great leftovers.

Portable blowers to get campfire coals going quickly – Yay or Nay?

YAY! Harry has four, recommending workshop blowers for better hand control. Plus, they’re useful for blowing up mattresses too! Harry uses his ARB twin compressor.

Ben’s question: are you always in bare feet – and if so, are your feet made of cast iron?!

Yes – but even Harry’s boots burn more than his feet!

From 2017, to Now

As well as to his Instagram account, two YouTube channels, and website – Harry’s hectic lifestyle is also owing to his television show on Channel 7. With the last 12 episodes having already aired in Perth, the series is soon to hit the screens on 7Mate in a matter of weeks. Keep an eye on the TV guide during the prime 5:30pm slot on Saturdays (between the footy and the news)!

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep70 – ‘Fire to Fork’ with Harry Fisher appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep69 – From the Ground Up: Talking Groundsheets

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 03:38:06 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Ben and Lauren’s friendship is built on a solid foundation of understanding, patience, and compassion.

Put it this way: if their friendship was a tent, some may say their tough PVC flooring is robust enough to not require the added protection of a groundsheet…

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, our gear gurus discuss the necessity – or lack thereof – of groundsheets in both camping and hiking tents. From mesh that defies the dust and debris to tarps that double as wind breaks, Ben and Lauren stay grounded in their disagreements and tackle this dialogue from the ground up!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Products:

Dome Tents

Touring Tents

Supex Caravan Annex Floor Matting

Tarps and Matting

C-Gear Multi Camp Mat

OZtrail Ultra Blue Poly Tarp

OZtrail Ultramesh Tarp

MSR Hubba Hubba 2 Hiking Tent

MSR Universal 2P Footprint

OZtrail EVA Foam Floor Mat

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:11 – Lauren’s Opinion…

04:39 – Do You Need a Groundsheet?

11:14 – Groundsheet Types

17:20 – What Size of Groundsheet is Best?

23:02 – Groundsheets for Hiking Tents

Lauren’s Opinion…

Having camped in many adverse environments and weather conditions, she maintains that she’s yet to require a groundsheet. In Lauren’s view, a groundsheet is yet another expense for an unnecessary addition to your camp kit.

That said, Ben points out that covering the ground beneath the awning is still a good idea, where a groundsheet is often necessary. In her camping career, Lauren has owned a number of standard dome tents, the Coleman Montana 12 CV Family tent, and a canvas touring tent; each featured heavy-duty PVC flooring, and – aside from the odd patch – she is yet to experience issues or identify damage after 30 years. Likewise, the floor of the Coleman Instant Swagger tent also boasts sufficient strength and durability, though instead a woven, tarp-like material construction.

The need for a groundsheet depends on the set-up.

Do You Need a Groundsheet?

The primary objective of a groundsheet is to protect the tent floor. In some instances though, a tent’s flysheet exposed to UV can become more damaged than many of its flooring components. That said, Ben clarifies that a groundsheet is best used in areas of high foot traffic, such as inside the door where campers are consistently stepping and applying body weight. On harder grounds such as the solid, sunbaked soil of outback Australia, or gravelly terrain, a groundsheet is also beneficial for protecting against wear and tear. Nonetheless, most tent floors are still likely to see a long life without a groundsheet given their high durability.

Another benefit of a groundsheet is how it assists with pack-up, ensuring the tent floor isn’t wet or dusty when it comes time to disassemble. That said, Lauren maintains that this can be avoided simply by using a trusty dustpan and brush. As well as being only a minor inconvenience, she appreciates the ritual associated with monitoring the state of the tent floor and keeping it under control. Plus, a groundsheet is just another piece to pack up – and just as unclean as your tent floor would have been without it anyway. Even so, Ben has never fussed with cleaning his groundsheet – he simply folds it as is and slides it into this wheel bag.

Lauren admits there could be a stronger argument for use of an annex mat within an annex, given its handiness as a non-permeable layer limiting the build-up of moisture. This can go both between the tent floor and the ground, and on top of the tent floor itself; the caveat being the style of camping you’re partaking in.

It’s wise to note too that some campgrounds and sites necessitate the use of a groundsheet, to protect their grass and aid in maintaining their terrain.

Groundsheet Types

Available in various shapes, sizes, and options depending on setup, the two groundsheet types are those of a mesh or shade cloth, and a solid tarp. The most common has a mesh construction, ideally fitted beneath the doorway and extended to under the awning.

Ben owns an Oztent groundsheet specific to the Oztent RV which, while durable and visually appealing, has been cut to the same footprint as the tent itself and isn’t entirely necessary for all set-ups. Instead, the same effect can be achieved with material measuring only two-thirds of that length to simply cover the doorway, allowing the pre-existing heavy-duty PVC tent flooring to protect the inside. This eradicates the excess, unnecessary fabric of a fitted groundsheet.

Ben’s groundsheet is cut to suit the footprint of the Oztent RV. Credit: Snowys Outdoors

Hiking tents tend to require a more solid groundsheet, given the harder nature of the grounds encountered. However, most camping tents suit mesh groundsheets, which both allow for dust to fall through to keep the area tidy, and provide a more comfortable surface to walk on.

Alternatively, a ‘footprint‘ is placed beneath the tent itself and usually matched to its shape (including the vestibule areas). This is the case for the BlackWolf Turbo tents, Oztent RV / RX series, and Coleman varieties. Footprints for the latter are small, though adequate to cover the front door area where campers more often place their feet. Fit to the size of your tent, a benefit of a footprint is how it eradicates the concern of securing the guy rope or pegs. Their edges also tend not to protrude from beneath the tent base, conveniently allowing for rain to run down and underneath the tent as opposed to catching on the footprint and ponding in the centre. In some cases, customers simply pay extra to have the footprint custom-cut to their tent.

What Size of Groundsheet is Best?

This is different for every adventurer, as it depends on the area you aim to cover.

Ben and Lauren first suggest asking yourself why you may want or need a groundsheet. If it’s solely to protect the tent floor, simply measure the floor (e.g. the living area) and buy as close to those dimensions as what’s available. Depending on how large or tedious the space, another idea is to buy two footprints, attach them to each other, and tailor them both to cover your space. For example, between one and two long sheets is often enough to cover the space beneath a Gazebo.

It’s also wise to consider where you don’t need a groundsheet. For example, the tent floor won’t need protection from foot traffic in the areas where there’s a sleeping mat, or in areas where campers are mostly stationary or asleep. Plus, in determining the size of your groundsheet, consider whether there may be a dual use for it – for example, a tarp shelter or a wind break.

While both mesh and tarp are suitable, mesh material as a wind break allows a slight breeze, lessens the wind pressure, and prevents the billowing sail often typical of a solid tarp. In Ep8 – Unexpected Wind & Rain When Camping, Ep38 – Awnings, Shelters & Shades for Summer, and Ep59 – Shelters for Rainy Days, Ben and Lauren discuss various methods in which shelters can be applied, including the use of groundsheets and tarps. Ultimately, keeping more than one groundsheet in the camp kit allows more versatility and room to move with how each can be applied.

A large groundsheet with a moat surrounding a tent for the annex can often require pegging through the groundsheet itself. While the position of the holes may vary based on how your groundsheet is placed each time, frequently puncturing holes can nonetheless damage and deteriorate it over time. To prevent this, Ben and Lauren recommend fitting the groundsheet with eyelets.

Groundsheets for Hiking Tents

Commonly referred to as a ‘footprint’, these are more beneficial for hiking tents due to their lighter-weight structure. In turn, the groundsheet itself is lighter in construction, which keeps pack weight to a minimum. Many footprints, such as that for the MSR Hubba Hubba, can be set up in various ways – including as a groundsheet with the flysheet over the tent’s inner.

Like most groundsheets, a hiking tent groundsheet is ideally used in the high-traffic areas of hiking tents. When hiking, Ben utilises his insulative, multi-use, silver space blanket as a groundsheet, emergency shelter, windbreak, and a surface to sleep on.

Generally speaking, hiking tent or not, interlocking EVA foam mats are another option – though in wetter conditions, these can become sodden and difficult to maintain. Alternatively, non-stick mesh annex mats are soft on the foot; Lauren admits she is now considering this as a flooring component of her camp set-up.

Are you a groundsheet user? If so, what size is yours, and what’s your set-up?

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep69 – From the Ground Up: Talking Groundsheets appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep68 – Spare Bits for Your Caravan Kit with Kev

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 03:48:47 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Snowys’ resident caravanning expert Kevin is fit for the rough and tumble of off-road travel…

all thanks to his fool-proof fix-it kit of trusted tools and tricks! In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, outdoor enthusiasts Ben and Lauren hitch a ride with Kev to learn what he keeps in his spare part compartment.

From the shackles and buckles, to the spares for repairs – Kev reveals all that allow him a quick-sticks recovery in those tricky off-track stitch-ups!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:12 – Welcome, Kevin!

02:27 – Kev’s List

05:03 – Hose Clamps

07:45 – Tie Wire, Insulation Tape, Duct Tape, and Cable Ties

09:44 – Fuses, Electrical Wire, and Electrical Terminals

12:58 – Wheel Bearings

17:53 – U-Bolts

21:04 – Grease and WD40

22:05 – Split Pins

23:39 – Screws and Bolts

25:36 – Puncture Repair Kit and Second Spare Wheel

28:36 – Chain, Turn Buckles, and Shackles

32:40 – Snatch Strap, Tow Rope, Ropes, and Ratchet Straps

34:49 – D-Shackles

35:34 – Tool Kit

37:31 – Battery Drill, Drill Bits, Angle Grinder, and Charger

40:35 – Spare Water Connection

42:26 – Spare Water Tank Barbed Tail

44:52 – Blue Plastic Tarp

46:20 – Further Thoughts

Mentioned in this Episode:

Ep43 – Caravan Water Tanks 101 with Kev

Ep52 – Caravan Refrigeration with Kev

Ep60 – Caravanning the Oodnadatta Track with Kev

Welcome, Kevin!

Among many others, Kev last joined Ben and Lauren in Episode 60 where he detailed his journey along the Oodnadatta Track. This week, we welcome him back to take us through the spare parts that save him potential hassle during any adversities he may experience off-track.

Kev’s List

The motive behind Kev’s list of caravan parts is to provide some sort of temporary aid when travellers have no access to a mechanic or service station off-road. As most vehicles will have repair kits of their own, these kit bits are more specific to a caravan.

Kev describes this list as his ‘basic’ default… despite how many items it includes! For short trips, it can be modified, though he maintains that all components are necessary for extended touring or travelling to remote areas.

In compiling this list, Kev has considered every possible failure that could eventuate on an off-road trip. Some issues can be fixed on the road, such as a loose hose or a set of bearings, but others may require leaving the van to find help. Nonetheless, these spare parts are easily accessible in the spur of the moment.

Hose Clamps

These are required for caravan plumbing in feeding the water supply from the tank/s. As they come in different sizes, Kev recommends looking underneath your caravan to identify what you may require.

If your hose is split or cracked and requires a joiner, a hose clamp is essential here too. That said, the same approach can be taken with cable ties and tie wire, especially if your hose comes loose or is left hanging. When this happens, clamps can break off, resulting in a loss of water – so replacement pieces are recommended.

That said, Lauren queries whether taking a spare hose itself is an easier solution. To this, Kev states that he would simply carry a standard water hose for the purpose of hooking up to a mains, and cut pieces from that as opposed to taking additional hoses. For instance, you wouldn’t replace a filler hose with a waste hose, as this would send muck into your tank. Instead, if a hose is damaged, Kevin simply suggests cutting the damaged section out and using a joiner to reconnect it.

Most hose clamps are metal with a Phillips head screw and a loop; as you screw, the loop tightens. These are more versatile and can be sourced from hardware stores. Kev reassures that caravanners needn’t keep a large range, but should have a few spares given how little room they occupy.

Insulation Tape, Duct Tape, and Cable Ties

Duct tape – commonly known as the silver plastic tape, and roughly 50mm wide – is capable of withstanding stress, so is effective for use on a broken window or cracked glass. For leaky radiator hoses too, simply wrap the tape all the way around the split as a temporary seal.

On the other hand, insulation (or electrical) tape is narrower, better utilised for broken wires. Each tape has its purpose, so Kev recommends bringing along both.

Lastly, cable ties are a given and useful for many purposes that involve securing components or keeping loose parts contained for temporary periods. Ben agrees to keep a handful with your spare parts on all off-road adventures.

Fuses, Electrical Wire, and Electrical Terminals

Many caravans have either glass (inline) or blade fuses – and with many models featuring electrical appliances, this has become more common. An electrical terminal is usually crimped onto an electrical wire, which thus has it unusable if it comes off. For this reason, Kev keeps a couple of spares on hand to keep him out of trouble.

As the size of the fuses will vary from one caravan to the next, Lauren asks whether it’s worth taking a couple of each size. To that, Kev confirms that this depends on the caravan itself. Older caravans use a glass or inline fuse with 10-15Amps, while a more modern style will use battery chargers or solar panels. Kev recommends determining what your van requires and take a spare of each. As they take up minimal space, he recommends looking into buying packets of various sizes and taking a multitude.

Lauren also queries whether there are any fuses that fail more regularly than others. Kev confirms that solar panels use a large fuse, so if a wire comes loose – namely a live wire from the battery – and makes contact with something immediately, it will trip. There isn’t a specific size, but Kev suggests mediating these potential issues by carrying a handful of the bigger fuses available.

Wheel Bearings

These should go hand in hand with right tools, as it can be headache depending on the component. Part of the bearings are pressed into the hub, and both the tools and know-how are also required to remove the cone from inside the hub if cracked or heat-affected. Keeping wheel bearings as a spare part is an advantage for caravanners, as they can be difficult and time-consuming to source from elsewhere – often taking several days.

If a bearing has collapsed completely, and you’re in the middle of nowhere – towing the van isn’t an option, as the wheel will both damage the axel and come loose. For this reason, Kev recommends partaking in a car maintenance course prior to any extended tours, to develop the skills and knowledge to change a wheel bearing easily and independently. That said, having a spare without the knowledge to fit it yourself still allows the opportunity for somebody else to do it for you.

The procedure of changing a wheel bearing involves first removing the grease cap from the hub, the split pin holding the hub nut on, the hub nut itself, and finally the hub from the axel. It’s also required to take the tyre off the wheel and the wheel off the hub, before attempting to punch out the cones within the hub. This can be done by turning it upside down on a piece of wood, knocking the cone out, and fitting a new one back in – though this process also requires the adequate ability. In addition, the hub seal is usually damaged after removing the inner bearing, so this is likely to require replacement too. YouTube content is a helpful platform that provides basic knowledge on how to approach the procedure of changing a wheel bearing.

As car bearings tend to be more durable, Kev only brings one set of bearings for the van. He has encountered other caravanners with collapsed wheel bearings, which can be a result of how tightly they’ve been secured. This can cause overheating and turn them blue, before they collapse. While this is unlikely to happen, it is expected to more with a caravan than with a car.

Nonetheless, Kev reassures that it’s unlikely for two sets of bearings to collapse on a trip away. For this reason, he only keeps one set of wheel bearings for one wheel – plus a hub seal, grease that withstands high temperatures, or any form of lubricant to ensure temporary support.

It’s unlikely for two sets of bearings to collapse, so Kev only keeps one set of wheel bearings for one wheel in his kit. Credit: Kevin Leslie

U-Bolts

The use of U-bolts depends on a caravan’s suspension system. For those with leaf springs, or who plan to travel along bumpy, rough terrain, U-bolts should be spring-bolted to the axel.

While Kev has only ever experienced his U-bolts breaking off his 4WD while traversing rough surfaces, he’s nonetheless heard of occasions where they have come loose from caravans; butts will come free, bounce off, and break, leaving the axel suspended without security. While this is unlikely to happen, it’s not uncommon for U-bolts to be moved or released after your caravan has been serviced.

Kev confirms that U-bolts must be specific, depending on the length and size of the axel – for example, rounded/cylindrical, or square/angular. In other words, Bunnings isn’t the answer!

Grease and WD40

Grease is used when applying wheel bearings, as well as on the tow-ball of a car. While greasing wheel bearings need only be done by using your fingers from a tub, greasing a coupling in a compressible system requires a grease gun.

As for the trusty WD40 – Ben, Lauren, and Kev each agree that this is a necessity, and a basic component for all road trips.

Split Pins

Yes, Lauren – these are just like giant bobby pins.

Split pins work by inserting a bolt through the point of connection, and a pin through the bolt itself. They’re available in a range of sizes and packs, and relatively inexpensive too. As they tend to be a common spare part to carry off-road, most nuts feature a hole for a split pin too. Among many things, tire wire can be used for the same purpose – though it’s always ideal to have access to the correct part.

Screws and Bolts

These needn’t be too big, as screws, nuts, and bolts that are become harder to replace. Kev recommends sizes from between 3mm and 6mm, and screws such as PK and Phillips. Keep an assortment of compatible nuts and washers as well, including wheel nuts.

Puncture Repair Kit and Second Spare Wheel

Lauren suggests Zoosh – like an aerosol can with an inbuilt hose, attached to the end of a tyre. The hose empties the can of foam into the tyre; as the vehicle drives, the foam coats the tyres interior and repairs any slow leaks.

For larger punctures or holes though, Kev recommends a plug. In his experience, a plug allows a temporary fix of the flat tyre before it can mended properly at a later time, where the spare is used to replace it in the meantime. Sometimes, cars can drive on plugs for years, and this strongly indicates their high durability. That said, Kev maintains to take the tyre to a mechanic at the earliest opportunity to be fitted properly with an internal plug.

As for wheels, Kev carries four spares – which is enough to give our minimalist adventurer, Ben, a heart attack! While it may be a lot of weight, Kev explains that after once shredding a wheel and replacing with his spare, he was left with nothing else in the event of another tyre-related issue throughout the trip. On the other hand, Ben’s approach is to invest in good quality tyres to begin with, carry only one spare… and hope there are no issues! All considered, both Kev’s and Ben’s tactics are as valid as each other.

Chain, Turn Buckles, and Shackles

In the 30s and 40s, interstate trucks would be undriveable if a significant part was broken – such as a suspension arm or spring, leaving the axel floating freely about without anchorage. A temporary fix is to chain the axel to the chassis. This is usually done by wrapping steel cable around both the spring and the axel, linking it up to the chassis, applying a turn buckle, pulling it tight to keep the axel in place, and continuing to drive slowly until a more permanent fix is obtainable. That said – like most things – this requires know-how.

Should you find yourself in a similar situation – which, albeit, is an extreme circumstance – Kev recommends a 1.5-metre length of chain, purchased from a hardware shop, with a turn buckles and shackles. Again, tie wire can also be used to hold the chain in place, while a turn buckle features a hook and eye on each end to help tighten it.

Snatch Strap, Tow Rope, Ropes, and Ratchet Straps

Where the first two are handy for towing, the latter are ideal for tying down and securing. Again, as neither take up substantial space, Kev recommends including each of them in your spare parts kit without question.

Ratchet straps can be used to tie a wheel to the bumper, or equipment to either the roof racks or underside of the caravan. Usually, if ratchet straps aren’t on hand, these methods can’t be applied as well. Simply ensure that whatever you have on hand instead is not too thin.

By the same token, using straps or rope for towing purposes must be properly and professionally rated.

D-Shackles

These are also required to be properly rated when used to chain anything up. While Kev’s aren’t rated, they’re adequately strong and only used as a temporary fix. Like other spare parts mentioned, these are specific to the vehicle itself – usually requiring 4mm-8mm diamond pins – so aren’t available from a standard hardware store.

The shackles of a safety chain also need to be rated, and this can be determined by a Working Load Limit (WLL) stamp on the product itself.

Tool Kit

Yep, just like that one in your tool shed.

Kev recommends including a basic Phillips and flathead screwdriver, a socket set, and a wrench. As a minimum, these can be sourced in ready-made kits comprising of various sizes, types of tools, and pieces.

Kev’s tool kit is a little more comprehensive, also featuring pliers, open-ended spanners, and hammers. Regarding spanners, Kev reminds us that open-ended ring spanners are either metric or imperial. Most hardware stores stock imperial, though can also carry both. This is where an adjustable spanner is useful.

As a minimum, tools can be sourced in ready-made kits comprising of various sizes and types of tools. Credit: Shutterstock

Battery Drill, Drill Bits, Angle Grinder, and Charger

At some point, Kev suggests that caravanners will need to use a battery drill and so will require a spare battery too. While Kev has an inverter in his van, he recommends charging the drill at a powered caravan site as opposed to through an inverter.

Drilling typically isn’t required too much in caravan maintenance, so Kev predicts that the battery won’t be used excessively. That said, he recommends taking one along as a precaution. This goes for an angel grinder, mostly required in bush-camping scenarios when cutting away broken bolts that won’t budge. Usually, those with a drill and an angel grinder can use the same battery across both.

Spare Water Connection

This refers to connecting to a water supply at the caravan park, calling for the fitting that’s screwed into the water inlet on the caravan as opposed to a tap. This requires a spare, given it’s not a unique thread. While American models feature imperial threads, all water and tap fittings sold in Australia are metric thread. Thus, purchasing a snap-on fitting, screwing it in, and turning twice will jam it. They’re not easy to buy, so Kev recommends sourcing these – as well as tap connections – from a caravan accessory store.

Ultimately, it’s suggested to keep spare fittings for connecting to both taps and hoses, as well as ensuring you have the female and male adaptors appropriate for your caravan.

Spare Water Tank Barbed Tail

The barbed tail describes the hose that feeds into tank and to the pump. Kev relays how his brother-in-law once broke his barbed tail, which resulted in water draining from the tank. As a result, the tank was unusable and he was forced to resort to jerries instead.

On some tanks, the barb can be screwed back in. On the other hand, some are moulded as part of the tank itself – which means if it breaks off, the tank itself is broken too. The likelihood of this happening depends on how well the tank is protected.

Lauren queries as to whether buying and upgrading an older van should also mean considering a screw-in tank. Kev doesn’t carry this, as all his barbs are protected – though in some vans, the tanks are fitted in a way that has the barb protruding from the side. This can leave it open to potential damage.

A strange but genius preventative strategy is cutting standard pool noodles (with a hollow core) into different lengths, and using as both hose insulation and protection. Ben seconds this method, where fitting the foam noodle onto roof racks too can prevent them from rattling.

Blue Plastic Tarp

Kev utilises his as a ground sheet in situations when he needs to get in and under his van. As well as this, a plastic tarp can aid in the case of a broken window; simply cut a piece out and tape it to side of van with duct tape to keep weather out.

A multi-use item, the tarp can also be tied to a roof rack as an awning and means of emergency shade, as well as to stop dirt, dust, and debris from damaging or soiling other equipment.

Further Thoughts

Kev re-iterates his understanding that not everyone can action the above repairs alone. For those determined, he maintains park-taking in a car maintenance course to cover the basics. These will assist in providing a temporary fix until further help is acquired.

While there are some things you can fix, there will be others you can’t – so simply adapt to the situation and action what you feel you can. Likewise, if you ever encounter a fellow caravanner stranded in the middle of nowhere requiring assistance or spare parts, making human contact can be reassuring enough. If it’s not direct assistance in mending their caravan, simply offering a lift to the nearest town or passing a message on to another group can still go a long way.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep68 – Spare Bits for Your Caravan Kit with Kev appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep67 – Personal & Portable Lighting

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 01 Aug 2022 06:58:26 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

From the flood lights drenching darkness with daylight, to the pocket-sized torches casting a spotlight on what’s ahead…

in this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren discuss the variety of portable lighting options that best suit our campsite parties and after-dark outdoor endeavours.

For those feeling in the dark about personal camp lighting, our gear gurus share some of the brightest lightbulb moments of the outdoor industry.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:56 – Battery-Powered Lighting Options

03:37 – Headtorches

04:12 – Lanterns

05:50 – Handheld Torches

07:31 – Area Lights

09:19 – Fairy Lights

10:00 – Types of Batteries

14:12 – Solar

16:08 – Lumens and Lux

17:55 – Light Functions

21:45 – Design Functions

22:47 – Multi-Purpose Lights

23:35 – Headtorches: Strapping and Adjustability

25:14 – Lighting Units Doubling as Power Banks

26:20 – Cost Vs Benefit and Quality

30:00 – Waterproofing

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep29 – 12V Lighting with Hard Korr

Ep32 – Battery Chemistry with Hard Korr

Products:

Headlamps

Lanterns

Coleman Northstar Lantern Mantle 95 Instaclip

Torches and Flashlights

Explore Planet Earth LED Area Camp Light Kit

Lithium battery lanterns

Black Diamond Moji Charging Station Lantern and Portable Power

Zempire Hangdome USB Rechargeable Light

Zempire Megadome V2 USB Rechargeable Light

BioLite SolarHome 620

MPOWERD Luci Lanterns

Exped Widget Inflation Pump, Lamp, and Power Bank

Goal Zero Lighthouse 600 Lantern and USB Power Hub

Hard Korr 100cm 3-Colour LED Light Bar Kit with Diffuser

Brands:

Battery-Powered Lighting Options

In Episode 29, Ben and Lauren were joined by Steve Buttigieg and Zac Buckley from Hard Korr to discuss the variety of vehicle and outdoor lighting options for a campsite. As not all campers have access to 12V, this episode covers the basic and more traditional lighting options, including handheld devices, headtorches, tabletop lamps, and hanging lanterns.

From rechargeable to standard AA battery-operated, the lighting options discussed in this episode are those often used to flood a personal or group areas, shed light throughout a tent, or serve as that midnight toilet run chum!

Headtorches

For convenient use around camp as a personal source of light, a headtorch is that hands-free henchman. Often perfect for after-dark cooking, a headtorch is helpful during the more hands-on campsite activities at sundown.

When Lauren was younger, she remembers how heavy they were due to their awkwardly large battery packs. Now, most are rechargeable via a USB.

Lanterns

The more traditional style of lantern – cylindrical in shape and typically positioned in the middle of a table – are becoming less popular as time goes on, given their insufficient output of light in comparison to more advanced models. Due to its outer structure, the lamp casts shadowy spots and fails to effectively disperse light from underneath when suspended. These days, most hanging lanterns available cast light evenly throughout the tent space – including directly downwards – just like a standard light at home.

Nonetheless, Lauren admits she still thinks fondly of the glass gas-powered lanterns she’d use growing up. These models featured a mantel on a stem, and threw light into the area effectively. Aside from Coleman’s dual-fuel lanterns, mantels are becoming harder to claim. Still, Lauren advocates for how useful these lanterns are – especially if gas is already required for a camp stove.

Nowadays, lanterns are both more compact in design but pack a brighter punch. Most cars also feature USB charging points, helpful for powering lanterns during the day before they’re put to use at night.

Handheld Torches

Well, we’ve certainly come a long way since the large, yellow Dolphin torches; the fat, golden Labrador of torches that requires six D-cell batteries and two hands to carry!

Handheld torches by Ledlenser in particular have a powerful beam for spotting and identifying objects in heavy darkness. While they tend to be higher in price than others, some models are more basic and suitable for young children who enjoy exploring. While a headtorch casts a fairly generic beam of light ahead, a handheld design enables more control of where the light is directed and thus better accuracy. As there are pros and cons to both models, keeping one of each in the camp kit would allow the best of both beams in relevant after-dark scenarios.

Area Lights

Brands such as Explore Planet Earth and OZtrail manufacture area lights that are attached to a large extension pole and hung above a space like a street lamp. Dispersing an impressive 15 square metres of beam, these lights are more beneficial for illuminating large communal spaces and setups beyond the caravan parks and out in the bush.
OZtrail also manufacture the Comet Light, chargeable via a 12V USB charging port in a car or a power bank.

Despite their remarkably large light coverage, these lights pack down smaller than a quad-fold chair or two-person hiking tent.

Fairy Lights

Those who follow the Snowys Camping Show on a regular basis will know how supportive Lauren is of the ambient, inexpensive, and efficient fairy lights! Not only are they a fun addition to a camp setup with young children, but they last for a long time on batteries too.

Types of Batteries

Batteries used in portable lighting are generally either rechargeable via a power point or replaceable (such as AA and AAA batteries). While the torch itself may not have a rechargeable battery, some good quality batteries can be charged via a power point and still used to operate it. Maintaining their low price point, Ben suggests that their affordability is nonetheless becoming more and more obsolete.

Most table and tent lanterns are USB-rechargeable, while many units such as handheld torches, headtorches, and some lanterns have a lithium battery built in. These can be recharged, but when the battery itself reaches the end of its life cycle it requires replacing. On the other hand, some rechargeable sealed units – many lanterns and some headtorches – have a built-in rechargeable battery that is completely sealed. This means that when the battery’s life cycle ends, so does the unit in its entirety. This somewhat dismisses the movement to choose rechargeable in order to avoid replacing batteries – so Ben and Lauren recommend first ensuring that the unit’s rechargeable batteries are replaceable, or that the lithium types last for substantial length of time.

With respects to the above, Zempire’s Hangdome and Megadome lantern models are recommended. While the battery is sealed and irreplaceable, the power drawn by the light is minimal and the realistic length of time spent using the unit itself will translate to multiple years of service. By the time the battery reaches the end of its life, it’ll likely be time for an upgrade anyway.

For Lauren, rechargeable sealed batteries are inconvenient when featured in headtorches. Usually, a headtorch is used at a greater intensity and brightness level than a more gentle area light. For this reason, one may not see further use from their sealed battery headtorch after 18 months.

Another consideration is a battery’s chemical composition. Some headtorches can be charged during the night and reach full capacity by the early hours of the morning. For some batteries, leaving it on charge from that point can be harmful due to their chemistry, while others of a different makeup aren’t affected. The details are complicated, so Ben and Lauren simply recommend asking the question before purchasing.

Solar

Solar-powered lighting options are compact and efficient, enabling users to charge their lighting throughout the day for use later in the evening at sundown – for example, MPOWERD’s Luci lanterns. While most lanterns alike only offer solar as a powering option, with a sealed battery – these units are often bomb-proof. On road trips, simply place your lights on the dashboard to catch the sun from through the windscreen.

Like all batteries too, allowing too long between camping trips can mean solar batteries slowly empty out in storage. Draining a solar-powered battery completely may mean recharging takes hours. On the other hand, using a solar light for only a couple of hours each night and charging them in the sun the following morning will often mean they’re constantly at capacity to generate power.

Some solar-powered lights also provide the option for 5V or 12V charging, such as those from BioLite. This is beneficial for winter camping when the sun is less present, as solar charging is less efficient during these times than simply plugging in.

Solar-powered lighting is a compact and efficient option. Credit: MPOWERD

Lumens and Lux

Lumen and lux go hand in hand in giving a measure of how much light a lantern puts out. As elaborated on by the Hard Korr team in Episode 29, a lux gives a more accurate indication. For example, one ‘lux’ at x distance denotes how far one can stand from the light source and still comfortably read a newspaper. While some lights boast 600 lumens with one lux at 20 metres, other lights may only boast half the number of lumens with one lux at 50 metres. Regarding the latter, the light reaches further despite less lumens because the output of each individual light depends on the particular beam structure, reflectiveness of the light’s facets, and how the light as a full unit has been constructed.

As a guide, Ben and Lauren suggest that a light with 80-100 lumens is adequate in wayfinding to the loo at night, while an area light is best suited to more lumens with less lux. This is because there is larger area to illuminate, thus requiring brighter ‘flood’ lighting as opposed to light that reaches a considerable distance.

Light Functions

Standard light modes include high, low, on, and off. Sometimes, too many functions can mean we’re ‘scrolling’ through each mode for longer than we’d like before we eventually land on our desired setting. For this reason, Ben and Lauren suggest that unless there is a specific need for a particular feature, most of the ‘cooler’ settings aren’t necessary.

Nonetheless, orange and red light modes are helpful and recommended. Where red light bodes well for night vision purposes and is less of a disturbance for others at the campsite, orange light repels insects and is helpful for after-dark cooking. Additionally, the difference between spot and flood lighting stems from a lamp’s intensity versus its brightness. A flood light is neither directional nor blinding, but more dispersed. On the other hand, a spotlight has a more pointed beam and is best used for identifying, searching, or wayfinding at night.

Ultimately, Ben and Lauren suggest looking into lighting that offers modes relevant to what you may require in your camp area. While some may only require a simple headtorch with both a flood and spotlight function, others may need a combination of both lanterns and handheld devices.

Design Functions

The design functions determine how a user interacts with their light – for example, suspending them from awnings and tents, or sitting them on tabletops.

A hanging light is often useful in how it disperses light evenly across a space, just as a domestic light. That said, they can be heavy. Lauren recommends first assessing whether the lantern is both light and short enough to hang from the centre of your tent, without distorting the tent’s structure or invading your head space.

Multi-Purpose Lights

Nebo manufacture handheld torches that double as an area light via an inner component that slides out of main body.

While Nebo have many, other innovative designs include headtorches by BioLite that feature a diffuser bag. These are perfect for hikers or space-conscious campers to suspend from the top of their tents.

Headtorches: Strapping and Adjustability

For camping, a headtorch merely requires strapping securely around the head and across the forehead. For running, it’s more ideal to choose a sturdier design that evenly distributes the weight of the unit around the head.

In regard to adjustability, most headtorches will fit without issues. That said, some of the more senior campers have found the adjustability features of some headtorches to be tedious and fiddly. For these after-dark adventurers, it’s recommended to choose a headtorch with less componentry and strapping.

Lighting Units Doubling as Power Banks

Desirable among the younger generation, some lighting units double as power banks to charge smaller devices such as mobile phones. Given their attractiveness, some manufacturers merely state this feature as a selling point rather than a key function. This is because most models only boost a phone’s battery capacity by 20%, serving as more of a means of topping up than fully charging.

Albeit, GoalZero manufacture some models that achieve a better balance of lighting and charging functions. Nonetheless, most affordable portable lighting options will exploit the latter feature as simply a desirable dot point on the packaging.

Cost Vs Benefit and Quality

When it comes to lighting, one usually gets what they pay for. Lights at a lower price point tend to lack robustness, will likely crack if dropped or met with too much force, and won’t last the same lifespan as those with better quality LED and componentry. For example, Hard Korr’s LED bar lights are well designed and sealed in an aluminium casing. On the other hand, a ten-dollar torch from an outdoor department store with replaceable batteries may still be in good working order after years of use, but the quality of the light itself is lower.

The condition of a light can often be determined by shining the torch onto a blank wall. Within the circle of light projected by a lower-budget torch, usually only 30% is lit while the rest is a series of dark patches. Sometimes it’s not always the quality of the materials that determine a good lighting unit, but that of its output.

Ultimately, Ben and Lauren recommend to simply buy what you can afford without the expectation that a ten-dollar light will last in the back of a 4WD for the next ten years of touring. Consequently, keep in mind how often you’ll need to replace these lights over time. Know what you need your light for, and go from there.

Waterproofing

For those looking at waterproof lighting, search for an Ingress Protection (IPX) rating. As well as dust, the IPX rating varies from unit to unit depending on the extent to which it can handle water – such as heavy rain, submersion, or a light splash. Choose the IPX rating based on the type of environment you’re likely to be in.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep67 – Personal & Portable Lighting appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep66 – Campsite Q&A’s #4 with Ben & Lauren (Part 2)

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 03:39:42 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

From putting a stop to sandy sleeping bags, to advice for averting mice from your Tupperware,

your campsite questions are covered in Part 2 of our fourth Q&A episode!

Sweep off the sand, butter the damper – and prepare to get bogged down in campsite fails, the camp food we praise, and the clobber we’ve bailed on.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:09 – Will Snowys ever open a store in Victoria or Sydney?

02:15 – Essentials for Beach Camping, and Tips for Keeping the Sand out of the Swag / Tent?

07:31 – Advice on Tent Security (and Storing Spare Keys)?

11:42 – Items you Thought Would be Useless but Were Useful, and Vice-Versa?

15:56 – Funniest Camp Fail?

21:32 – Gazebos – Necessary Additional Family Shelter, or Storage Space Waster?

22:14 – Any Chance of a Review of the 23Zero Duck Down Trail Blanket?

23:24 – Practicality of Extended Overland Trips in an SUV/Wagon/Car, Versus the More Built-Out 4WDs/RVs/Camper Vans/Caravans?

25:39 – Favourite Meal to Cook When Camping / Meal Ideas?

27:44 – What is Safer: to Keep Your Lithium Battery (Plugged Into Solar Panels and a Fridge) in a 6 x 4 Trailer, a Tent, or on a Blanket on the Ground?

30:06 – Securing Food from Pests?

32:51 – Do Either of you Own a Camper Trailer or a Caravan? What are Your Hacks?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep57 – Weird & Wonderful Camping Gear

Ep44 – Ben’s Half Lap

Ep7 – Gear You Don’t Need for Camping

Ep2 – Tips for Keeping Camping Food Fresh

Ep13 – Camping on a Budget

Ep27 – Camp Kitchen Essentials

Ep53 – Kangaroo Island

Ep43 – Caravan Water Tanks 101 with Kev

Ep52 – Caravan Refrigeration with Kev

Ep60 – Caravanning the Oodnadatta Track with Kev

Ep65 – Campsite Q&A’s with Ben & Lauren #4 (Part 1)

Blogs:

4WDing in the Wet

How to Make Damper in a Camp Oven

Products:

Collapsible Space Saving 30L Silicone Storage Tub

OZtrail EVA Foam Floor Mat

Oztent Mesh Floor Savers

Collapsible Space Saving Rectangular Tub Set of 4

Jaffle iron

Companion Rover Lithium Power Station

Category Pages:

Pegs, Poles & Repair

Sleeping Gear

Tents

Roof Top Tents & Awnings

Ep55 – Food for Adventure

For beach camping, Ben and Lauren recommend choosing tents with fine mesh. Credit: Coleman

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep66 – Campsite Q&A’s #4 with Ben & Lauren (Part 2) appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep65 – Campsite Q&A’s #4 with Ben & Lauren (Part 1)

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 02:57:59 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

To the foodies looking to expand on their campsite cuisine, the gadget geeks busting for another JetBoil in their cookware collection, and the ever-evolving outdoors people looking to match the standards of our Snowys fam…

We see you. We hear you.

In Part One of our fourth Q&A episode, we take a handful of your campsite questions from the metaverse to our podcast room, where they’re answered by your trusted Snowys gear experts.

Shortcuts

00:00 – Intro

00:31 – Q&As

03:39 – Can you repair a sleeping mat if it leaks at the seams or valves – and if so, how?

06:39 – Will the JetBoil Genesis Basecamp come to Australia – and if so, when?

09:29 – What are the essential spare items that Kev would take for extended caravan traveling, off-road?

11:42 – Do you two each have an Instagram account, so we can see your setups as well?

15:10 – What are the recommended meal and preparation ideas for camping, specifically for stove cooking?

17:32 – Personal camping essentials, upgrades, original gear, current gear, and reasons behind any alterations?

26:04 – Use-case tips on Dometic icebox sizes – including packing standard-sized items to assess how they fit, and how to subsequently determine a suitable size?

27:38 – When are you going to come and visit all your fans at the Brendale store?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep33 – Food For Hiking

Ep27 – Camp Kitchen Essentials

Ep2 – Tips for Keeping Camping Food Fresh

YouTube:

How to Repair a Leaky Air Mattress

Ep39 – Fridges Vs Iceboxes

Categories and Brands:

Products:

Supex sullage hose joiner

Dometic 12/240-Volt vacuum sealer

Dometic vacuum sealer roll 2-pack

Blacksmith Camping Supplies Australian-made coffee kit bags

Sea to Summit Wilderness Wash

Nature Play SA bird and wildflowers book

MSR multi-fuel bottle

Gasmate gas cylinder

MSR multi-fuel stove

Companion gas hose

Campfire cast iron camp oven

Southern Metal Spinners Aussie camp oven

myCOOLMAN dual-zone portable fridge/freezer (85L)

Other:

The Australian Gas Association (AGA)

The Australian Camp Oven Festival

Lauren is keen to produce an episode purely centred around campsite meals. Credit: Oztent

Among his must-have hygiene essentials, Ben’s personal camping essentials include his beloved Blacksmith Camping Supplies coffee kit bag! Credit: Blacksmith Camping Supplies

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep65 – Campsite Q&A’s #4 with Ben & Lauren (Part 1) appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep64 – Compare the Chairs

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 05:32:09 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

From sitting upright at suppertime to sinking further into serenity,

over time the humble household chair has taken shape to better suit outdoor dynamics. Be you a deluxe outdoors person looking to indulge in padded comfort by the coals, or an ultra-light traveller after compact, stackable campsite tackle – there’s a chair for every pair of cheeks.

In this week’s episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren take a seat to discuss the variety of camp chairs on the market. From the canvas strips fixed to wooden frames that pack flat, to the high backs, seats that sag, and flappy fabric pockets for stashing the knick-knacks – pull up a chair, and join in the chat!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:40 – Camping Chairs

02:59 – Quad-Fold Chairs

06:04 – Director and Deck Chairs

08:11 – Lounge Chairs

09:53 – Ultra-Light and Ultra-Compact Chairs

12:58 – Compact Vs Comfortable

18:03 – Assembly

20:45 – Structure

22:59 – Features

33:48 – Chairs for Multiple Cheeks

36:28 – Beach Chairs

38:29 – Kids’ Chairs

43:40 – Lauren’s Chair Choice

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Coleman Deluxe Cooler Chair

OZtrail Moon Chair Single with Arms

BlackWolf Padded Sofa Chair

Oztent Gecko Directors Chair With Table

Coleman Aluminium 5 Position Recliner Chair

OZtrail Sun Lounge Daybreak

Coleman Layback Lounger

Explore Planet Earth Pegasus Hiking Chair

Helinox Chair One XL Camp Chair

BlackWolf Compact Directors Chair

Explore Planet Earth Pegasus Hiking Stool

Oztent Red Belly HotSpot Chair

OZtrail Galaxy 3 Seater Chair

Coleman Rambler Quad Camp Chair

Brand Pages:

Helinox

Category Pages:

Beach Chairs

Kids’ Chairs

Camping Chairs

With the extensive range of camping chairs on the Snowys website, determining which model is ‘best’ is far from straightforward.

A chair is not just a chair – in fact, most of the questions that Ben and Lauren receive are about both chairs and sleeping bags. Neither can be physically trialed and tested online – and while some are easier to collapse and pack down than others, this can have comfort taking the backseat (pun intended)!

So, what’s more desirable? Comfort, or portability?

Quad-Fold Chairs

Most of the following ‘chair chat’ is based on Ben and Lauren’s personal opinions, albeit driven by the industry.

The most common design to take a seat at the campsite is the quad-fold, a term that describes any chair with an accordion-style folding action. During their debut, the quad-fold camping chairs were almost revolutionary – but where did the name come from? If a four-legged gazebo folds in and out by the same mechanism, Ben wonders why it isn’t called a ‘quad-shelter’. The word ‘quad’ likely refers to the number of folding axes as opposed to legs – in which case, a gazebo has more.

Quad-fold chairs are available across a vast range of price points from $20 to roughly $100, where the expense is mostly determined by the quality of fabric and incorporation of padding.

With a variety of designs such as ‘moon’ and sofa-style, some quad-fold chairs with a higher back lack a sturdy headrest, featuring only a strip of thin fabric above the main frame instead. Nonetheless, these chairs are easily packed, stacked, and stored, either on a set of roof racks or in the back of a car.

Director and Deck Chairs

…Aren’t they the same thing?

A deck chair is usually attributed to the Sou’wester design; a wooden frame fitted with single-skinned canvas. By this description, a director’s chair could be considered a Sou’wester chair on longer legs. In America, the name derives from the chairs found on film sets, with director printed on a strip of canvas along the back.

Distinguishing a ‘director’ from a ‘deck’ chair may simply stem from a variation in cultural terminology. Nonetheless, these styles feature a rigid, boxy frame, with solid, upright arms and sometimes a built-in table like that of the Oztent Gecko Directors Chair. These chairs boast a more upright design, having them both beneficial for the elderly and more ideal for sitting flush around a dinner table next to chairs alike.

Lounge Chairs

These styles mimic a deck chair, but with a taller back and superior recliner positioning. An example of a lounge chair is the Coleman Aluminium 5-Position Recliner. Others include the OZtrail Sun Lounge Daybreak and the Coleman Layback Lounger.

Despite their bulkier and heavier design, these models allow for sitting upright or stretching back flat. From Ben and Lauren’s experience – they’re much loved within the camping community!

Ultra-Light and Ultra-Compact Chairs

Of the more portable models on the market, Ben especially recommends Helinox. Price can often be a barrier for customers, but Lauren agrees that Helinox leads the field in lightweight, compact, and quality furniture worth every cent.

With a large variety of shapes, styles, and designs, most Helinox products will pack down to the size of a one-litre water bottle or a two-person hiking tent. Explore Planet Earth (EPE) manufacture camp chairs that tick most of the same boxes but, at a lower price point, lack the same level of quality. While EPE are still sufficient, Helinox often supersede them in both materials and manufacturing processes, generating products so well made that there’s often room for fault in the case of careless assembly or human error. Ultimately, Ben and Lauren remind us of the age-old truth – you get what you pay for.

Other camp chairs boasting efficient designs include those by OZtrail which, while compact, are heavier and less stable due to their steel frame and plastic nylon hub. Brands offering similar designs may instead manufacture with a combination of high-quality DAC alloys and glass-filled nylon.

Compact Vs Comfortable

Compact convenience aside, Lauren is yet to land a Helinox chair that covers all criteria for her ideal camp chair. Despite their featherlight but steadfast design, they lack the same comfort of most quad-fold or lounge chairs.

At the campsite, Lauren describes herself as a sloth; she wants versatility and freedom of choice as to how she uses her camp chair. For sitting up or leaning back, Helinox chairs deliver – though they lack in warmth and insulation for the colder climates, surpassed by some Oztent varieties.

Revisiting their benefits, Ben can pack four Helinox chairs in half the space that he would if he opted for director chairs instead. What’s more, they eradicate the need to be strapped to roof racks and bode well when pack size and weight are a major consideration.

On the contrary, Lauren owns two large chairs for both her partner and herself, where the adequate space in their large camper van has this a well-suited arrangement. That said, Lauren admits she doesn’t want to fall into a trap of filling the space in their van just because they can; weight is a factor, and can be a limitation for some adventurers. This is particularly the case on beach holidays, where some heavier chair models aren’t ideal for lugging across loose, trodden sand!

On the lightweight scale, Helinox models sit on the weightless end – followed consecutively by quad-fold, lounge, and director chairs. A more efficient design of the latter is the BlackWolf Compact Directors Chair, which folds up just like a suitcase. While they’re still relatively heavy, they’ve received positive feedback from the camping community.

Assembly

While exceptionally comfortable, Lauren’s old camping chair featured a quad-fold setup system with upright supporting legs that made assembling an awkward task. There was a baton that swung from the top pivot and another from the bottom, and both would meet to interlock as the chair expanded. For such a comfortable chair, this method was ironically a pain in the butt!

For those who aren’t interested in a complicated and tedious setup, easy assembly is a major factor when choosing a chair. Some quad-folds can be stiff to expand, while others have sliding segments in the arms that can jam. With multiple moving parts and tensioning considerations, lounge chairs can also prove tricky to assemble – often leaving the most basic quad-fold design the easiest and most efficient camp chair to both set up and pack down.

Structure

Be it curled up by the campfire or sitting upright at the dinner table – a chair’s structure and form will determine its suitability for you and your camp chair needs.

For example, a chair with arms that angle outwards won’t sit side by side around a table as well as a deck chair with a more upright structure. Sometimes, even a stool bodes better for gathering around the degustation station!

As much as a chair’s structure and design, materials also play a significant role in their suitability to a particular environment. For example, despite both steel and aluminium being prone to corrosion, the latter is more so recommended for beach setups given its lighter-weight qualities. Regardless of the material, Ben and Lauren suggest regularly rinsing away salt water to avoid deterioration.

Features

While most chairs will feature cup holders, some of the more compact and ultra-light models lack them. Others may only allow cup holders as an additional accessory (sold separately), as opposed to a standard integrated feature.

Despite their usefulness, some cup holders are simply a small fabric sack offering limited support – especially for drinkware with long stems, such as wine glasses. For these, some chairs feature an incorporated hook. Chairs without cup holders entirely, such as most director’s chairs, often feature a receptacle built into the fold-out table serving the same purpose.

Other features include book holders, usually in the form of a flap of fabric for keeping magazines, notepads, and stationery. Quad-fold chairs often have organisers in their arms too; a suspended zipped compartment for holding gadgets and gizmos, such as mobile phones. These are sometimes insulated, doubling as a cooler bag – or as Lauren likes to describe it, a ‘’camembert stash sack’!

Reclining features also provide the option to go from tabletop grazing to laid-back stargazing, with a range of structures within the lounge and recliner categories. Be it rigid support or room for snoozing, there’s a chair to tick every box. For those with posture issues, lumbar adjustments and pillows are important. Some quad-fold chairs have a strap around the back used to tighten and pull in the lower back. Other chairs are merely designed with a naturally supportive shape and structure. On the contrary, director chairs lack lumbar support due to the gap between the canvas backing and the seat. That said, their upright structure bodes better for posture and for this reason can negate the need for lumbar support. Meanwhile, the Oztent King Kokoda Chair and Darche KOZI series offer lumbar support in a more comfortable, cushioned design.

Be it rigid support or room for snoozing, there’s a chair to tick every box. Credit: Coleman

For those who struggle to lift themselves from their seats – the solid, rigid arms of deck chairs are often superior to the sagging fabric of the quad-fold chairs that allow too much give. For the heavy-headed, quad-fold chairs usually feature a top section that unzips, perfect for inserting the stuff sack or a jumper to create a cushioned headrest.

More advanced still, other models such as the Oztent Red Belly HotSpot chair have insulated pockets for holding hot pouches. Similar in appearance to ice packs, these work with a single click to instigate a chemical reaction and consequently release heat. Through the same concept, the pockets work just as well in holding wheat bags and hot water bottles. Lauren also describes a technology-based model, USB-heated with power packs. In theory, their design is far more efficient than practical, typically only generating five volts of power and thus an inadequate level of heat for combatting extreme cold.

Chairs for Multiple Cheeks

Bringing the family sofa to the campsite setup, some of the larger camp chairs allow room for between two and three people. An example is the OZtrail Galaxy, with an arm on each end and substantial seating space between. Typically a shared space, some choose to sit on it with their dogs while others even use it for stretching out solo. Put simply – if a quad-fold chair and a gazebo had a baby, this would be it!

As popular and fantastic as they seem to be among the camping community, Ben and Lauren maintain that this design isn’t for them. Chairs like the OZtrail Galaxy are suitable for return road trips from A to B – but given their heavy, awkward setup structure, Lauren imagines them a hassle to consistently assemble and disassemble on trips with multiple stops.

Beach Chairs

Given their low-standing design, some may argue that sitting on a beach towel offers the same experience as sinking into a beach chair. That said, Lauren confirms that the elderly benefit from more structured seating on the beach, as attempting to stand up on soft sand can be a challenge. Fishermen waiting out the bait also find that a chair with a back and even the slightest suspension off the ground can make all the difference in bitterly cold conditions.

When choosing a beach chair, Ben and Lauren ultimately recommend considering all criteria discussed so far – especially an aluminium, plastic, or wooden construction over steel to minimize the impact of corrosion.

Kids’ Chairs

While Ben rates kids’ chairs highly, Lauren has an opposing opinion.

For Ben, a kids’ chair is both affordable and easy to pack, let alone more ergonomic for children at an early age. He was eager to encourage and foster his daughters’ interest in camping, maintaining their own identity in the process. At an initial cost of only $20 each, Ben had no concerns in selling the kids’ chairs for far less before upgrading to adult models.

Maintaining a similar opinion on kids’ sleeping bags, Lauren argues that the amount of time children spend sitting in their camp chairs is disproportionate to how long they remain so small! Once they grow out of their kid-sized chair, there’s little anyone can really do with it – and in that, have perhaps wasted their money. Lauren bought each of her children a standard $30 Coleman quad-fold chair, with both a pouch for their knick-knacks and a cup holder. After ten years, the chairs have accumulated stickers and scribbles – a wholesome mosaic of memories – and only now is Lauren considering an upgrade.

Lauren’s Chair Choice

At the end of the day – when the billy’s on the boil, the damper’s buried beneath the coals, and she looks to kick up her crocs – Lauren’s choice of chair is the BlackWolf Padded Sofa Chair.

For those of a bigger build, like Lauren’s partner, it can be an ordeal to find a chair that accommodates. Lauren found this to be true until securing the Padded Sofa Chair – similar in shape to OZtrail Moon Chair, though sturdier in structure. Where Ben seeks lightweight, compact, and efficient designs, Lauren happily sacrifices these qualities if it means her chair offers that unbeatable creature comfort at the campsite.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep64 – Compare the Chairs appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep63 – Talkin’ Tent Pegs: Hiking Edition

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 02:04:26 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Remember a few weeks ago when Ben and Lauren spoke for thirty whole minutes about tent pegs?

Same.

Remember how impressed, albeit surprised, you were?

Same.

Could you handle any more peg-talk?

Neither.

Hear us out, though – what if there was an entirely new conversation to be had on the humble, handy, unpretentious tent peg? Would you spare another thirty minutes? ‘YES,’ we hear you shout into your smartphone while your hiking tent bellies into itself and the guy ropes start to sag?

Great – because this week’s episode of the Snowys Camping Show has been written, recorded, reviewed, and released. Ben and Lauren discuss the tent pegs suited specifically to hiking – from the styles that are no-fuss and straightforward, to those more tightly wound (so you can loosen up).

Shortcuts

00:00 – Intro

00:37 – Hiking Edition

01:20 – The Right Pegs for the Right Tents

05:03 – Included Pegs

08:09 – Peg Styles

11:15 – Peg Shapes

20:11 – Sand and Snow Pegs

22:38 – Peg Materials

30:42 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode

Podcasts:

Ep54 – Talkin’ Tent Pegs

Ep18 – Camping, Waste, & Leaving No Trace

Products:

OZtrail Nomad 2 Hiking Tent

Outdoor Connection Howqua 2 Hiking Tent

Vaude Campo Compact 2P Tent

OZtrail Hiker Fly

Explore Planet Earth Spartan 2 Hiking Tent

Hiking tent pegs

MSR Hook Tent Stakes 6-Pack

Supa Peg Polycarbonate Sang Pegs

Zempire Guy Rope Set Adventure – 5-Piece

MSR Groundhog Tent Stakes 6-Pack

Sea to Summit Ground Control Peg

Hampton Aluminium Angle Peg 17cm

Zempire Aluminium Tri Pegs 4-Pack

MSR Stake Hammer

Other:

Ologies Podcast

YouTube | Kate Grarock: Big Rock Little Rock

Hiking Edition

Much to their amazement, Ben and Lauren discovered how easy it is to talk about tent pegs for half an hour during Ep54 – Talkin’ Tent Pegs.

Nonetheless – can the same be done on a topic specific to hiking pegs?

The Right Pegs for the Right Tents

Within the outdoor community, there will always be different opinions on which hiking pegs work best for certain setups. In this episode, Ben and Lauren detail the range of hiking pegs available, where materials, shape, and overall design differ from one to the next.

For the most part, hiking pegs aren’t constructed with heavy materials like steel. This is due to weight considerations, where most hiking pegs will appear lighter, smaller, and differently shaped, designed to deliver more holding power and strength.

That said, the right hiking peg will depend on the tent itself. For example, a lightweight, 2-3 season tent is unlikely to require the same pegs as a 4-season expedition tent pitched in heavier winds. With this in mind, the appropriate style of peg is often determined by the nature of the environment in which you’ll set up camp.

A 2-3 season tunnel tent – if pitched in the more favourable direction – withstands wind well, while a dome-style tent will require more pegs. This is because the latter design typically isn’t freestanding, therefore relying more on pegs to remain secure. For example, Ben’s dome tent features two vestibules, each benefitting from two strong pegs on the outside, lighter-weight pegs in the four corners, and an additional four heavier pegs for the guy ropes. While tunnel-style tents require less pegs in windy weather, those used should nonetheless be more robust and steadfast.

Given the tent’s fly connects directly to a peg point via a clip or attachment, it can be argued that pegging isn’t required in the corners of both the hiking tent and its fly. During fair weather or platform camping/hiking adventures, a two-person tent housing two people – plus gear – guarantees enough weight to forgo pegging in the corners too. The essential purpose of hiking tent pegs is to maintain stability, and keep the tent taut to avoid bellying or rain pooling in wet weather.

Included Pegs

In the case of most top-quality hiking tents, the included pegs are equally as good – so a customer will get what they pay for. That said, these tents only include one style of peg; it’s often recommended to keep a variety of different designs to suit soft, hard, and snowy surfaces. There are many great-value and affordable hiking tents on the market too, though their pegs lack quality. Often lightweight, they’re constructed with either alloy or aluminium – and in Lauren’s Customer Service experience, their weight tends to be compensated with a lack of strength and a likelihood to bend or snap.

The pegs discussed throughout this episode are mostly made from aluminium, titanium, or other lightweight materials. Their construction is so that applying a mash hammer will only cause damage, instead requiring either pushing with your hands or tapping gently with a small rock. Keep in mind that the anodized coating on some aluminium designs (minimising corrosion) can often scratch away over time.

Peg Styles

Hiking pegs with hooked tops are often prone to bending if hammered too hard and too often. Most styles feature a more pronounced shepherd’s crook with a large loop and, coupled with their softer material, are more likely to change shape with too much force than camping-style pegs. In softer grounds, they’re sufficient – though not so much on solid surfaces. While they don’t manufacture hiking pegs, one of Supa Peg’s designs feature a head that allows for the force of the hammer to travel directly through the centre. This bodes better for tougher surfaces.

In the case of lightweight aluminium pegs, Ben and Lauren suggest those with a straight shaft, often referred to as ‘needles’ or ‘pins’. These promote a more direct and downward force through the centre of the peg. Some have small cut-outs for securing guy ropes – and while these technically create a weakness point, they’re vital in ensuring the guy ropes are fastened in place.

With some ‘pins’ cylindrical in shape and others square, Lauren is curious as to which of the two is the stronger option – understandably assuming the square-shaped. Some cylindrical pins have a head that mimics that of a nail, while those with a square shaft (as by MSR and Zempire) have a crochet hook. Ben clarifies that their strength ultimately depends on their weight, material, and thickness. For example, carbon fibre pegs with a plastic cap aren’t designed to be belted into the ground, as both the plastic head and carbon fibre shaft are likely to shatter.

Peg Shapes

With many variants of the ‘needle’ peg designs, there are models applied more like a stake.

Usually, straight or stake-like pegs are designed as a V-, X- or Y-shape, identifiable on the base. These can be considered like mini star-droppers, offering more surface area for greater holding power in the ground. While constructed with aluminium and lightweight, these pegs are often stronger than their ‘needle’ counterparts due to their shape.

That said, Ben comments that their one failure is a result of the notch protruding from the top which, if hit hard enough, can bend or kink over time. On the other hand, Lauren likes that stake-style pegs don’t often spin or rotate within their position in the ground. This is most typical of the Y- and X-shaped pegs, less likely to move once fixed into the ground – while ‘pin’ or ‘needle’ pegs on a windy night could spin and tangle the guy ropes as a result.

Ben points out that this is only relevant if the keeper on the head of the peg is dependent on a certain direction to securely hold a guy rope. For example: while rounded pegs with a notch at the top may rotate in the ground, a square peg with a crochet head likely won’t – and most pegs feature an enlarged head to prevent them from doing so anyway. MSR Groundhog stakes are Y-shaped, where each ‘arm’ is kinked for further traction and holding power in the ground.

MSR Groundhog stakes are Y-shaped, where each ‘arm’ is kinked for further holding power in the ground. Credit: MSR

Removing a rounded peg from the ground simply requires a couple of twists and a single pull. On the contrary, those with a cyclone-esque / spiralled shaft tend to turn simultaneously as they’re inserted into the ground, and are harder to remove on account of their twisted ridges. Nowadays, pegs feature a pull-loop to assist in removing from the earth – though it’s still recommended to only use cyclone-shaft pegs in soft ground, or when securing a tarp to aid in handling stronger winds. In that, they’re a great alternative to heavy steel pegs when assembling a more central tarp for a large group on an outdoor getaway.

Ben recommends the Sea to Summit Ground Control pegs, Y-shaped with a pull string. Another sturdy design is the Hampton V-shaped peg, which is essentially a mini aluminium version of the Supa Peg angle iron model but with a welded hook. If hit hard enough, the hook can bend or curl back like the lid of a sardine can – and for this reason, Ben finds the Y-shaped pegs more useful in most ground types that aren’t rock-solid. The wider V-shaped models bode better for the too-soft surfaces – and usually, one would benefit from fixing guy ropes to at least two V-shaped pegs on the side of the tent that receives the most force from the wind.

Overall, there are many different variants of V-, X-, and Y-shaped pegs, with MSR manufacturing a large portion. Instead of the hooked-top pegs included with a tent, Ben and Lauren ultimately recommend investing in pegs with a straight shaft – like Sea to Summit’s Ground Control model, Hampton’s V-shaped angle pegs, or a longer design still. Pegs can often be purchased as either a single or in a pack of six – and while not cheap, are worthwhile. Lauren recommends first buying a single to trial, before committing to a full set.

Sand and Snow Pegs

Pegs for sandy, snowy grounds are both broad and flat. This provides more surface area for pulling against softer surfaces, preventing the peg from coming loose.

In the case of hiking, sand and snow pegs are often of an aluminium construction with holes. They’re usually buried and hammered into the snow on an angle with a guy rope attached, like a snow anchor. This method bodes well for beach camping too.

Lauren also learned they can be used exclusive from every other peg style when camping on platforms, just by wedging them between the wooden boards!

Peg Materials

The most common material for pegs is steel or aluminium – though steel models are often thin to keep the weight down, more likely to bend as a result.

Nowadays, Y-shaped aluminium pegs with a hooked top are becoming more general. From what Ben has noticed, aluminium is more broadly used for hiking tent pegs, apparent in both the MSR Ground Hog and Sea to Summit Ground Control models.

There are different ‘grades’ of aluminium too, typically stamped on the product. Each grade indicates a different strength and makes an ever-so-slight difference to the product’s weight. Commonly, aluminium is also used in conjunction with an anodized coating. For those who like to delve further into the science sphere during discussions like this, Lauren recommends a podcast called Ologies.

Aluminium’s setback, however, is how it responds to excessive bending – eventually reaching a state called ‘metal fatigue’. When a piece of aluminium bends, it creates a weak point; in the case of a peg, it’s recommended to replace it before your next outdoor adventure. The more aluminium bends, the closer it becomes to snapping completely.

An alternative material is titanium which, while more expensive, is both stronger and more malleable. Applying force to a titanium peg may have it more likely to bend, but not fatigue as much or as soon – thus remaining stronger. While titanium is heavier than aluminium, its greater strength means less material is required, having it appear smaller nonetheless. These pegs are often hard to come by, given how specific they are for a customer to seek out; if you’ve decided on titanium tent pegs, chances are you’ve reached the point of counting down to the very last gram.

As mentioned, with less material comes a smaller size – but with a smaller size comes less holding power. *Sigh*. Every peg has its pitfalls.

Carbon fibre is another material found in hiking tent pegs. Often straight and rounded, both their top cap and the bottom tip are a different material from the carbon fibre shaft. Usually, the tip that drives into the ground is aluminium, as one of carbon fibre would be less likely to hold its form. Carbon fibre doesn’t sharpen as effectively, so a metal or aluminium tip protects it.
The cap of a carbon fibre peg is usually plastic, given these models are designed to be lightly tapped as opposed to hammered into the ground.

The main benefit of carbon fibre pegs are their extraordinarily light weight, at only six grams per unit! Despite that, they’re an expensive investment, costing roughly $20 each. Often, these pegs are sought after by the community of ultra-light hikers, where some will go as far as making their own to avoid paying the higher price. Carbon fibre pegs are also known to be the only type to safely pass through airport security measures, boding well for the hikers who frequently travel abroad for their adventures.

Lastly, plastic is not often a material used for hiking peg manufacturing. That said, they are available in nail-like designs, ideal for sand-based surfaces.

Summary

So – what is the superior peg? Have you ever made your own? We want to know your thoughts.

To wrap up, Ben and Lauren suggest marking your hiking pegs with brightly coloured tape; amid the rough, tumble, and tangle of the outdoors, pegs can very easily become lost! Most pegs will also feature a pull-loop – but on those that don’t, our gear gurus recommend fastening your own.

Lastly, for the ultra-lightweight hikers who see even the most lightweight pegs as a space-waster – check out wildlife ecologist and adventure enthusiast Dr. Kate Grarock’s YouTube video on how to pitch a tent using the environment around you: Big Rock Little Rock. Given its freestanding design, Kate must peg out her tent when it comes time to pitch securely. She does so by tying the guy rope around a small rock and placing a large rock in front of it (i.e. on the side closest to the tent), on top of the rope. The smaller rock simply acts as an anchor.

A friendly reminder though that in using the environment around you, be sure not to cause any damage!

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep63 – Talkin’ Tent Pegs: Hiking Edition appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep62 – Aussie Pegs & Poles with Supa Peg

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 05:35:10 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Ever walked into an outdoor store (cough Snowys cough), asked for advice on a product, and wondered how there could possibly be so much to say about a single sand peg?

Let’s tap into that.

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren chat with Supa Peg’s Sales Manager Isaac about everything from poles, pegs, and steel spreader bars, to plastic componentry and quality control. In that, Isaac educates us on what’s required to guarantee the robust durability, kick-butt strength, and door-busting resilience typical of every Supa Peg product.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:29 – Introducing Isaac from Supa Peg

01:30 – Isaac’s Story

02:58 – New Gear

05:42 – The History of Supa Peg

07:03 – Aussie Manufacturing

09:27 – The Supa Peg Crew

10:10 – Componentry

11:24 – Supa Peg’s Range

12:18 – Supa RV

13:54 – Poles

18:09 – Plastic Components

20:37 – Spreader Bars and Poles

25:06 – Pegs

30:44 – Quality Control

31:55 – Most Common Questions for Supa Peg

34:03 – What’s in the Pipeline?

Mentioned in this episode:

Podcasts:

Ep5 4 – Talkin’ Tent Pegs

Supa Peg Supa Cube Fire Pit

Products:

Supa Peg (brand page)

Supa Peg Outbound Shield 6 Freestanding Awning

Supa Peg Frontier Grill

Supa Peg Supa Cube Grill and Plate Set

GME (brand page)

Supa Peg Big Foot Aluminium Tent Poles

Supa Peg C-Clip Spreader Bar Support Inserts

Supa Peg Eye-to-Eye T-Nut Spreader Poles

Supa Peg Single Guy Rope Light Trace Springs

Supa Peg Croc Bin V2

Supa Peg Galvanised Steel Ridge Rails

Supa Peg Aluminium Twist-Lock Big Foot Tent Poles

Supa Peg Big Foot U-Clip Aluminium Ridge Rail Support Poles

Supa Peg Pole Spigots for Round Tubes

Supa Peg Nylon Tent Pole Inserts

Supa Peg Double Guy Rope Light Trace Springs

Supa Peg Polycarbonate Tarp Pegs

Supa Peg Gazebo Saver

Supa Peg Polycarbonate Screw Pegs

Supa Peg Ground Anchor Tent Pegs

Other:

Supa RV – online customer outlet

Introducing Isaac from Supa Peg

Those who follow Ben and Lauren weekly in the Snowys Camping Show may remember Ep5 4 – Talkin’ Tent Pegs, in which Lauren consistently speaks highly of Supa Peg. No, that episode wasn’t attributed to any paid promotion or monetary deal – we just love Supa Peg products!
In Ep59 – Shelters for Rainy Days, Ben and Lauren also detailed the various ways in which to create a cover for unpredictable conditions involving rain and/or wind.

The content generated from both episodes meant that an interview with Isaac from Supa Peg was both a natural and necessary progression.

Isaac’s Story

Now their Sales Manager, Isaac has worked for Supa Peg for five years. He was initially involved in the metal work, constructing poles and awnings, and worked his way up to Sales. As a result of his gradual progression, his extensive knowledge now spans across each department. In the last couple of years in particular, Isaac has also been privy to the progression of Australian Manufacturing.

Beginning in the factory building awnings, assembling poles, and packing pegs – Isaac developed his metal work skills entirely on the job. The more training he acquired, the handier a man he became – which bode well around his family home! Now, his hands are off the tools and his equally-valuable sales skills applied to his office role.

New Gear

In June 2022, Supa Peg issued their Supa Cube Fire Pit – hot on quality, keeping those campsite dynamics cooking!

Other recent releases include their first freestanding awning in November 2021, the Outback Shield 6 Awning – impressive and, ironically, a stand-out! Ideal for summertime use with a vast 17 square metre coverage, Isaac admits that he and the team are excited to observe how well this product performs over time. The freestanding design acts as large sail, prepared for the occasional flail and gale, flexing with the wind to relieve pressure from the hinges. For those still suspicious of the apparent strength of a freestanding model – on Queensland’s Bribie Beach in Queensland, Supa Peg’s Outbound Shield 6 Awning effortlessly withstood winds that reached up to 30 Notts!

Other fresh frontliners include an addition to the flat-pack fire pit models, the Frontier Grill, while the Grill and Plate Set released in June/July 2021 has also proven popular. Isaac owns both the Cube Fire Pit and the Grill, each compatible with the other to achieve that five-star smoky char in your campfire cooking.

The Outbound Shield 6 Awning is Supa Peg’s first freestanding awning – both impressive and, ironically, a stand-out! Credit: Supa Peg

The History of Supa Peg

In 1974, Supa Peg began as a small, family-run business with the vision of building high-quality products suited to Australian conditions. In 2020, the original family sold the company to new owners.

As their business name suggests, Supa Peg’s initial product line was solely pegs. While this mostly covered their renowned key-head pegs, their range extended to swags, cargo carriers, and basic-style awnings.

Today, Supa Peg have streamlined their product line to awnings, poles, pegs, and a variety of componentry.

Aussie Manufacturing

Most of Supa Peg’s products are manufactured in their factory in Yatala, Queensland. With moulding machines to create their plastic pegs, Supa Peg’s canvas is supplied by Wax Converters in New South Wales, both sewn and cut in Queensland.

Given the shortage of supplies over the past couple of years, and suppliers thus restricting production, Ben and Lauren query how Supa Peg have approached sourcing materials like metal. Isaac admits that the last two years have been challenging, with wait times ranging between six and eight weeks. In response, the team prepared for longer lead times by ordering as much supply as they could at one time.

Supa Peg use Australian-based raw materials, such as aluminium and steel. Sourcing their aluminium from Abra Aluminium in Victoria, Isaac assures that as a business they aim to obtain as much material as they can from Aussie suppliers. That said, Ben reminds us that there will always be a percentage of supplies only obtainable from overseas due to its absence here in Australia.

Given the lead times and issues with international supply, Supa Peg maintain their aim to source most to all their materials within Australia and avoid relying on overseas manufacturers.

The Supa Peg Crew

With roughly 30 members in their dream-team, Supa Peg’s headquarters is based in Yatala, ten minutes from their storage shed. Geographically speaking, Yatala is located south of Brisbane, halfway to the Gold Coast.

Componentry

Ben queries which of Supa Peg’s componentry are sourced internationally. For example, GME products are 100% Australian-assembled, though some components are required from overseas.

Supa Peg mirror this, with some key-heads required from beyond the Australian border. That said, Isaac confirms that the team is looking into eventually having these locally-made too, moving with a push of patriotism and directing manufacturing back to Australia. If anything, the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the importance of supporting Australian-made, where Supa Peg acknowledge this as an opportunity to revamp what has potentially been lost over the years.

Supa Peg’s Range

Until she began working at Snowys, Lauren attributed Supa Peg solely to pegs, poles, and fittings. In fact, their range is far more extensive, including pegs, poles, bars, ropes, trace springs, 4WD awnings, and the croc bin – a portable, hygienic bin designed to help keep campsite rubbish under control.

Isaac also notes that their Outbound range – specific to 4WD awnings – features models to suit any camper… and now requires its own factory dedicated to its manufacturing!

Supa RV

With their extensive range of gear, gadgets, and gizmos, stocking the full Supa Peg range here at Snowys would almost be like opening a candy store!

While this may not be the case for Snowys (*wipes tears*), customers can nonetheless purchase and enquire direct from Supa Peg’s online outlet, Supa RV. Covering their full range, customers are welcome to peruse, extend their weird and wonderful ideas for new products, and seek advice from the Supa Peg team.

In that, Supa Peg still offer their range of tarp kits suited to the many setup sizes and styles. The perfect beginner’s kit, a customer simply reveals the size of their tarp and Supa Peg directs them to the suitable kit, complete with the relevant pegs, poles, tarp, and spreader bars. As covered in the previous episode Shelters for Rainy Days, a camper doesn’t necessarily require the whole kit and kaboodle to erect a suitable tarp cover – though Supa Peg’s superbly assembled tarp bundles certainly provide the means!

Poles

One of the most common questions for Ben and Lauren is often ‘which pole material is best – aluminum or galvanised steel?’

While galvanised steel claims the better price point, aluminium is both lighter and easier to use – so while one may not save money, they save weight. The twist-lock feature is also only found in aluminium poles, as a galvanized steel model lacks the adequate grip. Given its more slippery nature, the fitting would slip inside the pole, while aluminum’s better hold has it more capable of supporting more weight.

For upright poles, Isaac prefers an aluminum twist-lock model, owing to its ability to support the weight of his setup. For ridge rails, he recommends choosing galvanised steel instead, offering a longer span for greater strength. Essentially, galvanised steel offers superior strength from a sideways position, while aluminum handles greater downward force.

But hold up (literally) – where does alloy fit into all this?

The difference between aluminum and alloy is that aluminum is a chemical element – found in its pure form on the Earth’s crust – while alloy is a combination of several chemical elements, such as aluminum itself and steel.

On that, Isaac explains that often the difference between a Supa Peg pole and that of another brand asking for a third of the price, is the former’s greater strength and ease of use. In the case of Supa Peg’s Aluminum Twist-Lock Big Foot Tent Poles, grip lines are there to provide resistance in twist-locking. When it comes to customizing one’s setup too, chopping off a segment beneath the press line only loses a small part of the pole in the process. Nonetheless, when it comes to custom designing and manufacturing, Isaac suggests galvanized poles.

Plastic Components

In the case of basic poles, the plastic sleeves that fit over the pole joints tend to crack over time, and the caps on the base of the feet split. Instead, Supa Peg use nylon in all spigot components.

To guarantee strength, Supa Peg’s ‘recipe’ includes both nylon and glass-filled nylon. Glass-filled nylon refers to a percentage of nylon in which a filament is applied to improve the component’s rigidity, meanwhile keeping its shape and form.

The C-Clip spreader bar support inserts are produced from a singular mould. Supa Peg have many moulds for use in conjunction with the plastic injection machines, including for C-clips, U-clips, and spigots. While it depends on the application, C-clips are advantageous for attaching to the side of the tube over the flat-tabbed tent pole inserts with spigot holes. The latter are best fastened over the top of spigots.

That said – in an instance where one could choose where to insert a spreader pole, a spigot would work more sufficiently than a C-clip. This is because the pressure is directed downward into the upright pole and locked via the spigot, offering a greater hold.

Supa Peg use nylon in all spigot components. Credit: Supa Peg

Spreader Bars and Poles

Most of Supa Peg’s spreader bars reach a maximum length of 310 centimetres, where some galvenised ridge rails can lengthen to support a 24-foot awning. For the latter, supporting upright poles are required – and this applies to any awning that exceeds 12 feet long so as to relieve the pressure from the canvas.

Isaac recommends a supportive upright pole every 12 feet. With the option of either a square or rounded ridge pole, Supa Peg’s limit for the use of a round is the three-metre mark, at which point they deem it best to transition to the stronger, square-shaped ridge pole.

When setting up a tarp, both an upright ridge pole and a spreader bar are recommended at every second eyelet, with a peak to promote rain run-off and reduce the chances of the shelter ‘bellying’ out. The number of spreader bars required depends on the size of the awning. For example, a 7 x 9-foot awning with a ridge rail across may require between two and three spreader bars too.

For a standard tarp size of roughly 12 x 24 feet, Isaac again suggests an upright pole at every second eyelet, and a spreader bar across the 12-foot area to create a sufficient peak in the centre for both height and rain run-off. In addition, guy ropes are recommended at each corner and off every pole.

When setting up a tarp, both an upright ridge pole and a spreader bar are recommended at every second eyelet. Credit: Supa Peg

Isaac also advocates for trace springs in windier conditions, as they allow for movement and remove the stress otherwise applied to both the fabric and the pegs. At a sudden gust of wind, the force is absorbed by the trace spring as opposed to ripping the peg from the ground.

Pegs

Typically, plastic pegs are constructed with either polypropylene (black) or polycarbonate (yellow) materials. The latter usually makes for a stronger peg, best hammered into rocks and tough surfaces, while the black pegs are better used in sand.

With the more brittle nature of polycarbonate, Lauren questions whether the greater flex from black polypropylene pegs would hypothetically bode better to anchor a windy beachside set-up in the sand. Isaac clarifies that screw pegs would be more ideal, referring to the longer models with the large hook on the head. Despite Supa Peg’s Outbound awning wild weather kits including pegs, ropes, and all the necessary knick-knacks – Isaac recommends upgrading the pegs for the sandier set-ups.

The most effective method to insert a screw peg is by positioning it vertically and screwing deep into the sand. This way, the pressure is on the stem travelling directly upwards as opposed to on an angle. Key head screws and anchor pegs, however, perform best when inserted on an angle. The more the peg is hammered in the further and more secure it digs into the soil. These pegs are mostly used for soil or firm surfaces, and while they handle a greater wind load their reliability ultimately depends on the nature of the ground.

In respects to all pegs mentioned, trace springs are still beneficial in removing the pressure from the peg itself. Supa Peg’s strength test involves gauging with a forklift to determine how much pressure a peg can handle before it surrenders. Again, while this is a fairly fool-proof testing method, the reliability and strength of a peg will still always depend on the nature of the surface on which a camper is set up.

Quality Control

With respects to brands that manufacture both overseas and within Australia, there seems to be a perception of a lack of quality control among internationally manufactured products.

In the case of Supa Peg’s awnings, the team carries out fittings and Quality Assurance (QA) testing. The same is applied to their plastic componentry, where a specific ‘recipe’ is followed, the first batch tested, and the final product confirmed as above-board before hitting the shelves.

Most Common Questions for Supa Peg

‘Will this awning suit my set-up?’

To this, Isaac recommends sending in an image of your vehicle, and the Supa Peg team will establish an awning system to suit. Ultimately, the right awning and where it’s mounted will depend on the size of the vehicle and roof racks. Supa Peg’s awnings have a low profile, so keeping it away from opening doors is always a consideration when fitting to a vehicle.

Here at Snowys, we also receive questions concerning whether an awning will fit a particular roof rack. At times, it can be hard to provide advice on the floor – but if a customer is seeking more guidance or information on an Outbound awning, Supa Peg can intervene and respond quickly and accurately.

With such a busy and bustling factory, Supa Peg no longer facilitate awning installations like they used to – though offering extensive advice will always be an ongoing service.

What’s in the Pipeline?

Put simply by Isaac, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’.

Supa Peg’s innovative process begins around the campfire, where discussion unfolds as to what may make something ‘better’ or more user-friendly. From there, Isaac takes his scribbled notepad back to the drawing board on Monday morning, with the intention to trial their newest invention on their next camping trip.

Ultimately, Isaac and the Supa Peg crew aim to expand their range for the sake of providing more options to campers and adventurers – all while supporting Aussie-made.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep62 – Aussie Pegs & Poles with Supa Peg appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep61 – Finding the Best Campsites

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 20 Jun 2022 01:35:54 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Many resources lead the way to the best campsites in our outback-yard,

be they paperback maps scribbled with the curves and contours of rural Australia, or online platforms for following the footprints of fellow adventurers across beaches, base camps, and bucket-list locations.

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren detail the various modes by which to identify, plan for, and book into the campsites that best suit your off-grid getaway – from the bayside campsites along sandy coastlines, to Station Stays beneath the pink skies of the bushland.

Shortcuts

00:00 – Intro

01:20 – Finding a Campsite

04:43 – Planning

05:22 – Sharing Your Campsites

06:40 – Word of Mouth

07:12 – Books and Websites

14:06 – Other Online Resources and Databases

16:58 – Wiki Camps

23:54 – Council Sites

25:17 – Social Media

32:14 – Ben’s Process

35:32 – Apps

37:49 – Petrol

38:42 – Other Sources

Mentioned in this episode

Podcasts:

Ep18 – Camping, Waste & Leaving No Trace

Products:

Camps Australia Wide Camping Guide (11th Edition)

Hema Maps

Other:

National Parks and Wildlife Services, South Australia

YouCamp

Station Stays South Australia

Outback Beds

Station Hoppers

Wiki Camps

App Store: Camps Australia Wide

Hema Maps: Mobile App

Finding a Campsite

This used to be a fairly straightforward process. Rock up, set up, present that little envelope at the entrance with the payment fees, and stay for as long as you like.

However, with the growing interest in outdoor adventuring and substantial rise in camping over the last couple of years, the campsites marked with an inky star in our guidebooks are filling up faster – and often already full when we arrive.

With this change has also come a shift in payment methods, where expenses once paid in cash are now done so via online bookings. Prior to these systems, Lauren describes how one could pull into a camping ground on a Friday (possibly a Thursday on a long weekend, with the anticipation that sites could be busier), and score an available site effortlessly. Now, with the option to book far in advance, some campers are booking the same site between three and 12 months out.

With this change in approach, camping trips for the most part require far more planning – excusing some of the more remote locations in their off-peak seasons. When Ben embarked on his half-lap through Western Australia and the Northern Territory, he chose to do so in the hot season when fewer people were travelling. This meant he had a greater chance of landing a campsite with little notice.

On the other hand, given it’s not a first-in-best-dressed scenario anymore, it’s recommended to plan well in advance if your trip is scheduled for the busier time of year.

Planning

On that, thorough planning simply starts with jumping online, navigating the necessary park websites for suitable sites and costs, and planning your itinerary.

That said, planning also involves maintaining a level of flexibility. For example, those wishing to book somewhere one night and drive 200 kilometres the following day may not find a free campsite – in which case, that 200 kilometres must come either before or after whatever the distance is to the next rest spot!

Sharing Your Campsites

Ben and Lauren receive a lot of questions surrounding how to find the best campsites. Lauren admits that sharing or broadcasting favourite campsites with others shouldn’t be something to form a habit of, unless done so between close family and friends.

Public campsites and spaces are available to everyone, be they via online sources or doggy-eared in a travel guide. That said, the more they’re spoken about with others the less likely they’ll remain that quiet, ever-available site that was once your special, go-to place.

With this in mind, Ben and Lauren share the options that they use and rely on to identify the best campsites – so you can too.

Word of Mouth

It’s common to hear of a particular campsite through friends or family members who camp regularly and are happy to share their experiences.

When this happens – treasure that campsite. Just like every campsite you visit, look after it well and leave no trace.

Books and Websites

Ben and Lauren recommend the Camps Australia Wide Camping Guide (11^th Edition). Complete with maps and photographs, this resource is also online – though the book remains a clever companion in your centre console for the moments when you have no reception (or a headache from too much screen time).

In addition to Camps Australia Wide, Lauren notes Make Trax: Free Camps Australia, detailing most to all free campsites around the country including those suitable for fishing. Another brand is Hema, offering stacks of travel books, local guides, and maps from the scenic seasides to the red dirt and rubble of the outback.

Purchasing the current or latest edition of guidebooks today doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be out of date tomorrow – the updated versions simply include the new sites that have developed since the previous edition. For example, if in using a two-year-old Camps Australia Wide book the caravan park you’ve called to book into has since closed – Lauren suggests simply putting a marker through it. The rest of the book is still comprehensive and valuable!

Hema offer stacks of travel books, local guides, and maps from the scenic seasides to the red dirt and rubble of the outback. Credit: Shutterstock

Other useful resources include the National Parks websites, where South Australia offer a full list of national and conservation parks on their main site, managed by Park SA – including PDF maps of campsites, online booking, and more. The booking system indicates price per site, while the equivalent website for Western Australia specifies cost per person via a slightly different payment portal. The simplicity of the South Australian site is beneficial, as campers simply pay one fee for one site – boding well for group camping. That said, both sites offer the same service.

Those staying somewhere that falls under a national or conservation park will find that the campsites are dispersed across a large area. Before heading home, Lauren tends to take a detour to each vacant site to keep notes of their respective site numbers and general features. This serves as a helpful reference for when she visits next time and saves her searching time on arrival.

Other Online Resources and Databases

As well as the National Parks websites, YouCamp is an online platform where people display their private properties for others to camp at on their getaways. Lauren once visited a place near Robe, listed on YouCamps. The camping space was located up in a grassy field of somebody’s farm, just past the sandy shore to offer a sense of beach camping. While it remains important to be respectful of these private properties, this system is great for those looking for a more out-of-the-way camping experience.

A similar concept is offered by Station Stays, specific to SA. Ben speaks highly of the organisation, through which farms with an abundance of space have allocated camping sites with basic facilities, such as long-drop toilets and prepared timber for fires. Offering more of a bush-camping experience, Station Stays was an initiative developed in 2009 by a handful of tourism businesses in the Flinders Ranges and outback regions of SA. The equivalent in Queensland and New South Wales is Outback Beds, offering similar facilities for farm stays and bush camping.

Lastly, Station Hoppers is a generic database website that covers similar camping experiences to those mentioned above, as well as access to remote campsites and camping grounds.

Wiki Camps

A community-based database, Wiki Camps offers a platform for campers to both submit and find a range of free or low-cost camping grounds, parks, and backpacker hostels – as well as dump stations, visitor information centres, bathroom facilities, and more. The program also enables campers to leave active reviews and feedback for public viewing, mostly found to be useful, thorough, and accurate. The benefit of this real-life user feature is that it enables adventurers to access up-to-date feedback on each campsite, even extending to how accessible the site/s are to caravans and 4WDs.

So…surely there’s a catch?

There’s a fee, isn’t there? There’s always a fee.

Yes, there’s a fee. A whopping eight dollars – paid only once, for a lifetime! With those eight dollars, you receive an awful lot in return. Other features include filtering, which makes identifying free camps, campsites with toilet facilities, campsites with dump sites nearby, and even dog-friendly campsites – to name only a few – a very straightforward process. Bookings are made directly through the respective campsite’s website, via a link on Wiki Camps.

This said, Ben clarifies that one wouldn’t rely on Wiki Camps for navigational purposes. Instead, the Camps Australia Wide app is subscription-based but free to download with the purchase of the book itself. Hema also offer apps, including CamperX – all relatively expensive in housing both high-quality and high-resolution maps for all intents and purposes.

Through Wiki Camps, one can book multiple sites and view a rough trip plan. That said, Lauren has visited some of the sites recommended and later discovered they weren’t legal camping spaces. With this in mind, she suggests looking for photos and plenty of reviews instead of merely trusting a pin on the map. Just because people have camped there previously and subsequently listed it as a campsite… doesn’t necessarily mean it’s genuine!

Ben has also explored the New Zealand-based app Camper Mate, but confirms it didn’t offer the same positive experience as the others – especially Wiki Camps. Unlike Hema, Camp Australia Wide, and other resources alike, Wiki Camps is user-generated. No, Snowys do not have any association with the database… Ben and Lauren are just huge fans!

Council Sites

Many councils run their own campsites within their local areas. These can be found in Camps Australia Wide and on Wiki Camps, operated by their local communities and usually more maintained than other sites listed.

Ben clarifies that while they’re often nice places to stay, most of them are used for convenience. According to relative reviews and photographs, quite often these sites are set up for layovers or overnight stays as opposed to week-long holidays.

Social Media

In Lauren’s humble opinion – social media is fantastic for identifying suitable campsites. On Instagram, she recommends following both state and local tourism bodies, which will often present great places to visit or – at the very least – attractions to see and cool activities to partake in. Most of the time, these locations are regional.

For the Facebook-ers new to camping, and keen to learn the top tips and hot spots – Lauren suggests joining the relevant Facebook groups. There are at least seven or eight groups that post information specific to free camping alone, each home to a minimum of roughly 30,000 members! Simply use the ‘search’ function within the group to key in where you’re looking to go, and Facebook will present every post in which someone has discussed the location. Searching aside – if push comes to shove, post a question yourself and watch as the hot tips, tricks, and comments rack up!

Every member of these Facebook groups is there for the same reason. As well as exchanging experiences and advice, this method is beneficial for encouraging a level of social responsibility, including reminders about Fireban seasons, campfire logistics, and rubbish.

Lauren notes of a recent spotlight cast on Perlubie Beach – a stunning location where it often blows a gale, though allows for camping right up on the sand and a pleasant spot for the locals who take responsibility for how well it’s maintained. In this area, camping isn’t permitted within 50 metres of the shelters. Despite this, it’s often found packed with cars and camp set-ups from end to end. With much discussion around the possibility of the beach closing down, Lauren recommends researching this location (and others) before heading there yourself – namely the relevant Facebook groups. Get to know the site, what you may be in for, and any alternative locations as potential back-ups.

Ben’s Process

…is a simple one.

A fan of Wiki Camps, he uses the map feature as a starting point, zooming in on roughly where he aims to reach by the end of that day. Then, he taps on three or four suggested campsites in the area to read their basic outline, eliminating those that are already booked out.

When he finds a suitable campsite, he books immediately – saving him the hassle later on, and allowing him to unwind in the meantime with the reassurance that he’s secured a site. He may also choose to navigate some of the previously mentioned Facebook groups to establish where others have been before, and their experiences.

Lastly (and rather importantly), Ben recommends considering what you’ll likely be taking to your chosen site. Some campsites nowadays request that campers are fully self-sufficient – that is, taking food scraps, rubbish, and everything else (yes, even toileting business) when departing the area. In fact, some station and property stays ask that visitors arrive with their own portable toilets to carry waste away in.

Apps

In addition to the trip itself, Lauren likes to use a selection of apps in the preparation stage.

Firstly, Mad Paws is both an app and a website that offers ‘doggy daycare’ or pet-sitting services. Those who are happy to mind another’s pet while they’re holidaying can put themselves out there on the app for others to find. Better still, the app allows you to identify pet-sitters local to the national park you plan to stay in.

A shout-out must go to Bernie at Mount Dutton Bay on the Eyre Peninsula, who Lauren affirms is a fantastic dog-sitter. With the help of her husband, Bernie cares for the animals beautifully – where some have even travelled all the way from Perth simply to have their pets cared for by her!

Another app Lauren enjoys is All Trails. Like Wiki Camps, this app is community-driven, though more centred around the various walking trails and hikes available in the areas relative to where you’re camping. Covering tracks and treks nationwide – the app isn’t specific to signposted, pre-established routes, but also combinations of trails and loops that someone may have freely walked themselves.

Petrol

Lauren recommends Petrol Spy, or applications alike that provide fuel maps. Petrol Spy lists petrol stations on a map and indicates their respective fuel prices. Wiki Camps offers a similar service without the price markings, though remains a useful tool when planning where to fill up heading both to and from your destination.

Other Sources

Ben occasionally uses Avenza Maps, an offline GPS map that overlays where you are with the map of a particular area. Its geo-locator places you on the map and helps to keep you on the right track – literally!

Simpler still, the National Park websites house maps that are free to download from the website onto your device.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep61 – Finding the Best Campsites appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep60 – Caravanning the Oodnadatta Track with Kev

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 04:25:30 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Far from the concrete complexes of the metropolitan maze,

Kev from the Snowys warehouse recently hit the rough and tumble of Australia’s outback on his off-road adventure along the Oodnadatta Track.

In this week’s episode of the Snowys Camping Show, outdoor experts Ben and Lauren sit down with our accomplished caravanner to discuss his venture along the sunburnt, red-dirt roads between Adelaide and Alice Springs, bypassing the barren bitumen of the highways.

Be it suspension hacks, unkempt tracks, or the cons of mud flaps – Kev tells all and leaves nothing in the dust.

Shortcuts

00:00 – Intro

00:46 – What and Where is the Oodnadatta Track?

02:27 – Best Time of Year to Travel the Oodnadatta Track?

04:45 – Caravanning on the Oodnadatta Track

06:43 – Considering Caravans

07:33 – Tyres and Suspension

15:12 – Stone Guards

17:11 – Mud Flaps

20:15 – Protecting Water Taps and Gas Fittings

21:33 – Off-Shoots and Side-Routes

23:23 – Track Conditions

27:15 – Vehicles

28:07 – Kev’s Favourite Spots

Mentioned in this episode:

Episodes:

Ep34 – Camping Terms Explained

Other:

The Government of South Australia: Outback Road Warnings

What and Where is the Oodnadatta Track?

The Oodnadatta Track begins at Marree – a small town located in the north-east of South Australia – and follows the old Ghan train line that runs between Adelaide and Alice Springs. After riding 617 kilometres of dirt road, adventurers will eventually hit the town of Marla on the Stuart Highway, south of the border between South Australia and the Northern Territory.

On his recent venture, Kev explored the track from Maree to Oodnadatta, before heading north to Witjira National Park.

Best Time of Year to Travel the Oodnadatta Track?

Given summertime temperatures can reach between 47 and 48 degrees Celsius, it’s recommended to travel the Oodnadatta Track in the cooler months of the year. In early June, the warmest days are around 20 degrees Celsius, suggesting the most temperate period to span between April and September. That said, ideal travelling conditions ultimately depend on the weather at the time. Rain on outback roads can create slippery, perilous mud tracks, while warmer, drier months call for additional water supplies.

Wet weather can sometimes have the Oodnadatta Track impassable, resulting in closures lasting up to three weeks. As a helpful guide, Kev recommends Outback Road Warnings on the Government of South Australia website. The site houses colour-coded maps indicating the roads that are both open and closed, as well as the routes best suited only to 4WDs or other vehicles. Another option is to simply call ahead at road houses, such as the Pink Road House in Oodnadatta.

Caravanning on the Oodnadatta Track

From Kev’s experience, he recommends an off-road van, sitting higher and boasting both better suspension and tyres for the Oodnadatta Track and road conditions alike. On the other hand, a conventional road caravan rides lower, with a softer suspension system and inadequate tyres that bode better for smoother surfaces. While a conventional caravan lacks the features and functionality that an off-road van can deliver along the more unstable roads, travellers who take their conventional vans are recommended to drive no faster than 60 kilometres per hour.

Even in an off-road van, travelling too fast on dirt roads can be dangerous due to a lack of grip on the loose surfaces. That said, Kev confirms that a small, a retro-style van pulled by a low-slung car is the most strongly advised against on the Oodnadatta Track or routes alike. Nonetheless, the difference between a rough and even ride will depend on the road conditions at the time of travel, be it graded or corrugated.

Considering Caravans

Generally speaking, smaller vans are both easier to tow and less likely to bog in soft material. That said, a larger van still delivers – just better so in dry conditions.

Tyres and Suspension

On off-track adventures, Kev recommends heavy-duty, light truck-style, or all-terrain tyres for both the car and the caravan. The latter are square in construction, and don’t bulge as much as standard tyres. Once the tyre pressure has been reduced to 20psi the tyre sits on a larger platform and spreads further, thus softer on bumps, relieving the load off the suspension, and preventing bulging. Bulging often occurs when the tyres are thinner, leaving them more susceptible to puncturing by rocks or other sharp materials.

Shock absorbers are used in most suspensions, controlling how it rebounds from a compressed to expanded state. In doing so, shock absorbers work fast and thus generate heat, which can result in them coming loose and falling away. Such issues are usually faced by rally drivers, so it’s often recommended to drive slowly along dirt roads. Shock absorbers in 4WDs are larger and require more oil to move, disperse more heat, and better handle movement.

Not all caravans have shock absorbers, but are leaf-sprung instead (in the case of most road caravans). While these caravans are still safe to drive on dirt roads, drivers need to be wary in keeping the vehicle under control to prevent it from skipping sideways along corrugation when rounding corners. Kev’s off-road caravan has shock absorbers, with a single-axle beam. This is because if an independent suspension arm breaks, replacing it is more of an ordeal than finding another axle beam. Kev’s vehicle still maintains movement on the tracks, but at only 3.6 metres long doesn’t pose too much of an issue.

So what are the benefits of independent suspension? This allows for one wheel to move up and down independently of every other axel on the van – in other words, each wheel is detached from an axel reaching from one end to the other. However, in the case of an axle beam, if the van is knocked on one side the spring compresses and lengthens, moving the wheel slightly backwards. As this happens, it changes the direction of the connected wheel on the other side. So, after a bump in the road sends the van briefly into mid-air, the other wheel will shift slightly as though responding to the steering wheel, sometimes resulting in an out-of-control swaying.

While it depends on the size of the van, axle beams generally aren’t as sufficient as independent suspension on rougher roads. Shock absorbers also, without a doubt, enhance the performance of any suspension system. Removing a suspension system and installing a new one is doable simply by cutting off the spring hangers, and rewelding the steel or fittings. That said, when installing shock absorbers onto an existing caravan one needs to be aware of space and where they can realistically be fitted. This includes consideration for both the compression and expansion length of the shock absorbers, best determined by a caravan repairer, engineer, or a suspension specialist with the facilities and know-how to weld an appropriate suspension. Put simply – re-installing or incorporating a suspension beneath a caravan is not a cheap or straightforward exercise!

Stone Guards

Kev doesn’t have stone guards, as he finds he doesn’t require them for general use. That said, hindsight is a bugger, as he comments that – after journeying the Oodnadatta Track six times – they may have been beneficial to look into ahead of his most recent trip.

Instead of stone guards, Kev currently has aluminium panels on the bottom of his caravan – though admits that the gas bottle, drawbar, and electrical fitting each need better protection. Even with large mud flaps, stones can still bounce about – and while the van is unscathed, the water tanks and other vital units fitted underneath require more defence. Kev’s car has mud flaps, but even with a checker plate at the base and padding towards the top of the frontal part of the van, stones can still ricochet in all directions. Considering this, he aims to look into something more permanent.

Mud Flaps

On a previous trip away, Kev fixed mud flaps underneath the front of his van to prevent stones and mud from invading unwanted areas. That said, this was thought to have altered the airflow going up and under the van, as Kev discovered dust throughout the inside of his van that had entered through the gaps. After taking the mud flaps off, however, he found the interior of his van to be cleaner. When the airflow is altered, dirt and dust come up and off the road from different directions and sucked straight into the open gaps of the van. A result of a disrupted airflow can also be overheating, even if the mud flaps have been positioned on the car instead.

When the airflow is altered, dirt and dust come up and off the road from different directions and sucked straight into the open gaps of the van. Credit: Kevin

As beneficial as mud flaps seem to be, they’re not always practical. For example, driving through a dip simply has them dragging and collecting stones. Another protective accessory is the V-shaped stone shield positioned above the caravan’s drawbar – described by Ben as a bulbar that’s been strung with a fish net. Kev warns that these should be fitted relatively loose to reduce the velocity of any stones that make contact with it. Without doing so, the net acts as a spring or trampoline, capable of sending a stone straight through the back window!

Protecting Water Taps and Gas Fittings

Caravan water tanks and gas units should be installed right up under van, with their taps and fittings protected by rubber caps and covers. Essentially, everything beneath the caravan should be guarded or protected in some way.

Off-Shoots and Side-Routes

In Kev’s experience – some are manageable, while others are far worse. For example, the route to Lake Eyre passes through private property and was both seriously rough and ill-maintained – with corrugations measuring a metre apart and 200 millimetres deep!

Considering this, drivers who aren’t confident on uneven terrain have the option to leave their caravan at William Creek and head out in their 4WD.

Track Conditions

In Ben’s experience riding the off-tracks of rural SA and the NT, it’s common to go from a beautifully smooth road – as quiet as a highway, with only the hum of the engine to be heard – to a route so rough that the tyres chip and the fastest speed manageable is 40 kilometres per hour. This time around, Kev found the road conditions manageable (bar several corrugated segments past William Creek). After rain, the vehicles that travel along the tracks compact the surface over time, producing a smoother surface. Generally though, the Oodnadatta Track is well-maintained. Trucks require the roads to be regularly graded and in good condition, in order to maintain a reasonable speed in their frequent travels to and from cattle stations.

It’s all well and good to discover that the Oodnadatta Track is closed before your journey has begun – but what if you’re already on the track when the rain comes?! Luckily Kev wasn’t, at the time of his slippery situation. On their way to Dalhousie Springs, Kev turned off just out of Oodnadatta to camp, after learning that the forecast would be 0.2 millimetres of rainfall.

The weather bureau was right – Oodnadatta certainly saw 0.2 millimetres… plus another 9.8, which had the road messy, muddy, and slippery the following day! Kev was notified by passing cars of the track’s condition further on, making frequent stops to dig clay and mud out from the crannies and crevices of the wheels! Nonetheless, within two days at Dalhousie Springs, everything had dried out.

Vehicles

As mentioned earlier, appropriate vehicles for travelling the Oodnadatta Track can be determined by their tyre construction, the weather conditions, and the nature of the road itself at the time. While the track is doable with a sprinter van, this would require substantial consideration and planning in the lead-up. Kev and Ben also recommend establishing a buffer, like preparing to stay put a little longer to ensure departure is safe and manageable in unideal conditions.

Kev’s Favourite Spots

From the south to north, Kev’s trip began at Marree in SA, passing through Leigh Creek, Farina (home of the outback backyard bakery, operating in the winter months), and the Prairie Hotel in Parachilna (serving the “Feral Platter”: emu, camel, and crocodile)!

The journey through mid-north SA is wonderful, with another potential route via the Clare Valley wine regions and into the Flinders Ranges. In that, bypassing the latter follows a road that curves around Leigh Creek and sees the all-too majestic Flinders Ranges visible on the right-hand side. In Farina, the private camping ground (requiring payment on arrival) offers toilet facilities and a donkey shower that operates by lighting a boiler. For more on how a donkey shower operates, check out Ep34 – Camping Terms Explained.

In Marree, visitors can explore the original Ghan railway line, as well as the old railway engines, bridges, and tracks that ran through to the early 1980s before closing to the public. With the Flinders Ranges and Lake Eyre South, Coward Springs is a special place to sightsee, home to hot springs and a museum showcasing the history of the original Ghan railway line.

The SA outback is home to some cool, quirky characters too – like Talc Alf, who carves artwork from talc stone, displays them in his home, and welcomes visitors to admire and explore on their way through. The William Creek pub is a hot, happening, and iconic establishment, while the nearby airstrip is open for tourists to take flight on a scenic tour over Lake Eyre (an experience also offered in Maree).

For those who like the fast track over the off-track, the Stuart Highway is the most direct route to Alice Springs. That said, the Oodnadatta Track delivers a more scenic road trip experience, and Kev recommends allowing three days to navigate every nook and cranny – especially when factoring in detours and side-routes.

Take it easy, take it slow, and take it in. Oh… and take two spare wheels (one for the car and another for the caravan)!

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep60 – Caravanning the Oodnadatta Track with Kev appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep59 – Shelters for Rainy Days

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 01:30:40 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

It’s raining, it’s pouring… someone tore the awning…

Be it unwelcome wet weather, or rustling gusts and gales with relentless gusto – hold on to your hats for this week’s episode of the Snowys Camping Show as Ben and Lauren detail the shelter options most ideal for winter.

From airtent technology and gazebo goals, to heavy-duty tarp and gumwood poles – it’s time to huddle in as our outdoor experts cover off (literally) the better measures for wet-weather leisure.

Shortcuts

00:00 – Intro

02:06 – Increasing Camping Space in Rainy Weather

04:46 – Planning Your Trip

06:27 – Existing Tent Extensions and Awnings

09:31 – Gazebos and Air Shelters

17:00 – Tarp Shelters

25:26 – Awnings

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep4 – Packing Your Vehicle Like a Minimalist

Ep7 – Gear Your Don’t Need for Camping

Ep8 – Unexpected Wind & Rain with Camping

Ep38 – Awnings, Shelters, and Shades for Summer

Ep40 – All About Air Tents with Zempire

Ep58 – How to Camp Cosy

Products:

Tents

Tarps and Matting

OZtrail Ultrarig Heavy Duty Poly Tarp

Coleman Instant Up 6P Lighted Northstar Darkroom Tent

Oztent RV-4 Canvas Touring Tent

BlackWolf Turbo 300 Tent

OZtrail Fast Frame Lumos Integrated Lighting 10-Person Tent

Coleman Instant Up 4P Gold Evo Tent

Tent awnings

BlackWolf Turbo Plus 300 Tent

Gazebos

OZtrail Deluxe 3.0 Gazebo with Hydro Flow

Coleman Event 14 Sun Shelter + Sunwall

Zempire air shelters

Pegs

Guy ropes

Coleman Event 14 Deluxe Sun Shelter + Sunwall

23Zero Rear Tub Racks

Oztent Alloy Pole

Oztent Alloy Telescopic Spreader Pole

OZtrail Camper Fly

OZtrail Hiker Fly

Supa Peg Big Foot Aluminium Tent Poles

4WD awnings

Increasing Camping Space in Rainy Weather

While rain, hail, and wind have the potential to disrupt travel plans completely, a single day of heavy rain forecasted during a multi-day trip shouldn’t warrant cancelled plans. In previous episodes, Ben and Lauren have covered summer shelters, waterhead ratings with the Zempire team, unexpected wind and rain when camping, how to keep cosy outdoors in the cooler months.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren discuss potential shelter options from the view of knowing that rain is coming, and preparing specifically for it. Given the extent to which camper trailers and caravans provide shelter alone, this content is mainly directed to the tent campers who seek more cover beyond their vestibule!

Planning Your Trip

Those with smaller tents are recommended to choose an area with an existing shelter, as well as bring an additional tarp for a DIY covering if and where necessary. This can be achieved by using the supporting poles of the shelter, and assists in blocking out excess rain from entering through open sides of the area.

That said, ensure your group isn’t occupying the entire public space. Some campsite shelters will include tables and numerous barbeques or cooking facilities, enabling multiple groups of campers. Given this, be open to sharing your additional tarp shelter with others using the same space and experiencing the same benefits. Sharing a camp shelter can be good fun in encouraging our nomad neighbours to mingle and bond.

Existing Tent Extensions and Awnings

Many tents include awnings for shade, which tend not to be suitable for heavy rain – unless they’re pitched in a way that allows rain to run off and away. An example is the Coleman Instant Up tents. If privy to heavy rain, water can pool – so it’s wise not to rely on such tents in rainy conditions, and keep appropriate variations of set-up in mind.

The Oztent RV tent model includes extensions to fix to the sides, while the BlackWolf Turbo tents include extender awnings to allow for space at the front. The latter tend to offer more structure, including poles to create peaks for water to run down and off as opposed to pool.

The awnings included with OZtrail Lumos and Coleman Instant Up tents are also used as vestibules and door flaps. If the weather is awful, we’re likely to want to zip the flap closed entirely, and it isn’t always practical to use it as an awning too. On the other hand, the BlackWolf Turbo tents include awnings separate to the sealed, waterproof doorway, as well as additional walls and flooring.

For those who wish to buy a tent for all-year-round use, it’s wise to consider whether the awning will cater for substantial rainfall and how willing you’ll be to disassemble it each night. While it may be possible to position the poles lower to allow for water to run off, this will reduce the headspace under the awning.

Ultimately, tents with a vestibule door or awning flap should be used for light rain and sun protection. In heavy rain, it’s suggested to zip the flap closed entirely and integrate an additional sturdy, waterproof shelter into your set-up for cooking within.

Gazebos and Air Shelters

While gazebos may be the obvious solution, Ben and Lauren referenced them in a previous episode, ‘Gear You Don’t Need for Camping’. That said, responses to the content indicated that Snowys listeners love their gazebos, which is applaudable given its heaviness, awkward size, and clumsy set-up process!

A gazebo may provide relief from rain – though it’s wise to note that some aren’t entirely waterproof. Lauren reminds us that not every brand of gazebo tests their canopies for waterproofing, despite constructing with waterproof or water-resistant fabrics. Testing for waterproofing means a brand can confidently provide a guarantee that their product is secure from rain and wet weather.

That said, as a gazebo isn’t an enclosed space, it’s possible there may be a hesitance from some brands to provide a waterproof guarantee. Despite the option of additional walls, the structure remains unsealed. This means that any potential claims against water making its way in can’t necessarily be proven as that over a genuine product failure. While much of this involves common sense, there remains a grey area – and for that reason, it seems easier for manufacturers to simply avoid providing a waterproof claim altogether.

While the expectation is that a gazebo will protect campers from rain or sun (because what else?), Ben and Lauren recommend checking the waterhead rating. Concertina-style gazebos have a heavy, mostly metal construction, and if not pegged sufficiently can bend and subsequently prove difficult to pack away. Designed as a dome to shed water away more efficiently, the Coleman Event 14 gazebo serves as more of a beach shelter with both the fly and wall boasting a waterhead rating of 450 millimetres.

Better still are Zempire’s range of air shelters – cleverly designed to resist wind, securely anchored by guy ropes, and featuring an exceptional waterhead rating. In a previous episode, Ben and Lauren detail airtents and the technology involved in their construction. Following this, they received feedback from listeners regarding their shelters that have folded in the wind. While our gear gurus maintain that airtents are the most reliable option to tolerate winds, they remind us that – like most products – they’re not 100% foolproof.

To avoid an air shelter collapsing in the wind, a clever solution is to deflate as the wind begins to pick up (keeping it secured to the ground with guy ropes) and inflate again after the foul weather passes. This option takes into account common sense. While usually stable in the rain, a large structure with vast walls like the Zempire airtents are likely to catch the wind. Nonetheless, the Coleman Event 14 and Zempire air shelters provide roughly three-and-a-half to four square metres of space – perfect for outdoor family living. As well as waterhead ratings, simply be mindful of overall weight and size when considering a gazebo or air shelter, as some pack up to be a similar size and structure to a standard sleeping tent.

Tarp Shelters

Like many old school gizmos and gadgets – tarp shelters are simple, rugged, and reliable.

While a tarp shelter exists, sometimes attempting to find one instore is harder than simply making one from scratch… using a tarp! With no hard-and-fast method to do so, tarps are available as lightweight, heavy-duty, or custom-shaped to best repel water. Simply ensure the fabric is waterproof, establish eyelet points to fit the supporting poles, pack the pegs, and gather the guy ropes.

When creating a tarp shelter from scratch, ensure the fabric is waterproof, establish eyelet points to fit the supporting poles, pack the pegs, and gather the guy ropes!

With multiple variations of tarp shelter designs, there are many styles of tarp available too. Lauren uses a heavy-duty canvas material – heavy when folded into a square pancake-like shape, and tucked away in the back of her van. Given the weight of the canvas – designed for trucks, and purchased from a transport organisation – Lauren made the poles herself out of gumwood, and describes her handmade shelter as ‘bomb-proof’!

Having travelled with her on many family holidays in the past, Lauren’s tarp shelter comfortably fits five adults and roughly ten children when assembled, covering a massive 8 metres by 6 metres of space! On one occasion, perched on top of a cliff amid wild gusts and flailing gales, Lauren simply dropped the sides of the shelter and pegged them directly into the ground – proving its impressive strength and versatility.

Ben queries how its pack size and weight compare to the aforementioned Coleman Event 14 gazebo and Zempire air shelters. Bundling one long and four short wooden poles on the roof rack, galvenised steel brackets for the A-frame (each smaller than a basketball), guy ropes, shorter awning poles for the edge of the shelter, and the canvas tarp – Lauren’s tarp shelter comes to a relatively substantial weight. That said, she has designed it to offer a more ‘deluxe’ sheltering and packs it all year round for protection from both sun and rain.

The same design and structure can be applied to a lightweight tarp shelter option, beneficial for those who like to minimise weight throughout their camp tackle. Ben describes replacing the gumwood poles with six made of alloy, a poly tarp, and a spreader bar to help both create an obvious peak for more space and promote water run-off. The more poles, the better – for headspace and overall stability.

Another option is the OZtrail camper or hiker fly – lightweight, sturdy during rainy conditions, and pack small – coupled with aluminium awning poles and a spreader bar for forming a peak.

All shelter options considered, the versatility of tarp shelters allows for easy, efficient adaptation of set-ups in a matter of minutes from a sudden change in weather – in Ben and Lauren’s humble opinion, proving them unbeatable. The benefits of owning a tarp extend further than just sheltering from wet weather, providing additional means for both a ground cover and windbreak too.

For a family of two to four people especially, a set-up with a peaked awning plus a four-metre by four-metre tarp provides ample space. With so many options and room to move – literally – the only reservation of a tarp shelter is ensuring there are enough hands at the campsite to help assemble it.

Awnings

While awnings are an option for adding shelter to wet weather set-ups, Ben and Lauren are more inclined to cover alternatives useful for those who don’t have roof rack systems or large 4WD drives featuring awning systems. Plus, the ever-present gap between the awning and the vehicle itself means that rain can trickle through on that side of the awning.

For these reasons, Ben has removed the awning from his 4WD – and hasn’t missed it!

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep59 – Shelters for Rainy Days appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep58 – How to Camp Cosy

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 30 May 2022 02:18:40 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

From cupping hot coffee mugs on frosted rocks, to plodding the tail end of sodden trails back to basecamp,

camping in the cooler months is a tight-knit blend of serene winter scenes and cosy, creature comforts.

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren strip back the layers to reveal how to stay warm during brutal outback winters. Be it HotSpots in pockets, or hot coals under camp chairs – our gear gurus bivvy down on how to best harness the heat beyond our backyards.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:10 – Cold-Weather Camping

03:20 – Thermals

05:22 – Beanies

06:03 – Gloves and Pocket-Warmers

08:43 – Snacks

09:19 – Jackets and Socks

10:46 – Warming the Bottom-Half

12:15 – Wind

14:05 – Campfires

15:54 – Coals Under Camp Chairs

17:45 – HotSpot Chairs

20:01 – Blankets

21:03 – Tent and Annex Heating

26:08 – Maintaining Body Warmth While Sleeping

31:28 – Liners

35:51 – Hot Water Bottles

36:19 – Managing Condensation

Mentioned in this Episode:

Podcasts:

Ep1 – Staying Cool & Comfortable When Camping

Ep9 – Dealing With Tent Condensation

Ep 11 – Sleep System Ratings with Sea to Summit

How to Sleep Warm When Camping

Snowys YouTube:

Products:

Coghlans Disposable Hand Warmer

Clif Energy Bar

Rainbird Stowaway Adult Jacket

Keen Targhee II WP Mid Men’s Boot

Keen Pyrenees WP Mid Wmn’s Boot

Hiking socks

Bridgedale Expedition Heavyweight Comfort Men’s Boot Sock

Sherpa Fingerless Fleece Gloves

Gloves

Beanies

OZtrail Heavy-Duty Poly Tarp

Oz t ent King Kokoda HotSpot Chair

Oztent Redgum HotSpot Heated XL Sleeping Bag

Companion Portable LP Gas Camp Heater

Annexes

Tents

Gasmate

Coleman All Terrain XL Single Airbed

Sea to Summit

Sleeping bags

Sleeping mats

23Zero Alaska Black 1100 Sleeping Bag

Nal g ene Wide Mouth Rectangular Bottles

Other:

Survival: How to Make a Coal Bed

Australian Gas Association (AGA)

Cold-Weather Camping

Previously, Ben and Lauren discussed how to handle unexpected wind and rain when camping (Episode 8) and sleep system ratings with Dean from Sea to Summit (Episode 11). Dating back even further, our outdoor experts discussed in Episode 1 how to stay cool and comfortable when camping.

As the weather takes a 180-degree turn to brisk, bitter, and bitey conditions, Ben and Lauren draw on these previous episodes to further detail the many ways we can stay toasty outdoors.

Thermals

An obvious place to start – thermals are an ideal, insulative layer for winter dressing. From simple, to multi-striped 90s-vibes, they’re available in different designs and blends of fabric.

While those with a polypropylene construction dry faster, they are also quick to become smelly. On the other hand, merino thermals tend to better regulate body temperature and boast odour-resistant qualities, therefore lasting multiple wears. Lauren also finds she can wear merino thermals for longer, while polypropylene has her feeling clammy.

As with most things, timing is everything – and that includes sporting a thermal! During the colder months, it’s been advised that four o’clock in the afternoon – while the sun is still up, and our body is warm – is the most ideal time to put on a thermal. This is because a thermal’s primary purpose is to retain warmth – and while we naturally attempt to warm up only when we feel cold, this is much harder to do than trap the warmth we’re already radiating in the warmer parts of the day, leading into the chilly evenings.

This approach should also apply to our head, hands, and feet – calling on beanies, gloves, and socks.

Beanies

In a previous YouTube video on the Snowys channel, Ben detailed the ways in which to sleep warm. Within it, he references the fact that we lose a significant volume of heat from our heads.

In light of this, beanies are wise to wear in the colder weather, helping to trap and retain the heat that escapes from this area of our bodies.

Gloves and Pocket-Warmers

For Lauren, fingerless gloves go further than standard designs, proving functional in carrying out the tedious tasks during the colder parts of the day without the need to remove them.

Cranking the heat even still are pocket-warmers. Roughly the size of a chewing gum packet, “clicking” the pouch instigates a chemical reaction that releases heat to warm patches of our body through our pockets. While some pocket-warmers are disposable, there are reusable versions available that can be simply reset with boiling water.

When first activated, pocket-warmers are almost too hot to hold in a bare hand. One “click” provides enough heat to see cold, numb little hands through a cold, wet, school footy game.

Snacks

Our metabolism keeps our body warm by using energy to process the food we take in. A high-calorie snack provides higher energy levels – thus requiring more from our body to process, and generating more heat.

Jackets and Layering

While down- and synthetic-filled jackets are ideal for providing warmth in the bitter, brisk weather, Ben and Lauren recommend dressing in multiple layers. Instead of a single t-shirt underneath a large, padded jacket, multiple layers may include a quality thermal, a thick fleece jacket, and a windbreaker.

On windy days, wearing softshell wind-stopping garments will prevent cold drafts from creeping up and underneath clothing. A versatile option is a standard rain jacket, battling both rain and wind. Given its insulative qualities trapping heat effectively, often less layers are required when incorporating a windbreaker or rain jacket into your cold weather attire.

Warming the Bottom-Half

So, you have the top-half covered (literally) – but what about those frosty toes?!

As for our upper body, adequate layers are important on our bottom half too, such as socks and thermals. In the shoe department, Lauren recommends pull-on, heavy-duty footwear such as Blundstones or leather hiking boots, instead of sneakers. The breathable mesh and sponge-like construction of the latter have them less likely to bolster our feet from the cold, sodden surfaces.

Second to a good set of leather shoes to keep the heat in, Lauren recommends the campsite-friendly Ugg boot: Crocs, with a double layer of heat-holder socks. After kicking it about the campsite during dinnertime duties, simply slip off the Crocs and climb straight into bed with snug feet!

Wind

A brisk winter breeze can often be what turns a campsite from comfortable to cold. To help mediate wind, it’s recommended to create some sort of windbreak.

Lauren describes what camping with her grandparents in New South Wales was like as a child. Every cold, crisp morning, she’d dart across from the tent to where the campfire was surrounded by a canvas tarp windbreak. The tarp had trapped the heat released by the active campfire to create what felt like a heat bubble.

On a recent hike too, Lauren describes the patches of warmth she felt when passing clusters of trees. From these experiences, she emphasizes how effective windbreaking the campfire area can be in harnessing heat, especially if wind is the main cause of the cold. In Episode 8, Ben and Lauren discuss how to employ tents and vehicles as windbreaks at the campsite too.

Campfires

Ben’s top trick when piling up the sticks: don’t go overboard. Instead, only burn the kindling and tinder needed to cook and stay warm. Too much wood on the fire can mean the flames are too large for us to stand much closer than four metres, which defeats the purpose of a warming, comforting campfire.

Another way to add fuel to the fire… is to not. Instead, Lauren describes a campfire reflector device – shaped as a half-moon and positioned across the back of the fire. The reflector works by rebounding warmth and light back to the main area, radiating heat and prolonging the efficiency of the campfire too.

The true minimalist he is, Ben also suggests building a similar structure from scratch using a lightweight frame and tin foil. Okay, Ben. Okay.

Don’t go overboard when piling kindling and tinder onto the campfire – if the flames are too large, this defeats the purpose of standing close to a warming, comforting campfire. Credit: Earthwell

Coals Under Camp Chairs

Safety Ben will say not to do this – but Lauren backs this clever camping hack with everything she’s got.

The heating method works by burrowing a small hole in the earth underneath camp chair and shoveling in hot coals. With no danger of embers, sparks, or flames, the heat rises and permeates throughout the base of the chair, warming our backsides like a hot bath!

The native Americans took a similar approach to creating a warm bed. In digging a hole, filling it with hot coals, and covering it with soil – they introduced what could be deemed the first ‘electric’ blanket!

HotSpot Chairs

As seen in the Oztent range, HotSpot chairs feature strategic pockets at the back and base to fit hotspot pouches – some as large as wheat bags. Oztent has also released a HotSpot sleeping bag, offering the same heating technology. With six available pockets, the HotSpot pouches have the potential to add substantial weight to the top of the bag.

The hotspot chair and sleeping bag works just as efficiently using separately available heat packs, though these would require heating with a second appliance. In the same realm, Lauren also recommends draping either sheep skin or woollen blankets over camp chairs, preventing any loss of heat from out the back.

Blankets

In Episode 45 – Fire Ban Seasons with the CFS, the importance of keeping a blanket in the back of the car during the summer was discussed in the context of bushfire safety. For this reason, a woollen blanket is a wise investment for its dual-use.

Be it a thick or thin construction, blankets pack conveniently enough in with the rest of the camp tackle and make a substantial difference to the warmth and comfort of your seating when draped over a camp chair.

Tent and Annex Heating

Before elaborating on how to best heat a tent or annex with a gas heater before bedtime – Ben prefaces by reminding us that a bioproduct of burning LPG gas is carbon monoxide. Odourless, a build-up of this product in an enclosed, unventilated space has the potential to go undetected and send a camper into an endless sleep. The Australian Gas Association (AGA) provides a diagram on their website of what is deemed and enclosed or adequately ventilated space to house a gas appliance – for example, areas with a roof must have only three walls, while a space with four walls must have an open roof.

In an annex with an open side, gas heaters can be efficient at keeping the space warm. That said, a personal heater won’t be as effective in maintaining warmth in a large space. Gasmate have designed a gas heater unit with a duct that threads its way into the tent. While it has its shortcomings, the design is different to other gas heater models in having its combustion unit external to the tent, piping the heat inside. Caravans and camper trailers tend to have portable diesel heaters, which also work on the premise of its combustion unit sitting outside the sleeping area and feeding the warm air through a duct.

Nonetheless, a tent is essentially two layers of thin fabric, uninsulated – which by default means that the area will cool down rapidly unless warm air is pumping into the space at a consistent rate. For this reason, Ben recommends either considering some form of ducted heating, or heating the sleeping space with a personal heater prior to climbing into bed and switching it off once snug in your sleeping bag.

Maintaining Body Warmth While Sleeping

As discussed earlier in the podcast, warming ourselves up from an already cold, chilly state is difficult. When we consider how to maintain warmth through our sleep systems, Lauren and Ben emphasise that the standard PVC-constructed air mattresses filled with air are the least effective option. Essentially, our body heat travels straight into the void, with nothing to retain or insulate the heat against our bodies.

In Episode 11, Ben and Lauren chatted with Dean from Sea to Summit about sleep systems. Dean confirmed that any sleeping bag with an official European Union (EN) standard comfort rating has been determined on a sleeping mat with an R-value of four. Considering this, purchasing a sleeping bag with an official EN comfort rating for sleeping atop a mat of an R-value less than four will likely mean experiencing less warmth than what is indicated.

The R-value is the measure of thermal resistance – in other words, the mat’s ability to resist the transfer of temperature from one side to the other, preventing the cold or heat from the ground from reaching the sleeper on the mat. Considering this, sleeping on a mat with an insulative R-value of six in winter doesn’t mean that doing so in summer will having you feeling too hot.

For those who own a sleeping mat of an R-value less than four, Lauren recommends lining it with a woollen blanket or underlay from an op-shop. This helps provide further insulation, especially for those sleeping on air mattresses. Other options include flannelette sheets, with the same material often found lining some sleeping bags and used for winter pajamas.

Liners

Despite what some may assume, layering too much between our bodies and the quilt or sleeping bag providing insulation can often be counter-intuitive. This is because insulation works by trapping our body heat – and given the heat radiates from us, the more layers between our bodies and the insulative later, the less heat escapes to be trapped. As a result, we can’t keep warm as efficiently.

In light of this, Lauren suggests applying blankets or extra layers on top of our sleeping bags as opposed to rugging up in jackets and layers within it. While wearing multiple layers underneath can potentially make the sleeping bag redundant, it ultimately depends on how efficient the layers of clothing are against the efficiency of the sleeping, as well as how cold the outside temperature is. When it comes to the heating technology of sleeping bags, the fill of two bags could be the same – only one is padded with more, having it the warmer option. In that, Lauren clarifies that an effective sleeping bag isn’t determined by whether or not it traps heat, but more by how well it does so.

Our body can only produce so much warmth, and our clothes can only offer so much insulation. Sleeping bags, however, are designed to trap body heat and warmth, technically more effective if more body heat is radiated back to us within the bag. Ultimately, the theory behind a well-tested sleeping bag is that less layers are required if they work efficiently – but they operate more efficiently if more warmth is generated.

Any sleeping bag brainiacs in the audience? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Hot Water Bottles

For greater efficiency, a hot water bottle should have a quality, leakproof seal. For the lightweight hikers or minimalist packers (like Ben), a drink bottle can also double as a hot water bottle.

Managing Condensation

Essentially, managing condensation involves applying the opposite approach to what one may assume – allowing cold airflow into the space and warm air out. This is necessary especially if the environment is already wet, as hot air needs to escape to prevent the “sweating” or build-up of moisture.

In Episode 9, Ben and Lauren outline in more depth how to manage condensation when camping.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep58 – How to Camp Cosy appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep57 – Weird & Wonderful Camping Gear

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 23 May 2022 04:47:24 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Some camping gear is too weird for words,

from the products that provide behind-the-bar value beer at basecamp, to Crocs tinkering with gadgets and bracelets fitted with fix-it kits for outdoor dynamics.

…Until Ben and Lauren find twenty-three products, thirty-three minutes, and two microphones.

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, our outdoor experts unpack the camping gear on the cusp of clever and the tackle that barely tickles normal.

It’s time to get a little weird, and discover a whole lot of wonderful.

Short Cuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:49 – “Man Bangle” (Leatherman Tread)

03:39 – Portable Beer Keg (Growler)

05:42 – Shewee

06:15 – LifeStraw Straw Filter

07:55 – Selk’bag

09:06 – Muk Mat

10:13 – Kombi Tent

12:28 – “Weirdly Stupid Sleeping Bag”

14:07 – Kimbos Pants

16:26 – Victorinox Swiss Champ Knife

17:38 – Dog Shoes

18:26 – Adventure Crocs

19:31 – Fire Control Blanket

21:51 – Light-Up Tent Stakes

22:54 – Pocket Chainsaw

24:29 – Foldable Kayak

26:28 – Glow-in-the-Dark Toilet Paper

26:50 – Inflatable Lounge

27:09 – Hydro Hammock

28:17 – Bumper Dumper

29:09 – Dry Flush Toilet

29:36 – Candwich (Canned Sandwich)

30:36 – Squat Strap

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

Weird, Wonderful & Disturbingly Strange Camping Gear – By Ben Collaton

Snowys Products:

Portable Beer Keg (Growler)

Shewee Extreme Female Urination Device

LifeStraw Straw Filter

Snowys Pages:

GrowlerWerks

Other:

“Man Bangle” (Leatherman Tread)

“Weirdly Stupid Sleeping Bags”

Squat Strap – YouTube

“Man Bangle” (Leatherman Tread)

A multi-use tool, Lauren’s first thought when she was faced with this product was: “…huh?”

The “man bangle” is a chain-link tool bracelet, with each fragment allowing for mini tools to click on and off conveniently – including socket wrenches, screwdrivers, corkscrews, and glass breakers.

As much as this bracelet (or bangle) provides the means to attach tools and gadgets like a “bit kit”, it also contributes to a kick-butt outdoor get-up!

Portable Beer Keg (Growler)

A portable beer keg is a campsite-friendly alternative to cracking open a six-pack of cold ones – maintaining the same, familiar frosted walls as your favourite craft beer behind the bar!

While they aren’t the most packable product – growlers are a cool, crafty option to keep beer or cider cold and carbonated. Simply fill the growler with homebrew (or beer on tap at the pub), and fasten the lid fitted with CO2 cartridges.

Check out the range from GrowlerWerks.

Maintain the same, familiar frosted walls as your favourite craft beer behind the bar. Credit: GrowlerWerks

Shewee

Those who haven’t used a Shewee before are likely to study the product, establish how it works… then twitch uncomfortably, and scratch their head.

Yes, they’re a little strange – but Lauren maintains that they’re incredibly useful for the women of the Wilderness. A perfect balance of weird and wonderful, the Shewee works hand in hand (or hand in pants?) with another product* discussed later in the episode…

LifeStraw Straw Filter

If you’ve ever wandered past a fellow adventurer lying flat on their stomach drinking straight from a puddle, you’ve probably either laughed or checked in to see if they’re feeling OK.

Chances are though, they’re using a straw filter – a hydration sensation designed to filter water straight from natural reservoirs.

While no-one looks sane using one, this product by LifeStraw is handy, life-saving, and an excellent hydration option for lightweight hikers.

The straw-filter is a hydration sensation designed to filter water straight from natural reservoirs. Credit: LifeStraw

Selk’bag

For those who feel the cold, the Selk’bag offers all the benefits of a sleeping bag…with sleeves and a hood!

Lauren describes the garment as a large onesie for adults, either synthetic- or down-filled. On that note, Safety Ben reminds us to be wary of any sporadic embers by the campfire – a synthetic-filled bag can burn, while a singing a hole in a down-filled bag will have it shedding feathers around the campsite!

Muk Mat

One word: brilliant.

While we don’t stock this product here at Snowys, Ben and Lauren maintain that this artificial turf – like AstroTurf – is a thick, good-quality doormat option for preventing dirt, muck, and grit from making its way into tents and caravans. Available in many different sizes, and with the option to customise, Muk Mats can be fitted to the steps of caravans, vans, and other vehicles.

Kombi Tent

The kombi tent looks how it sounds: a tent that looks like a kombi van.

Some models are designed to camouflage with backdrops, where Ben eagerly describes a paddock-like scene, dotted with sheep. To that, Lauren must ask: how can Ben have previously downplayed the convenience and ambiance that cheap, functional fairy lights bring to a campsite – then talk so keenly of a seemingly pointless kombi tent?! This disagreement between our outdoor experts will likely resurface in every outdoor gadget debate for episodes to come…

Like Field Candy tents, kombi tents are typically traditional A-frame structures. Single-skinned too, they’re generally not used for hardcore outdoor adventures, but instead in fair-weather conditions and as backyard hangouts for the kids.

“Weirdly Stupid Sleeping Bag”

While we’re on the topic of pointless, party-trick products, a “weirdly stupid sleeping bag” also looks how it sounds: like a weird, stupid-looking sleeping bag.

Essentially, it’s a sleeping bag printed with bright patterns or pictures that offer an element of theatre – for example, a shark or bear print that appears to “eat” whoever climbs into the mouth of the bag, an interpretation of Adam and Eve, and even a depiction of a dead body bag!

While they don’t offer the same functionality, nor would they withstand the wild outdoor elements – these sleeping bags are great for kids’ sleepovers.

*Kimbos Pants

If a Shewee still doesn’t make the cut in your camp tackle… it’ll make the zip if used with Kimbos pants! Ever worn a unitard on a bike ride and needed to rip it all off behind a bush mid-route? Eliminating the need to remove your pants, Kimbos pants work well in partnership with the Shewee – together or alone, they’re urination sensations.

Kimbos pants are constructed with Neoprene fabric, as used for wetsuits, with a similar-style zip. The zipper seam starts at the front of the body and follows through the legs to the back in a U-shape. A tag attached to the zipper allows for reaching down between the legs to unzip for a swift and easy pee-stop pull-up.

Victorinox Swiss Champ Knife

Picture the pocketknife your Dad gifted your brother the year he turned thirteen. At most, it had four layers – including three blades, and maybe a corkscrew.

The Victorinox Swiss Champ knife is more than a pocketknife – some would say a little too much more. With roughly eight layers, 118 components, 83 functions, and 65 millimetres in width – it’s a multi-use tool that well and truly activates ‘beast mode’.

As impressive (and intimidating) as the Victorinox may appear sitting next to a standard model – how functional is it really when kicking back on a lowkey camping trip with the kids?

Dog Shoes

For ultimate paw-protection on piping hot footpaths, dog shoes are as adequate as they are amusing.

In the summertime, hiking tracks can become scorching hot, where some trails in the Adelaide Hills are sharp and shaley. Fitting your furry friend with a set of technically designed footwear can help alleviate the discomfort. Lauren approves!

Adventure Crocs

… Are they actually a shoe? While Ben is keen to know after having no luck finding proof of their existence online, Lauren maintains that they’re the bee’s knees (or rather, the camper’s crocs).

Rigged out with a roller hoochie cord, compass, pocketknife, or other gear and gadgets – this model of Crocs was kicking it on the shoe store shelves for at least a season.

Fire Control Blanket

A fire control blanket is often deemed a practical item, stored snug in a crevice of our caravan and placed over a campfire at night to contain the flames but keep sparks and embers from flying freely at night. Pulling back the blanket the following morning reveals a fiery, flaming pile of ash – and while this is in keeping with their purpose, it nonetheless raises questions surrounding safety.

While metal is the most resistant material to burning, a fire blanket constructed of metallics would be impractical. That said, a fire control blanket appears to be made with a PVC or plastic-like material like a tarp, which has Ben and Lauren querying how safely the blanket is containing the hot coals.

With so many brands manufacturing fire control blankets, it’s possible that the thought behind the design and functionality stems from American culture and their approach to campfires which we in Australia aren’t aligned with. Nonetheless, Ben and Lauren aren’t fond of the idea of letting fire smolder beneath a piece of tarp throughout the night…

Light-Up Tent Stakes

What’s more painful than stubbing your toe on a tent peg? Stubbing your toe on a tent peg in the dark. Everything hurts more when you can’t see your attacker.

These gizmos eliminate that factor and bring a whole new meaning to “cool lighting”. Be it an angle iron or a regular tent peg, LED lighting is welded into the top 10 centimetres of the peg to provide top-of-the-turf service at sundown.

Pocket Chainsaw

A whizz-bang pocket-tool for the tacklebox, Lauren can only describe the pocket chainsaw as wicked.

Devised as simply two handles linked by a chainsaw cutting chain, the chains themselves are available in different teeth configurations, such as the ‘cheese skin’ design. Lightweight, compact, and more efficient than a standard handsaw – after observing her friend use one, Lauren confirms she would make more use of a pocket chainsaw than her Silky saw. Plus, the pocket chainsaw uses no petrol and comes contained in a convenient zip-up pouch.

Weird? Wonderful.

Foldable Kayak

We’ve all seen the stobie poles plastered with political promotions, government messaging, and “Vote 1” advocacy – but have you ever thought to look past all the propaganda to what those posters are actually made of? Well, if you’re familiar with the foldable kayak – it’s the same material!

Constructed with corflute, the foldable kayak folds up like an origami briefcase and operates as a fully functional kayak. Some brands offer a range of different shapes and sizes, including surf, lake, and expedition models. A stupendous blend of strange and savvy, it’s nonetheless recommended to avoid fast-flowing waters or rapid, rockier waterways in a foldable kayak.

A similar product is an inflatable kayak, though this is bulkier, heavier, and factors in a weight limit. For example, an inflatable tandem kayak can hold a maximum of 100 kilograms, thus allowing no more than one adult and a child.

Glow-in-the-Dark Toilet Paper

A true late-night dunny-run chum, glow-in-the-dark toilet paper is certainly easy to find in the dark – but as Lauren quite rightly queries, what the heck is it made of?!

Inflatable Lounge

It’s a “no” from Lauren who believes that, after their relatively short lifespan, inflatable lounges will quickly end up in landfill.

Hydro Hammock

Ever stood in front of a whiteboard with a faded marker and calculated how you could possibly incorporate your beloved bath into your camp clobber for an off-grid getaway?

Lauren advocates for the Hydro Hammock: a high-strength fabricated sack suspended between two sturdy, steadfast trees, filled with water. Essentially, a portable bath.

Still staring at that whiteboard? Read between the lines – bath among the vines!

Bumper Dumper

Classy name, hey?

A Bumper Dumper is a toilet structure attached with a hitch to a vehicle’s tow ball, allowing adventurers to sit on the back of their vehicles and go about their business.

That said, a toilet system within a bucket suspended from a tow ball could also achieve a similar effect. Given its connection to a tow ball too, the Bumper Dumper wouldn’t be positioned much higher than the ground – so is it really more efficient fitted here than if it were positioned on the ground instead? Given this, a Bumper Dumper is more ideal for use on the back of a 4WD as opposed to lower-built car models.

Dry Flush Toilet

There’s peeing via a Shewee… then there’s pooing into a bag.

The Dry Flush Toilet technology works by collecting your business and vacuum-sealing it at the press of a button. The bag then appears as a sausage-like shape which can be thrown straight into the tip. Imagine being a forager at the dumping ground and finding what can only be described as a “waste sausage”? Yep – in a world full of wonderful, that would be weird.

Candwich (Canned Sandwich)

A name we read and hope doesn’t mean what we think it does – the Candwich confirms those packable snack-food fears.

Yeah. It’s a sandwich in a can.

The Candwich is a convenient, double-packaged concoction of an ordinary roll with sauce wrapped in a bag and packed into a can. For a visual aid, a good laugh, or a reason to face-palm – Ben recommends checking out the original video advertisement.

Squat Strap

Ben saved the best until last with the Squat Strap – a Nylon strap with carabiners, wrapped around and fastened to a tree trunk to support campers while they go about their business. The user squats as though sitting on a chair, held upright by the resistance of the straps.

Squat Straps have also been used to suspend food in trees, away from bears and other wild animals.

OK weirdos, enough now…

That’s twenty-three products that camp comfortably on the border of weird and wonderful – but we refuse to believe there aren’t more.

Your bizarre but brilliant camp equipment is wanted – be it for use in the outback or the backyard. Convince us – what’s weirder than a squat strap, or more wonderful than a pair of Kimbos pants?

For more when this came from, check out Episode 96.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep57 – Weird & Wonderful Camping Gear appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep56 – Will That Stretcher Fit?

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 16 May 2022 02:33:52 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

There’s no questioning that triangles are the superior shape.

At school, we asked mum to cut our sandwiches into triangular pieces because it improved the flavour tenfold (duh). That goes for pizza too – slicing into square slabs only leaves behind those annoying almost-slices, wasted on the edges. No one likes an almost-slice.

In fact, triangles are so celebrated that we even have a theory to determine the length of the hypotenuse of an irregular triangle. Thought you’d never need this information in your day-to-day life? Well, if you’re an avid camper who values a superior sleep set-up, room to groove, and overall comfort within your canvas cave – think again.

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, our outdoor experts apply Ben’s approach – established with a little help from Pythagoras – to determine how a standard sized stretcher can fit within the multiple tent shapes, styles, and designs. In doing so they consider height, length, and slope, revealing how much interior space can be lost – and how to gain some of it back.

Short Cuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:40 – “Will THAT stretcher fit in THAT tent?”

03:30 – Cabin-Style Tents

06:33 – Dome Tents

08:23 – Cabin-Style Tents: Revisited

11:48 – Bedrooms of Family Dome Tents

13:18 – Oztent Tents

16:06 – Touring Tents (with Extended Back Walls)

18:52 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

‘Can I Fit a Camp Stretcher in That Tent?’ By Ben Collaton

Best Camp Stretchers & Beds

Products:

Coleman Instant Up Tents

Coleman Instant Up Northstar Darkroom Tents

OZtrail Fast Frame Tents

OZtrail Fast Frame Lumos Integrated Lighting 10 Person Tent

OZtrail Fast Frame Lumos Integrated Lighting 12 Person Tent

OZtrail Gazebo Portico 3.0

OZtrail Easy Fold Low Rise Single Stretcher

OZtrail Sleeping Mats

BlackWolf Turbo Plus 300 Tent

Stretchers

Oztent Goanna Stretcher Series II

Oztent Touring Tents

Oztent RV Touring Tents

Oztent RV5 Canvas Touring Tent

Outdoor Connection Bedarra Family 2-Room Dome Tent

Darche Safari 260 Touring Tent

Darche Safari 350 Touring Tent

Darche Xtender 2.5 Awning Tent

Darche Eclipse Slimline Side Awning 2.5m x 2.5m

Sleeping Mats

Exped Sleeping Mats

Zempire Monstamat Single Camp Mat

Zempire Sleeping Mats

Other:

Oztent RV 5 Plus Canvas Touring Tent – How to Set Up & Pack Away

“Will THAT stretcher fit in THAT tent?”

…Is a question frequently asked of the Snowys staff in regards to various styles of tents. Ben’s previous Snowys Blog article addresses this very question, where he establishes a rough method to determine whether a stretcher can be considered part of the furniture within respective tents. For the math-letes out there – yes, this involves a little Trigonometry!

While so many people are eager to know the answer, Ben confirms that it’s difficult to know with so many different shapes, styles, and designs of tents. On the other hand, establishing which mattress best fits a tent is more straightforward, only requiring the floor measurements to draw an accurate conclusion.

To determine how much space is lost after fitting a stretcher inside, Ben considers the tent’s height and slope, as well as how tall the stretcher stands. He is guided by an average stretcher height of 45 centimetres and length of 197 centimetres, having regards too for a potential mattress on top and the sloping height of the tent. Regardless of the result, there becomes far less space inside a tent with a stretcher included.

Given the various styles of tents, Ben selected three different designs to apply his method to, as a rough guide for those wondering about their own sleep set-ups: cabin-style tents (such as Coleman Instant Up designs, OZtrail Fast Frame models, and Blackwolf Turbo style tents), dome tents, and touring tents.

Cabin-Style Tents

A cabin-style tent has a boxier shape to others, with flat, upright walls. As well as the standard Fast Frame models, other Oztrail cabin-style tents include the OZtrail Fast Frame Lumos tent with integrated lighting.

According to Ben’s method, fitting a stretcher comfortably from wall to wall would take roughly 15 centimetres from each end. To clarify, the measuring point begins from where the floor meets the wall, taking us out 15 centimetres along the floor and up 45 centimetres (i.e. the height of the stretcher).

When positioning a stretcher against one side or corner of the tent, the 15 centimetres are removed from the front, back, and side wall that the stretcher is sitting closest to, allowing for the sloping. For example, a 200-centimetre by 200-centimetre cabin-style tent at stretcher height would be reduced to roughly 170 centimetres by 185 centimetres. Most four-person cabin-style tents measure 240 centimetres by 240 centimetres, therefore reducing the measurements to 210 centimetres at stretcher height. While this doesn’t follow an existing mathematical formula, it’s nonetheless wise to note.

Ben measures 185 centimetres tall, and with a sleeping bag and pillow is likely to still be brushing the inside of the tent. That said, the point of Ben’s method is to simply give a guide. If you’re already positioned on the boundary, adding a stretcher will likely leave things too tight with the tent’s inner against your forehead. When this happens, the inner grazes the tent’s fly where condensation occurs, creating a wicking point. The result? A damp camper with soggy feet!

Dome Tents

Dome tents tend to allow more room inside, given their curved structure. While not too many brands produce this design anymore, Lauren and Ben agree that they’re a classic, no-fuss style of tent. Aside from the standard cross-over construction with two poles, Zempire’s Neo range of tents boast a geodesic design of multiple cross-over poles for superior stability. This design has the tents standing more upright, reducing the extent of the slope in the walls. Manufacturers these days are aiming to design tents with more upright walls and sides, with the intention of creating more internal space.

The walls of a traditional three or four person dome tent tend to slope more, where adding a stretcher would remove roughly 20 centimetres from either end. This further confirms no blanket formula to cover the various shapes and structures across all tents. At a total of 40 centimetres lost, these tents leave room for potentially one stretcher, positioned at an angle.

An average stretcher is 45 centimetres high and roughly 197 centimetres long. Credit: Darche

Cabin-Style Tents: Revisited

Circling back to cabin-style tents, Lauren considers the Coleman Instant Up and OZtrail Fast Frame models.

The Coleman Instant Up Northstar tent and OZTrail Fast Frame Lumos 10 and 12 both feature upright front and back walls, with side ends that taper down significantly. This has campers losing more than 15 centimetres on the one side alone. While stretchers can be positioned with the head and foot at each upright end, whoever sleeps on the sloped side will need to consider this as a potential pitfall.

Bedrooms of Family Dome Tents

Like the Coleman Instant Up Northstar and Chalet 9 CV tents, or those in the Outdoor Connection range – family dome tents are comprised of a central room with two rooms either side that slope at each end.

Lauren notes that those who own these tents – i.e. those with sloping walls in the side rooms, including the OZTrail Fast Frame Lumos 10 and 12 – usually prefer to stand in the entrance with a view of the slope immediately in front, and a stretcher either side to allow a corridor of walking space.

Given this isn’t possible with such tents, she recommends resorting to either a 25-centimetre high stretcher or a sleeping mat, where the majority of stretchers range between 195 centimetres and 205 centimetres. Adding a stretcher into the end rooms removes up to 30 centimetres given the extent of the slope. For example, for those who wish to orient their stretcher to allow a corridor down the centre, a 220-centimetre room is reduced to 190 centimetres.

Family dome tents are comprised of a central room, with two rooms either side that slope at each end. Credit: Darche

Oztent Tents

Tents by Oztent tend to feature a different structure to others, where one side is sloped significantly (back wall) and the remaining three are upright.

As mostly single-skin tents without a fly, it’s even more of a consideration to avoid positioning the stretcher alongside the edge of the tent’s wall. Not only does this not bode well for condensation, but creates a rubbing point which can, overtime, work with windy weather to wear away the tent’s inner.

An Oztent model will allow 35 centimetres less room, according to Ben’s rough method. As a guide, he uses four 10-centimetre high mats (one for each of his family members) and sleeps with his feet at the door and his baggage towards the back to lift the sloping wall. That said, at 185 centimetres tall, the wall is still close to his head, suggesting that incorporating stretcher bed would make things tighter still.

In our product review videos of the Oztent RV Touring Tent range, Ben places a stretcher in each of them and confirms that for the most part they would brush against the back wall of the tent. Doing so against the coating of a single-skin tent is likely to eventually cause a leak issue.

Most Oztents will fit one stretcher inside comfortably, while the Oztent RV-5 will realistically fit two at a squeeze. Nonetheless, stretchers are a suitable option for campers with mobility issues. For those in this category, Ben and Lauren recommend a shorter 25-centimetre tall model.

Touring Tents (with Extended Back Walls)

Similar to the Coleman Instant Up Northstar model, Ben trials the Blackwolf Turbo Plus to assesses how well touring tents manage to fit a stretcher. This model features a box-shaped room at the front with a considerably sloped extended section at the back. OZtrail manufacture a similar Turbo-style design called the Jet Tent.

As the sides are upright, the sloped area at the rear is the only section from which space needs to be removed. Ben suggests lifting the back a little by placing bags in this space, though recommends they’re low-risk items to copy any potential damage from condensation.

A classic, no-fuss touring tent is the Darche Safari 260, featuring a single pole in the centre that erects the tent like a pyramid, anchored by four pegs. While there isn’t a lot of internal space, and the front section slopes considerably, the extended version features an appendage at the back.

Another model is the Oztent Foxwing Tagalong Tent, the back wall of which slopes steeper than an RV model due to its lack of structure in the frame. Darche also manufacture the Xtender Awning Tent, designed to attach to their 2.5m awning. The tent simply unzips and can be left free-standing while the vehicle is moving. That said, be sure to mark your tyre to park in the same position again!

Lastly, fair-weather campers will find that the OZtrail Gazebo Portico tents are a sufficient – though it’s wise to account for the significant sloping of the back wall.

Summary

In determining a sufficient sleeping mat up to the height of a single airbed – roughly 15 centimetres – the floor dimensions of a respective tent can be an adequate guide, where a standard mattress height will reach the top of the bucket floor of most tents.

On the contrary, stretchers require more consideration for the design of the tent, the volume of space potentially lost, and the ideal level of comfort ones hopes to achieve. Some may argue that stretchers allow for more storage space underneath them – though the ‘space’ Ben and Lauren refer to is what surrounds the face and feet, potentially interfering with a comfortable sleep.

Stretchers are a popular choice as a sleep set-up component – and not just among those with mobility issues. That said, Lauren and Ben recommend the sleeping mat range by Exped, Zempire and OZtrail, offering superior comfort and insulation to most stretchers. A stretcher will often require a sleeping bag or insulative layer to a significantly higher degree of comfort than what it offers alone. Ben also reminds us of the potential damage to tent floors caused by stretchers’ feet. Nonetheless – convince us! Do stretchers prevail above sleeping mats?

While Ben concludes that a stretcher can certainly fit in a tent, he maintains that the process of doing so requires more consideration for a significant loss of space. This includes regard for leg room, walking space, how conveniently one hopes to be able to climb in and out of their stretcher, and how freely they’d rather move about the inside of their tent.

So… does that stretcher fit that tent?

Well, like most camping-related questions with an abundance of subjective angles from which to view them – we don’t have a straightforward answer. For more clarity and visual aid, check out Ben’s blog: ‘Can I Fit a Camp Stretcher in That Tent?’

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep56 – Will That Stretcher Fit? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep55 – Food for Adventure with Kate Grarock

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 10 May 2022 06:40:00 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

From tomato chips to Bolognese you can sip,

Ecologist and YouTuber Dr. Kate Grarock shares her feats and fails when it comes to preparing and dehydrating her own food ahead of her far-from-home adventures.

Be it missing the mark with the mince, Deb Instant mashed potato as every carb-base, or bearing beer cans in her backpack – in this episode of the Snowys’ Camping Show, Ben and Lauren cross paths with Kate to unpack her mealtime methods on those multi-day hiking trips.

Short Cuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:33 – Introducing Dr. Kate Grarock

03:19 – Preparing Food for Multi-Day Trips

05:18 – Counting Calories

08:18 – Food Storage

10:00 – Beers: A Necessity?

11:41 – Favourite Food to Take on a Trip?

13:00 – Dehydrating Your Own Food: Pros and Cons

14:50 – Dehydration Fails

16:05 – Reconstitution

18:25 – Kate’s Method

12:23 – Flavour

25:25 – 6-Month Plan

31:36 – Food Fails?

32:58 – What’s on the Horizon?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

The 45th Parallel Traverse by Tanya Bottomley (Run Like Tanya)

Podcasts:

Ep33 – Food For Hiking

Products:

Avanti Double Wall Insulated Wine Traveller Set 3-Pk

Cobb Cutting Board

Clif Crunchy Peanut Butter Energy Bar

Hiking Packs

Mike’s Beef Jerky – Original Wood Smoked

AeroPress Portable Coffee Maker

Hiking Food

Everest Sports Larapinta Trail Guide Book Third Edition

Radix Nutrition

Radix Nutrition Apple, Cinnamon & Tumeric Breakfast Performance 450

Back Country Cuisine Cooked Breakfast

Dometic 12/240-Volt Vacuum Sealer

Hiking Cutlery

Hiking Shoes

Other:

Kate Grarock – Instagram

Kate Grarock – YouTube

Kate Grarock – Website

Facebook Forum – Dehydrating Divas and Dudes

Introducing Dr. Kate Grarock

In a previous episode, Ep33 – Food for Hiking, Ben and Lauren detailed the most ideal foods for hiking trips, covering weight, calory content, and convenience. Here, our outdoor experts aim to flesh out the discussion, touching more on how plan, pack, and dehydrate food for multi-day trips.

To do so, they talk with ecologist and YouTuber Dr. Kate Grarock, discoverable on Instagram and YouTube as @kategrarock, or through her website at Australianhiking.com.

Preparing Food for Multi-Day Trips

Essentially, this depends on the style of trip Kate is planning, where those solo or fast-paced often see meals taking the back seat. On the other hand, there’s a little more wine and cheese involved when travelling with her partner!

On solo trips, Kate tends to simply snack on scroggin instead of a meal-like lunch. While she first recommends not to pack too much, she also notes to assess what’s left in your packs after a hiking trip and therefore what can stay behind next time. On longer trails, Kate tends to hone in on the finer details of preparation – such as the contribution of her weight and height, the distance of the walk, and the calory content of her food.

Counting Calories

Ben tells Lauren and Kate about his first lengthy hike, where he just managed to scrape through with the rations of food he allocated himself. On the other hand, Kate’s experience with calory counting has so far been relatively successful, beefing up enough dehydrated food for 14 days as she tackled the Larapinta Trail.

For long but lightweight hikes, it’s recommended to carry small volumes of calory-dense foods. Ben’s example is peanut butter on small chocolate chip cookies for lunch, plus a decent meal at the end of the day. Kate also recommends freeze-dried cheese which, while crunchy in texture like a crouton, is packed with flavour – and calories! Not quite the same as dehydrating, the freeze-dried method is a fascinating process that involves removing the moisture from the food while maintaining its shape.

Food Storage

In the pack-stack-and-store process, Kate segregates and numbers her meals by day (e.g. Lunch 1, Dinner 1, Lunch 2, etc.), stashing the food she’ll consume first higher up in her pack and what she plans to eat later in the trip towards the base. Similar to Ben, Kate uses, washes, and re-uses Ziploc bags regularly as part of her food storage method. She recommends preparing food at home wherever possible (where clean surfaces are more readily available), as well as keeping its total weight to roughly 700 grams per day.

Beers: A Necessity?

We all love to crack a cold one under the canvas following a day on the trails – but Ben points out that a beer in your backpack is an extra 400 grams to bear!

Kate admits that at least one of the reasons she became interested in ultra-light hiking was because all that beer on her back was so heavy… and there must be a way she can still incorporate it into her load! Using the insulated plastic wrap found meal kits, Kate bundles her beer cans during transit and cools them down in a cold stream nearby her pitstop, before she cracks the top and kicks back on the rocks.

On the other hand, Ben mentions powdered beer as an option… of which Kate confirms would only be consumed for the sake of claiming to be enjoying a beer after a tackling the switchback (not for the sake of the flavour)!

Kate cools down her beer cans in a cold stream nearby, before she cracks the top and kicks back on the rocks. Credit: Kate Grarock

Favourite Food to Take on a Trip?

In addition to her homemade beef jerky, Kate admits that one of her favourite foods to enjoy on a hiking trip is Mee Goreng… often for breakfast! On this savoury note, one of her most routinely, home-prepared meals is spaghetti Bolognese… which, on the occasion she forgot to pack her cutlery, once needed to be reworked and consumed as a soup instead!

She may not be a traditional porridge-in-a-pot person, but Kate enjoys her morning coffee as much as anyone too. As well as a trusty coffee filter, Kate describes her attempt at ‘cowboy coffee’, a traditional camping method involving filling a pot of water with coffee grounds, bringing it to the boil, and using egg shells to assist with settling the grounds at the base. This left coffee grounds peppered across her teeth… which Ben and Lauren suggest is the real reason she solo hikes!

Dehydrating Your Own Food: Pros and Cons

Kate’s initial interest in dehydrating her own food came from feeling malnourished after consuming some of the commercially available types – likely a result of a particular preservative or additive. It was in preparing for the Larapinta Trail too when Kate became more inclined to dehydrate her own food, exploring YouTube videos, Google searches, and experimenting with recipes herself. Initially, she was intimidated by the idea of eating her own product in fear of food poisoning, so made sure to allow herself enough preparation time leading up to the trip to trial and consume her food within the safety of her home.

While they’re great to have, Kate notes that she didn’t initially have a dehydrator. Instead, she used her oven with a wooden spoon propped in the door to help eradicate moisture – which she soon decided was nowhere near efficient enough. After some time, experience, and a $40 dehydrator from Gumtree, she has since upgraded again.

Dehydration Fails

Just because you can dehydrate some foods, doesn’t mean you should…

Kate describes an occasion where she dehydrated mincemeat, producing what she can only describe as “meat pebbles”. This was a result of failing to add breadcrumbs to the mince in the initial cooking stage, before dehydrating. The breadcrumbs give the meat mixture cause to rehydrate. In not adding breadcrumbs, Kate’s mince rehydrated into what was more like hard pebbles of beef jerky. Thanks to this batch, she endured some pretty crunchy Bolognese meals!

Reconstitution

Sam, a member of the Snowys family, is an ultra-light hiker who also explores dehydration and freeze-drying methods. She notes that reconstituting food can mean initiating the process as early as lunchtime to guarantee that it’s ready in time for an evening meal. On the contrary, Kate often makes a dahl which, once dry, she blends into a dust or powder. This quickens the reconstitution process, whereas leaving the dahl in lentil form has it soaking for longer. That said, the former approach means losing the nutty texture of a traditional dahl, and instead produces more of a sloppy, runny consistency.

As well as relevant Facebook forums touching on food dehydration – such as Dehydrating Divas and Dudes – Kate gathers her tips and tricks from standard trial and error. Another of her approaches is dehydrating a leftover meal to test its suitability, including whether any changes are required to achieve a more ideal result (for example, chopping meat into smaller chunks). While some meals just don’t dehydrate well at all, the various components of a meal should be consistent in size and shape to enable each element to dehydrate at the same rate.

Kate’s Method

While some hikers dehydrate each component of a meal separately before combining at the rehydration stage – Kate cooks her Bolognese sauce in its entirety, including an abundance of vegetables. When it comes to eating, she either boils pasta or prepares Deb Instant mashed potato as the base and separately reconstitutes her mince pasta sauce.

A member of the Snowys Web Team has also used Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), a meat substitute made with soy flour and high in both fibre and protein. While its taste is for a particular palette, he has used it in meals typically involving hamburger patties or mince, and claims that with enough added flavour it can contribute to a punchy, plant-based, pitstop meal on the mountain top.

In terms of water usage, cous cous is a more efficient choice than pasta. Kate tends to not take pasta on a hiking trip due to both the volume of water and time required to cook, instead opting for Deb Instant mashed potato as her carb-base for virtually all meals.

Flavour

In dehydrating her meals, Kate hasn’t found the essence of her food to be affected as much as possibly its texture. If anything, the dehydration process has her food exploding with a more intense, full-bodied flavour. Kate’s favourite, flavour-bomb snack is what she calls ‘tomato wagon wheels’: thickly sliced tomato, dehydrated. The method produces a version of the fruit that’s much like a chip, with a much more intense, concentrated tomato hit. In reconstituting food, Kate confirms she’s yet to notice any obvious lacking of flavour… though admits this could either be because she serves her meals on a bed of flavourful Deb Instant mashed potato, or eats too hungrily after a long, grueling day on the gradient!

A planner, Kate will spend the months leading up to long trips away cooking and dehydrating meals, planning routes, and mapping her journey. That said, dehydrating tomatoes overnight for wagon wheels is long enough, and she admits to nowadays simply resorting to branded dehydrated food. While most freeze-dried foods are sufficient after long day tackling the tracks, a recommended brand is Radix Nutrition, producing meals ranging from savoury dinners to nutty, breakfast style meals. Lauren is more inclined towards quick oats with dehydrated milk – but if we’re talking breakfast food, Back Country also make a freeze-dried cooked breakfast (best served with a blindfold)!

6-Month Plan

Ahead of a hiking trip, Kate often begins preparing six months out, including dehydrating her food. She notes that another benefit to dehydrating food is how long it lasts, only starting to smell close to the end of its life after roughly a year in the freezer. Food that is yet to be eaten or reconstituted is frozen, and Kate also recommends removing the fat from any meat used in cooking. This is what tends to become rancid over time, more so than any other element of a dehydrated meal.

When it comes to eliminating as much moisture as possible, Lauren’s approach is to save the moisture sachets, or desiccant bags, and store them in a jar (the food-based ones, Ben… not those found in new t-shirts)! On this note, Ben queries how Kate navigates the inevitable moisture of a freezer… to which Kate admits she isn’t entirely sure that freezing dehydrated food is the best approach! That said, she first uses a vacuum sealer to suck the air from the food packets as an additional precautionary step.

As well as her usual dahl, spaghetti Bolognese, jerky, and tomato wagon wheels, Kate also dehydrates bags of frozen vegetables like those found in supermarkets. While they shrink to a small size, they don’t tend to rehydrate well and are instead chewy to eat like the vege pieces found in powdered soups on supermarket shelves. Ben also suggests Asian grocers for ingredients like dehydrated mushrooms, perfect for sauces.

Kate’s spaghetti Bolognese can be reheated and cooked instantaneously at the point of mealtime, owed to the breadcrumbs rehydrating well. Tanya Bottomley, a writer for the Snowys Blog, uses resealable, silicon Ziplock bags to reconstitute meals, first removing all meals from their sachets and transferring them into small Ziploc bags in which to carry out the reconstitution process. With so many methods for those magic mealtimes on the mountaintop – Kate overall confirms that it’s a great idea to attempt to dehydrate your own food.

Food Fails?

Aside from forgetting her cutlery (which consequently had her drinking liquid dinners), Kate admits her most significant ‘food fail’ was producing the meat pebbles previously mentioned in the episode. Nonetheless, she hasn’t experienced many issues that have stopped a trip in its tracks (well, aside from the time her mate literally forgot her hiking shoes)!

What’s on the Horizon for Kate?

With a newborn daughter, Kate foresees some more family-orientated hiking trips. Although, with ultra-light hiking a greater challenge with children involved, these adventures will likely be of a shorter distance and a heavier load.

So… does that mean less beer?

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep55 – Food for Adventure with Kate Grarock appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep54 – Talkin’ Tent Pegs

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 02 May 2022 01:53:38 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Picture a tent peg.

Yes, a tent peg. That metal, malleable, 25-ish-centimetre rod with a kink at the top, tapped into the earth through the eyelet of a tent, swag, or shelter for added security. That description was under 30 words – but in this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren discuss tent pegs for 30 minutes.

Yep, it’s possible.

From standard styles to angle iron, our outdoor experts talk the types that best suit your campsite set-up, for the ultimate security in outback serenity.

Short Cuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:29 – Talkin’ Tent Pegs

02:58 – Do I Need to Upgrade My Tent Pegs?

07:50 – Hammers and Mallets

10:00 – Standard Tent Pegs

13:48 – Steel Vs Galvanised Steel

15:33 – Drillable Pegs

21:09 – Sand Pegs

23:08 – Angle Iron Pegs

27:12 – Lauren and Ben’s Peg Kit

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

8 Tent Pegs to See You Through Every Season

Snowys Pages:

Products:

Zempire Monsta Mallet

MSR Stake Hammer

Darche Tent Pegs 6pk

Supa Peg Key-Head Galvanised Steel Tent Pegs

Zempire Crinkle Cut Pegs 8mm 10pk

Hex Pegs Hook Top Drillable Tent Peg

Hex Pegs Short Flat Top Drillable Tent Peg

Hex Pegs Flat Top Drillable Tent Peg

Supa Peg Polypropylene Sand Pegs

Supa Peg Angle Iron Tent Pegs

Hampton Aluminium Sand/Snow Peg

Bushman DC50−X 50L Upright Fridge

Talkin’ Tent Pegs

Launching an episode on a singular set-up component like a tent peg may seem like we’re clutching at the guy ropes – but in fact, determining which tent pegs work best in which set-up situation is one of our most frequently asked questions. After all, the peg is a significant element of a tent’s apparatus, not excluding those of swags, gazebos, shelters, and windbreaks – so choosing the most appropriate peg will increase the chance of ultimate stability. Speaking of choosing the right peg – let us pitch one of Ben’s previous blogs detailing the range of pegs available, ‘8 Tent Pegs to See You Through Every Season’.

There is a peg designed for almost every surface, be it soft and sandy, hard and rocky, muddy, or loamy. While most suppliers will provide the relevant pegs with their camping equipment, eventually they require replacing. Just like an included mattress in a swag, Lauren queries why quality, durable, and heavy-duty tent pegs can’t be supplied with a tent, swag, or shelter from the get-go.

Nonetheless, for those who camp in caravan parks on maintained lawn more frequently than they do off-track, the pegs provided are often sufficient. For the go-getters who like to galivant off the grid however, Ben and Lauren recommend upgrading to more durable designs.

Do I Need to Upgrade My Tent Pegs?

Good segue. Ben suggests having at a handful of additional tent pegs on every trip away. That said, the question Lauren asks is… what exactly is considered a ‘handful’?

Essentially, considering the main guy rope and peg points of your tent gives a fair idea as to how many added heavy-duty pegs should be incorporated into camp tackle. That said, these aren’t needed for every eyelet or loop that lines the tent’s inner or fly – more so for each corner (depending on the size of the tent), guy rope, and awning point to prevent limp fabric from flapping about. When buying a tent online, considering the number of additional pegs needed is as simple as aligning with the number of corners and awning poles featured in the design.

Ben suggests that the bare minimum requirement for a four-person tent is a peg for each guy rope (four) and the awning peg points (two) – ultimately, at least six heavy-duty pegs in addition to those provided to ensure adequate stability. In particularly windy weather, Lauren recommends an additional two pegs for the awning guy ropes – and on that, including additional guy ropes in with your set-up provides further means of increasing stability. In sum, depending on the size of the tent, the ideal number of pegs for good solidity is between 15 and 20.

Despite the above, Ben reminds us that not all tent brands supply low-quality pegs. For example, Oztent provides decent designs with a thicker, more robust steel shaft. Nonetheless, most will require an upgrade, where separately available pegs range from between 20 and 35 centimetres in length. Lauren uses 30-centimetre pegs for virtually all her campsite set-ups, though muddier, softer ground calls for a specifically designed sand peg.

Hammers and Mallets

While a camping peg mallet often suffices, Lauren tends to resort to a standard hammer. The former are more lightweight, safer for those camping with children, and suitable for well-maintained caravan park terrain. On the other hand, Ben recommends a 1.25-kilogram mash hammer or short mallet with a blockhead for harder, rockier surfaces. While a mallet and additional tent pegs add more weight to your load, the efficiency is worth it. As the cornerstone of camping, an inadequate hammer or mallet means an inability to secure your pegs – and by extension, your tent!

Ben has trialed a dual-sided plastic and rubber mallet, but notes they’re more efficient for hitting bricks and pavers, taking twice as long to sink a tent peg into the ground than a standard hammer or mallet.

Standard Tent Pegs

A standard tent peg can be described as a steel rod with a straight shaft and a bent tip, like the number seven (7). These are best used when camping on turf, or grounds that aren’t riddled with rocks and rubble.

Most of the time though, Lauren uses galvanised steel key-head pegs by SuperPeg, confidently describing them as the ‘God of pegs’. These models have a bent top that aligns with their shaft, enabling the direction of force from the hammer or mallet to travel straight through the peg into various consistencies of soils and surfaces. On the other hand, standard pegs are designed so that the force is directed off to one side, consequently causing distortion and bending.

A standard tent peg can be described as a steel rod with a straight shaft and a bent tip, like the number seven (7). Credit: Shutterstock

Having now owned a set for easily five years without issues, Lauren claims the key-head pegs are indestructible. While they are typically more expensive, their high quality and more efficient design have them cheaper than standard pegs over time. Oztent pegs have a similar shape and concept, with an S-shaped top providing a central impact point for the hammer. It’s worth noting though that the thicker the peg, the harder it is to knock into the ground.

While upgrading tent pegs is a clever idea, Ben and Lauren flag that it’s not necessary to do so all at once. Instead, start by investing in five at a time ahead of each camping trip. Ultimately, holding four high-quality pegs instead of six that are only half-decent bodes better for long term set-up stability.

Steel Vs Galvanised Steel

After roughly a week in the ground, steel pegs without a zinc coating can often start to show pitting corrosion on the shaft. While galvanised steel pegs are more expensive, their increased longevity has them worth the dollars. That said, their level of performance in the moment is just as adequate.

When a steel peg rusts, this creates a rougher shaft and therefore greater difficulty in removing the peg from the ground. Those who typically camp on soft ground tend not to need galvenised steel pegs, where it may only be wise to simply upgrade to 25-centimetre awning pegs.

Drillable Pegs

Initially introduced on the television series Shark Tank, Hex Pegs are a commonly known brand of drillable tent pegs. Similar designs are also found in Bunnings, where a coach screw demonstrates a similar concept. Varieties specifically labelled as ‘drillable pegs’ can cost up eight dollars, though their benefits are mostly for those struggling mobility issues.

Available in various lengths and designs, and suitable for harder, rockier grounds – Lauren can’t recall anyone who owns drillable pegs and doesn’t like them. Plastic designs are available for softer surfaces too – but with a greater tendency to break, and without any positive feedback to base her opinion on, Lauren suggests that these are an individual use case.

The downside of drillable pegs is the additional equipment required: a drill, and in that a battery pack and socket set. As well as adding more weight to your load, this set-up means monitoring battery levels and fitting the right sockets to the pegs before drilling, suggesting more tedious than pegs secured with a standard mallet or hammer. That said, drillable pegs have proven useful during market stalls and events alike in securing gazeboes and marquees into the compact surfaces of carparks.

RV Daily, an online magazine featuring the latest news, reviews, and how-to’s in caravanning and camping, house an article that details the differences between screw-in and traditional tent pegs. Check it out here!

Sand Pegs

Sand pegs are wider and longer than traditional models, designed with a greater surface area for pulling against softer sand to prevent coming loose from the ground. Unlike most standard pegs, sand pegs are constructed with either polypropylene or polycarbonate. While the latter is more brittle, it offers a level of rigidity that can be beneficial. That said, polypropylene is a universally used plastic with greater flexibility that Ben deems as somewhat indestructible.

Angle Iron Pegs

Along with sandy conditions and beach set-ups, angle iron pegs are also beneficial for use on wet, muddy terrain, as well as the sludge and snow of the Victorian high country. An angle iro n peg appears as a long, metal stake shaped to 90 degrees with a pointed end, flat top, and hook welded into the groove. A heavy-duty option, Lauren assures us that they’ve never failed her, where the only surface that proved difficult to penetrate was limestone. On the beach amid strong gusts and gales, her shelter has remained steadfast in the sand. That said, they mimic a star-dropper – so removing them can be difficult, taking more of a pull-and-wiggle approach.

Angle iron pegs are ideal for use at the main peg points of a shelter, and combined with trace springs enable a rock-solid set-up. SuperPeg stock a galvanised steel angle peg variety, while Hampton sell both a curved and angle aluminium peg. Aluminium boasts a lighter construction, ideal for campers with weight restrictions and setting up on softer ground. It’s worth noting that while this material doesn’t rust, it is capable of corroding. With this in mind, aluminium pegs may better suit a seaside set-up – though it’s still ideal to rinse away any salt water to further prevent corrosion.

Hampton’s aluminium curved and sand/snow pegs cross the bridge between lightweight camping and heavy-duty hiking equipment – though it’s wise to note that too much force with a mallet can destroy their shape completely.

Lauren and Ben’s Peg Kit

For a heavy-duty camping scenario, the two types of pegs that Lauren keeps in her tackle kit are the rock-solid angle iron pegs and the key-head models.

For Ben, he aims to replace some of those he currently has with SupaPeg’s key-head pegs, but maintains that keeping standard ‘7’-shaped pegs and those from Oztent with an S-shaped bend on top are still functional after a number of years. Ultimately, he keeps a collection of various peg models in his kit, including a collection of small polypropylene tent pegs.

Pegs aside, achieving a stable set-up at the campsite can be done by securing guy ropes to rocks, where the rocks act as an anchor. This method can be more beneficial for lightweight hiking tents, whereas applying to camping tents amid strong winds can turn those rocks into projectiles!

From soft, grassy grounds to the rock, rubble and sand – what do you keep in your tent tackle?

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep54 – Talkin’ Tent Pegs appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep53 – Kangaroo Island

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 06:07:17 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

From leaving home for the SeaLink dock to a seafood cone on the Stokes Bay rocks,

Lauren and her partner Jesse explored the nooks, crannies, and crevices located thirteen kilometres off the coast of South Australia on the beauty-bountiful Kangaroo Island.

Be it sandboarding the Little Sahara dunes or foraging along the starfish-flecked shores of Bales Beach – in this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Lauren dives into the hits, misses, and must-sees of Kangaroo Island through a true wildlife lover’s lens.

Short Cuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:36 – Kangaroo Island

01:33 – Why Kangaroo Island?

03:06 – Budget

05:48 – Travel and Accomodation

09:29 – Food

11:25 – Lauren’s Itinerary

29:29 – ‘Hit’ and ‘Miss’ Places

30:08 – Must-See Locations

31:10 – Pleasant Surprises

32:22 – A Take-Home Message

Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island is located south of Adelaide, off the coast. Larger than one may initially think, it largely covers the base of the Spencer Gulf. On a clear day, the island is visible from the South Australian shores, particularly from the bottom of both the Yorke and Fleurieu Peninsula. From boarding to disembarking the ferry, travel time from Adelaide takes roughly forty-five minutes, including the process taken to freight and unload vehicles.

Why Kangaroo Island?

Lauren’s only visit to Kangaroo Island had been in high school, where she spent only a night before travelling back to Adelaide the following day. Her partner Jesse was born and raised on the island, though left when he was a teenager and hasn’t returned since. The timing of certain family endeavours had it convenient for both Lauren and Jesse to travel over for a full week in March. Given how long it had been since the two of them had respectively visited the island – coupled with the sheer cost of a trip for two – they decided to first experience it kid-free.

Budget

Last Christmas, Lauren’s gift was an “overseas holiday”…with SeaLink! As the cost of travel is likely to be a barrier for some, Lauren recommends a SeaLink voucher as a present idea for loved ones looking to visit Kangaroo Island. For both Lauren and Jesse to travel with their camper van in early March, the cost of travelling via the ferry was just over $450. Any vehicle longer than five metres required a prior booking.

Despite the pricey travel expense, Lauren can confirm that after experiencing an immersion of what the island has to offer, she understands and supports the costs involved. With them came a greater appreciation for what there was to see and do, where more accessibility may have cheapened the experience.

Travelling and Accommodation

Lauren and Jesse left for their holiday on a Thursday night and returned late on the Wednesday of the following week. The ferry was pleasant, though rougher on their return to Adelaide than it was on the way over.

On the island, Lauren and Jesse stayed in their camper van, where booking at the caravan park in advance wasn’t necessary given their travels outside of school holiday periods. Lauren describes many council-based campgrounds with physical meters available as the payment method, while most National Park campgrounds have adequate phone signal and are paid for on their respective website via a QR code, displayed onsite.

While the websites indicate which sites at the campground are available, Lauren describes how common it is to find that most people arrive first before booking and paying online. As a result, these campsites aren’t registered on the website as occupied. For this reason, Lauren suggests pre-booking during the busy holiday periods, but not necessarily in the off-season.

Food

For cost efficiency, Lauren and Jesse decided to pre-pack their food. While Jesse grew up on the island, the cost of travelling across as a tourist – let alone living as a resident, with cargo fees and related logistics – meant expenses were higher than what one may pay in an SA town.

All their shopping was done at home in Adelaide, with a final stop in Yankalilla to fill up with fuel. At the eastern end of the island, Penneshaw and other core towns like Parndana and Kingscote have means of both food and fuel, including supermarkets. While travelling back to these towns may steal forty-five minutes to an hour from your day, they provide a safeguard for obtaining any missing or additional items – such a forgotten jumper, or more snack-like foods.

Itinerary

Given their six-day long trip, Lauren and Jesse loosely followed a section in SeaLink’s suggested itineraries on Kangaroo Island. The comprehensive guidebook details seven regions across seven days, where the island is categorized into its separate regions.

Lauren outlines where she roamed, starting from where the ferry docks at the east of the island in Penneshaw and the Dudley Peninsula. Home to cellar doors, cafes, and crystal-clear beaches, Lauren didn’t favour anywhere here in particular. That said, she describes a nice campground near Antechamber Bay within the Lashmar Conservation Park, while the Cape Willoughby Lighthouse Tours are a perfect option for families with children interested in history.

Spanning across to where the east end of the island meets between Penneshaw and Kingscote, Lauren describes the American River and surrounding areas such as Pelican Lagoon, home to long hikes and coastal walks. Mount Thisby, recently re-named to Prospect Hill, climbs an extensive run of stairs up a large sand dune to the highest point on Kangaroo Island. Here, one end of the island is visible at two kilometres away. Lauren and Jesse explored this region on their final day, first cutting down to the south coast.

Lauren describes the southern areas as rugged but beautiful, spending limited time in Cape Gantheaume but recommending the walking trails and hikes established at the base of the cape. In the south coast, the Murray Lagoon at the end of Winter is thought to be stunning and surreal, especially for bird watchers. Lauren and Jesse camped within the area, and enjoyed both the cooking facilities and walking trails laced throughout.

Given their budget and disinterest in partaking in any tourist-like activities, they avoided Seal Bay – though admitted how ideal this part of the island would be for families with young children. East of Seal Bay is Bales Beach, peppered with what seemed like thousands of starfish, while Vivonne Bay holds crystal clear waters for waist-deep wading, and a large, postcard-perfect rockpool.
It was the sand dunes of Little Sahara that had Lauren caving to their only paid tourist experience – sandboarding! For only a flat entry fee, Lauren describes it as “wicked fun” (despite almost hurtling into a bush as she surfed her way down the sandy slopes)!

At the western end, Lauren and Jesse visited the Flinders Chase National Park and Hanson Bay. They chose to navigate this region last on their trip due to the time of year, when seasons begin to shift and the wind picks up. The south coast tends to experience strong winds, hence their decision to traverse this area first. The western region is also home to the Kelly Hill Conservation Park, exhibiting the impressive Kelly Hill Caves – thought after two and half years since the horrific bushfires, this attraction remains closed. For this reason, and with many access roads still barricaded, Lauren would suggest for those more interested in adventure-based activities (as opposed to the cottage industry attractions, such as Clifford’s Honey Farm) to delay a visit to Kangaroo Island for another year. The devastating impacts of the bushfires include a loss of vegetation aiding the maintenance of soil, while heavy rains have subsequently caused erosion.

One morning, Lauren and Jesse woke at 5:30am and made their way into the Flinders Chase National Park, stopping on Bunker Hill Lookout for a steaming hot cup of tea to start the morning. From there, they headed down to Remarkable Rocks just before 7:00am. With not another person in sight, the two of them basked in the magic of the cold, misty morning. The large number of seals visible from Admirals Arch too meant that Lauren and Jesse were content with having not splashed out at Seal Bay instead (literally)!

With not another person in sight, Lauren basked in the magic of the cold, misty morning from Admirals Arch. Credit: Lauren Westgarth

On the western end of the north coast they visited Cape Borda, navigating the walking trails of the wildlife park. That includes those that were closed off, where Lauren had a terrifying encounter with a snake…even with fly perched on its cold, lifeless eye! Again, Lauren and Jesse avoided the cottage industry-based activites such as horse riding and winery tours, passing down the middle and through Parndana for a fuel stop without lingering for too long in the heartland.

On the north coast, commonly known beaches include Stokes Bay, Emu Bay and Smiths Bay. Most beaches in this area are familiar by their elevated representation on Instagram – though despite what she felt she was encouraged to believe on social media Lauren admits that Stokes Bay wasn’t superior to any other beach. That said, the Rockpool Café (closed on Mondays) is home to the most succulent assorted seafood cone she has ever tasted!
Snelling Beach was the most picturesque of them all, where Lauren considers the view coming in through Constitution Hill to be unparalleled.

All in all, Lauren and Jesse preferred to take the tracks less travelled. The excessive stylization and geo-tags on social media set an expectation for a tourist prior to visiting, removing an element of anticipation and ability to experience the island first-hand. Lauren comments that in the time she and her partner explored Bales Beach at length, roughly nine variations of groups, families, or partnerships arrived, lingered, and left. What Lauren and Jesse discovered along the shorelines and in amongst rugged beachside nature was missed by those who expected to see more in less time. Ultimately, Lauren suggests to approach the island with a sense of adventure, plenty of time, an abundance of curiosity, and a desire to absorb more of fewer places over simply marking off every location in less detail.

Lastly, Lauren and Jesse stretched back to Penneshaw over the space of a full day. Having not visited the wineries or tourist-based locations, Lauren claims that a full week could be dedicated to exploring the Kingscote and Penneshaw area in its entirety. Places of note included Duck Lagoon on the Cygnet River, Emu Bay in the upper corner, the original Kingscote landing site of the first settlement, and the Oyster Farm Shop on the American River.

A full week could be dedicated to exploring the Kingscote and Penneshaw area in its entirety. Credit: Lauren Westgarth

‘Hit’ and ‘Miss’ Places

For Lauren, a blend of both was Stokes Bay. The glorified images on Instagram that she was privy to prior to her trip away meant her expectations of the area were heightened, in comparison to what she witnessed. That said – as long as the Rockpool Café remains, she will return!

Must-See Locations

The beachside home of the best seafood cone – the Rockpool Café in Stokes Bay is on the top of Lauren’s list. The view from Prospect Hill was also a magical memory, while the beauty of Bales Beach prevailed over the others. Picturesque, solitary scenes at the base of Flinders Chase and Remarkable Rocks are well worth the early rise too, as visitors began to filter through just as Lauren and Jesse were leaving Admiral Arch.

Pleasant Surprises

Given the activity is typically enjoyed by tourists, Lauren was amused to admit how much she enjoyed the sandboarding at Little Sahara. Since the family’s long-loved video of her Dad skidding his way down a dune – his sandboard slipping from beneath him, corkscrewing into the air, and knocking him in the head – Lauren had felt a sense of connection to the activity, compelling her to experience it herself. That said, she didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as she did!

A Take-Home Message

Aside from having a stand-off with a dead snake, witnessing Jesse come a cropper sandboarding at Little Sahara, and finding possums perched in their camper van three nights in a row – Lauren can’t identify the single-most amusing story of the trip. Overall, it was a successful, sublime time away, where her most pressing suggestion would be to explore every cranny, investigate every nook, and navigate the ups, drops, and bends.

If something takes your interest – go beyond the bounds of a pre-planned schedule, trust your intuition, and soak it in.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep53 – Kangaroo Island appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep52 – Caravan Refrigeration with Kev

Ben and Lauren — Tue, 19 Apr 2022 02:56:34 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Chill out – considering a fridge for your caravan or camp vehicle doesn’t have to be challenging.

From the hum of a compressor fridge to the fumes of a gas-powered – the pitfalls and benefits of portable refrigeration depend on what a camper requires on their travels.

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren keep their cool as they discuss portable refrigeration with our caravan expert, Kevin from the Snowys warehouse.

Short Cuts

00:00 – Intro

00:30 – Introducing Kev from Snowys

01:05 – Refrigeration for Vans

03:20 – Caravan Fridges

07:21 – Powering Caravan Fridges

10:15 – Advantages of Caravan-Specific Fridges

11:57 – Drawer Slides

14:36 – Advantages and Disadvantages of Compressor Fridges

17:32 – Securing Fridge Doors

19:12 – Replacing Fridges in Secondhand Caravans

20:47 – Insulation Options: DIY vs Professional

22:43 – Advantages of Insulation

24:57 – Noise: Compressor vs Absorption Fridges

28:25 – Considering Your Portable Fridge | A Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Category Pages:

Brand Pages:

Products:

Bushman DC85−X 85L Upright Fridge

Dometic CFX3 25 Portable Fridge/Freezer 25L

Engel MT−V45F 40L Fridge Freezer

Engel MT−V60F 60L Fridge Freezer

Engel SB30F Drawer Fridge 30L

myCOOLMAN CCP36 Portable Fridge/Freezer 36L

myCOOLMAN CCP73 Portable Fridge/Freezer 73L

Refrigeration for Vans

While Lauren travels in a campervan, Ben owns a chest fridge for his 4WD adventuring. Generally, caravans, campervans, motorhomes, and that alike will include a fridge of their own, with the exception of some more basic camper trailers.

When considering a secondhand caravan, there are ways to determine if or when an upgrade may be necessary. Firstly, when buying from a private supplier, ask them to first turn on the fridge to establish that it’s in working condition before following through with the purchase – be it a compressor or absorption-style fridge. When purchasing from a dealer, this should already be a step in their process before handing it on. Regardless, fridges have lifespans – so if it seems to be deteriorating, factor a replacement cost into the price you’re expected to pay.

Caravan Fridges

Typically a smaller version of what is found in a home kitchen, a caravan fridge is either freestanding or mounted as an element of the caravan’s interior cabinetry. For those who love a drink – just picture a mini bar fridge.

When we refer to caravan fridges, we distinguish them by their cooling units. A home-style fridge has a compressor, which pumps the refrigeration around its cabinet to create a cold environment. On the other hand, caravan fridges without a compressor operate via absorption-style technology.

The mechanism involves heating an ammonia solution to create a vapour, which travels through the tubes at the back of the fridge before converting back into a liquid in the condenser. When this occurs, heat is absorbed, removed from the cabinet, and dispersed through the vents into the atmosphere, cooling the fridge’s interior. The condensed liquid travels back down into a small reservoir, before flowing back into the boiler and heated again to continue the process. The heating component occurs via a small gas flame. With no additional moving parts, this is the operation of a traditional caravan fridge. When a customer looks for a gas fridge, this is the style of the fridge to which they are referring.

Ironically, a lot of heat is required to cool the fridge, which is why positioning your caravan in direct sunlight has the fridge working less efficiently. As the vents are already working to expel heat, doing so into an even warmer environment can further prolong this process.

Powering Caravan Fridges

A caravan fridge is typically a three-way model, offering powering options across gas, 12-volt and 240-volt. While older models lacked a 12-volt option, those more recent now incorporate it as a third mode of power. If operating with gas, it’s important to ensure a chest fridge is standing level for optimum efficiency. Within a three-way fridge, a 12-volt electric element sits on one side of the boiler, while the 240-volt sits on the other. The boiler itself sits directly on top of the gas flame. It’s for this reason that gas tends to be a more efficient powering method, whereas 240-volt power will only be as effective if it can produce the same intensity of heat. The elements on either side transmit heat from themselves to the boiler side-on, thus less effective. That said, gas emits fumes that require exterminating.

Operating via 12-volt power is done so for maintenance purposes. Starting warm with a 12-volt operation will mean a fridge takes longer to cool, as too little heat is generated. While 12-volt draws a large current, it meanwhile needs to maintain the element at a lower wattage in comparison to the 240-volt element. As a result, it draws a lot of battery and more power than what a vehicle can provide. Given the absence of a thermostat on a 12-volt model, a fridge relies on either 240-volt or gas to reach a cold temperature when camping overnight. Switching to 12-volt powering maintains this temperature in transit.

In light of the above, the 12-volt element of a three-way fridge is an entirely different structure to an efficient compressor 12-volt fridge.

Advantages of Caravan-Specific Fridges

So, what are the advantages of choosing a caravan-specific fridge over a standard 12-volt or 240-volt powered chest fridge?

A chest fridge is normally used for camping and 4WD-ing, with an opening above as a lid. On the other hand, a better option for caravans is an upright fridge correctly ventilated to sufficiently expel heat from the cabinet. If heat is forced to maneuver around the cabinet, the cooling process is slowed.

A three-way chest fridge should also be positioned away from a vehicle to avoid dispersing gas fumes into its interior overnight.

Drawer Slides

In some caravans, the fridge is not built into the kitchen but through a hutch on the side. Essentially, it behaves as a chest fridge that extends on a drawer slide from the side of the caravan, adequately ventilated.

Most fridges on a drawer slide are a standard 12-volt chest fridge. If using an upright, three-way fridge, a potential setback is the required connection to a gas bottle with a long, flexible gas tube. These can wear away with the persistent rough and tumble of travelling, where a deteriorated gas line can cause a leak. For this reason, a compressor fridge running off 12-volt power with extension cords is a simpler alternative.

With the danger of bi-products from burning gas, three-way fridges are required to be appropriately vented by directing the fumes outside of the van via a flue or ‘chimney’ outlet. Earlier gas models didn’t have these, which meant the dispersion of gas was slower. While the heat itself produced from gas-powered fridges isn’t harmful, gas fumes are what can cause fatal consequences.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Compressor Fridges

Compressor fridges run off a battery. Depending on their size, most will draw between one and two amps, while larger models may do so on more. The main consideration is to continue meeting the battery power with what is drawn. These fridges run on battery power overnight before recharging on the drive the following day, and are a suitable choice as long as they receive the same volume of power they generate.

While compressor fridges can be tilted or positioned at any angle, an absorption-style fridge needs to be level at all times. If a caravan is parked on an incline or slant, the liquids will fail to circulate the fridge effectively.

For long-term camping without power, campers will require a solar panel system to maintain the battery power levels. While this may be seen as a disadvantage, it is usually easily to overcome.

Securing Fridge Doors

Most caravan fridge with front-opening doors feature a travel lock, while others include a pin that slides into a bracket for securing.

Oh, and Ben – to keep the chilli sauce out of the ice-cream, Kev recommends to lie bottles horizontally…and maybe keep the ice-cream in the freezer (or the chilli sauce in the fridge?)

A caravan fridge is a smaller version of what is found in a home kitchen, mounted as an element of the caravan’s interior cabinetry. Credit: Shuttershock

Replacing Fridges in Secondhand Caravans

Those purchasing a second-hand caravan and replacing the fridge may be wondering which model is the most suitable choice.

Compressor fridges are of different dimensions to three-way styles, so the cabinet may need altering. If transitioning from a compressor to a gas fridge, it’s wise to consider running a gas line, and adequate ventilation strategies i.e. flue-ing the gas flame.

In reverse, the process is not as detailed. While the gas line will need to be removed, a 12-volt system will need to be installed to support the fridge with batteries. Fitting a gas line will require an approved gas installer, while fixing a 12-volt system can be done independently.

Insulation Options: DIY vs Professional

When considering a gas fridge, an approved gas installer is required. That said, the mounting process can be attempted independently, though inadequate venting will mean the fridge won’t run efficiently.

Heat needs to escape from the sides and top of the fridge cabinet. Earlier van models had fridges simply fitted into their cabinet without sufficient insulation, which had the bench top heating up due to the ineffective expulsion of heat.

A DIY option involves fitting a fridge into a timber frame sitting flush with the body of the fridge, with insulation padded in and around it. This way, the fridge sits isolated from the rest of the caravan furniture, insulated, and appropriately vented.

Advantages of Insulation

So, does insulation offset issues related to overheating?

Some people like to pack insulation similar to that found in ceilings down the sides of their fridge, while others fit small 12-volt computer fans in the vicinity. Fans work effectively by creating an up-draft from the base to the top of the fridge, where the cooler air coming from the lower region pushes the hot air to the top.

Another option is to insert holes in the floor underneath the fridge, cover with a fine mesh, and attach a backwards-facing scoop to divert the warm air air upwards. The air beneath the van is cooler, so the aim is to draw the cooler air in, push it up through the refrigeration tubes and push warmer air out through the top.

For gas fridge ventilation, the flame is required to be flued outside the vehicle.

Noise: Compressor vs Absorption Fridges

Like a household fridge, a compressor fridge will activate during the night with a low hum. On the other hand, a three-way fridge will produce no sound at all.

That said – those with a three-way fridge should keep their ear out for a bubbling sound. This indicates a blockage, where the fridge is attempting to force solutions through a tiny hole caused by rusting of the tubes from the inside out by the Ammonia solutions. At this point, it’s recommended to have the fridge assessed by a professional.

In terms of maintenance, Kevin suggests running a gas or chest fridge at least every three to six months. His own method involves plugging it into the garage’s power, leaving it running for a day, ensuring the elements are warm at the back, and the interior of the fridge is cold. This keeps the motors lubricated and the gases moving. Doing so after a year is likely too long a period between uses.

These issues aren’t experienced with compressor fridges, as they operate via different solutions. Their internal mechanism is unlike that of an absorption-style fridge, where the exchange from a liquid to a gas releases energy in the form of heat.

Considering Your Portable Fridge | A Summary

For those new to caravanning, Kevin confirms that considering a portable fridge depends on its supplementary components – such as a battery and solar panel. His personal recommendation is a compressor fridge, given it runs efficiently in various temperatures and on askew angles, hums only softly at night, and keeps fridge contents consistently cold. That said, some campers may prefer the idea of various fuel choices – like gas – where a gas-powered fridge can run on a single bottle for multiple weeks. For this reason, one may prefer a three-way fridge. Essentially, the choice should depend on what a customer hopes to achieve from their fridge.

The most common brand of portable fridges is Dometic, who own Waeco. While Waeco tend to stock 12-volt fridges and Dometic three-way, they now all fall under Dometic who are renowned for their quality portable fridges. Cheaper brands provide fridges that operate via the same system, though the insulation, general fridge features, and the way in which the cabinet is constructed can each dictate their reliability.

Other brands of portable fridges include Bushman Fridges, Engel, myCOOLMAN, and Evakool, the former two stocking upright models. Regarding compressor fridges, it’s best to reconsider a fridge if the name of its compressor is unfamiliar to you. Essentially, Kevin suggests sticking to a well-known brand like Dometic to ensure a greater sense of reassurance behind the fridge’s reliability.

Lastly, it’s wise to first stock a portable fridge with food already chilled. Not only will the food remain cold for longer, but the fridges won’t need to work as hard to expel heat. For example, in the case of chest fridges – the cold air drops to the bottom when the lid is opened, unless drawn outside by a gust of wind. This design mirrors that of fridges found in supermarkets, some without lids.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep52 – Caravan Refrigeration with Kev appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep51 – Taking Care of Business with Camp Toilets

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 03:23:32 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Let’s cut the crap.

From roadside long drops to campsite stop-overs, it’s now common for patches of our sunburnt country to appear dappled with a soft, white material – and news flash, it’s not snow.

With camping an increasingly popular activity around the country, portable toilet practices are becoming more necessary than before. Throughout this episode, Ben and Lauren waste no time in flushing poor toilet practice down the drain, dumping a detailed discourse on camping toilet options for those stark trips beyond suburbia.

Short Cuts

00:00 – Intro

01:15 – Toileting on Your Travels

06:07 – How Can We Curb the Turds?!

07:13 – Toilet Paper and Wipes

11:23 – Trowels and Shovels

12:35 – Toilet Kits

14:42 – Burning Toilet Paper

17:23 – Shewee Peebol Bags

18:39 – Shewee Female Urination Devices

20:00 – Car Camping and 4WD Touring Toilets

20:53 – Thunderboxes, Toilet Frames, and Other Dig-A-Hole Toilets

24:24 – Cons of Dig-A-Hole Toilets

25:47 – Enclosed Toilets

30:42 – Cons of Enclosed Toilets

31:25 – Caravan Toilets

32:07 – The Final Flush

Mentioned in this episode

Podcasts:

Ep18 – Camping, Waste, and Leaving No Trace

How to Choose a Camp Toilet

Blogs:

Products:

Thetford Porta Potti

Thetford Aqua Soft Toilet Paper

Bushranger 4×4 Gear Diggar Shovel

Sea to Summit Alloy Pocket Trowel

Sea to Summit Sling Dry Bag 10L

Sea to Summit Trashsack Garbage Bag

Blacksmith Camping Supplies Australian Made Pipsqueak Bag

Sea to Summit TSA Hand Cleaning Gel Sanitiser

Shewee Peebol Pocket Sized Toilet

Shewee Female Urination Device

OZtrail Quadfold Toilet Chair

Aussie Campers Jimmy’s Thunderbox Toilet

Dometic portable tiolets

Elemental Thunder Down Under Bucket Toilet

Toilet detergents

Ensuite tents

Companion Portable Toilet

Other:

Dump Point Finder AUS app

Toileting on Your Travels

This isn’t the first time Ben and Lauren have talked crap.

A previous episode titled ‘Camping, Waste and Leaving No Trace’ discusses waste and rubbish considerations when camping, including approaches to toileting and the use of bog roll in the bush.

Roughly ten years ago, the expected process of outback toileting was to dig a hole measuring approximately 30 centimetres deep. Nowadays, many sites specify for campers to be entirely self-sufficient – that is, to carry their waste away with them upon departure.

In Lauren’s experience so far this year, most camping areas have been peppered with used toilet paper, seemingly without any attempt to bury or cover it over. As humans, we all need to go…and sometimes, we can’t control when or where we do so. That said, everyone despises a crappy campsite – yet many out there still contribute to them.

So why are campers failing to apply proper toileting practices at the campsite?

Is it taboo?

Is it too off-putting to bear our business in the backseat between stops?

Those with young children may argue that it’s no different from carrying used nappies. Nonetheless, it requires a shift in mindset – and ultimately, there are ways to take care of business in a relatively discreet, odourless, and hygienic manner.

Those who continue to litter loo roll will only contribute to the cause of why many camping grounds are closing down. With this in mind, Ben and Lauren settle on some of the more suitable camp toilet options that should be considered on a trip away.

How Can We Curb the Turds?!

So – what can we do as a community to help prevent this (d)ungracious behaviour? Ben and Lauren want your feedback.

As mentioned, increasingly more campgrounds are closing based on this sole display of misconduct. These include the more accessible sites that are typically convenient for quick weekends away. Despite this, disposing of standard rubbish seems to be a simpler task for some than doing so with their own waste.

There are ways to take care of business in a relatively discreet, odourless, and hygienic manner. Credit: Shuttershock

Toilet Paper and Wipes

According to Lauren’s research, toilet paper can take anywhere between one and three years to break down – even within a hole in the earth. This includes multi-ply, single-ply, and recycled variations, still surfacing even after a couple of months. While particularly cold, wet, or dry soil slows down decomposition, it is apparent that soil of a moist, loamy, and healthy consistency promotes the process at a faster rate. To achieve a similar effect, Ben and Lauren also suggest scattering sticks and bush debris on top of your waste and toilet paper before covering it with earth.

With every camper burying bog roll in the bush over the course of three years, the volume of toilet paper only multiplies and the chance of digging it up again becomes more likely. When entombed to at least 15 centimetres underground, biodegradable wipes have been found to decompose more efficiently than toilet paper. This doesn’t refer to the standard plastic-based, wet, or compostable wipes – instead, ‘biodegradable’ wipes are the way to go, often bamboo-based.

With Thetford Porta Pottis, it’s recommended to utilise their separately available toilet paper in conjunction. Though not a luxurious three-ply structure, the paper is nonetheless designed to do the job and decompose with waste. Standard, wet, or perfumed wipes tend to be less effective.

Trowels and Shovels

While some may not enjoy the idea of incorporating a large shovel into their camping kit, there are lighter, more compact designs available that detach into separate parts for easy packing.

Further to this, Ben owns a small, three-part trowel that folds out – a design perfectly suitable for preparing a hole for toileting purposes. Some trowels and more lightweight and compact still, boding better for hiking trips that demand lighter loads.

Ultimately, there are more uses for a trowel or shovel than simply digging a bog hole – and with so many options available, there are even fewer reasons why campers shouldn’t dig a hole for the sake of considerate outback toileting.

Toilet Kits

When roadside pullups are inevitable, a toilet kit in the trunk is ideal. This can simply take the form of a dry bag holding a small pocket trowel, a roll of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and a cigarette lighter.

Ideally, the kit should be easy to use and a receptacle to simply throw your used toilet paper in, roll up, and transport to the nearest bin. Lauren suggests the Sea to Summit Trashsack Garbage Bag as an option too. Already lined with a bin bag, its slight size is adequate for stashing toilet paper. Alternatively, campers can replace the bin bag with a scented supermarket type, or apply bi-carbonate soda to the existing bag to help reduce odour. The sack then allows for simple removal of the bin bag for disposal.

Ben uses a Blacksmith Camping Supplies Australian Made Pipsqueak Bag and packs it with a toilet paper roll, mini shovel or trowel, hand gel, cigarette lighter, and a plastic bag for potential wet weather protection. That said, he hopes to eventually incorporate some form of drybag for carrying used toilet paper beyond a campsite facility.

Burning Toilet Paper

No, we weren’t taking a random, sporadic tangent in mentioning a cigarette lighter as part of a toilet kit.

Given ash is likely to degrade at a faster rate than bulk toilet tissue, Ben explains that burning toilet paper can also help reduce its build-up at a campsite.

(No Lauren, not in the communal campfire – in the bog hole!)

That said, it’s important to ensure the space surrounding the hole is clear of bush debris, as flames can surpass the edge of the hole. Note too that in Fire Ban Season, this paper-burning approach would be prohibited.

Shewee Peebol Bags

The Shewee Peebol bag is essentially a pocket-sized toilet that takes the shape of a plastic bag holding biodegradable granules, like a nappy. Campers can simply urinate into the bag, where the liquid waste transforms into a solid, gel-like substance. Once sealed, the bag can then be disposed of normally. Bags alike are those found on airplanes for motion sickness.

As Peebol bags cannot be utilised more than once, this option isn’t the most cost-effective and are instead ideal for emergency situations.

Shewee Female Urination Devices

Despite their popularity, Shewee Urination Devices (commonly known as Shewees) are not referred to enough as useful toilet options away from civilization. Easy, effective, and compact – Shewees are a no-fuss, fresh option for females!

Car Camping and 4WD Touring Toilet Options

Wheeling into the weekend? There are two toilet alternatives when car camping or 4WD-ing: digging a hole at each site and fixing a toilet frame over the top, or bearing a sealed, enclosed unit in the the boot (such as a Porta Potti).

Within the former, options include simply digging a hole and free-squatting without a seat, positioning a toilet frame or seat over the hole, or a Thunderbox.

Thunderboxes, Toilet Frames, and Other Dig-A-Hole Toilet Options

A Thunderbox is a sturdy box-like structure built with galvanized steel and hinges that allow it to fold in on itself. When expanded, it appears as a square-shaped chimney, where the wooden top lowers and locks into place as a seat. On particularly long, extended holidays with her family, Lauren brings a large shovel to entrench a hole at least a metre deep, places the Thunderbox over the top, and seals it away as well as she can. When the soil has a clay-like consistency, she applies water and packs it firmly around the base of the box to create a stiff, cement-style seal. Collapsed, the Thunderbox slides in flat and compact with her camp tackle.

That said, the top of the Thunderbox is MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard), which can swell after making contact with water. While this doesn’t impact its usability, Lauren notes it as a consideration and precaution. In the case of severe damage, the top of the Thunderbox can be easily replaced via a simple DIY effort that involves re-using the hinge and tracing the original toilet seat shape onto a new slab of wood.

Alternatively, Ben owns the OZtrail Quadfold Toilet Chair that features a flap of material at the front as a splash guard. While it does the job, Ben aims to eventually upgrade to the Thunderbox given its sturdier build and ability to be lodged firmly into the soil. Unlike the Thunderbox, the Quadfold chair can become unstable if positioned over a hole dug too wide.

Overall, the benefits of both the Thunderbox and OZtrail Quadfold are that they’re relatively inexpensive, require no chemicals, and are as simple as a toilet seat over a hole in the earth.

Cons of Dig-A-Hole Toilet Options

While it’s clear that dig-a-hole toilets are effective – we can’t just go around digging holes anywhere and everywhere. Some areas will either forbid it, or the terrain will be impossible to excavate – such as rocky surfaces typical of hiking trails and mountain slopes.

So, if our wonderbox-Thunderbox doesn’t suffice…what else is there?

Enclosed Toilet Options

Enclosed, sealed toilet options are likely to become more prevalent with the increasing number of campsites requiring campers to be fully self-sufficient in their toileting. Brands stocking such options include Thetford and Dometic.

While these choices are larger, heavier, and more awkward to incorporate into our camp kits, they remain the easiest solutions when holes aren’t an option. Put simply, Porta Pottis mirror caravan toilets, and can be emptied at authorized dumping points or into a domestic toilet attached to a sewerage system.

Dumping points can be located via the Dump Point Finder app, or through Wiki Camps. On the other hand, Porta Pottis should not be emptied into long drops or toilets on a septic system. The chemicals used in Porta Pottis eradicate the bacteria needed to carry out the microbiological processes the septic system relies on to function. For more information, check out one of our previous blogs, ‘How to Choose a Camp Toilet‘.
Alternatively, bucket toilets don’t involve added detergents and so can be tipped into normal toilets, offering a viable option for those who aren’t keen on the additional chemical necessities of a Porta Potti.

To avoid travelling too far beyond the campsite at night too, enclosed toilet options are ideal (especially for children). Given they’re relatively odourless, simply keep it within the tent after dark and relocate back to the ensuite tent in the morning.

Other options include bucket toilets with an internal bag, where those without a bag would simply require rinsing afterward. Open seats on a frame with bags suspended beneath can also eliminate the need to dig a hole – although a free-hanging bag in the open also has it prone to animal and wildlife interference.

Ultimately – sealed camp toilet options can be used anywhere, don’t require a hole, keep waste out-of-sight-out-of-mind, and enable easy sealing for transit.

Cons of Enclosed Toilet Options

With every pro, there’s a con – and the pitfalls of enclosed camp toilets include their cost, size, and frequent requirement of chemical solutions.

While the Thunderbox is also an investment, it’s built to battle the outback brutality and bog roll, lasting a lifetime. In the case of an enclosed toilet option, Ben suggests spending the money on a superior model to avoid issues with leakage in cheaper designs.

Caravan Toilets

Much like an enclosed portable toilet, caravan toilets are more elaborate with their toilet seat and a cartridge that mirrors the base of a Porta Potti. Caravan toilets are removed from the side of the caravan and wheeled to a dumping point for disposal.

Essentially – if you have a caravan, you likely gain one thing and lose another: the former is a pre-existing toilet system, while the latter is a reason to leave toilet paper about the place!

The Final Flush

A toilet plan on a camping trip is important for both the environment and consideration for other campers who follow. It can be easy to believe that we’re the only group at an empty campsite, though it’s likely that a family passed through only hours before. Eventually, poorly treated campsites will close down in their protest against cleaning up our crap – literally.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep51 – Taking Care of Business with Camp Toilets appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep50 – Swag, Tent, or ‘Swent’?

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 02:34:05 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

As we translate this podcast episode into written form, the frustrating yet all-too-familiar jagged red line scribbles itself across the pages, underscoring the same word.

‘Swent’.

Grammarly suggests alternatives like ‘sweet’, ‘sent’, and ‘went’, only twisting the knife further into the somewhat sensitive discussion that surrounds whether the combination of a swag and a tent has an official name.

In the most in-tents episode of the Snowys Camping Show to date, Lauren and Ben bivvy down on some of the vague distinctions between tent-like swags and swag-like tents. Is there such a product as a ‘swent’, or is that canvas sack with poles just pretending to be something it’s not?

Short Cuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:15 – ‘Swents’

03:03 – Swags Defined

06:24 – Tents Defined

09:04 – ‘Swents’…Defined?

15:34 – The Grey Area

25:52 – Mattresses in Swags

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

Best Camping Swags for 2022

Snowys Pages:

Products:

One-person hiking tent

OZtrail Biker Expedition Swag

Coleman Instant-Up tent

OZtrail Stretcher Tent

Oztent RS-1 Series swag

Darche Nebula 1550

Darche Safari 260 Touring Tent

10-centimetre sleeping mat

Thin hiking mat

Sea to Summit UItralight Sleeping Mats

‘Swent’

The Urban Dictionary is an online resource that houses definitions for slang, made-up terms, or simply words that didn’t quite make it into the Oxford. Examples include ‘premad’ (becoming angry before having a reason to do so), ‘no fry zone’ (the hazardous area beyond a drive-thru restaurant’s exit point where drivers typically delve into their fries instead of pay attention to the road), and ‘swent’. According to the Urban Dictionary, a ‘swent’ is a hybrid temporary dwelling – the cross between a tent and a swag. The item is typically utilised for short-term camping trips that last a night or two.

Swags Defined

In Lauren’s mind, swags are essentially an all-in-one bedroom and shelter. They allow for campers to roll them out, curl them back up, and carry them to and from campsites in a convenient, compact manner.

Envelope-style swags simply include a top material flap, possibly an apex, maybe a screen of mosquito mesh, and a mattress. On the other hand, Darche introduced the ‘dome’ swag as an initial step towards a tent-like design, with the intended feel of swag but the structural features of a tent.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of a swag describes a portable sleeping unit, or a bundle of belongings rolled in a traditional fashion and carried by a foot traveller in the Australian bush. Before modes of transport, foot travel along extensive distances was essential for agricultural purposes. A swag could also be referred to as a ‘backpack bed’ or ‘bed-roll’, carried by shearers, miners, and the unemployed. Such groups were labelled as ‘swagmen’.

Tents Defined

Loosley, a tent can be described as a single or dual-skin fabric held in place by some sort of structure or frame. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines a tent as a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or material draped over or attached to a frame of poles with supporting ropes. A tent doesn’t necessarily include a base or floor as much as it does the shelter-like component, and will often also include a fly sheet over the top for wet weather protection too.

Usually larger than swags, tents aren’t solely for sleeping or resting – they also offer a place for a family or groups to gather for social activities. Smaller tents can be freestanding and pegged to the ground, while larger models are typically anchored with guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs. Where some tents can fit up to 18 people, others can expand to larger than a small house! Smaller, one-person hiking tents are also on the market – though some styles are constructed with canvas, which is where categorising a product as either a swag or a tent can often signpost to a grey area instead.

Lauren firmly states that a tent – unlike a swag – isn’t necessarily an all-in-one structure. Its design lacks the bedding features that swags typically include, instead enabling a sheltered space for other activities. First used as transient homes by nomads, tents are now commonly used for recreational camping or temporary shelters.

‘Swents’…Defined?

In Lauren’s opinion, ‘swents’ don’t exist!

So…is it possible to define a word that describes an inanimate object?

To elaborate, Lauren’s thoughts are that everything falls into either a swag or tent category. The debate stems from a recent Snowys blog article, Best Camping Swags for 2022. Ben clarifies that this article was based on sales data, within which Snowys identified and selected the ten most sold swags. For this reason, the results reflected in the article were purely community-driven.

With the Coleman Instant Swagger Tent at number one, Lauren was livid! While she highly recommends the product and owns two herself, the reason behind her rage is that it was deemed a swag – and a highly ranked swag at that. Lauren maintains that the Swagger Tent is – as the name suggests – a tent, and even fails to align with compromising titles like ‘swag alternative’. The only feature that differentiates the Swagger Tent from the Coleman Traveller 3-Person Tent, or a small Instant-Up tent design, is the use of the term ‘swag alternative’ throughout Coleman’s marketing. That aside, there are very few to no differences – and to Lauren, there isn’t a single brand of ‘swent’ that can’t be placed in one category or the other.

Ben agrees that the Swagger Tent, by definition, isn’t a swag. To him, a swag is simply a canvas envelope with an integrated sleeping mat, without additional poles or structural components alike. While he can settle on this, he doesn’t believe it falls entirely into the tent department either.
Ultimately, Ben likes the idea of challenging the norm. If it wasn’t the Instant Swagger Tent, Coleman could have introduced yet another three- or four-person tent and watched it become lost among the others – like white noise, or more kindling on the campfire.

The Instant Swagger Tent offers an alternative to a swag for campers who seek a smaller, swag-sized shell. If Snowys decided not to include it in the article, customers seeking this solution wouldn’t have the option to explore it. In Ben’s mind, a ‘swent’ is for someone who requires a product more heavy-duty than a small, two-person tent in which to integrate a sleeping mat, without the bulk or style-simplicity of a swag.

Still, Lauren’s question remains: when does a ‘swent’ end and a swag begin?

The Coleman Instant Swagger Tent was ranked #1 in Snowys Best Camping Swags for 2022. Credit: Coleman

The Grey Area

At this point, Ben and Lauren have unpacked their respective opinions on ‘swents’. With Lauren’s message received loud and clear, Ben decides to dig a little deeper.

Oztent’s DS-1 and DS-2 model swags are fitted with features from vestibules to storage crannies, as well as the standard inclusion of a foam mattress. While Ben suggests that their dual-skin construction and fly nudges them tentatively into the tent department, Lauren maintains that these should still be deemed swags given they fit the criteria of bedding and shelter rolled into one. On that, and speaking from experience, she confirms that the Swagger Tent cannot physically be packed away with a mat or bedding inside due to its structural design and shape differing from that of a standard swag.

Ben stands his ground like a tent stake, rebutting that many shelters that Lauren would call swags have dual-skin set-ups and vestibules – surely presenting a grey area. To him, if a camper seeks a heavier-duty alternative to a one-person tent without choosing a swag, the ‘swent’ is a clear-cut solution.

Still, Lauren sees only black and white: just stick with a one-person tent! After reiterating her opinion on the difference between a swag and a tent, she agrees that the OZtrail Stretcher Tent is a hybrid given it cannot be packed with a mattress or bedding left inside. Similarly, if the Oztent RS-1 Series swag fails to pack down adequately with the mattress inside, Lauren wouldn’t label this a swag either. On the other hand, while the Oztent Ultralight Single swag lacks an included mattress it still allows secure and compact packing with a separately purchased mat left inside. Ultimately, Lauren decides that if there’s no mattress, it’s not a bed – or, by extension, a swag.

All considered, Lauren accepts that there is indeed a middle-ground category that ticks the boxes describing a fusion of a swag and a tent – but a ‘swent’ isn’t it. The Darche Nebula 1550 is a swag, given it offers both bedding and shelter. However, purchasing a small tent that lacks space to keep bedding packed inside has campers transporting multiple items of equipment instead: a tent, a mattress, and a swag. This negates the convenience of utilising swags solely as they are. Often, the packing space of a ‘swent’ that consequently requires separately-stowed bedding is likely the same as many standard tents – just with a little less canvas-caused bulk.
On that, Lauren recommends the Darche Safari 260 Touring Tent to those who deem space important in their sleep set-ups, as it provides enough space for standing up and storing adequate bedding.

Ultimately – Ben and Lauren conclude that while their opinions somewhat clash, there is nonetheless a grey area between the traditional definition of a swag and that of a tent.

Mattresses in Swags

Some suppliers are beginning to eradicate mattresses as a standard inclusion with swags. Ben and Lauren tend to agree that if a manufacturer decides to incorporate a mat, they should be of a quality more sufficient than simply a layer of foam. Some swag brands also stock self-inflating mats, which Lauren claims should be paired with the appropriate, respective swags from the beginning.

Darche offer a BYO model, where campers can purchase a canvas skin to encase their mattress depending on how compactly they wish to roll it. For example, a 10-centimetre mattress will roll tightly with a little muscle, while a thinner hiking mat packs away easier still. Lauren reminds us that products falling in the ‘swent’ category would include a foam mat specific to the footprint of that particular model. As self-inflating mats generally don’t fit the shell’s shape, this intricacy can make it difficult to upgrade.

In summary, Ben agrees with most of what Lauren claims – though maintains that this particular discourse isn’t as black and white as she thinks. If it isn’t a necessity to fit all bedding in one tight, compact package, a tent is an appropriate substitute, potentially paired with an Ultralight Sleeping Mat by Sea to Summit.

As for Lauren’s conclusion? By all means, call it a grey area – just don’t call it a ‘swent’!

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep50 – Swag, Tent, or ‘Swent’? appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep49 – PLB Comparisons

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 01:13:27 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Beyond the beaten tracks, past suburban abodes, and smack-bang in the middle of barren landscapes,

our normal way of communicating with family, friends, and services may not always suffice.

There’s a beacon for that.

In this episode, Ben and Lauren enter the Snowys satellite and activate an extensive analysis of the various Personal Locator Beacons and communication devices available to avid adventurers. Be it spare tyres from mates, or dire straits – a Personal Locator Beacon or satellite message device activates assistance in those off-chance, off-grid emergencies.

Short Cuts:

00:00 – Introduction

01:18 – PLBs and Satellite Message Devices

02:41 – What is a PLB?

07:12 – Satellite Messages Options

11:11 – PLBs Vs Satellite Message Devices

16:18 – Considering a PLB

19:47 – When to NOT Use a PLB

24:55 – Which PLB Should I Buy?

Mentioned in this episode:

Snowys Pages:

Personal Locator Beacons

Products:

Spot satellite message device

Zoleo global satellite communicator

Spot X 2-way satellite messenger

GME Accusat MT610G PLB

RescueMe Ocean Signal PLB

ACR ResQLink View PLB

ACR ResQLink 400

Podcasts:

Ep36 – UHF Radios with GME

PLBs and Satellite Message Devices

When we discuss this particular branch of emergency and safety equipment, we refer to the relevant devices as Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs). Examples of such include EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons) and ELTs (Emergency Locator Transmitters).

An EPIRB is designed for water vessels, mounted onto a boat and required at two nautical miles (almost four kilometres) from the shoreline. On the contrary, an ELT is fixed to an aircraft and activated in mid-flight accidents. That said, these regulations are as they stand at the time of this podcast recording – so it’s wise to check a beacon’s current guidelines at the time of purchase and use.

Lastly, a satellite message device serves a similar purpose to a PLB, with added functionalities.

What is a PLB?

A PLB is a small GPS device that sends an emergency signal via a satellite to the mission control or safety centre of the country you’re currently situated in – all with the press of a button. A PLB uses the Search and Rescue satellite network and serves the sole purpose of transmitting a rescue signal. Once activated, help is on its way almost instantaneously – and for this reason, it’s important to only utilise a PLB in dire strait situations.

PLBs provide last-resort relief in situations where it would be unreasonable or inappropriate to call an ambulance or emergency service otherwise contactable via a mobile phone. For example, in an outback ordeal where your car may have rolled, phone reception is weak or absent, and civilisation is still kilometres beyond dry, barren landscape – a PLB is necessary to turn to.

Emergency beacons also require registration with the authority of the country you live in. In Australia, PLBs are registered with the AMSA (Australian Maritime Safety Authority). When travelling overseas for short periods, a PLB needn’t be registered with another country. That said, re-locating overseas to live indefinitely requires registering for the country to which you’re headed.

Given the Search and Rescue satellites work on an international basis, a PLB will function as normal if activated in another country. Essentially, the satellites reflect a somewhat coordinated peace effort between particular countries around the world. For example, if one was to travel to France from Australia and set off a PLB, the Search and Rescue response in France will take control of the rescue mission while communicating with Australia to obtain information on the subject (such as family details). That said, some countries prohibit the activation of PLBs on the ground, while some airlines also forbid PLBs on-board their aircrafts. For this reason, it’s recommended to review any relevant guidelines before travelling.

Satellite Messages Options

As well as PLBs, satellite message devices also allow for communication with rescue personnel off the grid. Brands such as Spot and Zoleo are available for purchase at Snowys, while Garmin offer a satellite communicator model called inReach. Unlike a PLB, these devices operate via a private satellite network, where the rescue process is coordinated by a personal security response team. The primary function of a satellite message device is for communicating in situations where a mobile phone is unusable. For those without an accompanying PLB, these devices feature an SOS function for use in extreme circumstances.

Zoleo and Garmin operate via Iridium satellite communications, with GEOS (Geostationary Operational and Environmental Satellite) as the Search and Rescue organisation coordinating their response. Alternatively, Spot function via the Globalstar Network, while their Search and Rescue coordination is operated by the private health security firm FocusPoint International.

Satellite message devices also allow for communication with rescue personnel off the grid. Credit: Spot

In the case of a Spot device, activating the SOS function in any country sends the message directly to Spot’s rescue response team in America. This is unlike a PLB’s process, which otherwise transmits the message to the mission control centre of the country help has been requested from. Spot’s team coordinate the rescue and communicate with the subject’s home country, conducting the entire search and rescue effort via their own private avenues in America. Essentially, this is private management as opposed to a public government operation.

So which approach is more reliable? How fast might one’s response time be over the other? Within the scope of this podcast, stating that the power of influence in public operations is higher, or that private is better than public, isn’t that simple. Essentially, all employees within these businesses are committed to sitting at their computers, monitoring phone lines, and coordinating rescues.

PLBs Vs Satellite Message Devices

Unlike a satellite message device, a PLB often sends a distress signal with a GPS location to enable the Search and Rescue team to narrow down where you are located. Contrasting to a PLB, a satellite message device requires a subscription. As per a satellite phone, users will need to sign up for a plan. Without a subscription, the SOS function (i.e. for use as a PLB) is also ineffective.

That said, a satellite message device is a beneficial option for solo adventurers who require and desire the ability to check in with loved ones throughout their ventures. A subscription unlocks additional features as well as an SOS function, while some brands such as Zoleo also offer reduced costs when the device isn’t in use.

While Zoleo requires the presence of a mobile phone, the new Spot message device demands Bluetooth connectivity. Put simply, Zoleo devices boost a mobile phone’s signal and maintains this ability with WiFi connection too. While it’s possible to pre-program messages reflecting your status (“I’m OK”, or “I’ve arrived safely”), communicating predominantly requires the corresponding phone app.
On the other hand, the Spot X model offers both. This is helpful in situations with a flat phone battery, though the interface of the device itself is inferior. The black and white screen allows the user to view weigh points and breadcrumbs to indicate tracking and progress. The associated app overlays with more detailed maps and greater functionality. Essentially, while the Spot X model offers multiple abilities via its screen and keypad, the app enables easier navigation of the device.

All the above considered, the main difference between a satellite message device and a PLB is how they’re most likely to be used. For example, Ben doesn’t venture on remote adventures every weekend, so his PLB mostly sits in its box. He registers it yearly, checks its battery regularly, and nestles it safely in his vehicle on long trips away. On the other hand, someone who travels alone – beyond patches with phone range and throughout remote environments – would likely benefit more from a satellite message device. Given it offers both communication and emergency-based services, the device aids in scenarios where adventurers simply require support over more serious safety assistance.

Considering a PLB

Aside from the above, Ben and Lauren conclude that a PLB should be considered simply for the sake of your own safety. Be it foreseeing yourself in a problematic situation on an outback trip, knowing you’re unlikely to be in proximity to local towns, or planning to travel without others – it’s recommended to incorporate a PLB into your essentials.

On family trips, Ben suggests teaching children how to operate a rescue beacon in the case a parent, caregiver, or capable adult is unable to do so. Given her previous work in Customer Service online, Lauren supports this recommendation, having identified a large portion of PLB buyers as parents and children who aim to feel a sense of safety and security on their off-grid adventures.

PLBs also operate via one of two frequencies, sending a signal on either 406MHz or the Local Area System of 121.5MHz. The former is for broader GPS coordinates, while the smaller signal is designed for when Search and Rescue authorities are only a matter of metres away. Most PLBs have the capability of transmitting both frequencies.

When to NOT Use a PLB

Rustic, remote, and reckless venturing aside – a PLB is also necessary for use in dangerous scenarios that unfold within metropolitan areas. For example, a motorbike accident in the Adelaide hills involving broken legs, a smashed phone, and a rogue bike, calls for a PLB device. This is one of the few life-threatening examples concerning an area within a five-kilometre radius of the suburbs that is necessary for more immediate emergency service.

On the contrary, breaking down in the outback with adequate levels of food, water, and means of setting up camp for the night is not deemed as severe. In these circumstances, one shouldn’t call on a PLB – just the RAA, or state-equivalent! Ultimately, becoming bogged off the beaten track without phone signal many prompt the telling question – ‘Should I not activate this PLB, will I find myself in increasingly more danger?’ Put simply – if the answer is yes, it’s time to pull out the PLB.

Scenarios like the above often shed light on satellite message devices as more viable options. As mentioned, pre-programmed messaging allows flexibility to send updates to friends or family members reflective of the type of assistance needed – for example, “I’m not in fatal danger, but please send help”, or simply “I’m running a day late – I’m not going to return home on [date]”.

Sending the Search and Rescue authorities for emergency operations is an expensive affair. For this reason, it’s just as important to first de-activate a PLB before disposing of it. This will prevent the accidental triggering of a rescue signal during the rubbish disposal process – and arriving at the tip without cause brings a whole new meaning to ‘a load of rubbish’!
As an additional precautionary step too, this approach should be applied even when a PLB’s battery has reached its expiry date.

Which PLB Should I Buy?

In the case of satellite message devices, Ben and Lauren encourage buyers to first assess the features, options, subscriptions, and services available that best suit their lifestyle. For example, spending hundreds of dollars on a device upfront, before a further $60 or so per month moving forward, is likely to be less ideal than other plans on offer. For general use, assess what functions and features the device offers through your phone too.

It’s wise to consider that Search and Rescue services aren’t offered for situations that unfold within organised events. For example, while an arranged desert race should already involve the appropriate safety equipment and integrate relevant procedures in the case of an emergency, it’s wise to first determine what the private company constitutes as a search and rescue effort.

In regards to a PLB, these devices deliver the same, sole function – triggering distress signals in the case of emergencies. With this in mind, consider what your primary activities involve:

Are you a kayaker, a stand-up paddleboarder (SUP-er), or a recreational fisherman?

Do you travel overseas often – and if so, where to?

Do you plan to re-locate indefinitely?

Lastly, is Australian-made important to you?

On the latter, Kinetic Technology International (KTI) was initially Australian-made before it was bought by a Norwegian company and eventually ceased operation in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. When KTI devices were still in production, they boasted a ten-year battery life and a small, compact design – popular among the avid adventurers.

Another Australian-made brand is GME, offering products such as the Accusat MT610G PLB for all-round land use with a seven-year battery life. It’s important to note that the battery life lasts to its full extent when not in use or activated. Considering this, it’s recommended to replace the battery at the three-year mark following the activation of the PLB’s distress signal. While Snowys have ceased stocking of KTI locator beacons, GME are available on the shelves and online.
As well as PLBs, GME also manufacture EPIRBs and radios such as those for marine operations for many years. Given their long-standing services, the company operate via many service centres around the world where customers can have their PLB assessed, and batteries replaced. For more on GME and their history, services, and products, check out Ben and Lauren’s interview with GME employee Tony in Ep36 – UHF Radios with GME.

GME offers products such as the Accusat MT410G PLB for all-round land use, boasting a seven-year battery life. Credit: GME

While the GME Accusat PLB can go from country to country, the KTI was unable to be re-coded – that is, re-registered with the country to which you’re moving to. In the event a user decides to re-locate, most PLBs sold in Snowys stores can be re-coded to other nations.
GME PLBs can also be de-activated. Some locator beacons such as the RescueMe Ocean Signal and the GME MT10G enable a 50-second delay after activating, allowing for any accidental triggering to be resolved quickly. A PLB’s manual will indicate how to determine when the beacon will transmit – but even in the case of de-activating a PLB within the 50-second window, it’s recommended a user contacts the AMSA immediately to quote the PLB registration number and confirm that Search and Rescue services are not required.

The ACR ResQLink – an American-manufactured product – is available in two units. The ResQLink View includes a wireless detection component that allows your phone to read the beacon’s battery life when held at an adequate distance. The standard ResQLink 400 model is of a similar construction and displays your current GPS location – a handy additional feature that is uncommon in most PLBs, dismissing the need for a satellite message device subscription.
While ACR devices also allow for worldwide battery replacement, recoding, and de-activation – they prompt an instant rescue transmission once the PLB has been activated. Essentially, this will leave adventurers more red-faced after accidentally triggering a distress signal on an ACR beacon, than if they do so via a GME.

Popular with aqua adventurers, the RescueMe Ocean Signal PLB is waterproof up to 15 metres. That said, this device isn’t to be used onboard a boat that exceeds two nautical miles from the shoreline as per an EPIRB. Instead, an Ocean Signal is best utilised for recreational watersports such as SUP-ing and kayaking. With this in mind, multi-watersport adventurers will benefit more from a device with a 15-metre waterproof rating over that of only one metre. While GME and ACR beacons feature inbuilt flotation devices, they don’t offer the same IPX (waterproof) rating as an Ocean Signal which instead requires a pouch for use in water.

While all the gadgets discussed throughout the podcast boast a robust blend of durability, quality, and user-friendly technicalities – there’s always a buy that’s better built for your unique outback endeavours. For the adventurers who value Aussie-made equipment, GME is a highly recommended label to explore – while Ocean Signal offer the most apposite, aqua-based devices for those after small, compact tackle designed to withstand water. Lastly, for ultimate security amid outback serenity, the ACR ResQLink range is fancy, flash, and fosters greater functionality – including access to GPS coordinates, battery life status, and a worldwide network of search and rescue satellites.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep49 – PLB Comparisons appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep48 – Campsite Q&A’s #3 with Ben & Lauren

Ben and Lauren — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 01:42:01 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Be it toddlers in sleeping bags, or toppers for sleeping swags,

Lauren and Ben burrow into our Snowys’ inbox and put to bed some of the problems that have had you pondering. We scan our Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook platforms for your most asked and always interesting campsite questions.

This episode of the Snowys Camping Show runs the tap on tips and tricks in wet weather, unbeatable Snowys buys, coffee at the campsite, the best bags, mending swags – and so much more. Tune in, or check out this blog for a written version.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:13 – Ben’s Arms…

02:01 – Why Isn’t the JetBoil Genesis Basecamp Available in Australia?

05:59 – On My Lap Around Australia, What is Recommended: Ute Canopy, Camper Trailer, or Caravan?

09:05 – What Food is Best to Leave in the Pantry for Short Overnight Stops (Product Review on Back Country or Outdoor Gourmet Food Brands)?

16:22 – What is the Best Option for Managing Mozzies When Camping?

19:16 – Tips or Tricks to Help While Camping in the Rain?

20:54 – When Will Snowys Open a Store in Sydney?

21:25 – Best Sleeping Bag for Bigger People?

25:49 – Where Can I Find Mattress Toppers for Swags?

27:55 – When Will Snowys Stock the Zempire Airforce 1?

28:30 – Fixing Snapped Swag Poles

30:32 – The Snowys Products Ben and Lauren Couldn’t Go Without

35:41 – Favoured Snowys Products by Other Snowys Staff

42:09 – Tips for Taking Toddlers Camping?

46:36 – Best Coffee Makers for Camping?

49:58 – Best Ultralight Cutlery and Crockery for Hiking…at the Lowest Price?

52:32 – Do You Know Where I Left My Glasses?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

Guide to Dehydrating Food for Hiking

Best Freeze-Dried Meals for Camping and Hiking

Top Tips for Family Camping in Winter

Podcasts:

Ep10 – Camping With Teenagers

Products:

MSR PocketRocket 2 Hiking Stove

Rooftop tents

Back Country freeze-dried meals

Outdoor Gourmet freeze-dried meals

Freeze-dried meals

Radix freeze-dried meals

Go Native packet meals

Box-style double mosquito net

Heavy-duty tarp

Gazebo

Sea to Summit sleeping bags

Regular-sized sleeping bag

Long-sized sleeping bag

Women-specific sleeping bag

Sea to Summit Amplitude range

Mummy-fit sleeping bag

Rectangular-fit sleeping bag

Darche Cold Mountain 1100 sleeping bag

Segmental swag pole repair kit

Dome swag pole repair kit

AeroPress portable coffee maker

First Aid kit

Collapsible Space Saving tubs

Scrubba Wash Bag

Sea to Summit collapsible X-Cup

Pacsafe waist wallet

Delta insulated cup

Jaffle iron

JetBoil Zip portable stove

Adult/standard sleeping bags

Wacaco coffee maker

Sea to Summit cutlery set

Sea to Summit Delta cutlery set

Sea to Summit Delta bowl

Sea to Summit Delta plate

Other:

Australian Gas Association (AGA)

How to Repair a Broken Tent Pole

For the ‘cuddlier’ campers, there are a range of roomy sleeping bag styles available. Credit: Sea to Summit

If your camp cutlery isn’t comfortable to hold, the eating experience is thrown completely off course! Credit: Oztent

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep48 – Campsite Q&A’s #3 with Ben & Lauren appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep47 – Australian Manufacturing with Blacksmith Camping Supplies

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 04:43:02 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Maybe they used to fight over the TV remote.

Maybe they used to nick food from each other’s plate at the dinner table. Maybe they still call dibs on the front seat of the car.

Sibling antics aside, founders of Blacksmith Camping Supplies Laine and Erin have demonstrated how hard work, collaboration, and a shared love for the great outdoors can foster a successful Australian family business. In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, we unpack what Australian-made products mean to them. In that, Lauren and Ben query the challenges they’ve faced, the feedback they’ve embraced, and the production process from design to dispatch.

Short Cuts:

00:00 – Intro

00:58 – Introducing Laine and Erin

02:09 – History

04:37 – Sourcing Aussie-Made Materials

07:01 – Products

08:59 – Machinery and Equipment

11:19 – Blacksmith Camping’s Point of Difference

12:14 – Humble Beginnings

14:21 – A Rapid Progression

15:16 – The First Employee

17:13 – When You Know, You Know

19:30 – Challenges

20:24 – New Designs

21:51 – Cost

22:45 – Inspiration from Competitors

24:10 – The Process from Design to Dispatch

27:21 – Knock-On Effects

31:20 – Maintenance of Machinery

33:32 – Quality Control

35:42 – The Importance of Aussie-Made

37:49 – What’s on the Horizon?

39:37 – Find Out More

Mentioned in this Episode:

Sites and Pages:

Blacksmith Camping Supplies – Home

Snowys Outdoors – Home

Blacksmith Camping Supplies – About Us

Blacksmith Camping Supplies – Shop All

Blacksmith Camping Supplies – Our Materials

Blacksmith Camping Supplies – Contact Us

Adelaide Annexe & Canvas – Home

Blacksmith Camping Supplies – Facebook

Blacksmith Camping Supplies – Instagram

Snowys Outdoors – Blacksmith Camping Supplies Brand Page

Blacksmith Camping Supplies Products:

Drawer / storage bags

Camp oven bags

Pipsqueak / small storage bags

Peg and tool bags

Gift cards

Sand peg and tool bags

Dash organisers

Introducing Laine and Erin

As founders of Blacksmith Camping Supplies, Laine and Erin are not only brother and sister but the children of Snowys Outdoors Director Richard. Outside this interview, Lauren and Ben address Laine as their boss – but not today! Our podcast hosts take the reins.

History

After Snowys was established in Adelaide during the mid-90s, Laine and Erin found they became increasingly familiar with camping, 4WD, and outdoor equipment. Leading up to 2019, the general feedback from customers presented the opportunity for Snowys to supply and stock Australian-made products. This was when Laine and Erin decided to mirror their father’s ambition and create high-quality, Australian-made outdoor gear. In building their own brand, they identified an opportunity to control the process from start to finish – from sourcing material, hardware, and products within Australia, right through to quality control. In this way, they maintain a genuine sense of pride in the production of their canvas camping bags.

Sourcing Aussie-Made Materials

Given the already limited supply of Australian-manufactured materials, our podcast hosts query how important Laine and Erin considered the sourcing of these, as well as how they approached obtaining the supplies they were satisfied with.

After a lot of research, Erin can clarify that while Blacksmith Camping seeks Aussie-made materials, there’s also a regard for the process they undergo – for example, canvas interwoven with Queensland-grown cotton. While they’ve been offered canvas materials fabricated offshore, the quality of such is both insufficient for their product purposes and lacks relevance to the harsh Australian conditions.

Despite Australia’s deficiency in some materials – like zippers, which Erin instead sources from Japan – Laine confirms that Blacksmith Camping has been relatively lucky within the outdoor industry. As their products are synonymous with the history of the swagman, their roots are Australian and so have had them benefitting from enough supply options.

Products

Blacksmith Camping Supplies stock canvas bags for 4WDs and camping, including those for wheels, hoses, power cords, general storage, camp ovens, smaller items, tools, and more. The main construction materials are canvas and PVC, with both UV and rot protection. While these are sourced from around Australia, the zippers, Velcro, and some hardware need to be sourced from overseas. With even their webbing obtained from Victoria, the foundation of Blacksmith Camping’s canvas bags is Australian-made.

Ben reminds those who seek 100% Australian-made products that it’s virtually impossible to achieve this. Most products will boast roughly 80% of Australian materials with the remaining 20% physically unable to be sourced from anywhere other than overseas.

As mentioned, deeming a product as Australian-made involves covering more factors than the materials alone. Some brands of Australian products may use Australian materials, though their manufacturing takes place offshore. Erin confirms that Blacksmith Camping produce every bag onsite in their humble, Adelaide-based workshop – with four exceptional sewers operating behind her as she speaks!

Blacksmith Camping Supplies stock canvas bags for 4WDs and camping. Credit: Blacksmith Camping Supplies

Machinery and Equipment

For Laine and Erin, the mission around Australian-made products extends past materials to the machinery and equipment used in the manufacturing process – including repairs and servicing.

The Pathfinder fabric-cutting machine, requiring two full-time, permanent employees, was sourced from Victoria. Machine operators will service the system physically when they can make it across the border, as well as remote into the machine itself from interstate. Erin sourced her sewing machines from Queensland, and has accepted substantial assistance in their setting up and servicing. That said, her Diploma in Textiles and background in sewing has granted her a profound understanding of the machinery.

While it isn’t their driver, sourcing infrastructure from around Australia is a bonus for the Blacksmith brand. Navigating the equipment has proved a steep learning curve, where the support they’ve received – even from competitors – has helped pave the way. Nonetheless, no one pushed harder for the Pathfinder cutting machine than Laine, who in the lead up to its arrival had spent every night flexing his forearms by hand-cutting fabric with scissors!

Blacksmith Camping’s Point of Difference

While there are many, high quality and durability are the two most distinctive brand qualities. Blacksmith Camping develops practical designs that their customers claim to need, acknowledging and understanding their requests for useful products that last a lifetime.

Humble Beginnings

Circling back to Laine’s massive forearms – Lauren and Ben ask where it all began, and at what point the two of them graduated to more efficient equipment.

In 2019, Laine and Erin huddled into the back room of the Snowys’ Adelaide store to mesh both their love of the outdoors and experience in the industry. With ever-bulging forearms and a single sewing machine, Laine cut the fabric that Erin sewed, producing the first Blacksmith bags to sell through Snowys. Their days lasted 12 hours, where 9am-5pm was spent working at Snowys before moving into the backroom for four hours of building their business. This would continue into the weekend too.

Like Harry Potter’s cupboard under the stairs, their initial cranny of creation served as a test in determining whether this was the industry they wanted to pursue. Beyond their blistered, callused hands, Laine and Erin were still convinced, oblivious that their Blacksmith brand was about to boom.

A Rapid Progression

With such a substantial progression over the last three years, Laine is grateful for the opportunity to have initially leveraged off Snowys. Access to their customers and demographic not only further enhanced Blacksmith Camping’s brand awareness, but encouraged customer and staff feedback in the interest of future designs and styles.

The First Employee

As the business developed, Laine and Erin sought a fulltime sewer who could maintain the ideal level of quality while considering customer demand. Until this point, all roles and responsibilities had been monitored by Laine and Erin to a very particular standard – so handing over the sewing machine to their first employee was like handing over a newborn baby to a stranger. They were now expected to teach and train, which for Erin meant drawing from her teaching background.

Amid planning a wedding, Laine found it a personal challenge to build a team larger than their brother-and-sister-band. That said, hiring staff meant Laine and Erin established a quality control process which allowed them to determine whether more training was required, and which area demanded it most.

When You Know, You Know

It was after hiring that first staff member that Laine and Erin established a sense of confidence, dedicating more time to listening to and developing trust with their customers. Their Blacksmith Camping Supplies website launched in early 2021, from which they now ship products to countries all over the world including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Japan.

Be it receiving a photo from a little girl in Japan happily holding her new bag, to noticing an online order coming in from New York – the thrill of knowing their product is sought from anywhere overseas is a feeling Laine and Erin can only humbly describe as ‘pretty cool’. Ultimately, their success has stemmed from identifying a market for bags complementing camping supplies that don’t yet have a storage option, such as sharp tools.

Initial Challenges

Given the big benefits brought to you by Blacksmith bags, the initial challenges that Laine and Erin encountered were a small workspace and minimal machinery. One can only manufacture so many bags in a day and, without the adequate cash to fund machinery in the early stages, efficiency was an issue the two of them hoped to improve as their business blossomed. With a greater rate of productivity, time no longer becomes a substantial factor in the cost of production, further helping to maintain low selling prices.

New Designs

From designing to dispatching – Lauren and Ben want to know how Blacksmith Camping identifies a new product opportunity.

It starts with the customer. Using their request as an aid, Laine and Erin design what they think both aligns best with the current market and what could be well-received. After asking Snowys staff to trial, test, and thrash about in the scrub, they progress these ideas from prototypes to final products.

Erin expresses how much she loves receiving suggestions from customers via e-mail. A benefit of being a small business is how quickly they can physically respond to a request for an extra feature, such as a pocket.

Cost

What comes first – the product, or the price?

Laine explains the importance of meeting the ideal level of quality and practicality while still prioritising Australian-made materials. In regard to cost, he circles back to efficiency, where prices will simply reflect the effectiveness of the manufacturing process.

Inspiration from Competitors

In the instance of their wheel bags, Laine and Erin first sourced five or six from competing brands to establish what works, why they’re popular, and how Blacksmith Camping could produce a better design. Despite having made customer review-based changes over time, the Blacksmith Camping Supplies wheel bag is one of their most successful products.

The Process from Design to Dispatch

From the initial sketch to the final product – the complexity of a design determines the overall length of the manufacturing process. In the interest of perfecting its design, a product will usually begin as three or four prototypes. After assessing its overall form, the team move it into the production stage. The entire process lasts between three and four months.

The cutting machine is operated by a program called Pathfinder that enables an easy, efficient, digital creation of patterns. Considering this, the production aspect of a new design is quick, where most of the time is allocated to determining whether it’s a good fit for the brand and the current market. From the paper, to the calico, and finally to the canvas – the level of thought devoted to creating a product is greater than a customer may consider, be it the direction of a zipline or the size of a pocket.

Knock-On Effects

From their exploding success, there have been unavoidable knock-on effects. The Coronavirus, now in its third year, has impacted businesses all over the world on varying points of the scale – particularly concerning the supply of materials.

Blacksmith Camping fortunately avoided the heavier impacts, launching prior to the peak effects of the virus. With the subsequent increase in travel within our own backyard too, locally-made products became even more attractive to avid 4WD tourers and adventurers.

During this period, sourcing supplies from within Australia was even more of an advantage than doing so internationally. Utilising Australian canvas made from cotton grown nationally meant fewer interruptions to border and trade restrictions overseas. That said, the demand for Aussie-made materials was higher and Erin was met with difficulties in obtaining canvas from their usual manufacturer who simply couldn’t fulfill the demand at their usual rate. Ultimately, the challenges they inevitably faced had Blacksmith just as vulnerable as every other business of their kind.

With the rising price of steel proving it no longer viable to sell via retail, Hillbilly Camping Gear has made the tough decision to discontinue selling wholesale. Laine states that Blacksmith can both sell direct to a customer and share profit on their income with Snowys. In the case of Hillbilly, their only option now is to remove the middle man. That said, the high demand for their long lasting, top quality, and quintessentially Australian gear simply reflects the increasing support for Australian manufacturing.

Maintenance of Machinery

Sewing machine mechanics may be scarce – but they’re out there, and Erin confirms that Blacksmith have been very lucky! Sewers themselves tend to be hidden gems too, especially when considering who best fits the Blacksmith brand and expectations.

Nonetheless, local mechanics like Adelaide Annexe & Canvas – specialising in caravan awnings – are always willing to lend a hand, which Laine claims is a true reflection of the outdoor industry.

Quality Control

We’ve established that Erin and Laine are relatively particular individuals…so it won’t surprise you to know that every finished Blacksmith Camping product is placed on a shelf and reviewed thoroughly before it’s dispatched.

From a loose thread to an imperfection in the fabric itself, Erin scans for consistent back-sewing and even stitching. Any bag that fails the first test is sent straight back to the sewers, where products with only minor faults earn their place on the ‘seconds’ shelf.

The Importance of Aussie-Made

Initially, Erin was of the belief that all canvas was the same. After almost three years of sourcing supplies and materials for Blacksmith Camping, she can confirm that the quality of Australian canvas is superior.

The construction of offshore canvas tends to skip a few steps, be it bleaching or washing, which can lead to the fabric breaking down or rotting. That said, this doesn’t necessarily deem it poor – only insufficient for harsh Australian conditions, manufactured instead to suit its local climate. Australian-made canvas features UV resistance and other qualities allowing it to withstand unique Aussie environments – a hearty fabric that lasts forever.

Furthermore, in choosing to purchase Australian-made products, one also chooses to support Australian jobs and the national economy.

Australian-made canvas features UV resistance and other qualities allowing it to withstand unique Aussie environments.
Credit: Blacksmith Camping Supplies

What’s on the Horizon?

Continuing to expand the Blacksmith team is a mutual goal for both Laine and Erin. Regarding products, they hope for their visions of tool rolls, additional organisers, and jerry can bags to become a reality. With the success of their 4WD wheel bags, the siblings also plan to design a Ute bag for a tray, and a 4WD system where every Blacksmith bag has a place in your boot.

Laine and Erin also hope for more machinery and thus better efficiency, in the interest of continuing to lower their prices.

Find Out More

Aside from the Contact Us page on their website (BlacksmithCamping.com), Blacksmith Camping is also active on both Facebook and Instagram, currently monitored by Laine. Of course, products can also be viewed and purchased through Snowys Outdoors.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep47 – Australian Manufacturing with Blacksmith Camping Supplies appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep46 – Hiking Gear You Don’t Need

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 00:58:37 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

With only a microphone, a page of notes, and their minimalist mindset,

Lauren and Ben set the scene for this episode of the Snowys Camping Show. From multi-use items, to shoes, undies, and liners, snapping a toothbrush in two, or eating straight from a packet – our gear experts discuss how to pack tight, choose light, and do it for the gram (only this time, off the grid).

Short Cuts

00:00 – Intro

00:42 – Under- and Over-Packing

03:59 – Multiple Use Items

08:33 – Clothing

10:30 – Socks and Undies

11:21 – Layers

12:40 – Sock Liners

13:33 – Buffs

15:20 – Hiking Boots

19:24 – Extra Shoes

19:51 – New Gear

23:23 – Cookware

25:51 – Gas

27:07 – Toiletries

29:30 – Pack Covers

31:39 – First Aid Kits, Safety Devices, and Survival Tools

36:17 – Hiking Poles

38:00 – Tunnel Tents

39:09 – Repair Kits

39:43 – Luxury items

40:54 – Packs

Mentioned in this Episode

Blogs:

Snake Survival: What Everyone Should Know

Spider Safety: What Everyone Should Know

Hiking Poles – Why You’ll Never Look Back!

Products:

Merino shirt (women’s)

Sock liners (women’s)

Cup, bowl, and plate set

All-in-one knife, fork, and spoon

Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)

Survival tools

Camp chair

Hiking poles

Freestanding hiking tent

Other:

Under- and Over-Packing

On shorter hikes, sometimes we feel the need to pack more than we need – often because there’s more room to do so, or we’re travelling with children who may require more items. That said, when it comes to hiking, less is best. With limited supplies in our packs, we can take more time to enjoy our surroundings without the strenuous slogging.

Trial-packing in the lead-up to a hike is a great idea – but while it’s one thing to trot about the house with a full pack, it’s another to have the same pack on your back for four hours, scrambling and sweating your way up the slopes in searing heat! Where Ben is typically a minimalist on hikes, Lauren tends to over-pack. Her thoughts are that space-saving and lightweight loads are great…but only because it means she can pack more stuff!

With this in mind, Lauren and Ben keep three specific questions top of mind throughout their packing process to help determine what goes in, and what stays out:

Do I actually need this?

Is there something else I have that will do the same or a similar job?

If something did happen that required this, could I get by without it?

Multiple Use Items

Contrary to what some may assume, smartphones are a useful gadget on the gradient. As well as a communication device, a smartphone quadruples as a guidebook, camera, e-book, and GPS. While guides and e-books aren’t so relevant on day trips, multi-day hikes can often benefit from their use. Sam – an avid hiker here at Snowys – recommends a phone app called Libby. Linked to the South Australian state library, the app houses an extensive range of the library’s e-book collection without the need for payment of a subscription (as with a Kindle, for example). Lauren simply pre-loads four or five books before her trip away as her source of solitude and entertainment.

With a phone also comes the need for a charging device such as a solar panel system. That said, Lauren suggests using Aeroplane Mode throughout the hike and limiting the length of time spent listening to music. Aside from a potential 2-5,000 milliamp power pack, the former method is unlikely to chew through too much battery life on a short, two-night trip away.

It’s important to note too that while a smartphone offers various uses, it should never be taken in place of a compass or a map. The latter two should still be tucked away somewhere in case the phone becomes wet and malfunctions.

Another multi-use item that Ben advocates for is the Zip Lock bag. This can be used as a wash bag, keeping maps and phones dry, and for storing food, rubbish, and elements of nature for memorabilia.

Clothing

When tackling outdoor terrain, it’s recommended to minimise how often you change clothes. In that, consider using one set for walking and another for sleeping. Aside from fresh socks and jocks, it’s unlikely you’ll need four t-shirts and three pairs of shorts on a hiking trip.

That said, to avoid the stench of the same shirt day after day, Lauren and Ben recommend choosing lightweight merino over cotton fabrics. While cotton becomes increasingly unpleasant over a shorter period, merino remains fresh and dries faster after riverside rinsing. Lauren tends to steer clear of the suffocating synthetics too, and Ben often wears a heavy-duty nylon shirt.

Socks and Undies

A clever approach to socks and jocks is simply taking two pairs of each and rotating them throughout the trip. While one is being worn, the other can be washed and hung from your pack during the day using a carabiner.

Layers

The best approach to layering on an outdoor trek is assessing the weather ahead and having an awareness of the type of environment you’ll be travelling in.

Windcheaters and jumpers are an example of clothing that likely isn’t needed. Circling back to multi-use items, simply wrapping yourself in a sleeping bag will offer the same warming function. Placing yourself in a hypothetical situation can also help to assess a potential approach if the weather temperature was to drop suddenly.

Ultimately, referring to weather information online in the lead-up to your departure will give a reasonable gauge on temperature averages during your time away.

Sock Liners

While Lauren has never felt the need for sock liners over simply a good pair of socks, Ben has found them comfortable with heavy leather hiking boots. That said, as long as your style of sock aligns with your style of shoe (for example, heavy-weight socks with heavy-weight boots), and leather boots have already been worn in, there’s often little need for sock liners. While they help in avoiding blisters, those who choose not to wear them should simply treat hot spots as soon as they arise.

Buffs

A Buff is a tube of fabric that one can use however they like, where examples include a scarf, bandana, beanie, headband, pot-holder (be careful with synthetic material around hot surfaces!), and a pillow slip. In Lauren’s opinion, you can’t go wrong. As well as synthetic, other Buff materials include merino, which is highly recommended.

In the same multi-use realm, a pair of socks can double as mittens while an extra t-shirt can couple as a Buff. Again, these multiple-use items often stem from the question, ‘is there something else I have stashed away that can be used for the same function, to avoid over-packing?’

Hiking Boots

While they serve a useful purpose on the tracks, there isn’t necessarily a need for heavy-duty hiking boots. As technology in footwear evolves, there are now more lighter weight shoes available over the stiff, heavy leather boots. That said, there is a tradeoff – with a lighter-weight trail runner comes a faster rate of deterioration than a more durable leather shoe. On the other hand, it isn’t necessary to first wear-in trail runners as it is leather hiking boots.

Ultimately, Lauren and Ben suggest not buying a pair of hiking boots before a trip away if you can continue to use the ‘old faithfuls’ – especially those that are decent trail shoes or solid, sturdy sneakers. Hiking-specific footwear is necessary depending on the type of hiking you’re taking part in, where trail-hiking on hot, rocky, uneven ground is more likely to call for a heavy-duty pair over a lighter-weight counterpart.

Lastly, Lauren suggests simply knowing your feet. For example, as someone who finds closed-in shoes on hot hikes uncomfortable, she tends to wear sandals on the slopes, with thick socks during the Winter. On the other hand, Ben would find this style of footwear difficult to sport, where weaker ankles bode better in a higher cut, closed-in shoe.

Extra Shoes

With a sturdy pair of hiking shoes, an additional lighter-weight pair for pottering about the campsite is all that’s required. This could include a pair of flip-flops, or Crocs. Despite their odd design, Crocs are a comfortable combination of breathable and protective. With closed-in toe protection, they’re also capable of clipping to the side of your pack while you pace to the mountain peak.

New Gear

If you’re anything like Lauren and Ben, you’ll find any new item that arrives instore both exciting and tempting! That said, there isn’t as much of a need for new gear and gadgets as one may be led to believe.

In the hiking world, it’s often prevalent that attempting to pack all the latest and greatest gear can leave your pack too heavy. Avid hikers tend to want to swap the gadgets for grams, where saving 50-100 grams is often a huge feat. That said, even occasional hikers are encouraged to stick to the basics.

Just like new boots, it’s best to avoid using new equipment for the first time on a hiking trip. Ahead of your adventure, break in stoves, pots, and other cooking equipment. For example, porridge is often cooked more successfully when the water is heated first – where a blackened, burned pot base was a wake-up call during one of Lauren’s hiking trips!

A helpful catchphrase? Trial before you trail!

Cookware

Following on from above, it’s ideal to carry cookware that serves multiple uses. Ben uses stainless steel equipment, where a cup can also double as a billy in which to boil water and a stainless steel plate has the potential to be used as a fry pan.

Depending on the types of meals you’re likely to consume, it’s not often one will need a cup, bowl, AND plate on a trip away. For example, if there isn’t a plan for steak, veggies and bread, a plate may not be necessary, where pastas and soups will merely require a bowl. That said, Lauren flags that even most pre-packaged dehydrated meals can be consumed without crockery, where the packets themselves double as a bowl. Simply add boiling water from a JetBoil or MSR Windburner eat with a long-handled spoon.

In terms of beverages, consuming liquids straight from your drink bottle is an apt way to save space, while coffee could be enjoyed straight from a JetBoil. Nonetheless, Ben reminds us that the latter requires cleaning first (possibly following a porridge breakfast), which involves more water and subsequently adds weight to your pack! As for utensils, often an all-in-one knife, fork, and spoon is a more practical choice, where a sharper knife and scissors can be utilised via a small pocketknife.

While these seem like only small changes, they add up – for example, saving eight grams ten times could leave enough room for a Mars bar (hey, that’s a great outcome). Again, Lauren and Ben encourage asking the key questions: do you really need a particular item for the types of meals you plan to cook? If so, what could you use instead?

Gas

While gas isn’t usually too heavy to carry, it’s often the awkward size of the canister that causes the difficulty. Gas gauges, screwed into the top of the gas bottle, are a useful method of determining how much gas is available for the duration of your trip. Ben also suggests first weighing the gas bottle, cooking with it, and weighing it again to verify the rough quantity required for cooking, multiplying this by the predicted number of meals. That said, he often resorts to a multi-fuel stove and only carries as much as he needs.

Toiletries

Lauren recommends Sea To Summit’s Wilderness Wash, covering dishwashing and laundry detergent, body wash, shampoo, and conditioner – all in one! While biodegradable, it’s recommended for use away from waterways, but safe to use on skin, cookware, clothing, and outdoor equipment.

A toothbrush and toothpaste tube are both non-negotiables, and Ben even goes as far as snapping his brush in half to fit one of his many 10cm-long storage bags. In doing so, he saves roughly four grams.

While Wilderness Wash may not have you smelling like coconut as you wade out of the waterhole, it will nonetheless leave you clean – so deodorant is a toiletry item that Ben and Lauren recommend leaving at home. This decision could be reassessed if the plan is to stop into public venues and pubs along the way – but not for those roughing it wild and free.

Wilderness Wash is safe to use on skin, cookware, clothing, and outdoor equipment. Credit: Sea To Summit

Pack Covers

Ben has owned his pack cover for 15 years – yet hasn’t once removed it from its cover. Instead, he stashes everything in dry bags within his pack. Lauren has had a similar experience, where she bore 100 grams of extra weight for no reason at all.

Just like Buffs and Zip Lock bags, this calls for another multi-use item – the poncho tarp! The item is designed to fit over the top of your backpack, as well as you – also eradicating the need for a raincoat. Serving as a groundsheet to sit on, a tarp within a tent, shelter from rain, shade from the sun, or even an awning, the poncho tarp can be used in all weather conditions.

First Aid Kits, Safety Devices, and Survival Tools

While a first aid kit is a given on any outdoor adventure, it’s recommended to assess what is required and strip away what isn’t. For example, Ben keeps compression bandages but removes Zip Lock bags, given their pre-existing uses throughout his pack. In the middle of Summer, Lauren suggests taking a snake-bite and spider-bite kit over a burn module to cut down on unneeded supplies. Snake-bite kits can be found on our website.

A Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) or some sort of safety device is highly recommended to keep in a pack. Often needed when you least expect, PLBs can be required in situations that may only be a stones throw from suburbia. Considering this, a PLB is exempt from the question ‘what would I do if I didn’t have a certain item?’ – just pack it!

While a PLB, map, compass, and a small pocketknife is necessary, other ‘survival tools’ could likely be a waste of space. Items considered ‘spare’, such as a chair, should also be left at home. Ultimately, Ben and Lauren agree that if you’re unsure whether you’ll use it – you likely won’t.

Hiking Poles

As with hiking footwear, the use of this equipment depends on the type of hiking you’re undergoing. While Lauren doesn’t see a use for hiking poles, she acknowledges that they provide a means for balancing on rocky, uneven surfaces when bearing a hefty load on your back. On the other hand, Ben advocates for hiking poles across almost all bases – relieving weight from the legs, activating shoulder movement, propelling forwards, and even serving as poles for a shelter or awning.

Tunnel Tents

Unless trekking in the Alpine areas amid intense winds that require aerodynamic features, tunnel tents are often unnecessary.

Their design can make them both limiting and difficult to erect on some hiking tracks, where their absence of freestanding features has hikers requiring pegs or platforms. The stability and shape of a freestanding tent, however, are owed to the cross-over pole design, where a person’s body weight keeps it grounded until pack-down the next morning.

As mentioned previously, another multi-use tent option involves a poncho tarp with a set of hiking poles and some pegs.

Repair Kits

With cable ties and possibly a needle and thread – duct tape is the most multi-use, versatile repair item to take on every outdoor adventure!

Luxury items

While a hiking trip is supposed to nudge us beyond the luxury high life, the lack of a good night’s sleep on the slopes is often what can turn a fantastic, free-spirited trip into an achy, uncomfortable ordeal.

Along with a soft plush hiking pillow, a yoga mat or a water bladder filled partially with air can also serve as a place to rest a hiker’s heavy head.

While some like to keep it simple, others like to be reassured they’ll be comfortable away from their wooden-legged bed at home. Sleeping mats aren’t always essential, but one with an appropriate, substantial design is one of few items that Ben and Lauren agree is worth the investment of both money and weight.

Packs

Contrary to what some may say, a pack embellished with bells and whistles isn’t needed. Ben carries a canvas sack with a decent harness but without pockets, packed with his dry bags of belongings.

While every zip and patch of fabric adds weight, the ultra-lightness of a pack without pockets and zippers comes at a sacrifice of durable fabric. Considering this, Lauren recommends a basic bag constructed with a heavier fabric, without the added nooks, crannies, and trinkets, to ensure the longevity of the pack itself. Packs that merely present as a lightweight material sack may not look to give the required support – though within the ultralight realm, it’s how one packs the bag that provides this.

So, to reiterate the ultimate catchphrase of the track, repeat after us:

Less is best, and no trial on the trial!

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep46 – Hiking Gear You Don’t Need appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep45 – Fire Ban Seasons with the CFS

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 21 Feb 2022 03:33:07 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

They’re our hot weather heroes,

fighting the flames and forewarning the community of dangerous conditions. While every state and territory have a rural fire service of their own, Ben and Lauren chat with Phil from the South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS) and extinguish any confusion around Fire Ban Seasons.

From considerations in campfire cooking, to seeking the right refuge – in this heated episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Phil cools the coals and clarifies all regulations that are relevant to travellers and tourers during the Fire Danger periods.

Short Cuts

00:00 – Intro

00:50 – Introducing Phil from the CFS

01:43 – Gas Stove Regulations

04:16 – Travelling During the High Season

08:17 – Radios

09:14 – Protection in Bushfire-Risk Zones

13:08 – Bushfire Refuges

18:04 – Travelling on Foot

20:36 – Identifying a Fire

22:59 – The Fire Danger Season: Unpacked

28:03 – Braziers and Above-Ground Fires

29:20 – Comfort Fires

29:57 – Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Legislation

32:15 – “Gas” Stove Terminology

33:33 – Use of Gas Appliances

35:30 – Generators

37:45 – Induction Cooktops

40:00 – Extinguishing a Fire

45:08 – Find Out More or Get Involved!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)

Solar and power devices

Other:

What Can I Do / What Can’t I Do?

Bushfire Safer Places and Bushfire Last Resort Refuges

Emergency WA – Fire Danger Ratings

CFS SA – Fire Danger Season Dates

Queensland Parks & Wildlife Service – Campfires and Cooking

Introducing Phil from the CFS

Chatting with Lauren and Ben today is Phillip McDonough from the CFS. Phil works as the Strategy and Compliance Officer in the Preparedness Operations department, loosely known as the prevention area. The sector focuses on legislation and compliance-type issues, with relevance to keeping campers and hikers safe when touring outback and country areas during the Fire Danger Season.

Gas Stove Regulations

In previous years, devices such as camping stoves, pull-out kitchens, and gas BBQs in caravan parks were prohibited during a Fire Danger period. After a change in regulations, caravan parks and alike are now exempt. The adjustment allows travellers to utilise gas BBQs and carry out external cooking in caravan parks on a Fire Ban Day.

Where the new policies concern caravan parks, they do not apply to national parks. The latter operate via their own legislation that indicates the use of physical fires and gas cooking devices are still not permitted on Fire Ban days. Such activities also remain banned at free camps and layaway sites unless campers have been issued specific permits to allow otherwise.

Previously too, gas BBQs were allowed to be utilised within 15 metres of a house or domestic building. This did not account for the popular Bunnings BBQs, given the hardware store doesn’t fall under the same criteria. Considering this, the CFS incorporated specific terminology that referenced ‘commercial businesses’ to continue the Aussie tradition of the Bunnings BBQs.

Travelling During the High Season

Ultimately, travellers ought to be prepared and well-informed before travelling during the fire season. Some regional areas lack phone reception, which can lead to further difficulties – so camping somewhere with poor or no coverage will require pre-planning for potential problems.

While the CFS website indicates what is and is not permitted in alignment with restrictions during the Fire Danger Season, the Bureau Of Meteorology (BOM) website helps travellers to confidently identify potential Fire Bans or predicted fire weather up to four days in advance. With a specific fire danger prediction function, the BOM is recommended for acquiring an accurate idea of the conditions before travelling. The CFS base their decisions on the BOM’s data, where severe circumstances trigger their release of a Total Fire Ban status.

Other online emergency platforms include the Alert SA and Emergency Plus apps. The Alert SA app (or your state’s equivalent) allows the user to establish a ‘geo-fence’ that marks roughly where they’ll be travelling. In an area with phone reception, the app will notify the user if a fire has been lit nearby. This allows campers to maintain a sense of situational awareness when out bush.

Interstate, the NSW Rural Fire Service offers Fires Near Me, where Victoria’s services are via Emergency Management Victoria (EMV). Ultimately, camping in high-risk areas during the fire danger season demands an adequate phone signal for the best chance of seeking help in the case of a bushfire emergency.

Radios

When a fire is active, the CFS initiate a notification process. As the sole national information body, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the only commercial partner contracted with the CFS. While commercial radio stations will break into their own transmissions and communicate independently, they are bound by no formal agreements.

Another method to stay linked with other members of the camping community is via radio and television communication ‘trees’. With adequate radio contact in and out, park rangers and relevant authorities aware of your travel plans can notify of when there will be a Total Fire Ban. The forewarning can aid the process of rearranging and restructuring plans in accordance with the recent weather changes.

Protection in Bushfire-Risk Zones

Firstly, adequate drinking water is vital to include when travelling through high-risk zones. When faced with a fire, the key to survival is keeping a solid barrier between yourself and the flames – for example, a woollen blanket. While cotton burns and synthetic melts, wool does neither and so offers the best defence. Other examples of protective barriers include a building, a shelter or alike, a large tree, or a boulder. Phil recommends storing a woollen jumper or blanket in your vehicle while travelling as a simple safety step, like in fire trucks. Contrary to popular belief, dampening your woollen blanket will result in steam that burns the skin, so it’s suggested to keep the fabric dry.

Within your vehicle, keep below window-height where the radiation is less intense, with a blanket over the top for protection and insulation. Out in the open, locate a hide-out or solid object to position between yourself and the blaze. When this proves difficult or impossible, Phil’s advice is to move sideways from the fire, as opposed to attempting to out-run it by moving upwards or ahead.

Bushfire Refuges

The black smoke of a bushfire turns day into night. Open flames draw air in from the 360-degree scope surrounding the fire, engulfing it in the hurricane of heat. Phil often parallels the intense roar of the angry blaze to how it sounds standing beside a freight train.

Escaping a bushfire can be confusing and disorientating as it generates relentless heat, a smokey stench, and a suffocating haze. There are two types of bushfire refuges, each listed on the CFS website: Bushfire Safer Places and Bushfire Last Resort refuges. On the front page, travellers can enter the town they’re headed to, and those highlighted indicate bushfire refuges.

Usually, a Safer Place offers the best chance of survival as its infrastructure (for example, that of a township) means less vegetation and flammable materials. The deeper someone travels into a Safer Place, the more likely they are to find safety and security. On the other hand, a Last Resort refuge – as its name suggests – should only be considered as a final option and not before a Safer Place. Despite reduced vegetation, a Last Resort is not found within a Safer Place and, with no servicemen to assist, is nothing but an open space (for example, an oval). While these are well-signed, there is no guarantee they will protect to the extent of a Safer Place.

To determine bushfire refuges, a boundary is drawn at an adequate distance from vegetation and measured to less than two kilowatts per square kilometre – the threshold of survival. While there will be sparks, embers, and smoke, it’s the radiant heat that causes the most damage and poses the greatest threat. This is prevented within the Safer Place zones after many are measured to be below the threshold. On the CFS website, a Safer Place is identifiable as a yellow shaded area while Last Resort Refuges are each marked with a green icon.

Travelling on Foot

For those with a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) but without a vehicle, the initial reaction when feeling under threat of a bushfire is to activate the PLB. That said, doing so within another emergency event will likely make it difficult for a service member to respond while they’re busy battling the blaze. However, it is still beneficial to know that there are people within the area.

In the case of pre-occupied service members, those in danger of a bushfire beyond their vehicle are urged to identify the direction of the fire and begin moving to the side rather than ahead or on an incline. As touched on earlier, it is virtually impossible to outrun a fire. Phil elaborates that fire travels almost 10-times faster up a slope than along flat land, while the heat radiates at a lower intensity from the sides of the flames.

Ultimately, travelling on foot requires adequate preparation, education, and spatial awareness.

Identifying a Fire

If your nose says ‘comfort campfire’, but your gut says ‘bushfire’ – the CFS want to know immediately. Phil assures that they would rather receive a phone call in the early stages than for an observer to standby until it exacerbates. First, identify where the smell is coming from. Is it a campfire that can be handled independently, or more frenzied flames that are likely to spiral out of control?

In outback SA, the CFS may be 200-300km away before they reach a reported fire, which could meanwhile grow substantially – a tyranny of the distance between outback locations. On the other hand, response times to situations within the Mount Lofty Ranges surrounding Adelaide are reduced from hours to minutes. This comes with the greater population of people and higher concentration of resources in the area, and built-up country regions alike.

In some areas of the state, active prescribed burning is a helpful strategy. Phone operators ask a series of pre-set questions to help the caller identify the status of the fire, including how it smells and appears. If the fire seems uncontrolled, the operators can investigate further and consequently prevent a serious bushfire.

The Fire Danger Season: Unpacked

From campfires to camp stoves, the nuances of Fire Ban Season can be confusing. Lauren and Ben ask Phil to extinguish some of the perplexity by asking what constitutes a Fire Danger Season and, more specifically, what resource is most reliable from which to confirm relevant dates.

Fire Danger periods vary across the state, where SA dries out from the west to the south. The time between the west coast drying out and the Mount Gambier area in the southeast of the state doing so differs by four to six weeks. To minimise the inconvenience of the Fire Danger periods to the farming industry and camping community, the CFS stagger the dates.

South Australia is fragmented into 15 Fire Ban districts – West Coast, Northwest and Northeast pastoral, Eastern and Lower Eyre, Flinders Mid-North, Adelaide Metro, and finally tracking across to the Southeast Riverland and Lower Southeast. Kangaroo Island is its own Fire Ban district, with ever-fluctuating dates that depend on the volume of annual and seasonal rainfall.
While Victoria and NSW mirror SA’s approach, the NT covers the entirety of their state and WA indicates their Fire Danger ratings on their website. Ultimately, the most accurate information can be sourced from each organisation’s website.

Leading into traditional seasonal dates, the CFS liaise with local bushfire management committees to gather their recommendations. From there, they base their decisions on the risk of the fuel loads (that is, the total combustible content of a fire zone, building, or space), dryness of the fuels, and foresight into when the season may conclude. It’s also not uncommon for the CFS to further extend the season if their initial closing dates are found to be premature. This process happens in October, and by November 1 – when the first district looks to approach an early season – the dates are published on the CFS website.

While Fire Danger Season prompts restrictive use of some equipment, this doesn’t mean to say that there aren’t potential Total Fire Ban Days beyond these dates. Occasionally, there are days on the cusp of the Fire Danger Season that could pose a significant risk. In these situations, a Fire Ban Day is declared through the media, and restrictions are put in place. During the Fire Danger Season, this process is corresponded – though restrictions are already established. Such concern vehicles in long grass, use of certain equipment, stationary engines, and physical fires. For example, many farmers carry out acre burning – though if they do so during the Fire Danger Season, a permit is required from their local council.

Comfort fires also need to adhere to certain criteria during Fire Danger periods, including their size and depth. The restrictions indicate that a comfort fire needs to be less than one square metre, and entrenched 30 centimetres into the ground. A responsible member of the group is also required to control the fire from the time it ignites to the time it is extinguished, and there always needs to be an extinguishing agent within reach. A ‘responsible’ group member is someone not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and of an appropriate age to monitor the fire.

On Total Fire Ban Days, campfires are prohibited in all capacities.

Braziers and Above-Ground Fires

During the Fire Danger Season, above-ground and brazier fires are forbidden. This is due to the nature of their design, which doesn’t allow them to sit within a 30-centimetre trench.

That said, there are exceptions for those who manage to obtain a permit – though this is not a simple endeavour. Suitable permits are administered by the local government, and require an inspection of the site. When camping out bush, this can be inconvenient and difficult to follow through with.

Considering this, Phil encourages campers to simply dig a 30-centimetre hole as a firepit.

Comfort Fires

While some campers are known to toss some spuds on the coals (hungry for potatoes or not) in anticipation of someone questioning their ‘comfort fire’ – Phil clarifies that the exemption in the new legislation allows campfires for both comfort and cooking during the Fire Danger Season.

The exemption in the new legislation allows campfires for both comfort and cooking during the Fire Ban Season.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Legislation

While comfort fires are permitted in Fire Danger Seasons under relevant restrictions, some areas continue to ban them under the EPA legislation on account of their smoke causing an inconvenience. That said, those camping generally aren’t within zones affected, where most of the clause refers to areas surrounding and within townships and alike. Caravan parks will often indicate whether travellers can create a campfire, but those camping within relevant townships are simply encouraged to consider this extra step to avoid prosecution under the EPA legislation.

Regarding backyard camping, local councils outline regulations on how to approach campfires and, given they administer the legislation for the EPA, offer the most suitable advice.

“Gas” Stove Terminology

It’s important to note that while national parks indicate against ‘gas’ stoves, this terminology covers a broader group of cooking appliances.

Be it multi-fuel stoves using unleaded fuel or Shellite, or Trangias with methylated spirits and other fuel types – the term ‘gas’ in the context of appliances during the Fire Danger Season extends beyond Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) equipment. Essentially, liquid, gas, and solid fuels such as hexamine tablets and bricks, are all prohibited under this term.

Use of Gas Appliances

Many appliances can be bundled within the ‘gas’ arena, including angle grinders, gas soldering equipment, and oxy welding machines. Despite falling under the same banner as gas stoves, the use of these tools as an independent group is restricted under certain circumstances.

As mentioned, gas cooking is exempt from restrictions if in a caravan park or within 15 metres of a domestic or commercial building. That said, it’s recommended to clear the stove’s surrounding space to four metres, removing leaves and other bush debris from within the boundary. While this clearance concerns the sides of your pit, it also refers to the space above – so remove any flammable vegetation and low-hanging branches from within four metres above the pit too. Doing so ensures plenty of buffer, and the lowest chance of wayward sparks igniting.

Generators

There are two categories of generators: enclosed and non-enclosed.

Here in SA, an enclosed generator should only be used at a campsite if someone is within the vicinity at all times – in other words, doesn’t simply ‘set and forget’. In this case, like comfort fires, there needs to be a cleared space, an extinguishing agent within the area, and someone present at all times. If the latter isn’t possible, there are further, complicated regulations involved.

Non-enclosed generators pose a higher risk, as vegetation is more likely to come into contact with the device itself. Much of the danger revolves around its exhaust system, so every stationary engine must comply with the relevant system regulations. If the exhaust gases pass through the manufactured exhaust system, with no identified leaks or escapes, a non-enclosed generator is deemed to comply. Moreover, no vegetation, leaves, or bush debris are to come into contact with the exhaust system.

Induction Cooktops

With the increase in use of solar and 12V devices, and the rapid development of batteries, Lauren and Ben ask Phil on behalf of the camping community whether such devices can be used all-year-round, regardless of Fire Danger restrictions.

Much to their surprise, it’s a solid NO from Phil!

On a declared Fire Ban Day, an electric cooker is only permitted for use on the ‘foreshore’. The term describes the space ranging from the low tide watermark to the first standing bush or grass. However, gas and electric BBQs supplied by some parks are a commercial system, maintained and guaranteed to comply with the full meta-clearance and therefore exempt from this law.

Be it an open flame or electrical charge, any heat source is bound within tight restrictions on a Fire Ban Day.

Extinguishing a Fire

From a woollen blanket to a water bucket, Phil outlines the best methods to extinguish a fire.

While it depends on what seems appropriate at the time, he suggests keeping a small extinguisher in your camp vehicle in case a fire begins to burn beyond control.

On the other hand (and contrary to what some believe), Phil confirms that sand is not advised as a means of dousing a fire. Unlike others, it traps in the heat, posing harm to anyone who may trip and fall into the pit.

Ultimately, the most effective extinguishing agent is water. The key is to disperse it via small droplets or mist using a knapsack, spray bottle, or garden sprayer. The droplets absorb the heat which, as previously mentioned, is the main cause of harm. On the other hand, a large volume of water thrown directly onto the flames simply sinks into the sand and disappears. Essentially, fragmenting water into smaller particles via a spray device is far more effective than dumping a full pail in a panic.

Lastly, activating a dry chemical fire extinguisher produces a white powder that swallows the oxygen feeding the flames, meanwhile cooling the fire. That said, the powder itself contains chemicals that can eat away at a vehicle’s electrical components if left to settle for too long (an ironic feature of a device stored in the car boot!). Another limitation is how it can affect asthmatics, often caught in the wind and easily inhaled.
Overall, given the dry chemical extinguisher lacks practicality and is primarily used in emergencies, dispersing water remains the most common and effective strategy to diminishing a fire.

After extinguishing the flames, heat can remain among the coals. A successful procedure is raking them out to allow the heat to diffuse, where coals will cool faster still after sundown. Before departing the area, simply ensure the ash and fire debris is cool to touch.

Find Out More or Get Involved!

The CFS website, Facebook page, and other social media platforms remain the most effective sources of information on Fire Danger Seasons and related weather considerations for touring and camping. To get involved, simply jump online, read more about the responsibilities of volunteers and CFS members and the opportunities available, and follow the recruitment process.

In country towns, local brigades welcome and encourage those who are interested to drop in and visit. This is a great way to navigate the community and get to know the locals.

To stay relevant and informed, the CFS website offers information on What Can I Do / What Can’t I Do, where any change in regulation is reflected. The map on the website’s front page is also layered and interactive, allowing a comprehensive understanding of the state’s bushfire and weather status.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep45 – Fire Ban Seasons with the CFS appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep44 – Ben’s Half Lap

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 03:23:09 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

‘Hey, Ben’s back!’

After almost four months away, Ben is back at his office desk catching up on emails, reviving the dying pot-plants by his desk, and attempting to summarise his holiday in only a couple of lines after someone in the break room asks that loaded question: ‘so, how was your trip?’

From dry deserts and calm coastlines, to torrential tropical rains – Ben and his family followed the roads that scribbled their way across the Northern Territory and Western Australia. In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Lauren helps him unpack – from the planning and preparation process, to his fondest memories and future learnings. Buckle yourselves in for the best places to book, the tale of the floating tent, and the most unexpected way to make use of your rubbish!

Short Cuts

00:00 – Intro

00:55 – This Episode’s Guest: Ben!

03:32 – Ben’s Planning Process

06:17 – Why Anticlockwise?

08:22 – Book It or Wing It?

11:50 – Pre-Departure Preparation

19:57 – Food

22:42 – Water

25:34 – The ‘F’ Word: Financials

27:51 – Ben’s Best Memories

30:02 – Worst Areas?

31:15 – The Storm Story

36:21 – The Trash Contraption Mouse Trap

43:04 – Summary

43:53 – Learnings and Future Considerations

46:43 – Ben Gets Boring…

46:52 – Learnings Continued

Mentioned in this Episode

Blogs:

Best of Western Australia – Camping, Hiking, 4WDing & More

10 Best Things to do in Darwin, Northern Territory

8 Things To Do When Visiting Broome, WA

How to Get the Best Weather for Your Lap of Australia

Packing your 4WD – The Ultimate Guide

Are Your 4WD Tyres Up To Scratch?

Products:

Portable fridge

4WD wheelie bin

Sea To Summit water bladder – 10L

Jerry can – 10L

Hiking water bottles

RV-5 canvas tent

Sea To Summit kitchen sink – 5L

Sea To Summit kitchen sink – 10L

Sea To Summit kitchen sink – 20L

Podcasts:

Ep42 – Planning Your Trip to Uluru

Ep43 – Caravan Water Tanks 101

Other

Are We There Yet? A Journey Around Australia

Make A Simple Bottle Mousetrap (Tha t Works!)

This Episode’s Guest: Ben!

After roughly four months on the road, Ben has returned to reality. His trip had been postponed twice since 2019, first following a family matter and the Coronavirus disrupting the second attempt. After marking their third departure date on the calendar, Ben and his wife pledged they wouldn’t cancel again – there was no better time for their family to explore this part of Australia!

Over the years of planning and ambitiously attempting to cover every nook, cranny, and crevice of the country’s northwest regions – Ben’s trip went from potentially lasting two and a half months to almost four! Their route loosely moved up through SA into the NT, looped around to WA, and curved back homeward again.

Planning Process

Within a country as diverse as Australia – why only half a lap?

Firstly, Ben and his wife agreed that the time involved to complete a full lap of Australia wouldn’t be viable. Embarking on a half-lap allowed more opportunities to see and explore a single area from border to border. For instance, Western Australia has so much to give – and having only visited Perth and surrounding areas, Ben argues that even six months in the state will still leave more to discover.

Despite previously living in Alice Springs and visiting Darwin once before, Ben was yet to explore the regions and routes that run between. Considering this, their trip began in the surrounding areas of Alice Springs and Uluru with the intention of exposing the children to some of the more iconic sights and experiences of rural Australia. Along the way, ‘Are We There Yet’ by Alison Lester offered some motivation on their travels as they passed some of the pinnacles and water holes described in the children’s book.

Ben and his family decided to travel in the off-season when the weather was hot, avoiding the northern Kimberley region in Western Australia. From Darwin, they travelled down to Katherine and across to Broome, where they hugged the stunning eastern coastline all the way back to South Australia.

Why Anticlockwise?

This wasn’t a hasty decision – Ben and his wife pondered and paced as they examined what route was best to follow. In the end, they attempted to work with the weather – which, granted, is already an unpredictable factor!

Skidding off at the beginning of October, Ben’s family explored the northern Western Australian and upper Northern Territory region at the front end of the storm season. Over the month they spent travelling up to Darwin, they found themselves loosely in the northern area during November, at which point the wet season had started to settle in and many places were beginning to close. This way, they experienced the earlier stages as opposed to the thick of the storms – an outcome that would have been far more restrictive and more likely to occur on a clockwise loop.

Despite their best attempt, there remained places that Ben and his family could not see. Very few people travel to these areas during the hot season, which leads to many places closing early on. While the heat meant necessary planning to ensure the kids were comfortable, Ben enjoyed the hot, sticky days and humid nights. With this weather came hundreds of empty campsites, and in many cases Ben’s family found themselves in the company of only one other within the entire camping ground.

Book It or Wing It?

With so many approaches to travelling off-road, Lauren enquires how Ben managed his accommodation over his holiday period. Be it marking a handful of places on the map to reach by certain times, or accounting for every overnight stay in advance – Ben instead maintained a flexible approach.

As they had made a solid commitment to visit Broome for his daughter’s birthday, this was the only benchmark they set themselves. Ben had booked accommodation for five nights in a classy, safari-style tent within a resort – amused at how much they contrasted in their sweaty singlets and shorts carrying their hot, dusty tents!

While he had success in booking a place in Esperance roughly two months in advance, Ben found himself unlucky in finding last-minute accommodation within Perth which had them instead staying forty-five minutes out of the city.

Notwithstanding their pre-booked accommodation in Broome and planning-ahead throughout Margaret River, Ben’s family booked on the go from Adelaide right through to Perth. Their ability to do so proved another advantage to travelling during the off-season, where Ben preferred the empty water holes and quiet beaches over the crowded campsites and caravan parks. The circumstances also allowed them flexibility to travel from town to town when in search of available accommodation.

Pre-Departure Preparation

It’s one thing to pack for an off-road adventure, but it’s another to simultaneously account for the extended time away from the house and garden. Lauren queries how Ben prepared to physically depart his home in the lead-up to the four-month period.

A minimalist, Ben believes in never bringing along what he knows he won’t need, while his wife was conscious to consider what the children would require too. Ultimately, each member of the family was allocated a bag measuring roughly 50cm long x 20cm deep x 30cm wide to hold both clothing and toiletries. With only lightweight clothing and raincoats for themselves, there came more consideration and planning for their vehicle.

A minimalist, Ben believes in never bringing along what
he knows he won’t need. Credit: Ben Collaton

After postponing the trip twice, Ben found himself servicing his vehicle at the mechanic three times, as well as replacing each tyre soon before their final departure date. Given he tends to cover all-terrain on his road trips – roughly 70% of highway and 30% of off-road – Ben tends to avoid pushing the limit with mud. About 70-80% of the roads covered on this trip were blacktop, crossing only between 50km and 200km of dirt road before they’d ride another 400km of bitumen. It’s for this reason that he saw no need for mud tyres – but after cruising a total of 19,150km recommends fixing a vehicle with a good set of tyres before embarking on a similar trip.

Most travellers tend to allow time for “trial packing” before the final loading of their luggage. This process involves multiple rounds of packing and re-packing – and while some only take a day or two, Ben’s meticulous methodology had him allowing roughly a week of tackle-Tetris!
On any road trip (let alone those that last months), you’re more than likely to rearrange and rummage through your vehicle daily. Ensuring neatly packed, easily accessible luggage is an aspect of preparation that Ben deems important, especially during hot and sticky conditions that can be energy-draining. Granted, this can become tedious towards the end of a journey, when souvenirs start to spill out over the backseat and knick-knacks are tucked away in the tiny hidey holes of the boot. In Ben’s experience leaving Margaret River, times like those are when you start to just “chuck it in”!

In the lead-up to their departure, most preparation was finalised a week out with only the food to fit snug and pack tightly on top. After essentially three years of preparing for the trip, much of the equipment had already been sorted and stashed for packing.

With no pets to consider, and Ben’s brother and sister-in-law happy to maintain the lawn and garden, housekeeping arrangements fell into place easily. Paying bills in advance and tidying the house were the last of the loose ends to tie before Ben and his family finally rolled out of the driveway.

Food

On longer road trips, food requires thorough planning and consideration. Lauren wants to know how much Ben catered for, or whether he simply relied on access to supermarkets along the way.

Again, Ben took a varied approach by preparing food one week at a time throughout SA, the NT, and heading into the northern end of WA. When travelling back down and through WA, there were increasingly more shops to buy enough food from to last them up to three nights at a time. Generally, Ben and his wife chose a standard set of meals that they knew the children would enjoy too. Given their forty-litre fridge, there was little room for cold produce, so the meals consisted mostly of canned food.

When they’d reach a town, Ben would purchase fresh vegetables to incorporate into that night’s meal. Usually, they cooked pasta dinners with canned vegetables and found gnocchi with pesto an easy option too. Meats were often bought from a supermarket and consumed on the same night, followed by a week or so before incorporating meat into mealtimes again. This ensured they weren’t always risking heat exposure.

For lunches, Ben found the easiest, most efficient option was tuna wraps and carrot sticks. Tinned tuna was shelf-stable and easy to store, making it a regular lunchtime protein (sorry, kids!). They would dispose of rubbish effortlessly using the occasional empty wrap bag, as well as a bin bag attached to the back of the vehicle. Accumulated rubbish would then be tossed away at each town.

Water

Without a particularly large water tank, Ben carried forty litres of water at a time across two ten-litre jerry cans and two ten-litre soft water bladders, as well as individual drink bottles in the car. He would then fill up any empty water containers as he passed through caravan and national parks, usually taking twenty litres at a time.

Often, a thirst-quenching alternative was peach iced tea. Given the relentless heat, a swim down at a waterhole followed by an iced tea would be the simple solution to handling hot weather. From tantrums on the tracks surrounding Uluru, to lasting long days under the sun – Ben and his wife eventually established how to help the kids manage the extent of the heat.

The ‘F’ Word: Financials

Despite landing a larger home loan, Ben assures Lauren that with the kids at the prime age it was well worth making their holiday happen when they did. While his wife had accumulated long-service leave, Ben had accepted some occasional remote work to further aid the budgeting process.

A trip much the same as Ben’s involves mindfully mapping out the three inevitable costs: fuel, food, and accommodation. He recommends determining what the overall expense will be and confirming enough savings and reserves to see you through.

Despite Ben’s best efforts, the course of the trip became increasingly costly. Their approach was to stop adding up the expenses and instead focus on becoming rich in experiences.

Ben’s Best Memory

Over the full four months? Pull the other one…

Nonetheless Ben certainly favoured some destinations over others, including Litchfield National Park in the NT, Lake Argyle, Ningaloo Reef, and the coastline stretching along WA.

Where Litchfield is dotted with waterholes along walking tracks for cooling off mid-trek, Lake Argyle in WA offers a sanctuary with nice music, good food, a great vibe – and cold mango beer! The lake was warm and calm, and tours involved food, swimming, and relaxing – a strong competitor being the previously visited natural infinity pool in Kakadu National Park. Ben and his family also enjoyed snorkelling in Ningaloo Reef and soaking in the quaint, picturesque scenes of the southern WA coastlines, where the water is strikingly blue and the sand a bright white.

Worst Areas?

Another tough question for Ben, as he couldn’t recall a single spot.

Instead, they simply visited some of the smaller towns for shorter periods of time than others, such as Derby in the Kimberley, WA. As this was on route to Broome, the family were eager to reach their destination rather than stop over for too long in the quiet towns along the way. That said, every town encountered was unique and of its own value. For that reason, Ben maintains that there were no unpleasant places visited on their journey as they travelled from dry and humid deserts, to cold and tropical coasts.

(Okay, there was ONE sub-par feature: it got a little windy down on the WA coast!)

The Storm Story

With a beautifully packed four-wheel drive, plenty of food and water, and the security in knowing that “Ben from Snowys” was in the drivers’ seat (literally) – there was very little chance that anything could go wrong…right?

Wrong.

Ben tells Lauren of his experience in Maguk camping ground, Kakadu National Park, which took their night from calm to chaotic.

Not as well-seasoned in the tropics as other climates, Ben was simply at ease enjoying the sound of clicking cicadas and the humidity on his skin as he boiled the water for that night’s dinner. Suddenly, a sound that mimicked trucks blaring along the main road had him pausing his dinnertime prep and wondering where it could be coming from. With a sudden crack of thunder, it began to bucket down with rain and Ben went from dry to drenched after only a whisp of warning.

As the awning collapsed, Ben hurried to keep the bedding dry as branches blew, and water began to fill the inside of the tent. The rest of the family bundled into the car, keeping safe from the rain that continued to pelt from every direction. As the water pooled beneath their set-up the tent became buoyant, floating atop the puddling mess.

When the rain began to subside, Ben assessed the inside of the tent. To his delight, his RV-5 canvas tent had kept everything within its walls completely dry. (Just a subtle flex to a Snowys product there…you can find out more about tents alike here).

With no sight of the groundsheet beneath the puddling water, Ben was scratching his head. How had he gone from boiling water on a balmy evening without wind, to staring at his tent surrounded by fallen branches and sitting almost three inches deep in stormwater?
After dragging the tent to a higher point in the campsite to escape the sodden mess of their original site, Ben was still committed to producing a hot meal for his family who remained tucked away in the car.

With the change in weather also came the invitation to various creatures and critters – including green ants, spiders, and even a snake. While green ants surged across their set-up and trickled over the tent, Ben’s daughter had a terrifying encounter with a python as she made an uneasy effort to leave the car. It’s possible the snake had dropped from the trees, and while it caused no harm she decided she’d rather sleep in the backseat than cross another!

The morning after toughing it out in the tent, Ben was amused at how they had endured such a chaotic and turbulent night. For the following few days, they continued to brush away the more persistent green ants that had remained riddled within the tent.

The Trash Contraption Mousetrap

You know what they say: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure…and mousetrap?

Four months on the road can present more challenges than just wet weather, and Ben soon realised that a handful of green ants was nowhere near as maddening as the mice he met in his 4WD.

Given the various issues that come with finding mice in our space, Ben hoped he wouldn’t have to experience it. Though during his ventures at Karijini along the Western Australian coast, he awoke one morning to chew markings on some of his equipment. After copping a gust of polystyrene to his face through the air-conditioning vents, he soon recognised there was a furry foe hitching a ride somewhere in his 4WD.

Like a flick of a switch, Ben became possessed by his hungry desire to deny this mouse the protection of his proud, well-packed vehicle. Now the mad, mouse-hunting guru of the campsite, he spent hours after sundown constructing a trap of his own using a rubbish bag as enticement, a string tugged along from the back of his car, and a water bottle to eventually trap the mouse inside.

Eyes wide and brain wired, Ben watched desperately as the mouse darted out from one side of the vehicle and then the other at what seemed to be an impossible speed. It was in this face-palm moment when he realised that there wasn’t just one mouse on the loose – but two.

Game. On.

Ears twitching at every rustle from the roof, Ben closed himself inside the vehicle and sat, barely breathing, waiting for the pests to surrender. As the scuttling in the dash moved from one air vent to the other, he shut the vent on one side and positioned himself next to the other – hands cupped and fingers kinked, ready to pinch.

In time, the head of the mouse came into view and its beady black eyes fixed themselves on Ben. Completely transfixed by the situation, Ben remained still and poised, engaging in what seemed to be a stand-off between himself and the tiny terror. At this point, it had been two hours of mouse-catching mayhem – and despite his desperate desire to fulfill the deed, Ben went to bed defeated.

Mice: 1
Ben: 0

The next morning, Ben and his wife joined forces – a partnership that soon had them ruling as rodent-catching champions. A nifty YouTube video had them both referring to a tutorial on creating a mousetrap made from rubbish. After the ongoing, exhausting ordeal that had Ben struggling to catch the critters single-handedly, he was eventually convinced by his wife to manufacture a trash contraption mousetrap using an iced tea bottle, empty cereal boxes, tuna cans, and bottle caps!

Ben and his wife manufactured a trash contraption mousetrap using an iced tea bottle, empty cereal boxes, tuna cans, and bottle caps!

The trap worked by first smearing a small portion of Nutella at the end of the ramp, tempting the first mouse to climb the Kellogg’s Cornflakes diving board up into the peach iced tea bottle. The sea-saw-style structure was pivoted on a purple Sharpie and held in place by a milk lid. The supporting sunscreen lid, peach iced tea lid, and Coca-Cola lid were each screwed in place on a piece of board that Ben already had stashed away in the car. The weight of the mouse caused the bottle to tip, subsequently triggering the tuna lid to trap it inside. In its attempt to escape, the lid tipped back up and sealed the trap.

The second mouse was caught red-handed by Ben, who initially noticed that another Nutella portion prepared earlier in the car had disappeared. After a moment of waiting, he watched as the mouse entered the trap and sealed itself inside – crowning Ben and his wife the reigning rulers of ridding rodents!

Summary

On his adventure, Ben went from exhausting outback mouse-catching to swimming with manta rays and sea lions, basking in warm, calm waters as the sun rose and melted along the horizon. For those sitting on the fence about a similar-style trip, these moments are the indicators to just do it. Financially comfortable, or not comfortable enough, Ben reminds us that factoring every dollar will always be what keeps us from taking the plunge – and with waters like those stretching along the WA coastlines, you won’t want to return to shore.

Learnings and Future Considerations

While satisfied with his set-up, Ben admits that he would reconsider the size of the kitchen sink he brought along. Following Lauren’s recommendation to purchase the Sea to Summit kitchen sink, he regretted taking a larger model as opposed to that with a five or ten-litre capacity. Despite fitting a saucepan comfortably, he realised too much filling was required of the twenty-litre option.

Only replacing it twice over the four-month trip, Ben used Shellite fuel for brewing daily coffee and cooking nightly dinners. Its weight was always a maximum of four kilograms on the roof of his vehicle, along with a one-kilogram stove stand, bundled bedding, a swag bag, and a tent. Notwithstanding his minimalist nature, a modest forty litres of water, multi-fuel stove with four litres of Shellite, and no gas – the weight of Ben’s vehicle still exceeded his vehicle’s recommended Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM).

Ben Gets Boring…

It seems that just as Ben starts to mention bedding, Lauren releases a cheeky yawn…

Learnings Continued

Ultimately, Ben was surprised to learn that despite his understated packing approach, the combination of water, fuel, a portable fridge, and the collective weight of his family meant he still tipped over the ideal total vehicle mass. Despite his preference to not tow a separate compartment, he may either consider a box trailer in the future or simply trimming back on his belongings even more. Regarding his understated campsite set-up, Ben’s only consideration would be to (reluctantly) embellish it more.

Aside from maybe unlocking a more adventurous approach to mealtimes, the last thought Ben had was incorporating a 15-amp cord into his power set-up. Having stayed for five days in some caravan parks, he found himself repeatedly unpacking and arranging his solar panels. On the cloudier days, the charging was inadequate, while driving failed to sufficiently power the portable fridge. With a 15-amp cord, Ben admits that the charging process would have allowed a more out-of-sight-out-of-mind experience.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep44 – Ben’s Half Lap appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep43 – Caravan Water Tanks 101 with Kev

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 07 Feb 2022 22:18:29 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

From filtering out the funky flavours, to repairing ruptures from rocky roads,

we run the tap on all there is to know on water tank care in this episode of the Snowys Camping Show.

Get to know the most trusted tanks for your travel, considerations for cleaning, and how to treat that tainted taste in your drinking water. Settle in with Ben, Lauren, and Kevin from the Snowys warehouse, as they filter out the folly and talk Water Tanks 101 for caravans, RVs and motorhomes.

Short Cuts

00:00 – Intro

02:07 – What is a Water Tank

02:35 – Installing Another Tank

04:20 – Advantages of Additional Tanks

06:30 – Water Tank Protection

07:37 – Water Tank Materials

11:18 – Filling Your Tank

14:00 – Tips for New Tanks

15:30 – Repairing Your Tank

17:13 – Algae in Water Tanks

21:33 – Water Treatment and Cleaning

29:50 – Filtering

31:40 – Optimising Your Tank’s Lifespan

35:12 – Hot Water Tanks

39:49 – Questions from Our Listeners

Mentioned in this Episode

Blogs:

Guide to Handling Corrugations in your 4WD

Products:

Sacrificial magnesium anode

Wastewater tank cleaner

Greywater hose

Podcasts:

Ep14 – Water Source Options for Camping

Ep28 – Caravans for Beginners

Other:

Emma Shaw And Husband Thom Lap Australia In Vintage Caravan, Write A Book – Veronica Matheson

What is a Water Tank?

In the context of camping or touring, a water tank is suspended beneath a camper van or trailer. Some motorhomes also have them inbuilt.

Usually, caravan water tanks are plastic and available in several sizes. Depending on their vehicle’s weight rating and capacity, some travellers keep up to two tanks while others hold three. In most cases, one water tank is already built into a caravan or motorhome – though some like to install a second.

Installing Another Tank

When fixing an additional water tank to your vehicle, it’s worth considering where it would best be placed. Depending on its position, the sheer weight of a tank can upset the balance of a camper or towing vehicle.

Kevin recommends seeking professional advice first, particularly when considering a large tank in respect to a smaller van. There will need to be regard for when the tank is empty, partly filled, and full – so revisiting either your caravan’s manufacturer or a service centre will ensure these weight variations are considered. While mounting the tank in the centre should be adequate, there is always the possibility of affecting the Aggregate Trailer Mass (ATM). For example, a 90L tank adds 90kg to your load – and even if it can only realistically be installed towards the back, this could affect how it’s towed.

Advantages of Additional Tanks

In most caravans, water tank sizes can range from 60L to 90L. Some vans with showers hold two 90L tanks, and often a third in larger vans as a consideration within their design. The benefits that come with more than one water tank depend on the volume of water one may require.

A 60L tank can often be too small, where some campers feel the need to transport extra water in jerry cans. As lifting a full jerry is a hefty task, it’s recommended to simply install a second tank as opposed to storing additional water in multiple small water containers or cans – provided the additional tank sits within the caravan’s weight rating. That said, some prefer to carry additional containers within their vehicle in the case of a leak in their main water tank. Lauren and Ben elaborate on this approach throughout Ep14 – Water Storage Options for Camping.

Water Tank Protection

Despite a durable construction from hard plastic, it remains likely for a water tank fastened underneath your vehicle to cop damage from a rock – especially off-road on rougher terrain. Standard inclusions of a caravan water tank are stone guards fixed around the front, sides, and bottom of the tank. While these offer some protection, the hose connection at the rear remains exposed to potential damage. Knocking a fitting can mean losing your water supply entirely, so Kevin recommends ensuring all components are tucked away and protected.

Water Tank Materials

Most water tanks are black and manufactured from food-grade plastic, the latter assisting in preventing the plastic-like, artificial flavour. A tank made from food-grade plastic is also best used with accessories alike. For example, a regular garden hose without a food-grade feature can defeat the purpose of pleasant-tasting water sitting in a food-grade plastic tank, as the hose then taints the flavour of the water passing through. Considering this, those wondering why their water may have an unpleasant taste should first assess the features of their hose. Food-grade hoses are often white and blue in colour.

The flavour of your water can also be determined by where you’re filling your tank from. Water flavour tends to vary from town to town – for example, that sourced from a city reservoir will differ to tap water from a remote town like Alice Springs. Generally, water should be safe to drink from a town – however that from a bore or an external shower block tap should first be checked if it’s fit for human consumption. Based on his personal experience too, Ben suggests that water’s flavour can be determined by how its mineral composition reacts with the materials of your water tank or bladder.

Filling Your Tank

Topping up your tank can be done at most caravan parks, although this isn’t the case in more remote areas where the water (for example, from a bore) needs treating. Coober Pedy is home to a desalination plant and charges campers for any water tank refills due to the high expense of the process.

In light of this, Kevin recommends researching, planning ahead of your road trip, and being considerate of the realistic water resources (or lack thereof) available within various towns and communities. Alternatively, water bladders and boxed water from supermarkets are a reasonable option when keeping drinking water separate from that of other uses – especially when water is scarce. For example, filling your tank with bore water is an unpleasant drinking option, and depending on where you pull up on your trip there may be limited points at which you can rinse and refill again. Ultimately, it’s wise to adopt a forward-thinking approach, establish what’s available, and only take what you need from eligible sites.

Tips for New Tanks

Usually, additional preparation of your newly installed tank is unnecessary before it is first filled. The tank should have already been tested for leaks, topped up with water, and the van itself serviced.

Contrary to what some may presume, plastic particles and dust often found in new plastic containers are not an issue in the case of caravan water tanks. The tanks described in this podcast are blow-moulded, a process that forms hollow plastics leaving no machinery-made marks or debris behind.

If the flavour of the water is a concern, Kevin suggests draining the tank first and taking it back to the supplier if it continues to taste unpleasant. Otherwise – your water tank should be road-trip ready!

Repairing Your Tank

While most water tanks are made from food-grade plastic, others manufactured from stainless steel are more expensive and can pose more issues if damaged. For example, a simple leak involves removing and welding the tank – a somewhat complicated and timely task.

On the other hand, repairing a plastic tank can be far less of a concern. Instead of using the flame of a cigarette lighter to melt the plastic and seal the hole (sorry Ben!), Kevin recommends simply inserting a screw to block the cavity. For larger holes, emergency repair methods include patching the rupture using silicone – though this offers only a temporary fix, and campers should be aware of how it may subsequently affect the water’s flavour.

Algae in Water Tanks

When it comes to algae build-up, owning a black tank often means we naturally follow the ‘out-of-sight-out-of-mind’ theory…until we notice small brown particles floating freely in our bottles, or taste a funny swamp flavour with every mouthful. Sometimes, getting on our knees with a basin of hot water and a scrubbing brush is all we feel we can do to achieve a clean tank. That aside – how does algae slime its way into our water containers to begin with?!

Algae is a type of fungus that begins as spores in the atmosphere. In this form, algae can exist for a substantial length of time before it’s activated by a blend of sunlight, oxygen and moisture. Considering this, a cause of algae build-up can be that its initial spores already existed in the water source you filled your tank from.

Another potential explanation is the use of a clear filler hose. Less common nowadays, these hoses tend not to include food-grade features and their transparency allows sunlight to react with both moisture and oxygen within the walls. When the algae dehydrates, it peels away from the walls of the hose, washes into the tank, and subsequently contaminates the water.

Most water tanks tend to be black, which aids the prevention of algae growth. Without sunlight permeating the tank, algae lacks the third element it requires to grow. While some types of algae may still grow in dark environments, most variants shouldn’t in a black water tank. Algae presence ultimately depends on the water source a tank is filled from, as well as how a tank’s overall condition is maintained.

With either option viable, some campers either keep water inside their tank ongoing or periodically drain it away. While there are no more benefits to one approach over the other, Kevin’s personal method is to always keep his water tank full. In doing so, he follows the theory that with less water comes more oxygen, leading to algae peeling away from the filler hose and back into the tank. While emptying a tank every now and again can be necessary, keeping it filled also allows peace of mind that you are consuming water from where you last filled your tank before reaching a lesser quality water source.

Water Treatment and Cleaning

From standard chlorine to silver ions, there are products available that help treat contaminated water. That said, Kevin’s approach is to refrain from adding chemicals to his water tank but insists on ensuring it remains colourless. Where chlorine can potentially affect the water’s flavour, decent, food-grade hoses and a quality filter is often all that’s necessary. As touched on earlier, the flavour is determined by the source from which you have filled the tank, how the water has been treated, and how the water then reacts with the tank’s materials.

Cleaning your tank should occur at the point you notice a change in taste or an algae build-up. The most efficient, thorough way to do so is by filling and draining the container repeatedly, flushing away any unwanted contaminants. Bioproducts for tank cleaning and sanitising options such as Milton, vinegar, or a mild solution bleach are also available, though removing the flavour they leave behind will require thorough rinsing and constant flushing.

Cleaning a water tank beneath a motorhome or caravan is difficult, so Kevin recommends completely detaching it and devoting the time and energy it truly requires. In that, be thorough in and around the baffles.
Baffles are the inner features that work by preventing water sloshing within the tank. In dispersing the wave energy, they moderate the surge effect typical within unbaffled tanks.

While some smaller water containers (like Lauren’s chook drinker at home) can be cleaned using an aggregate such as gravel to scratch away at algae, this process is less viable for a larger caravan water tank. Instead, more appropriate methods include a high-pressure hose, or tank cleaners containing a sterilizing compound. The latter works best when applied and left to soak overnight, then rinsed from the tank the following day. Oh, and yes Ben…a giant bottlebrush would also work well enough!

While there will usually be a solution to every water worry, there are likewise prevention strategies. These include avoiding algae where possible and, in that, filling your water tank with clean water from the beginning.

Filtering

With chemicals and sanitisers, filters are another method of eliminating algae. Micro inline filters have even smaller holes for the purpose of sifting out the more minuscule particles – a classic example being the desalination process. Other effective filter systems include carbon cylinders, which work by binding to the heavy metals in water.

In essence, how you choose to filter your water can depend on how susceptible you are to the algae toxins, which can affect some more than others. Nonetheless, as algae isn’t entirely avoidable, the most cost-efficient, effective strategy to filter the fungus is via an inline filter.

That said, it’s often asked whether a filter is equally as functional without the pressure of a main water source. As an inline filter is designed for use with a pressure hose, those without access can instead connect the filter to their van and pump the water through using either a hand or pressure pump. Where handheld types require a little more gusto, an electric pump with a higher PSI is a more efficient alternative.

Ultimately, using the appropriate tanks and complimentary hoses is the most no-fuss strategy in preventing algae build-up and water contamination on your camping trip.

Optimising Your Tank’s Lifespan

Nothing lasts forever – but with enough care and consideration, most things can get close. As mentioned earlier, your water tank is susceptible to damage beneath your van or motorhome. Positioned far enough from the ground, the risk of rocks flicking up from the more rugged roads remains just as high, and it’s for this reason that off-road vans should provide stone guards as standard protective equipment.

Nonetheless, it remains true that the rear of the tank – where the hose fitting protrudes – is exposed. While most long-road vans are unlikely to stray from the radius, it’s not unheard of to occasionally be signposted down a dusty dirt track. A tank guard is highly recommended to keep your tank from potential damage on tougher terrain – regardless of your route. Better still, keep all joins tight and ensure all hoses are tucked away high, fixed to the underside of your van to avoid flapping. Undergo a visual inspection for drips, and ask a friend to work the pump for any issues here too.

Just like a bed wetter only days after graduating from nappies, a leaking tank is best identified by the wet patches left behind. That said, don’t mistake a leak for the breather holes simply doing their job – when water gushes out of these openings, this is an indication that the tank is full. Eventually, the running water should cease.

Regarding pumps, there is little maintenance required – for example, 12V impeller pumps for showers and kitchen use. Impeller pumps aren’t self-priming, usually fixed down the outside of the tank and often attached to a small outlet or handpump. It’s important to operate these with a substantial level of water sitting above, as it can be damaging to continue to run them while dry. Aside from obvious leaking, any water spouting from the top of a handpump often indicates damaged seals.
Diaphragm or pressure pumps are more efficient and pump to a higher PSI. Water pipes are maintained under consistent pressure to allow immediate water flow, though losing pressure over time has pressure pumps automatically turning on and off. When this happens unnecessarily, or they show signs of leaking, your pressure pump may need attention.
Ultimately, pump maintenance can mostly be determined by visual inspection.

Hot Water Tanks

Most hot water tanks fall under the umbrella of ‘pressure tanks’, with pressure-release valves to prevent the tank from splitting or exploding. When the tap or lever on top of the tank is lifted to activate the valve, water under pressure begins to dribble out. It’s important to ensure nothing is gumming or blocking the mechanism of the valve, as this will cause a build-up of pressure and consequently blow a hose off – or in worst-case scenarios, rupture the tank.

While stainless steel tanks don’t require sacrificial magnesium anodes, steel tanks prone to rusting have protective lining that will nonetheless break down over time. An anode, measuring roughly 30cm long and 1.5cm in diameter, is screwed into the inside of the tank and works by attracting corrosive compounds in the water away from the walls of the tank. This leaves a white, chalk-like substance at the bottom of the tank that eventually requires rinsing away. It’s recommended to change a sacrificial anode every six months.

Pictured left: a used sacrificial anode, half corroded away
Pictured right: an unused sacrificial anode

Most caravans hold a storage vessel for hot water. While there was once a period when one could enjoy continuously flowing hot water, gas regulations were soon introduced that ordered for hot water systems to be outside, mounted within an enclosure, and with adequate ventilation. Given that the structure of caravans didn’t compliment this criteria, storage heaters were established.

Questions from Our Listeners

With so many keen campers tuning in, Lauren and Ben are eager to answer some of the questions that were posed ahead of the recording of this podcast.

One listener asked whether it’s possible to build a water filter system that erases the unpleasant taste from water in inland Australia – namely Charleville in Queensland.
Kevin’s recommendation is to see a filter specialist and advise them of what you hope to sift out. For example, some filters available can eradicate both smells and flavours. From there, the filter can be built into your caravan’s system, where any water coming in from the tank will flow through it and into your taps.

Honestly, if they can achieve drinkable sewage water – what can’t they do?!

Another query is on how iron precipitation in the tank from bore water can be prevented. While we don’t seem to have a simple answer to this unique question, Kevin simply suggests using a decent filter. Some filters include ceramic and, as previously noted, charcoal. Both remove the heavy metals and minerals found in water sources, such as bores. Ultimately, seeking professional advice and using multi-stage filters is an appropriate point to start.

Lastly, a listener asks whether a greywater tank is recommended – and if so, how they’re best cleaned. Kevin advocates for a greywater system, but the most classic problem is the wastewater flowing out from the caravan and onto the ground. Greywater often consists of food particles and dirty dish water which, if left out in the open, can then attract flies about the campsite.
Some caravan parks provide drains nearby, where greywater can alternatively be directed via a long hose. Occasionally though, lengthy hoses can slow down the flow of the drainage. A greywater tank is a viable alternative, but can nonetheless be a space invader and eventually require emptying via a hose anyway.

Kevin’s greywater draining system works by keeping a bucket underneath as a catcher, with a hose attached to the bottom allowing the water to run straight into the drain. When bush camping, the alternative is to run the hose off towards the base of a tree. If your dishwashing liquid is biodegradable, this shouldn’t harm the tree or surrounding plant life. Cleaning the system is as simple as using a tank cleaner and flushing the water back out beneath the tree.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep43 – Caravan Water Tanks 101 with Kev appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep42 – Planning Your Trip to Uluru

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 30 Jan 2022 22:30:52 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

With one finger following the Stuart Highway, and the other tracing the trail walks entangling Alice Springs,

outdoor experts Ben and Lauren mark the map with the most fascinating and culture-rich elements of Uluru and its surrounding areas. From the bitumen to the backroads, lose yourself in the outback tracks, trails, and tourist attractions of one of Australia’s most remarkable and momentous landmarks.

Debuting as the first destination-based episode of the Snowys Camping Show, join Ben and Lauren as they detail the perfect points to pull in, how to handle the heat, the roads that are direct, and those that take the long way.

Short Cuts

00:00 – Intro

02:38 – Road-tripping

07:57 – Campsites

09:23 – Yulara

12:23 – National Park Bookings and Permits

14:04 – Ideal Travel Periods

17:18 – Stats

18:55 – Activities

23:39 – Budget

25:05 – A Few Tips

28:48 – Photos

29:04 – Uluru-Kata Tjuta

34:12 – Mobility

Mentioned in this Episode

Blogs:

7 Things They Don’t Tell You About Visiting Uluru

Spring Adventure in the Flinders Part 1

Coober Pedy’s Travel Secrets – More than just Opals & Mines

The Old Ghan Railway – North From Oodnadatta – Part 1

Travelling the Simpson Desert in the School Holidays

Products:

4WD Gear

Guide to Free Campsites 2021-22

Headwear

Mosquito Head Net

Nomad Cooking Kit

Double Wall Insulated Wine Traveller Set

Hiking Footwear

Hydration

Podcasts:

Ep18 – Camping, Waste & Leaving No Trace

Road-tripping

For the South Aussies, the most straightforward route to the Northern Territory begins in Adelaide and follows the Stuart Highway through the centre. Pull up at plenty of serviceable towns along the way, such as Port Augusta, Coober Pedy, and Marla. With the frequent food and fuel stops also come sculptures, emus, and other wildlife.

A little longer, the Flinders route is an alternative to the Stuart Highway if time isn’t a factor. Just before Port Augusta, drivers can turn due-north and travel through the eastern towns, before travelling up through the Flinders Ranges and looping back in towards Coober Pedy. On the western side of the Eyre Peninsula too, there are known to be many holiday shacks owned by those living in Alice Springs. This is because the peninsula is their closest coastal area.

Those who choose to take the Oodnadatta Track are recommended to call ahead at a roadhouse to determine its conditions. If recently graded, the road is likely to allow an easy drive – however the alternative is coarse and corrugated. Nonetheless, there are many attractions lining the Oodnadatta Track such as waterholes, campsites, and hot springs.

For travellers from Perth, Victoria, or possibly Sydney, the suggested way is to pass through South Australia and travel direct from Adelaide. Another potential route from Melbourne is through the Riverlands and via Mildura. While there are alternate routes that move directly across, they require substantially more preparation and are best tackled with a 4WD – for example, those passing through the Simpson Desert.

East of Australia, Queenslanders can take the Barkly Highway across to the territory. As the only sealed road between Queensland and Northern Territory, it runs nearby Tennant Creek and above Alice Springs. From here, there’s roughly 450km of travelling down to Uluru.

Most of the routes Lauren and Ben discuss are appropriate for two-wheel-drive vehicles. For example, the Red Centre region is now accessible for two-wheel-drives as well as 4WD, and all roads surrounding Yulara, The Olgas, and Uluru, are sealed. While this is so, some tracks that cover traditional Aboriginal land require permits. For example, the dirt track that travels back from Yulara, through Curtin Springs, up through Watarrka (Kings Canyon), and loops back through the West MacDonnell Ranges into Alice Springs. Docker River Road, entering through from the west, also requires a permit.

While The Olgas (Kata Tjuta National Park) is a fantastic area to explore in the southern region of the Northern Territory, two-wheel-drivers are recommended to follow the Stuart Highway for a more comfortable journey up north.

Campsites

Our sunburnt country can stretch far and wide – but while there are many free-camps and camping grounds available, not every area permits overnight stays. Many places have closed following bushfires, as well as irresponsible behaviour such as littering and poor treatment of the land.

Those travelling from Adelaide will find the most common approach is to drive the full ten-hours to Coober Pedy on the first day, then start the seven-hour drive to Yulara the following. While those on an adults-only getaway will find this manageable, families with young children should plan for a minimum of two stops along the way.

Yulara

A resort town 20km from Uluru, Yulara holds a collection of campsite, hotel, and cabin accommodation, interwoven with local supermarkets and shopping facilities. As the accommodation is deemed relatively expensive, Lauren recommends stocking up on supplies through standard supermarkets as a cost-effective alternative.

Other areas to pull up camp include Curtin Springs, located 100km out of Yulara. Here, travellers can stay free of charge in unpowered sites without bookings or reservations, while powered sites accept bookings, require a fee, and have limited availability.

It’s important to note that any travel beyond the National Park regions or roads require permits.

National Park Bookings and Permits

Where bookings for National Parks such as Watarrka and Uluru-Kata Tjuta require payment, the Mereenie Loop Road that travels to Alice Springs on Aboriginal land also requires a permit.

South Australia offers generic park passes for purchase that allow access to all national parks across the state – an initiative that the Northern Territory is likely to introduce by 2023. This is recommended as a future economical option for those who hope to cover the full Red Centre.

Ultimately, booking and payment requirements change frequently, so the best approach is to research current options in the lead up to your trip.

Ideal Travel Periods

Temperatures in May and September tend to sit between twenty and thirty degrees, making these months the most ideal for outback activities around Uluru. For this reason, it’s wise to beware of festivals and large events unfolding in the Alice Springs area during peak tourist periods.

Alternatively, some like to travel in the off-season, particularly heading into Winter. This not only helps in avoiding high-volume foot traffic, but lowers the overall cost of the trip due to cheaper off-peak rates. That said, prices tend to be lower when the temperatures are higher – but while hotter seasons are also quieter, it’s usually rare to tour this part of Australia at any point of the year without the company of other adventurers. Those who find they’re experiencing too much solitude are in the minority!

Despite the significant drop in temperature during the evenings – don’t underestimate how the hot, dry weather can affect outdoor activity throughout the day. When venturing along the Uluru loop, it’s highly advised to select a cooler day to do so – and like any outback endeavour, be sure to slap on a hat and fasten your flynet.

Stats

One of the world’s largest monoliths, Uluru measures 348m high and 550 million years old. It sits proudly within the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and its traditional landowners are the Anangu people.

Vastly sacred to the Indigenous Australians, tourists are encouraged to remain conscious, respectful, and open to learning the various facets of Uluru’s cultural significance. This includes refraining from collecting both photo and video content when exploring the area.

Some pockets of space surrounding Uluru are more culturally significant than the rock itself, further preserving the rich, valuable culture of the ancient Australian landmark.

One of the world’s largest monoliths, Uluru measures 348m high and 550 million years old. Credit: Sputnik

Activities

While trekking the rusty tracks at the foot of Uluru is surreal, experiencing the attraction from afar is just as breathtaking. As the sunlit landscape and contours of the rock change colour with the sky, Uluru looks alive and its sheer magnitude is overwhelming. Yulara- and Uluru-based sites have viewing platforms from which tourists can survey at sunrise and sunset. Ben recommends viewing the spectacle from afar over a cheese board and a bottle of wine.

Uluru is also home to rock art detailing the history-rich culture of the Indigenous Australians. This can be found at various points around the rock, with guided tours available that describe the cultural significance behind certain traditions, such as food. Again, photography here is prohibited.
At the cultural centre too, immerse yourself in the history of Uluru through creation stories, and arts and craft.

For a desert dining experience like no other, couples or groups can enjoy dinner at sundown paired with a guided tour of the stars. After a cheeseboard entrée, guests are escorted to a silver-service buffet where they dine at tables draped in white cloth – a striking contrast against the rusty red sand dunes.

Experience the desert in a dazzling brilliance with Bruce Munro’s Field Of Light installation. Larger than 70 footy fields, Munro’s masterpiece is a mass of 50,000 lights speckled about the red desert. At $44 per night, it’s a special kind of splurge for you and your somebody.

For those who are never tired (pun intended), the Uluru Bike Ride is perfect for families. The track runs for 15 kilometres and covers experience levels from amateur to expert. With the bike comes a helmet and three hours to complete the loop, plus return bus transfers to and from Uluru.

Budget

Bound by a budget? Until you’re not, the Uluru experience should remain bookmarked in your browser history. With the various sights, scenic tours and experiences, it’s best to allow financial room to move and make the most of what there is to do and see. Like a trip to the snow, venturing to the Northern Territory – namely Uluru – is a classic Aussie adventure that won’t deliver to its full potential if approached as merely a shoestring option.

Unlike pasta from scratch, a wooden bench, or a birthday card – experiencing Uluru isn’t best done as a DIY effort. The memories made will last you well beyond the curling, dog-eared pages of a photo album – so for the experience of a lifetime, it’s well worth the time to save, invest, and plan.

A Few Tips

Outback adventuring in our own backyard may seem like low maintenance, but Ben and Lauren have recommendations for how to optimise your experience even more.

The hot, sunbaked sand of the Northern Territory is likely to destroy any pair of shoes that lack durability or weather protection. Take a sturdy pair that can withstand extreme heat, hard ground, and rocky terrain.

Where the base walk around Uluru allows for both wheelchair and bike access, there is minimal shade. Hats and hydration are therefore key, where water stations dotted along the loop are for emergency purposes only. It’s worth noting too that while walking and biking are allowed, climbing the rock is no longer.

Within Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, the Valley of the Winds walk is of a moderate to high difficulty level, and well worth the four-hour trek amongst the Kata Tjuta domes. Other walks include the Walpa Gorge Walk and those within Watarrka (Kings Canyon). When travelling back up to Alice Springs, Ben and Lauren recommend following the Stuart Highway and turning off to Rainbow Valley – a protected area located south of Alice Springs comprising of stunning sandstone cliffs and bluffs that radiate in softer sunlight. Along the Mereenie Loop, the Rim Walk at Kings Canyon within Watarrka National Park is also worth exploring.

With these escapades in mind, two weeks in the Northern Territory is merely skimming the surface. Ben and Lauren recommend a full week in Yulara, and another purely devoted to exploring the surrounding areas of Alice Springs.

Photography

As hinted throughout the podcast, photography is prohibited within most culturally significant and tourist areas, and this includes drones. For those ever in doubt, relevant areas are well signed and indicative of where not to take photo or video content.

Uluru-Kata Tjuta

Located only 40 kilometres from Uluru, you wouldn’t consciously visit Uluru without also exploring Kata Tjuta. Uluru-Kata Tjuta offers a completely immersive experience including trail walks, guided tours and cultural insights to Indigenous Australia. Like many places in rural Australia, Kata Tjuta is rich with cultural meaning and for this reason appeals utmost respect and care.

Entry is via payment into the Kata Tjuta National Park. With a carpark, interactive information centre, and barbeque facilities, the park is perfect for a day-trip experience for those based out of Yulara.

As mentioned earlier, Watarrka National Park in Kings Canyon is home to the Rim Walk – undoubtedly as dangerous as it is fascinating. An open trail, walkers are unrestrained right to the edge before the sudden, steep drop.

Travelling back up to Alice Springs along Stuart Highway, tourists can either veer to the West MacDonnell or East MacDonnell Ranges. Along with Ellery Creek Big Hole, Ormiston Gorge, and Glen Helen, there’s much to do and see between Yulara and Alice Springs.

With such surreal scenes of our sunburnt country, adventurers are likely to pay a premium price for occasional sub-par service due to the struggles involved in keeping the attractions afloat. For this reason, the best approach to ensure the optimum outback experience is to not sweat the small stuff (regardless of the heat)! Learn to adopt a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude and appreciate the natural beauty living at the heart of Australia. After all, the centre of everything you’re experiencing is you – literally!

Mobility

While some walks mentioned throughout this episode have wheelchair access, others do not. Uluru’s base walk is flat and wheel-chair friendly, likewise throughout The Olgas and a portion of the Rim Walk. On the contrary, the Walpa Gorge Walk in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park does not offer this service.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep42 – Planning Your Trip to Uluru appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep41 – Camp Stove Comparisons

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 24 Jan 2022 00:51:47 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or you can watch the video version here:

From boiling in bulk, to searing a snag,

we crank the heat on this week’s episode of the Snowys Camping Show, adding fuel to the fire that is comparing camp stoves.

Outdoor experts Lauren and Ben take this steak right to the edge, exploring the brands, BTUs, and fuel types behind some of the most convenient, portable cooking units.

Get to know which burners are best for boiling, the secrets behind simmering, and the stove system best suited for your campsite cooking. Liquid fuel or gas – let’s put the billy can on the boil.

Short Cuts

00:00 – Intro

01:46 – Overview and Importance of Camp Stoves

07:51 – Using a Grill with a Camp Stove

10:00 – Unregulated vs Regulated Systems: can I use my camp stove on my caravan or bayonet gas system?

13:55 – British Thermal Units (BTUs)

15:11 – Simmering on a Camp Stove

23:24 – Gas Safety Checks

24:50 – Fire Safety

30:36 – Liquid Fuel Stoves

33:50 – Pros and Cons: Liquid Fuel vs Gas Stoves

36:56 – Suggested Fuel

38:05 – Consumption and Further Comparison: Liquid Fuel vs Gas Stoves

41:18 – Materials and Aesthetics

Mentioned in this Episode

Gasmate Classic 2-Burner Stove

Companion RV Stove & Grill

Coleman Hyper-Flame Series

Fire Blanket

The Ultimate Gas Cylinder Safety Guide

POL Classic Gas Fitting

Coleman 2-Burner Dual-Fuel Powerhouse Stove

Coleman HyperFlame Series

Overview and Importance of Camp Stoves

Be it for boiling, heating, or cooking, adding a camp stove to your outdoor setup is ideal – particularly during the fire ban season when campfires aren’t an option. While transporting gas can be inconvenient, there are few alternatives when it comes to steaming veg, boiling tea, and sizzling a steak out bush.

Larger, heavier, and more outdated stoves offer average burner performance and measure inadequate British Thermal Units (BTUs). An example of an upgraded model is the Classic 2-Burner Stove by Gasmate. These stoves are not suitable for caravans or confined spaces, but more appropriate in open, well-ventilated spaces such as a pull-out kitchens or other outdoor areas. Stoves used within more sheltered spaces, like a house or caravan, are more specific in their design, with burners engineered differently. The Bromic brand of stoves are also manufactured to burn more efficiently, releasing different bi-products to standard burners.

Camp stoves are available in single, double, or triple burner models, where some also include grills. Gasmate’s 2-Burner Deluxe Stove is a simple, straightforward model which, according to Ben’s assessment of a similar product, can last decades. Whilst it’s possible to add burners to the centre of your camp stove, it is suggested to first consider your stove’s most frequent functions. For example, if heating a billy can or boiling a kettle is the most your trip will require, it’s likely that more than two burners is unnecessary.

Stoves with a small centre burner and two large either side are designed specifically for the use of hot plates on top. This allows for a more adequate and even heat distribution when barbequing food.

Using a Grill with a Camp Stove

Is it worth it?

All points considered, Lauren’s take on this frequently asked question is no, probably not.

It’s a common assumption that camp stove grills will work close to or just as well as a standard grill used at home. However, a camp stove’s lightweight, minimally engineered structure – designed for portable, outdoor usage in windy, ambient temperatures – means it doesn’t enable efficient grilling like that experienced with a more domestic-style stove.

As well as a camp stove’s incompatible structural features, grilling out bush can also burn through a lot of gas. When considering a grill top for those balmy barbeque dinners, it’s wise to maintain a realistic understanding of what will come of this function.

Unregulated Vs Regulated Systems: can I use my camp stove on my caravan or bayonet gas system?

Again, the short answer is no.

Where bayonet gas systems require a regulated gas supply, camping stoves require unregulated. It isn’t possible to connect an unregulated gas stove into a regulated gas supply – however Coleman manufactures a regulator arm specific to their products. That said, this regulator arm cannot be bypassed, as their camp stoves require this component to function – that is, removing and swapping it for a hose to then connect to a regulated system will not work.

In addition, it isn’t possible to have a double regulated setup, i.e. a regulated stove on a regulated gas system. A bayonet gas system will only suffice if it requires a regulated gas supply and a particular inline regulator can be completely removed, swapped for an unregulated hose, and connected into the gas supply. This approach unfortunately doesn’t lend itself to many products, other than some double wok burners, Bromic stoves, and the RV Stove and Grill by Companion.

Camping stoves are unregulated due to requiring a high output when battling the colder, ambient temperatures of the outdoors. In these environments, they need to burn hard and hot to meet your cooking demands. That said, regulated gas stoves can sometimes perform better. When the weather is cold the gas pressure from the unregulated side drops, while the pressure going into the stove remains the same.

In Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) stoves, the burners require low pressure gas. The gas in the bottle sits at a high pressure before passing through the regulator, converting to a lower pressure through the hose, reaching the stove, and exiting through the burner. On the other hand, a standard camp stove from Gasmate connects straight to the burners, where high pressure travels directly from the gas.

British Thermal Units (BTUs)

A BTU is a measure of heat, where one BTU indicates the heat required to raise one pound (450g) of water by one degree Fahrenheit, over an hour. To clarify, a BTU doesn’t consider time – simply the energy needed to raise the temperature of a volume of water, by a particular degree.

Where some camp stoves indicate a megajoule measurement as opposed to BTU, it is possible to convert between the two units.
To help understand the role of BTUs in distinguishing one camp stove from another, Lauren sought to know what degree Fahrenheit brings 450mL of water to the boil. Her findings were that half a litre of water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, which therefore indicates that a stove with 212 BTUs will boil half a litre of water in an hour.

To determine the gas usage of a high BTU stove versus one with less, the process has many steps. Whilst you can’t convert BTUs to grams, it’s possible to instead translate millijoules to grams, following the path from there to determine how many grams of gas is burned.

The common stance on BTUs is ‘the higher, the better’, though this isn’t always the case. Different functions require different levels of BTUs, so often it depends on the degree of heat required for your cooking purpose. Whilst a higher BTU level will mean your water boils faster, be honest with us – what’s the rush when you’re taking in the scenes of the summit?

Ben recommends for campers to not get caught up in the quest for the perfect BTU level, but instead consider a stove that has the adequate room for the pots, pans and cans you expect to use. For example – boiling water or barbequing on a hot plate will require more BTUs for optimal results. For more varied uses however, a three-burner stove with roughly 4,000 – 8,000 BTUs is sufficient. If defrosting vacuum-sealed packs or reheating pasta sauce is likely all you’ll find yourself doing on the open roads, Lauren and Ben recommend a stove with a high BTU and 2-3 burners.

Of course, a limitation of low BTUs is that windy weather can dominate and determine how much heat is reaching the contents of your pots and pans. While some Coleman burners are well engineered, produce a hyper-flame, have a high BTU level, and offer wind breaks – the function often desired yet still so difficult to achieve is simmering!

Simmering on a Camp Stove

A common question for Ben and Lauren has been: which camp stoves are best for simmering? Like grilling, Lauren believes that simmering is another cooking method that is highly unlikely to meet the expectations of campers more familiar with their higher-tech, home-installed stoves. While most camp cookers don’t allow efficient simmering, Zempire manufacture some with added micro-control technology, designed specifically for this function.

Still, if the desire is to boil large volumes of water for cooking pasta or rice, it’s unlikely a camp stove will enable adequate simmering capabilities as well. Generally, you can’t have your dinner and eat it too!

For boiling water or barbequing on a hot plate, more BTUs will allow for a more satisfactory result. Credit: Coleman

Gas Safety Checks

So the kids are buckled in, the sleeping bags are slotted snug between the boot and the back seat, and the booze is boxed in by the icebox – but how’s the gas bottle looking?

Before every rural road-trip, it’s recommended to check your bottle for gas leaks. Indications of potential problems are degraded or cracked hose seals, or simply the smell of gas. In setting up your gas bottle, Ben suggests checking for leaks using soapy water when connecting the attachments. If gas is escaping, the soap helps to identify this leakage by bubbling. As an additional precaution, it’s not wise to position your bottle beneath your camp stove or any source of heat.

Ben’s blog, ‘The Ultimate Gas Cylinder Safety Guide‘, is helpful to read for further insight into the importance of gas safety. From this, there has been discussion of a new LCC27 gas fitting that will eventually override the classic POL. Coming soon is a blog post that will dive into the details – but for now, this fitting has been introduced as more fail-safe step forward in gas safety. While gas manufacturers are already distributing the LCC27 fitting, it will be slowly phased in over a period of time to allow for a smooth, streamlined transition from the POL.

Overall, understanding how you can transport gas safely can influence which camp stove you choose.

Fire Safety

Fire can be averted within your campsite using a fire blanket or an extinguisher. Ben keeps both of these in his car, but follows the idea that prevention is far better than cure.

To prevent unwanted fires from igniting, first clear anything flammable from beneath the stove. It’s also wise to set up your camp stove away from any low hanging trees or branches, ideally in a wider, more open space.

On that note, adequate ventilation also aids in preventing fire hazards. Some gas appliances will indicate that a ventilated space consists of only three walls and a roof. Despite their materials naturally allowing good ventilation, tents and enclosed gazebos are also not considered well-ventilated unless they follow this three-wall recommendation.

Liquid Fuel Stoves

While gas stoves are the more classic option, liquid fuel stoves are an alternative that can operate with both unleaded or shellite fuel. An example is the Sportster fuel stove by Coleman, or their Compact Dual Fuel stove.

A liquid fuel stove works using a pump that pressurises the fuel and a pipe that transports it to the burner sitting on top of the fuel canister. The fuel is released from one side of the canister and pushed across where the burner would sit, before travelling back down the other side. When first lit, it produces a large yellow flame that heats the tube and vaporises the fuel, released then as gas through the top of the burner.

In Ben’s experience, the liquid fuel stove works in just about all conditions. Providing a visual indication of the pressure levels, the system also includes a pump to crank the pressure back up after it drops. On the contrary, high-pressure gas stoves fail to burn as efficiently when the pressure falls. This is not ideal when considering butane cannister stoves.

A dual-fuel Powerhouse stove from Coleman offers both low and high pressure, adjustable to suit your needs over time. In Ben’s humble opinion, this lends them well to allowing more cooking control at your campsite.

Pros and Cons: Liquid Fuel Vs Gas Stoves

While liquid fuel systems have their benefits over gas stoves, they are also limited in their bigger, boxier shape and heavier weight. As well as this, owning a multi-fuel stove requires more maintenance than a gas stove, calling for deconstruction and thorough cleaning of each component. In that, using unleaded fuel tends to leave your liquid fuel stove dirtier still.

That said, a gas stove presents as more of a structural inconvenience, where pulling it out, setting it up, and checking the gas bottle for leaks can be a nuisance of a routine. A liquid fuel stove instead can serve as a storage container, allowing room for a litre of shellite, a fuel cannister or two burners, and additional utensils. In respects to fuel, a liquid fuel stove accepts more than one kind, leaving options open for use when quantities run low. When refilling a gas bottle however, the choices are far more limited.

Overall, while a liquid fuel stove requires an alternative approach to the more familiar gas systems – those who use them, love them!

Suggested Fuel

For a cleaner and more efficient burn, E10 fuel from a pump has been previously claimed as the more ideal option over shellite and unleaded.

Nonetheless, shellite is sold for multi-fuel stoves at various hardware stores and supermarkets.

Consumption and Further Comparison: Liquid Fuel Vs Gas Stoves

A common consideration when choosing a camp stove is their overall fuel consumption. To compare liquid fuel stoves to gas systems, Lauren and Ben refer to both the Coleman liquid fuel Powerhouse stove and the Gasmate 2-Burner LPG gas stove as examples.

The Coleman stove, weighing in at just over 6kg, takes 1.6 litres (700g-800g) of shellite or unleaded fuel, and is capable of continuously running both burners on a maximum setting for 2.3 hours.

The Gasmate stove weighs in at roughly 4kg and uses 195g of gas per hour, per burner – otherwise calculated as 400g of gas per hour, across both burners. Factoring in the weight of the gas bottle itself adds, for the sake of this example, 1.25kg (empty).

Considering all components respective to each system, both stove setups round out to be a similar weight. However, when considering ease of transportation, it’s often an easier and less risky travel option to keep a litre of shellite in the car as opposed to a heftier gas bottle. An LPG gas cylinder requires a more considered travel position, highly advised to be stored upright and not in an enclosed vehicle space where potential ignition can occur.

Materials and Aesthetics

Despite being the least important factors to consider, external materials and overall appearance of your camp stove can still impact on a final purchasing decision.

For example, while the Coleman HyperFlame series with high BTU levels look like a bomb-proof suitcase, a Gasmate stove with a lower BTU range may appear as more of a shell. Be it a more robust model without the need for a protective bag, or bomb-proof steel as your preference – appearance doesn’t necessarily correspond to overall performance.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and jump in on the conversation as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep41 – Camp Stove Comparisons appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep40 – All About Air Tents with Zempire

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 22:30:07 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Our mate Ryan Faulkner from Zempire joins the chat about all things air tents!

Easy to pitch and small to pack – could an air tent be the perfect shelter solution for your family camping?

Could an air tent be the perfect shelter solution for your family camping? Credit: Zempire

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:05 – Ryan from Zempire joins the chat

01:47 – Overview of Zempire

02:55 – Zempire’s introduction to the Australasian regions

05:20 – Misconceptions around air tents

05:45 – Building consumer confidence when introducing inflatable technology

07:57 – Bladder material

09:19 – Material testing

11:55 – Weak points in material testing

14:30 – Weather factors in material testing

20:00 – Over-inflation and pump features

22:48 – Tent failures

26:31 – Tent designs

28:35 – Replacing tent tubes

29:51 – Wind and rain performance

31:05 – Pack-down

36:11 – Benefits of air tents for mobility purposes

38:26 – Zempire air tent materials

40:05 – Ryan’s favourite Zempire tent

40:30 – Ryan’s parting points

Mentioned in this Episode:

Brands:

Zempire

Zempire Air Tent Series:

Zempire Pronto

Zempire Evo

Zempire Aerobase

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep40 – All About Air Tents with Zempire appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep39 – Fridges Vs. Iceboxes

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 05 Dec 2021 22:30:42 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Is chucking a bag of ice into an icebox OK…

or is it worth spending more on a fridge, so you can just plug in and go? On this week’s podcast Ben and Lauren discuss the pros and cons of each.

What’s your preferred way of keeping your food and cold ones chilled when camping?

How do you prefer to keep your food and cold ones chilled outdoors?

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:09 – Brands

01:51 – Iceboxes Vs Coolers

03:17 – Fridges

06:06 – Cons of Fridges: Cost

06:44 – Cons of Fridges: Componentry

08:04 – Cons of Fridges: Power Requirements

09:18 – Cons of Fridges: External Dimensions

10:49 – Pros of Fridges: Consistent Cooling

11:13 – Pros of Fridges: Designed for Outdoor Conditions

12:14 – Pros of Fridges: Temperature Control

13:34 – Pros of Fridges: Dual-Zone Flexibility

14:06 – Pros of Iceboxes: Simple and Basic

15:57 – Pros of Iceboxes: Affordability and Flexibility

20:12 – Pros of Iceboxes: Versatile

20:22 – Cons of Iceboxes: Refilling Logistics

21:53 – Cons of Iceboxes: Less Efficient and Higher Maintenance

25:02 – Utilising Fridges and Iceboxes Interchangeably

28:03 – To Cool Off: Closing Thoughts

Mentioned in this Episode:

Blogs:

8 Tips for Keeping Ice Longer in Your Icebox

Categories:

Fridges & Iceboxes

Sub-Categories:

Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs)

Eskies & Iceboxes

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep39 – Fridges Vs. Iceboxes appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep38 – Awnings, Shelters & Shades for Summer

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 28 Nov 2021 22:30:55 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Here in Australia, creating shade can be just as important as bringing along enough water!

In this episode, Ben and Lauren talk through the options for awnings, shelters and shades for your summer adventures – plus, the best ways to peg out and secure your shelter in the sand.

Creating shade can be just as important as bringing along enough water! Credit: Zempire

Shortcuts

00:00 – Intro

00:58 – Creating Shade

02:03 – Pull-Out Awnings

07:38 – Gazebos and Air Shelters

11:31 – Ben and Lauren’s Awnings

13:39 – Beach Shelters

18:58 – Wind Resistance

20:49 – Beach Umbrellas

23:07 – Oztent Malamoo Series

24:01 – Avoiding Wind

24:57 – Functionality

26:21 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Categories

Sub-Categories

Products

Oztent Malamoo Series

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep38 – Awnings, Shelters & Shades for Summer appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep37 – Towing a Caravan with Kev

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 22 Nov 2021 00:30:12 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Every great movie starts with a good trailer,

and so does towing a caravan (see what we did there?).

In this episode, Ben and Lauren chat with Snowys’ resident caravanning expert Kev about the logistics of towing a caravan – from weight distribution and driving considerations, to brakes, mirrors, and tyre pressures.

Shortcuts

00:00 – Intro

00:27 – Introducing Kev

00:57 – Should I Tow a Caravan?

01:56 – Tow Ball Weight Vs Towing Weight

03:11 – Caravan Weight Considerations

07:10 – Weighing Your Caravan

09:39 – Braking Systems

12:10 – Electric Brakes and Brake Controllers

13:21 – Weight Distribution

18:55 – Tyre Pressures

20:33 – Spare Tyres

21:34 – Suspension

22:37 – Final Checks Before You Tow

26:15 – Towing Mirrors

30:50 – Driving Considerations

34:29 – Break Stops for Beginner Caravan Towers

36:08 – Overtaking

37:24 – Final Thoughts

Mentioned in this Episode:

Categories

Caravan Accessories

Sub-Categories

Towing Mirrors

Fuel Storage

Levelling Accessories

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

Snowys’ resident caravanning expert Kev explains the logistics of towing a caravan.

The post Ep37 – Towing a Caravan with Kev appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep36 – UHF Radios with GME

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 00:42:24 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Hello — Snowys Camping Show to loyal Snowys fans — do you read me?!

From marine to mountaineering, tune in to this episode of the Snowys Camping Show as Ben and Lauren lead an extensive discussion on UHF radios with Tony from GME.

Covering a vast range of talking points stretching further than the Hay Plains – know how to best mount in the mountains, choose your channels, and select the best gain for the best range.

Short Cuts

00:00 – Intro

01:18 – Introducing Tony from GME

03:42 – What does GME stand for?

05:18 – GME history

07:04 – GME Radio Products, Services, and Systems

8:19 – Australian Manufacturing

10:23 – Upgrading From a 40-channel Radio

14:39 – Why Do I Need a UHF Radio?

16:29 – Limitations of a UHF Radio

20:26 – What is UHF CB?

22:21 – Commercial Channels and Encrypted Digital Radio

23:02 – Can I use a UHF CB Radio on a Boat?

24:31 – Which UHF CB Radios are Available for 4WD Tourer Campers?

27:04 – Considerations When Mounting Antennas

30:00 – How Accurate is the Advertised Range of Each Radio?

35:00 – How do Antennas Actually Work?

43:43 – ‘Plug and Play’ Radio

45:07 – Interference and Installation Considerations

46:34 – How Effective are Stick-on Window Aerials?

Mentioned in this Episode

Products

UHF and UHF CB radios

Antennas

‘Plug ‘n Play’ radio kit

UHF CB 5-Watt Handheld radio

Antenna mounting bracket

2.1dBi antenna

6.6dBi antenna

Antenna whip

Introducing Tony from GME

With almost twenty years of experience in consumer electronics, Tony is a passionate employee of GME with a genuine curiosity in their products and associated markets. His ever-present interest in 4WD-ing, camping, fishing, and electronics had him naturally progressing into the GME space. Now with six years at the company under his belt and a boss four-wheel-drive, he has all the gear – and a fair idea!

What does GME stand for?

With sixty-two years of trading under parent company Standard Communications, Greenwich Marine Electronics (GME) manufactures a distinctive range of consumer electronics. A well-recognised brand with a long, proud history, GME has no intention to keep its meaning a secret. Nonetheless, the link to marine electronics can confuse those who aren’t aware of their past purpose. The company produced marine radios before Ultra-High Frequency (UHF), soon catering to different markets as the business evolved.

GME History

It began in a backyard shed.

GME was founded by Edward “Ted” Dunn in 1959, initially specialising in TV tuners and other facets of television service. From there, Dunn began to identify the more niche markets, before working to source and develop products to suit. The UHF category interested him, and by the 1980s relevant products became necessary within the farming community. Communication was required back to the homestead, though the absence of mobile phones and limitations of AM radios meant fewer alternatives to do so. As UHF radios gained traction, Dunn seized the opportunity to develop products that met these demands.

Where AM radios can refer to 27 MHz (“megahertz”) and Single Side Band (SSB) radios, Tony clarifies that the many types of two-way communication are simply distinguished by their different frequencies and waves forms. Before UHF radios, GME was producing 27 MHz marine radios.

GME Radio Products, Services, and Systems

If GME wasn’t already an enigma – the company deal in more than just radios. That said, every product offered is in some way associated with radio frequency (RF) and radio communications. Products cover UHF and UHF Citizen Band (CB) radios, commercial radios requiring operating licenses and private frequencies, emergency and Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs), marine communications or Very-High Frequency (VHF) radios, and all associated antennas.

Additionally, GME offers Kingray TV signal distribution systems like those manufactured during the initial stages of the company.

Every GME product is in some way associated with radio frequency (RF) and radio communications. Credit: GME

Australian Manufacturing

As the only Australian manufacturer of UHF CB radios and emergency beacons, supporting Australian companies is a highly valued notion at GME. Given some materials need to be sourced from overseas, Ben and Lauren ask Tony how people can view the extent to which GME products are Australian-made.

Firstly, the main priority of GME is to continue to manufacture in Australia. While labour costs are higher here than overseas, and some components are received from all over the world, GME remain committed to Australian production. Tony states that the simplest way to describe the extent to which GME products are Australian is on a revenue basis. Of their yearly revenue, 80% comes from Australian-manufactured products created in their factory in Sydney, New South Wales.

Limitations to 100% Australian-made products remain, where the mission is always to achieve a happy-medium percentage of quality against cost.

Upgrading From a 40-Channel Radio

Roughly ten years ago, 80-channel radios were introduced as the suggested transition from 40-channel types. As Ben owns the latter, he turns to Tony for his advice on whether upgrading is necessary, and what the limitations are if he does not.

While a 40-channel radio is still adequate, refusing to shift to an 80-channel model simply denies someone 50% of the full picture.

For example, if a group using 80-channel radios need to communicate, those with 40-channel types may not be able to hear them if their radio falls short of access to the channel in use.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), who mandate and manage the spectrum, originally opted to make 40-channel radios illegal. The intention behind this proposal was to encourage the market to upgrade to the 80-channel product. However, the feedback they received suggested they shouldn’t – and given the 40-channel radios showed no sign of functional failure, the ACMA adjusted their approach.

For simply communicating with a friend via an agreed channel, a 40-channel radio is sufficient. However, monitoring highway danger and safety channels when on-road travelling is best done using an 80-channel model to ensure you are not operating with 40 fewer. While the decision is now in the hands of the 40-channel community as to whether they upgrade, it remains highly recommended that they do to experience the full advantages of a more extensive channel range.

The benefits of UHF radios extend beyond their channels. As technology has advanced, there are more features of updated models to take advantage of that aren’t factored into the earlier types. A newer style of radio that Ben has recently started to enjoy allows the user to simply ‘plug ‘n play’, without the need for a complicated installation process (these will be elaborated on later in the podcast). That said, UHF radios in general last a long time, leading many to prefer using their existing model until there’s a more steadfast reason to transition.

Why do I need a UHF radio?

The answer is simple: a UHF radio allows communication without the infrastructure. Beyond metro centres, patchy mobile reception calls for efficient and effective comms achieved through UHF radios.

By extension, UHF radios are a safety precaution in allowing communication in the case of emergencies. Solely relying on a mobile phone in these circumstances is an issue, as only 40% of Australia’s landmass is covered for mobile phones. Considering this, one doesn’t need to travel too far out of a city to ultimately lose mobile coverage.

Limitations of a UHF radio

As with all two-way comms, UHF radios are effective by line of sight – that is, the straight, unobstructed path between a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna. For example, it is not possible to contact someone in Darwin from Adelaide, as both communicators are required to be within the range of their radios.

The effectiveness of the transmitting and receiving of comms depends on a vast number of factors. These include the transmission power, the size of an aerial, and the geographic nature of the area. For example, while travelling through a mountainous area will drop the maximum potential transmission range, doing so through the Hay Plains will achieve far more distance out of the radio.

At any one time, there are close to three million UHF radios in commission across Australia. Considering this, it is highly likely to be successful in connecting with another traveller or making a call via one of the dedicated emergency channels. That said, UHF radios are not the be-all-end-all of comms, where emergency beacons provide an added level of safety and insurance if emergency situations become more dire.

While UHF radios and emergency beacons are not direct alternatives to satellite phones, they are nonetheless complementary. A satellite phone is a powerful device that works anywhere on the planet, though the purchase price is substantially higher. What’s more, owners will be paying for ongoing subscriptions whether their device is in use or not, while a UHF radio is free to utilise after purchasing. With an open communication platform, UHF radios allows for anyone tuned into the same channel as others to hear and respond – a key difference to satellite phones, which instead require one to call a specific user.

Ultimately – the more solitary one travels the more necessary multiple safety devices are. More avid, remote travellers carry a satellite phone, UHF radio, and an emergency beacon together.

What is UHF CB?

So what’s the difference between UHF and UHF CB radios? The latter refers to Citizen Band, which can be accessed by anyone. On the other hand, UHF and VHF commercial radios operate via the same frequencies but offer licensed channels that aren’t open to the public. These individually licensed frequencies allow users to have private conversations without interference from others.

As the conversation around UHF versus UHF CB becomes a little complicated, Tony clarifies that the distinction is ultimately related to frequency. UHF, as mentioned, refers to Ultra High Frequency – and within this is Citizen Band and Commercial range. Both operating on the same frequency, they simply offer different channels. A UHF CB radio hosts 80 channels tuned within the Citizen Band, where any frequencies operating beyond this are for commercial use and require a license. While UHF or commercial radios reach Citizen Band channels, there are UHF CB radios that allow users to hear commercial channels but not transmit via them.

Commercial Channels and Encrypted Digital Radio

Ultimately, there is a difference between UHF and UHF CB radios. While it’s expected for police and other emergency services to use commercial channels as opposed to those that are publicly accessible – in many cases, they use a different technology altogether: encrypted digital radio.

Unlike some concepts, radio isn’t radio. There are many radio-based products, and each function differently depending on the requirements. Gone are the days when it was possible to sit in our living rooms and listen to the whereabouts of the police. Now, such sensitive content is protected, where all communication – especially in metro areas around Australia – is encrypted.

Can I use UHF CB radio on a boat?

A marine radio operates via VHF channels. In a practical sense, a VHF radio can work on land where a UHF CB can on water – however, this contradicts the purpose of each radio’s respective design.

A VHF is designed for use in marine environments, and it’s recommended that one purchases a radio based on what they will more likely use it for. In Australia, GME as a manufacturer are not permitted to offer products that transmit more than five watts of power via a UHF radio. Transmission of VHF marine radios reaches 25 watts, providing a greater range.

Considering this, there are specific benefits to different products that are designed according to these standards. For example, a 4WD-er with a VHF can talk to every boat on the harbour – but none of the other 4WD-ers on the road!

What UHF CB radios are available for 4WD tourer campers?

Many!

A UHF CB radio is available in both a handheld (portable) design, and a fixed-mount (mobile) model requiring installation in a vehicle. Within both categories, there are variations to power transmission, standard features, waterproof radios, GPS capabilities, and Bluetooth – and this is where customers require detailed consideration in the interest of aligning the product to their specific uses.

Tony recommends a handheld radio at a minimum – the closest to a one-size-fits-all model – for infrequent users who would like communication abilities outside metro areas. Handheld models are convenient, useful both within and outside a vehicle, practical at the campsite, capable of monitoring traffic, and are without the investment of a fixed mount and antenna.

That said, there are limitations around range, given their smaller antenna. Furthermore, the battery-power feature has it demanding constant charging, as opposed to what would otherwise be required of a fixed mount model via the 12-volt system in a vehicle.

Considerations when Mounting Antennas

When we consider the range of a five-watt handheld radio versus that of a five-watt fixed mount model, we turn to their antennas. By default, the taller the antenna the further a radio can transmit.

Other determining factors include where on the vehicle the antenna is mounted. Mounting to the back of a vehicle can drop the available range the antenna can transmit on. The less an antenna is obstructed, the more effective a radio’s transmission. Considering this, recommended locations to mount an antenna include in front of the bull bar, or on top of the roof.

While some may want to consider surrounding the antenna with a flat plain, this isn’t so much a consideration anymore as it was when antennas were ground-dependent. Nowadays, most antennas are ground-independent, eliminating the necessity for a ground plain and instead dictated by the extent to which the antenna is obstructed. For example, vertically mounting an antenna against the flat, back wall of a Jeep will have your radio struggling to transmit a signal through the body of the car. On the other hand, surrounding the antenna with an unobstructed, clear range allows a more effective transmission. Drivers who otherwise find aerials on the bull bar distracting should consider how significant adequate reception is for their journeys.

How accurate is the advertised range of each radio?

While some brands state the wattage range of a radio, GME do not. Tony confirms that the most common questions asked refer to the extent of the range expected from a handheld radio. Essentially, there are too many variables – but geographic positioning is an aspect that impacts range to a greater extent.

As mentioned earlier, radios are effective by line of sight. For example, it is more likely for a user to achieve sufficient transmission from their radio atop a mountain than it is low within the valleys. With this in mind, some brands claiming 17 kilometres of range is misleading. A customer is likely to be disappointed when their radio “doesn’t work”, despite many factors likely contributing to their inadequate transmission – and this is why GME choose not to make a claim. Broadly speaking, a five-watt handheld radio could offer up to ten kilometres of range in ideal conditions, while a fixed-mount model of the same wattage could extend to 25 kilometres or more.

Nonetheless, range is variable-dependent – and if anything, a company ought to state the transmission power. A customer is likely to choose a one-watt handheld radio over a five-watt handheld because of the difference in price and specific requirements of the radio. For instance, travelling in a convoy within only 500m of other vehicles would likely only demand a one-watt radio, where the need for transmitting beyond ten kilometres is unnecessary. A lower watt radio is also useful for keeping in touch with children and family members within a camping ground.

Essentially, a user’s choice of radio-based on transmission power is dependent on its specific use, where any remote, solo travellers require maximum transmission power and a high-performance aerial for optimum transmission from their radio.

How do antennas actually work?

Following the frequent mention of antennas, Ben and Lauren are curious as to whether there is a visual representation of how they transmit radio waves. It is, for lack of a better word, technical!

Radio waves are transmitted via a ‘radiation pattern’. Essentially, this pattern describes how a signal is released from the radio into the antenna and communicated out. This is called a ‘gain’ rating, denoted by a decibel isotropic (dBi) number.

Antennas are available in specific gain ratings, including 2.1dBi, 6.6dBi, and 8.1dBi. The length of an antenna correlates to its gain measurement, where a shorter antenna will have a lower gain rating and an 8.1dBi antenna measures two metres long.

Tony clarifies that a higher gain does not necessarily equate to a better-performing antenna. As the gain rating of an antenna increases, the radiation pattern changes shape. He describes an inflated balloon, which could be viewed as a 2.1dBi radiation pattern (i.e. distributing a broad transmission over a smaller distance). Increasing the gain rating is the equivalent of applying more pressure to the ‘balloon’, consequently elongating it in a horizontal fashion. So, while an 8.1dBi antenna transmits further than an antenna of 2.1dBi, it does so via a flatter radiation pattern.

Ultimately, as mentioned previously, transmission is dependent on geographic conditions. Running an 8.1dBi antenna in hilly terrain results in poor range, as the signal is unable to overcome the obstructions. Therefore, the nature of the terrain determines the performance of the antenna. Many antennas in the GME range have interchangeable whips, allowing users to choose the whip that best complements the current conditions. A whip is the straight, flexible, fibreglass rod, with a spring on the base to prevent breakage along corrugated roads. A smaller, shorter whip with a lower gain rating works better in the hills, like the Victorian high country. On the other hand, the Nullarbor Plain calls for a longer antenna with a higher gain rating.

Most adventurers seek ground-independent antennas, as their design incorporates a feature at the base that eliminates the need for a flat plain. In contrast, a ground-dependent antenna is a product of old technology. Put simply, those who don’t choose a ground-independent design are those who are willing to drill a hole in the centre of their roof! With the evolution of technology over time, ground-independent designs offer greater flexibility in where users can mount their antennas. In the 80s, optimal performance of a UHF radio could be achieved by puncturing a hole through the centre of a vehicle’s roof. The antenna uses the roof as the ground plain to operate effectively.

As well as transmitting and receiving radio signals, 2.1-metre antennas have also been seen to double as flagpoles. While this is not a specified use of the antenna, nor is it noted in GME’s instruction manual – it’s a tempting idea for most campers, fishermen, and 4WD-ers. Owed to the antenna’s exceptionally heavy-duty spring base, a flag attached to the top is unlikely to provoke any physical damage, or – to Tony’s knowledge – affect how the aerial operates.

Lauren enquires whether there is a hybrid model of a fixed-mount and handheld radio available, to which Tony presents more than one option.
Firstly – with GME’s handheld model, users can purchase drop-in chargers to mount in their vehicles, unscrew the antenna from the handheld, and connect a smaller magnetic antenna that can be attached to the vehicle’s roof. This essentially transforms the handheld radio into a pseudo fixed-mount antenna. While this method remains inferior in the absence of larger antennas, repositioning the antenna to the outside of the vehicle automatically improves the range. This further reinforces the effect of limited obstructions – a common theme throughout the discussion. The best possible scenario for an antenna to perform at its optimum is a mounting position that is high, free of obstructions, and outside a vehicle.

Another option for a hybrid is the ‘plug ‘n play’ model.

‘Plug ‘n Play’ Radios

This model is a fixed-mount radio that does not require permanent installation in a vehicle. The device is supplied with a 12V DC cigarette lighter socket which, once plugged in, runs the small magnetic antenna. With a ‘plug ‘n play’ radio, users can enjoy the benefit of a fixed-mount design – but are nonetheless limited by the antenna.

In the presence of a large fixed-mount radio inside a vehicle, with small, handheld radios in the same vicinity – Lauren asks whether the fixed-mount model works to boost the effectiveness of the handheld devices. As great as that would be, Tony confirms that this is not the case. An antenna needs to be attached directly to a radio to form any kind of relationship or connection.

Interference and Installation Considerations

It is worth noting that if a customer purchases a radio and finds it doesn’t work effectively, the chances are that it has little to do with the radio itself and more so its sensitivity to other radio waves. Products that tend to disrupt a radio’s efficiency are those generating noise, and LED light bars.

Positioning an antenna nearby LED light bars creates an interference heard through the radio. Considering this, when installing an antenna on a vehicle it’s wise to note where the cables run, to prevent bundling up beside those for other devices such as LED light bars. When light bars are removed from the space, problems related to the radio’s effectiveness are too.

How effective are stick-on window aerials?

Are they a last resort, or equally as effective as other models discussed? Again, Tony circles back to considering where the antenna is mounted, its height, and its gain rating.

For example, 2.1dBi and 4.5dBi stick-on antennas will still transmit and receive, though not as effectively as a 1.2-metre antenna mounted on a bull bar. The former are best utilised in a convoy-style scenario.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep36 – UHF Radios with GME appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep35 – Camping Etiquette

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 00:25:55 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

From the ranting and raving in the RV next door, to pets in our personal space,

outdoor experts Lauren and Ben pull into Camp Etiquette and give a tour of common courtesy within shared spaces.

Be it putting the midnight mayhem to bed, setting up your space strategically, or avoiding the drone of a dirt bike, this episode of the Snowys Camping Show unpacks the various campsite concerns, how to escape them on your next trip away – and why you might be one of them!

Short Cuts

00:00 – Intro

01:58 – Group Camping

03:19 – Campsite Noise

05:53 – Generators & Chainsaws

07:34 – Dirt Bikes

09:49 – Watching Out for Others

13:12 – Walk AROUND Other People’s Sites!

14:12 – Should You Share Your Favourite Campsites?

18:12 – Leave No Trace

19:27 – Station Stays

20:07 – Fires

21:05 – Pets

22:03 – Kids

Mentioned in this episode

Products:

Awnings

Engel 2500W Pure Sinewave Inverter Generator R500IS

Bushman Fridges DC65−X 65L Upright Fridge

Episodes:

Ep7 – Gear You Don’t Need For Camping

Ep 18 – Camping, Waste, and Leaving No Trace

Ep21 – Camp Furniture Setups with Zempire

Group Camping

There are two types of families at a campsite: brothers by blood, and brothers from another mother. While the former enjoy board games after dark and helping Dad peg out the awning, the latter find fun in throwing back beers, blasting beats, and just being with the boys.

If you’re one of ‘the boys’, don’t worry – you’re still a legend. Nonetheless, we have a bro-code of our own for the sake of the mums and dads in the tents next door.

If partying until the portable speaker runs flat is the plan for your trip, we suggest booking out the campsite entirely. If this isn’t an option, simply keep in mind polite practices and consider those hoping for a good night’s sleep on their getaway.

Campsite Noise

Following on from above, music can be pleasant within our own camp space. If you’re the type who loves a sunset tune or two, simply be mindful of the groups camping around you.

Often, families and groups venture to a campsite for the same reason – to relax, unwind, and enjoy the peace. The rowdy behaviour of one group can not only ruin the sleep of another but affect the day that follows – especially for families with young children.

Generators & Chainsaws

There’s a reason Lauren and Ben consider both devices as Gear You Don’t Need For Camping – they’re often considered a noisy nuisance to other families and groups within the same campsite.

When few people are about and power sources are scarce, a generator is both appropriate and necessary. In other cases, their relentless, monotone groan can be irritating for campers who came for peace, quiet, and calm. While the whirring of a portable fridge tends to cut in and out, a generator’s drone is ongoing.

Most people don’t chuck their chainsaw in with their tackle on an off-road adventure, though some love taking tools that are a little rough around the edges. If you’re one who enjoys opening the chainsaw choke, avoid cranking it at particularly early or late points in the day when other campers are either waking up slowly or unwinding after hours of activity.

Dirt Bikes

From cranking it to fanging it – dirt bikes, while popular in the camping realm, can also be deemed a disturbance. Some campers are impartial, though others prefer listening to the clicking of cicadas over that of a motorbike’s ignition! Dirt bike owners are therefore encouraged to be mindful of the noise and road safety issues their vehicles pose within shared spaces.

Nonetheless, increasingly more campsites are restricting dirt bike access. For this reason, dirt bike owners are more than likely to find themselves camping with those alike. The bikes in question don’t refer to the road-registered types (accepted by most campsites), but instead those that tear up the outback tracks.

With the pool of dirt bike-friendly camping grounds gradually shrinking, those who can’t tolerate their noise are recommended to select one of the many options that turn them away. Just like being mindful of your blaring bike engine, campsite etiquette also spans to being conscious of what is available to some and not to others. For this reason, be selective when choosing your campsite and avoid silencing dirt bike owners who are within their right at relevant grounds.

Watching Out for Others

Campsite consideration covers many scenarios, but even so follows the simple, unspoken rule of watching out for others. While this extends beyond base camp into everyday life too, it’s important to remain friendly and considerate of others in your camping area. Be it a family of five or a soul-searcher with a single swag, we all seek the same thing on a trip away – to enjoy the outdoors.

We Aussies love to lend a hand around the house, and it should be no different around the caravan. Be it repairing a hole in the roof or mending a broken brow pole – helping a friend in need is something we do, from the household to the tent folds! For the avid campers though, it’s often easy to forget that others may still be learning the guy-ropes of setting up a living space beyond the bricks of their domestic home. Always keep an eye outside your awning for anyone who looks to be struggling with their setups. Doing so not only allows the opportunity to pass on your wisdom but contribute to creating a positive camping community.

On the contrary, too much interaction can be the opposite of what some campers prefer when kicking back by their caravan. As mentioned, the purpose of an outdoor getaway can often be to find solitude and personal space. Overly friendly neighbours, while fun to befriend, can be excessive for those who simply want to switch off and limit how often they socialise. To determine who these campers are, beware of potential boundaries, watch for body language, and observe social cues. On the other hand – if it’s you we’re describing, it can often help to arrange your camp space so it faces away from others and creates more segregation. Further information on campsite arrangements can be found within Ep21 – Camp Furniture Setups with Zempire.

Walk AROUND Other People’s Sites!

It’s human nature to always want a faster way of doing something – be it cooking a meal, losing a few pounds, or simply travelling from A to B. In that, living at a communal campsite has us wanting to dodge all the 4WDs, bypass every barbeque area, and trudge past someone else’s Trangia. Unfortunately though, there‘s no fast way to manoeuvre mindfully through a campsite.

Just. Go. AROUND.

Taking a shortcut through the centre of someone’s camp space just to reach the toilet block is like walking straight through someone else’s lounge room to reach the bus stop. Co-existing at a campsite involves maintaining a level of respect for others’ privacy – and let’s be honest, it’s not that much further to simply follow the footpath.

On the other hand, how and where you set up camp in relation to others around you can help with how people are directed around your space and through the rest of the grounds. Consider where your tent is pitched or how your caravan sits with respect to pathways, shared facilities, and other set-ups.

Co-existing at a campsite involves maintaining a level of respect for others’ privacy. Credit: OZtrail

Should you Share Your favourite Campsites?

While our “favourite” campsite can still be enjoyed by many others, sometimes our attachment can lead us to believe that it’s ours…and ours only! A site that secures our fondest holiday memories and keeps our routine road trips alive can often be what keeps us coming back.

Ben and Lauren suggest keeping any preferred campsites and camping grounds under wraps. As more people learn about your secret space, more will venture there during holiday periods and contribute to the crowding. Camping is becoming increasingly common with the COVID-19 pandemic, which can now make it difficult to locate a campsite roomy enough to relax and recharge. If we’re talking campsite etiquette, sharing a friend’s most-loved site with other groups isn’t necessary. As much as the site doesn’t belong to this friend – or any frequently-visiting group – it remains a location that is safe, familiar, and special to them when they travel.

From a planning perspective, some of the more hidden patches of paradise are found by investing time and energy into both travelling and building relationships with property owners. In that, Ben and Lauren agree that a free or low-cost campsite shouldn’t simply be handed to those who aren’t willing to adopt the same approach.

Leave No Trace

You wouldn’t leave a family friend’s barbeque without first asking if they need help cleaning up, or leave your hotel bed unmade before checking out.

…OK, maybe this is more common than we think. Maybe the kids are getting cranky, or you’re running late for your flight.

Nonetheless, leaving your camp space as you found it before departing is standard bush camping etiquette. Not only are you leaving an area where another family may like to pull up in the future, but you’ve also cooked on your campfire and tapped away at your tent pegs within the natural habitat of many animals and wildlife. Free, council-run campsites are there for our convenience, but the reality is that the more frequently they are left unkempt the more unlikely they are to continue as an overnight option. For more information on how to manage waste when camping, check out Ep18 – Camping, Waste, and Leaving No Trace.

Station Stays

For an authentic, outback experience, station stays offer accommodation across guest rooms, cabins, and campgrounds. Like much overnight housing alike, station stays will cease as an option if left untidy by outback adventurers passing through.

With plenty of freedom for fun, it’s nevertheless important to remain respectful and considerate of the grounds. Picking up rubbish, keeping fences intact, and following the station rules will promise both an enjoyable and comfortable experience.

Fires

Firepits are a common indication of previous activity at a campsite. Spotted in open spaces, it’s usually telling where someone has previously created a fire. Any pre-existing firepits should be reused by the next group, as with too many campfires comes too much coal, ash, and soot in one area.

When leaving a campsite, refrain from leaving any burnt rubbish and debris in the pit, such as tin cans, bottle tops and glass.

Pets

As furry members of the family, pets are wonderful, kid-friendly camping companions. Nonetheless, a group should be conscious of how any untoward behaviour displayed by their pet could impact another family’s experience. Common issues include dogs consistently barking, running free from their leash, and invading other campsites.

However, those who want to avoid a dog skidding, scampering, and sniffing about the new smells of the space should instead choose a campsite where pets are not accepted. After all – like dirt bikes – dog-friendly campsites are for dog-friendly campers.

Kids

Even as an adult, it can be easy to forget how an animated conversation or heated discussion can affect nearby groups in earshot. Children are more susceptible to misunderstanding this idea, so parents should simply be wary of their behaviour. Common examples are constant bickering or over-excitement during campsite activities, so forewarning your children about keeping chaotic and loud behaviour to a minimum is a good place to start before entering the campgrounds. In that, there’s no harm in outlining the other campsite etiquettes discussed throughout this podcast too.

Likewise, reminding children to stay within your camp space (unless you’ve told them otherwise) will divert them from disrupting another family’s privacy, meanwhile keeping them safe and in sight. That said, it’s common for kids on camping holidays to jump on their bikes and jet off on their own adventures with other children. Standard campsite etiquette is simply to make the effort to check in on your children if they’re interacting with other families in another campsite. Typically, families will supply enough food for their own children and may not have the means to provide for another, so it’s a common campsite courtesy to offer to contribute.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep35 – Camping Etiquette appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep34 – Camping Terms Explained

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 00:28:27 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Give us Aussies the most basic object, and we’ll still find a name for it that’s more interesting than its function.

From spondoolies to spigots – in this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren take the switchback path to the summit, covering some of the most used lingo at the campsite.

Join our outdoor experts as they clip on the crampons, tighten the knot of their tucker bag, and swipe right on the true definition of tinder.

Short Cuts

00:00 – Intro

01:07 – Bivy

03:15 – Billabong

04:37 – Bore

05:17 – BTU

06:31 – Cairn

07:59 – Cordura

08:42 – DEET

10:16 – Denier & GSM

12:14 – Donkey Shower

13:54 – Donga

14:15 – Ferrule

15:03 – GVM

15:25 – Geodesic

15:38 – GORP

16:07 – SCROGGIN

16:54 – Grommet

17:35 – Different Types of Toilets

18:35 – No-See-Um-Mesh

19:32 – PSI & kPa

20:02 – R-Value

20:20 – Rip-Stop Nylon

21:25 – Ridge & Saddle

22:40 – Switchback

23:09 – Summit

23:15 – Spondoolie / Spondonical

24:09 – Shellite

24:59 – Spigot

25:30 – Freestanding

26:22 – Taped Seam

26:51 – Tinder

27:26 – Tent Season

28:29 – Ultralight & Lightweight Hikers

30:01 – Vestibule

30:44 – Waterhead Rating

32:01 – Tucker Bag

32:23 – Dilly Bag

32:41 – Blunnies

33:10 – Troopy

33:40 – UHF Vs UHF CB Radio

34:33 – Tinny

34:38 – Crampon

35:14 – DWR

Mentioned in this Episode

Products:

Bivy

Stoves

Cordura luggage bags

DEET insect repellent

Spondoolie / spondoncial / pot-gripper

Tent with a vestibule

Awnings

IPX 6 rated device

Dilly bags

UHF and UHF CB Radios

Snow boots

DWR-treated sleeping bag

Water repellent

Podcasts:

Ep41 – Camp Stove Comparisons

Ep4 – Packing Your Vehicle Like A Minimalist

JetBoil and Grande Coffee Press

Bivy / Hoochie

A bivy describes a waterproof sack for emergency purposes, made of a tarp-like material. The term is also used in mountaineering, referring to a small space in which a camper can ‘bivy down on’.

Unlike a Hoochie – a piece of tarp that serves as a small covering – a bivy is best described as a bag rather than a shelter. Lauren likes to picture it as similar to the people-sized plastic bags worn at an AFL game during wet weather!

Billabong

According to Lauren and Ben’s research, a billabong refers to a branch or body of water formed by a river’s stream during a flood. The excess flow forms a backwater or stagnant pool, and ultimately a lake separate from the river itself.

Bore

A bore is a man-made water source, where the earth has been physically drilled down to create a water vessel. Bores can form billabongs and are often made to convert drier areas to wetlands.

BTU

A BTU is an acronym for a unit of heat measurement called the British Thermal Unit, often indicated on kitchen appliances such as stoves.

While BTUs are a non-descript unit of measurement (unlike millilitres, which simply measure volumes of water), Ben and Lauren will discuss them further in a future episode detailing camp stoves and portable cooking appliances. Here, they’ll uncover how BTUs are quantifiable, how they’re measured, and how many degrees a certain number of BTUs translates to.

Cairn

Often marking a high point on a mountain, a cairn describes a neat pile of rocks traditionally constructed for navigational purposes. Cairns tend to be landmarks on mountain peaks or indicators of when a path may change course. Lauren describes a large cairn on the top of Mt Cavern in South Australia, measuring roughly 170cm tall and as wide as a standard-sized, circular tabletop.

Cordura

Cordura is the trademarked name of a collection of heavy-duty, synthetic, and fibre-based materials in a fabric. Brands such as Gore-Tex and Kodra are also examples of trademarked names, referring to different products. Some Cordura products include luggage bags, trousers, and some military wear.

DEET

Another acronym, DEET refers to Diethyl Toluamide which is an ingredient found in most supermarket insect repellents. The chemical is relatively strong and can cause discomfort on sensitive skin types, so best applied in moderation. For more information on this product, check out Ep31 – Creepy Crawlies at the Campsite.

Denier & GSM

Denier describes a single strand of fibre measuring 9000m in length, bundled up and weighed. From that, the term ‘denier’ references a fabric’s thickness, specifically the individual fibres in its threads.

This term is not to be confused with grams per square metre (gsm). Where gsm describes how many grams of fabric are in one square metre, denier is the weight of the individual fibre within that fabric.

A material may have a gsm measurement that differs from that of its denier. For example, a material with a low GSM can have a high denier, common in thick fabrics that are loosely woven. On the other hand, a more tightly woven fabric would have a higher GSM.

Donkey Shower

Most know a ‘donkey shower’ as simply water heated by a campfire and transported through to the outdoor showerhead.

Moreover, the shower is a homebuilt unit comprising of a tall canister (like that of LPG gas) filled with water. When heated over a fire, the water boils and creates a natural pressure that pushes it upwards and out through the showerhead. A donkey shower follows the science involved in hot air rising, responding to the natural pressure from the steam.

Donga

This term can initially read as a little crass (don’t fight it, we were all thinking it) – however, a donga refers to a transportable house or room! Usually constructed with lightweight materials to allow easy transportation from site to site, dongas are often utilised as a classroom or means of accommodation for workers.

Ferrule

A ferrule is a small metal tube that is often used in the case of a broken tent pole. The ferrule is threaded over the snapped pole and fixed with gaffer tape to allow further use when spare poles aren’t accessible.

Some pop-up tents have poles that if snapped can be difficult to replace, so ferrules are often handy to keep on hand in such situations for repair purposes.

GVM

Simply, GVM is an initialism of Gross Vehicle Mass, which indicates the total mass your vehicle is allowed to weigh. More information on GVM can be found within a previous episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Packing Your Vehicle Like A Minimalist.

Geodesic

This term refers to a domed shelter with more than two crossing poles. Often a geodesic shelter will include multiple poles to enable a sturdier, more steadfast model.

GORP

If you’re an avid outdoorsman or woman, something you’re sure to love more than an acronym is Good Old Raisins and Peanuts! As the full term suggests, GORP refers to a variety of trail mix.

SCROGGIN

The luxury GORP, this summit-time snack is a mixed bag of Sultanas Chocolate Raisins and Other Good Grub Including Nuts!

Grommet

No, not the clay companion of Wallace, or a grubby child into wicked outdoor adventure sports – a grommet in camping terms refers to the small metal ring in the corner of your tarp! Also known as an ‘eyelet’, a grommet aids the pegging and securing of a piece of tarp into the ground.

Different Types of Toilets:
From Eco-Friendly to Outhouse

Don’t worry, bringing toilet paper to the campsite doesn’t make you a party pooper. Beyond the domestic dunnies, it’s common to utilize various portable toilet types on a road trip. Examples of eco-friendly varieties include compost, sawdust, and transportable.

Compost and sawdust toilets are both ‘dry’ toilets that treat and process waste through biological composting. Most don’t involve water for flushing, where sawdust is an example of an additive used to create air pockets in the waste to initiate aerobic decomposition. Alternatively, transportable toilets flush away waste into a holding tank located beneath the seat. Chemicals inside reduce smells and germs until the waste is emptied.

Other eco-toilets include outhouses and biogas digesters. Where an outhouse describes a small structure housing a toilet and located away from a main home or building, a biogas digester applies an anaerobic system to decompose waste and convert it into renewable biogas. This gas can subsequently be used as cooking fuel.

No-See-Um Mesh

No-See-Um is a trademarked name for midges, but describes an incredibly fine mesh found on some swags and tents. While it prevents most insects and bothersome bugs from entering your sunset sanctuary, No-See-Um mesh avoids claiming to be midge-proof. This is because a midge is so tiny that it can invade enclosed spaces via other openings such as zips or small tears, collapsing the reliability of any midge-proof claim.

PSI and kPa

A unit of pressure, PSI is an initialism for Pounds per Square Inch and measures the pressure in a tire. The term can also be used in relation to air tents or other inflatable apparatuses.

A kilopascal, or kPa, is another unit of pressure. Where one pascal is the equivalent of one kilogram per metre per second squared, a kilopascal signifies one thousand pascals.

Of the two units, PSI is more commonly used.

R-Value

An R-value is the measure of thermal resistance, used in reference to the insulation of a mattress. Lauren and Ben elaborate more on this term in Sleep System Ratings with Sea to Summit.

Rip-Stop Nylon

The term ‘rip-stop’ alone refers to a method of fabric design where a heavier denier fibre is woven through a material in a grid-like pattern (mimicking maths graph paper). This prevents tearing in the fabric, or simply stops an existing tear from growing any further.

The rip-stop feature can be found in canvas and polyester as well as nylon, but more common in the latter due to its lightweight construction requiring more durability.

Ridge & Saddle

Both geographical terms, a ridge refers to the path that links a chain of mountains, where the dip between each is called the saddle. Essentially, following the ridge will bring one to the saddle.

Switchback

Following on, a switchback is the path that takes a walker back up the saddle. Instead of leading straight up the slope, the switchback is the longer, more gradual route at a lower gradient.

Summit

The summit is the highest point of a mountain.

Spondoolie / Spondonical

Common in Trangia collections, a spondoolie or spondonical refers to a ‘pot gripper’, or a handle used to clip onto a pot that is too hot to lift with bare hands. A basic description of a spondoolie is two pieces of U-shaped metal with a hook on one end that grips the lip of the pot.

Shellite

Also known as petroleum distillate, shellite is a more refined version of unleaded petrol. Shellite is not to be confused with white spirits, which otherwise refers to a laundry detergent. In America, another term for shellite is ‘white gas’.

Spigot

Another fantastic tool with an equally as fantastic name, a spigot is the insert at the end of an awning or tent pole that pokes through a grommet or eyelet.

Freestanding

The term ‘freestanding’ refers to when a tent is independently holding its shape. More relevant to hiking tents, the word describes those which can be erected fully without the need for pegs. Occasionally, rocky or rugged terrain on a mountainside won’t allow for sufficient pegging – and while freestanding tents help in these circumstances, the use of guy ropes are still recommended to anchor the tent to the ground.

Taped Seam

A taped seam of a tent or swag assists with waterproofing. When the polyurethane-coated (or PU-coated) waterproof fabric is stitched together, leaking points remain within the seams. Tape is then applied with heat and pressure, producing a seal.

Tinder

Not the app, but a similar concept – tinder in camping terms refers to the flammable material that can be lit with a mere spark for the purpose of lighting kindling for a campfire.

Ah, just like love.

Tinder doesn’t refer to a specific material. Where a cotton bud is one of many examples, other tinder materials can come from particular parts of timber.

Tent Season

Many tents indicate a season rating that ranges between one and four, suggesting the types of weather conditions they may withstand in their lifetime. Where a two-season tent is recommended for use in Summer and Spring, a three-season tent introduces Autumn weather, and a four-season confirms year-round use.

A tent’s season rating may not be a line in the sand, but it serves as a useful guide. For example, while a one-season tent can technically allow use in colder environments, it’s not recommended. This is because the materials and features differ between a one-season and four-season tent, where the latter often has a higher water rating, a full mesh inner, and higher-grade poles.

A two-season tent is recommended for use in Summer. Credit: Shutterstock

Lightweight & Ultralight Hikers

Each term refers to a group of people who aim to carry as less weight on their hike as they realistically can.

While ‘lightweight’ covers most hikers who enjoy trekking without bearing the bulk, ultralight hikers are within the realm of those who cut down anywhere they can – for example, removing small items such as toothbrushes. A load weighing 12kg can be considered ‘ultralight’.

Ultralight hikers can shed weight from their load in as little as grams. The idea is that the lighter one’s gear is, the more food can be taken for adequate top-ups on their trek. For example, cutting down 200g in one area allows room for an extra block of chocolate for emergency energy!

Vestibule

A vestibule – pronounced ‘veh-stah-byool’ – is the front section of a tent, not to be mistaken for the awning.

Where an awning is pegged out for shade, the vestibule provides space between the inner and the fly of a tent or swag. Moreover, it refers to the additional triangular shaped fabric pegged out to allow extra shade or weather protection for any gear kept outside.

Waterhead Rating

Simply put, this term refers to how waterproof your tent is, usually measured in millilitres. For more on waterhead ratings, join Lauren and Ben in their chat with Ryan from Zempire throughout Episode 16, Tent Waterhead Ratings with Zempire.

IPX rating

An IPX rating also refers to waterproofing, but moreso associated with devices. For example, a gadget with an IPX 4 rating is splash-proof, translating to its ability to withstand light sprays but the inability to be submerged in water or caught in direct rain. An IPX 6 rating however allows a device to be submerged in water up to one metre. The higher the number rating, the more waterproof a device becomes.

Occasionally, a device will state a second number attached to the IPX – this indicates a dust rating.

Tucker Bag

A tucker bag describes fabric used to wrap and encase food in, tied on the end of a long stick. Picture the jolly swagman in Waltzing Matilda!

Dilly Bag

The brother of the tucker bag, a dilly bag allows campers to carry their cutlery and crockery. This could also be a tea towel, serving a dual purpose for cleaning dishes after use.

Blunnies

Simply a shortened term for Blundstone boots. While ‘blunnies’ originates from a specific brand, it can also refer to any leather boot with elastic sides. The exception is R.M. William boots, a classier style instead dubbed as ‘RMs’.

Troopy

In classic Aussie lingo, a Toyota Land Cruiser Troop Carrier is commonly shortened to ‘Troopy’. These 4WDs are as tough as nails against the off-road terrain.

UHF Vs UHF CB Radios

Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) radios are typically used for communicating between vehicles when convoy driving and scanning highways. As UHF radio transmissions don’t allow private communication, those in range are privy to all conversations. For this reason, general etiquette is expected.
A UHF CB radio is that of Ultra-High Frequency Citizen Band, for wider use by civilians.

Where some channels available are used for general conversation and chit-chat, other channels are for emergencies concerning relevant services, such as an ambulance.

Tinny

Commonly describing a small aluminium boat, a tinny also refers to a can of beer.

Crampon

A crampon is the spikey attachment fastened to the bottom of a pair of boots for added grip when ice climbing or trekking through snow.

DWR

Ending with an acronym, DWR is an abbreviation of Durable Water Repellency. The feature simply provides added waterproofing of some tents, sleeping bags, and jackets. As per ‘Waterhead Rating’, Lauren and Ben elaborate on DWR with Ryan from Zempire in a future episode.

Like the wax on your car, DWR is added to some products as additional protection from water – so camping in wet weather is like water off a duck’s back!

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep34 – Camping Terms Explained appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep33 – Food For Hiking

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 23:58:57 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Episode Overview

For scroggin at every snack point, or a hot meal at the end of a long hike – trek from dawn to dusk with the right sustenance in your rucksack. Be it powdered protein drinks, crackers that don’t crumble, or dehydrated dinners – this episode of the Snowys Camping Show unpacks the foods that fit snug with your luggage and fulfil your nutritional needs on the slopes.

Outdoor experts Ben and Lauren rip open the bag of the best foods to take on trail walks, treks, and hikes.

Short Cuts

00:00 – Intro

03:40 – Snack Vs Meal Stops

04:27 – Suggested Daily Food Weight to Pack

05:47 – Packaging and Packing Tips

08:43 – Snack Suggestions: Scroggin Mix, Muesli, and Energy Bars

13:14 – Water, Filtration Systems, and Electrolytes

14:43 – Coffee and Hot Drinks

18:25 – Fresh Food Suggestions

21:48 – Brekkie Ideas

24:36 – Rice, Pasta, Noodles, and Couscous, Dark Chocolate, Dried Fruit, and Crackers

28:19 – Freeze-Dried Vs Dehydrated Food

30:09 – Cookware and Cooking Systems

31:24 – Dehydrating Your own Food

33:39 – Freeze-Dried Meals

35:18 – Organising Food Drops for Long Hikes

Mentioned in this episode

Products

Whey protein powder

Smoothie powder

Snack Vs Meal Stops

Staggering up the steeper slopes is far easier with a lighter load. While that can refer to the rucksack on your back, it also extends to what you choose to consume throughout the day.

Ben and Lauren recommend taking water and snack breaks as opposed to consuming bigger meals mid-trip. Where large, full-bodied meals will leave hikers feeling sluggish and slow for the second half of their trek, lightweight, energy-dense snacks will help curb the afternoon fatigue.

Suggested Daily Food Weight to Pack

It’s suggested to take approximately between 700g and 1kg of food on a long hike. This will vary from hiker to hiker, depending on both their calorie requirements and weight logistics of their packs.

To ensure a balance of both the macros in your food and weight throughout your baggage, consider the types of foods you’re packing. Higher intensity activities such as hiking call for calorie-rich, energy-dense, nutrition-heavy, and lightweight foods.

Packaging and Packing Tips

The less baggage, the lighter you feel – a rule to live by when tackling the hiking tracks (and yes, this is also a sign that you should confess to that certain someone whatever it is you need to get off your chest).

Remove bigger, bulkier packaging, and eradicate all the extra from individually wrapped items. Ziplock bags are a versatile option in lightening the load and saving space, perfect for rationing scroggin and doubling as bin bags. Thanks to their secure closing mechanism, ants and insects are also kept away.

Another option for reserving room are vacuum-sealed bags. Easily labelled and tucked away tight, these are best utilised for portioning daily meals. For packeted snack items holding unnecessary air, simply prick the bag with a pin to allow air to escape and the packet to shrink in size.

While Ziplock bags are more versatile and reusable, both options keep ants out, bode well for daily portioning, and are more compact in your rucksack. Enjoy the scenes of the summit without the slog of meal-prep, knowing your dinner is already delegated.

Snack Suggestions: Scroggin Mix, Muesli, and Energy Bars

Snacking is usually a mindless exercise between meals – but it’s important to consider the right foods to fill the gap when trekking off the beaten track.

A balance of calorie-rich, fibre-packed, and nutrient-dense foods are ideal when considering your scroggin, including a variation of chocolate, nuts, and dried fruit. Whilst some pre-packaged mixes include salt for flavour, it’s suggested to not consume too many salty foods that will lead to dehydration. Price wise, it can often be far more cost-effective to make your own mix by buying each component in bulk and rationing into daily portions.

Muesli and energy bars are another example of where high energy has been packed into a small volume. Energy bars by Clif are particularly rich, made specifically for powered activities like hiking, trekking, and trail walking.

Many energy bars and snack items come packaged. Coupled with the general nature of hiking and outdoor adventuring, this makes bearing excess wrapping and rubbish almost unavoidable. Bringing along packaged items is likely to be inevitable, where reusable tubs lack in practicality and don’t bode well for weight or room restrictions. Instead, Ziplock bags are reusable, washable, and light, saving both space and a sore back.

Water, Filtration Systems & Electrolytes

As hinted earlier, filling up with too much food only adds more weight to the walk. Humans can survive more days without food than hydration, so it’s recommended to take more water than food on your fitness adventure.

If easy access to a water source is expected along the track, a lightweight water filtration system will occupy less storage and take the water weight off your shoulders.

Trekking is a tiring exercise, where the body releases sweat in its attempt to keep cool. Replacing those electrolytes can be achieved by adding powdered electrolytes to your water canister at the end of the day. Another option is dehydrated coconut water, consumed via the same method. Powders packaged in a container can be both heavy and yet another space invader, so transporting in a bag instead can eliminate these setbacks.

Coffee & Hot Drinks

A yawn is a silent scream for coffee – and after all that trekking the day before, you’re likely to still crave that cuppa at daybreak. Easy, no-fuss options are powdered coffee, or coffee bags. A Grande Press to marry your JetBoil model is another perfectly portable option.

Whilst ground coffee is also feasible, the result is a wet, heavy waste. This only adds weight to your pack, while the ideal method is to shed it bit by bit at every pit stop. For an edible alarm that’s a little sweeter, condensed milk and coffee in a tube may also be a preference – easily consumed and neatly stored.

All cuppas considered – if you’re like most Aussies who associate their morning coffee with more of a work-week ritual or routine, hot chocolate may be a more suitable option when tackling the terrain. For added punch, chocolate-flavoured whey protein powder with hot water produces a protein-based hot chocolate – a clever option when conquering the peaks. Other protein and breakfast drink options include those made with smoothie powders.

A morning in Mother Nature’s backyard promises fresh air and sunlight. Both act as a stimulant like coffee, only without the steamed milk and sweetener on the side. With your balance of protein, carbohydrates, and nutrients in every bag of scroggin, the need for coffee may not feel as necessary on these outdoor escapes.

Fresh Food Suggestions

We’re told this is the food that bodes better for our overall health – but weight, space, and time restrictions on hiking trips tend to rule out fresh food as a viable option.

That said, apples and bananas are relatively waste-free, no-fuss fuel sources when travelling on foot. In that, dried bananas serve as energy-dense and compact alternatives for acquiring adequate nutrition. Their flavour and texture mimic a chewy banana-flavoured candy!

Nonetheless, Ben and Lauren recommend consuming any fresh food early on in the trip. Harder cheeses tend to last longer than others, while high-salt meats such as salami are more suited to temporary periods without refrigeration. Granted, the higher fat and salt content of deli meats call for more protein-rich foods to sufficiently balance your daily diet.

For a more adaptable dairy option, The Laughing Cow is a brand that makes small triangular portions of shelf-stable cheese packed neatly into a wheel and sold in supermarkets. This cheese holds its shape, and can be both consumed whole or spread across a cracker.

Thickly sliced sour dough is definitely drool-worthy, however small tortilla wraps and flat breads are the most practical option for a lightweight lunch on the slopes. While packing a punch with your salami, spreads, and salads, they also pack flat in your backpack for better, less bulky travelling.

Brekkie Ideas

Trekking the terrain and bush bashing off the beaten track day after day means starting the mornings off on the right foot…literally.

While a fresh, wholefood breakfast is typically recommended, travelling on foot calls for more portable, practical meal options. Pre-packaged oatmeal sachets is an easy, efficient option for portioning ahead of your holiday. Simply add powdered milk or water to the sachet for a nifty, nutrient-dense brekkie at daybreak. On the crisp, misty mornings, add hot water to your powdered milk for warm muesli or porridge. A cost-effective alternative is tailoring your oatmeal to your own taste buds, using oats, dried fruit, and seeds.

Freeze dried meals continue to serve as space-saving, convenient options at breakfast. Other hot meal options include Deb instant mashed potato with Gravox gravy powder – simply add water, and enjoy a savoury start to the day where fast and efficient fuel meets Mum’s Sunday roast!

Rice, Pasta, Noodles, and Couscous, Dark Chocolate, Dried Fruit, and Crackers

You wouldn’t have half-assed that hike – so bringing along half-cooked foods for dinnertime convenience at the campsite is welcomed and warranted! Partly-cooked rice and noodles, each available for purchase, mean shorter cooking times over the Trangia after a tiresome trek. For a taste of Italy in the outback, risoni and small macaronis also cook faster than other spaghettis and thick pastas.

In making dinnertime decisions, first consider the gas and water requirements of relevant cooking methods. For example, when picking pasta over rice, it’s wise to consider that pasta requires water for boiling where semi-cooked rice need only be heated. With added water comes added weight – a potential pain in the neck when tackling the trails. Alternatively, couscous – like rice –reduces water wastage through its absorption method.

For easy-to-reach energy, chocolate, dried fruit, crackers, nut butters, and assorted nuts are perfect for the back pocket of your rucksack. Dark chocolate is chockas with antioxidants, recommended over its milky counterpart. In that, dark varieties with a 75% cocoa content are more nutrient-dense still.

Delving into the cracker barrel, small rice crackers or Jatz are easy to portion into snack packs. Smaller crackers tend not to crumble, where bigger SAO-type biscuits are more prone to doing so. Harder crackers such as Sakata are also less likely to turn stale too soon on the trip.

In picking your protein, jerky and vegan jerky are lightweight and longer-lasting. Tuna, salmon, and chicken are also available in cans, or sachets that pack flat. While spices, sauces, and condiments tent not to be as necessary for campsite cuisine, there are shelf-stable varieties available such as parmesan powder.

Freeze Dried Vs Dehydrated Food

While the dehydration process involves drying food externally, the freeze-drying method extracts the moisture from within. Unlike dehydration, the freeze-drying process leaves holes in the food that allow moisture back in. As a result, freeze-dried food rehydrates faster than dehydrated varieties.

It’s an unspoken fact that campsite cuisine will never be worthy of a Michelin star.

(Actually, that’s probably more of a well-spoken fact.)

Nonetheless, there are still opportunities to cook a hearty dinner after a long hike with a hefty load – meanwhile saving both space and waste. Ben suggests to bulk-buy dried peas, carrots and other veggies, and portion them out against each mealtime. Adding both couscous and spices to each portion then completes your very own ready-made meal! Your veggies won’t be as plump unless they’re boiled, but they remain a healthy, wholesome dinnertime addition.

Another hiker’s hack is adding tomato paste from a sachet into your pack of dehydrated veggies and spices. When the water used for rehydration starts to reduce, the remainder helps to create a hearty pasta sauce.

Cookware and Cooking Systems

Be it with fully fresh or freeze-dried ingredients, consider the types of meals you’re most likely to cook and therefore the utensils you’ll require.

Just as dehydrated meals need only a JetBoil as opposed to excessive pots and pans, long-handled spoons are available for reaching into packeted meals, eliminating the need for camp crockery.

A JetBoil is useful for cooking dehydrated meals. Photo Credit: JetBoil

Dehydrating Your Own Food

A convenient cooking method beyond the metropolitan maze, dehydrating food is a common practice among avid campers.

Due to the lengthy rehydration process, those who choose to have dried foods more than once a day leave less time to rehydrate them in time for each meal – for example, between lunchtime and dinner. Still – be there only some dried components, or a full main course – dehydrated meals eliminate half of the cooking, where part of the process happens while you hike. The remainder simply involves heating over a hot camp stove, requiring less gas and water than that of fresh foods.

Overall, carefully planned dehydrated dinners are a useful option for space, waste, and water saving. For further tips on creating these mountain-side meal options, check out the Guide to Dehydrating Food for Hiking.

Freeze Dried Meals

For those who prefer plant-based dinners at base camp, the Radix brand of freeze dried meals is one of few that caters for vegan, plant-based, and Keto diets. As well as this, their packaging outlines the macro content in each meal across their large range. These details are helpful for the food-conscious campers and those who like to maintain awareness of what they’re consuming away from routine.

While freeze-dried foods can be bulky in your backpack and add waste to your walk, they’re a helpful alternative when planning and portioning meals becomes too tedious.

Organising Food Drops for Long Hikes

Too much on your plate?

If all these meal, snack, and drink options don’t bode well for your ideal load, most trail walks will offer food-drop facilities to help meet your supply needs.

Every week, someone meets you at a certain point on the trail with food, fresh underwear, or clothing (and maybe even a cheeky drop of wine)! Among others, the Larapinta Trail offers such services.
On the colder nights, suggest for friends or family to meet you at the campsite with a warm meal. It may not be a freeze-dried camp stove casserole – but it’s not cheating either!

At the end of day – when the sun is melting along the mountain ranges and the billy’s on the boil – the main take away is that lightweight, calorie-dense, and nutrition-heavy foods are ideal for hiking holidays. While you’re balancing your macros, burning your energy bars, and offloading your freeze-dried meals – you’re progressively lightening your load.

Be it beating the afternoon fatigue, avoiding wastage, saving storage space, or cutting down on cooking – there’s a melting pot of foods to keep every hiker happy!

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep33 – Food For Hiking appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep32 – Battery Chemistry with Hard Korr

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 22:54:51 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or watch the video version here:

Episode Overview

Be it jump-starting your Jeep or keeping the cold ones crisp, plug in when off the grid with battery options from flooded lead acid to lithium.

Outdoor experts Ben and Lauren host a supercharged chat with Sam and Zac from Hard Korr about the background of batteries, their chemical construction, best uses, compatible charge cycles, safety, and more.

From the crank battery in your car to deep-cycle charging of devices – get to know the batteries that bear the best results out bush.

Shortcuts

00:00 – Intro

02:57 – Types of Batteries

03:22 – AGM Battery Construction

04:03 – Vehicle (Crank) Batteries Vs Deep-Cycle (Auxilary) Batteries

06:40 – Don’t Use a Crank Battery as a Deep-Cycle Battery!

07:02 – Do secondary car batteries require a corresponding battery chemistry?

08:13 – Considerations for a Dual Battery Set-Up

11:04 – Can you charge a lithium battery from the alternator?

12:00 – Charging an Auxiliary Battery with a New Car (Smart Alternators)

12:21 – Variable Voltage Smart Alternators

13:04 – Using a DC-to-DC Charger

14:22 – Basic Terminology Explained for Beginners

22:26 – Comparing Lithium Batteries

26:00 – Lithium Battery Safety

30:22 – Using the Right Charge Cycle for Your Battery

37:09 – Charger Types Explained (PWM, DC-to-DC, MPPT)

41:40 – Why do you need a regulator with a solar panel setup?

42:55 – Compatibility Between Batteries and Solar Panels

50:42 – Important Tip if Charging Lithium Batteries with an AGM Program

51:22 – The Future of AGM and Lithium Batteries

55:38 – Limitations of AGM and Lithium Batteries

Mentioned in this episode

Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) batteries

Lithium batteries

Hard Korr Battery Box

Hard Korr Voltage Sensitive Relay Kit

Hard Korr Dual Battery Wiring Kit

Solar Chargers

Smart Solar Regulators

Portable Solar Panels

MPPT Portable Power Packs

Types of Batteries

While the most common batteries are found beneath the bonnet of your car, other types include flooded lead acid, Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM), calcium, gel, and lithium. Where AGM batteries are more popular for use at the campsite, the lithium variety are also used as a power source for electronics.

AGM Battery Construction

The AGM battery is comprised of plates segregated by fibreglass mats. The battery’s acid and electrolytes are absorbed by the mats, preventing fluidity within the battery. Pressure is then applied to the plates within each cell of the battery’s casing.

Vehicle (Crank) Batteries Vs Deep-Cycle (Auxiliary) Batteries

A vehicle battery is otherwise known as a ‘crank’ or ‘start’ battery, producing short, sharp bursts of high current ideal for starting an engine. The plates within a crank battery are thinner and its active material less dense, allowing a higher surface area for the chemical reactions to occur. As a result, the battery releases a higher current. Thanks to your vehicle alternator, a crank or start battery can drop a dramatic volume of charge quickly without needing to deeply discharge.

On the contrary, deep-cycle or ‘auxiliary’ batteries are designed to charge periodically, allowing you to discharge its capacity without damaging the cells. Unlike crank batteries, their plates are thicker, delivering continuous power at a lower current-draw, for longer. This allows prolonged use, deeper discharge, and overall longer service life – boding well for 4WD-ing and camping, and ideal for powering fridges, lights or fans.

Where AGM batteries are more popular for use at the campsite, the Lithium variety are also used as a power source for electronics. Credit: Hard Korr

Don’t Use a Crank Battery as a Deep-Cycle Battery!

Crank or start batteries are not designed for multiple discharge and recharge cycles, unlike deep-cycle varieties. Discharging a crank battery’s full capacity as done with an auxiliary will shorten its service life significantly.

Do secondary car batteries require a corresponding battery chemistry?

The short answer is no. In most to all cases, the crank and auxiliary battery will be of different chemistry and size. Although the crank battery is connected, it is charged via the vehicle’s alternator while the auxiliary battery is charged through a DC-to-DC charger or a Voltage Sensitive Relay (VSR). Given this, the batteries needn’t be of the same chemical makeup.

Considerations for a Dual Battery Set-Up

In the alternate scenario of charging two auxiliary batteries parallel (excluding the crank battery beneath the bonnet), these are required to be of the same chemistry. Whilst the crank and auxiliary batteries have opposing charge cycles, a dual battery system where two auxiliary batteries are charging together require a corresponding chemical makeup.

It’s unknown whether the chemistry of the second battery – dual or not – is required to be the same as the crank. However, if connected from the battery, it is accurate to assume they should each be chemically constructed the same way with the same amp-hour charge.

Can you charge a Lithium battery from the alternator?

It’s not ideal. Alternatively, a lithium battery can be charged via a VSR.

The VSR – an isolator – detects the voltage produced by the alternator, charges the battery, then cuts the circuit link when it detects a drop in voltage from the pre-set minimum (i.e. when the car engine has been turned off). Consequently, the crank battery doesn’t discharge from the auxiliary battery charging after the engine stops running.

Charging an Auxiliary Battery with a New Car (Smart Alternators)

While new cars on the market allow the charging of auxiliary batteries via a DC-to-DC charger, older models haven’t required this. This is because newer car models have smart alternators.

Variable Voltage Smart Alternators

One of the two types of smart alternators is the Variable Voltage Alternator, found more commonly in more recent car models. As its purpose is to save power and fuel emissions, this alternator drops below 12.7V when it detects that charging the battery is unnecessary, even when the engine is on.

In these situations, a VSR will not work, given it has inbuilt fixed cut-in and cut-out points. Instead, it will assume the vehicle is off, cut the link, and cease the charging of the auxiliary battery while the vehicle is still running. For this reason, a DC-to-DC charger is necessary for such vehicle types.

Using a DC-to-DC Charger

Where a VSR will only charge a battery to 85% capacity (depending on the battery’s chemistry), a DC-to-DC charger has a more advanced charge program, tailored to the different types of batteries available. After setting in accordance with the battery type, the DC-to-DC charger will charge the battery to 100% capacity. A DC-to-DC charger thus offers benefits, whether your vehicle requires one or not.

Basic Terminology Explained for Beginners

When discussing batteries, Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) often arises as a common term. Cold Cranking Amps are important to look for in a starter battery as opposed to deep-cycle batteries, as kick-starting an engine requires a large volume of power. Cold Cranking Amp measurements are based on a thirty second time limit at a temperature of zero degrees Fahrenheit.

For example, if a battery has a CCA rating of 600 amps, this means it can deliver 600 amps of power to the starter battery, for 30 seconds in zero degrees Fahrenheit. This needs to happen without it dropping below 7.2V.

While AGM batteries may be an exception, CCAs are irrelevant to deep-cycle batteries such as lithium batteries, as they are unable to exert the high current required to jump-start engines. To jump-start a petrol vehicle, there is 1 CCA required for every 1 cubic inch of displacement in an engine, while diesel engines require 2 CCA per 1 cubic inch. Whilst lithium batteries are still not recommended, it is possible to deliver sufficient amps from other deep-cycle battery types (AGM more commonly) via a high-rated Anderson board. Nonetheless, using deep-cycle batteries to jump-start vehicles should only be attempted in emergencies, as discharging the battery quickly shortens its life span.

Another term commonly referenced in relation to deep cycle batteries is Amp Hours (AH). An amp hour indicates the number of amps a battery can deliver in one hour. Older or lesser quality 100AH lithium batteries can’t always deliver that current over one hour, and for this reason Amp Hours are only a theoretical measure. For example, the battery could instead deliver 50 amps over two hours.

In fact, the ultimate current delivered from that battery will differ depending on how quickly it is discharged. This is indicated by the battery’s C Rating measurement, which measures the current in which the battery is both charged and discharged. For example, a battery with a 100 Amp Hour and C20 rating indicates that the battery will discharge continually over a 20-hour period.

Comparing Lithium Batteries

In the case of reputable manufacturers, a battery that reads 100 Amp Hours should correspond to a C20 rating. On the contrary, cheaper manufacturers use a rating 20% higher than a C20, in the interest of selling more batteries with less lithium.

Where AGM batteries are more linear, a lithium battery will start at a voltage of 14.2V, drop to 13.2V, hover between this and 12.4V, then finally drop to 10V. Given this, the battery will require an overall ‘nominated’ figure i.e. an approximation or midpoint. In this case, the nominal voltage would be 12.8V.

Whilst there is no legal requirement to list a C20 rating, there are introductions to new laws that require passing a specific read in order to be accepted into the country. This is in the interest of safety.

Lithium Battery Safety

A poorly constructed lithium battery is dangerous and prone to exploding. It’s important to ensure these batteries are manufactured to a high standard before purchasing.

There continues to be oversight of these products to ensure only safely constructed batteries are accepted, with new protocol surrounding this as of recent months.

Using the Right Charge Cycle for Your Battery

In discussing discharging, we’re referring to the battery’s charge cycle. Depending on the chemistry of the battery in question, a charge cycle indicates the voltage/s delivered at various levels, for different periods of time, in order to reach full charge. This differs to the process of an alternator, which delivers charge straight into the battery.

Different batteries require different charge cycles. For example, while a flooded lead acid battery with 100 Amp Hour is ideally discharged to 50% capacity to maximise service life, a lithium battery is safe to be discharged to 80%. That said, a lithium battery can realistically discharge to 99% at a pinch, and – depending on their chemistry – other batteries can be discharged to 70%-80% of their capacity. Nonetheless, habitually discharging to below its ideal capacity will drop a battery’s service life.

After heavy discharging of a flooded lead acid battery, an equalization program is required to be introduced every 28 days. The process ensures all cells are of an equal voltage, undoing the build-up of negative chemicals. Without this, the battery will fail to charge to its full capacity, which in turn decreases its service life.

Where a fully charged lithium battery ranges between 14.2V and 14.4V, an AGM battery at full charge sits at 13.8V. A lithium battery holds its charge for 3-4 months, while an AGM will be at 13.8V for around a month. It is not ideal to store an AGM battery without charge for too long without replenishing.

It is suggested to charge your battery using more advanced chargers, such as DC-to-DC, as much as possible. Solar and DC-to-DC chargers have a pre-programmed cycle to ensure maximum usage of the battery life.

The explanation behind why there’s an ideal depth of discharge for batteries is complicated, and beyond the scope of this episode. Essentially, if a charger isn’t delivering the voltage required, the battery’s charge will simply fail to reach 100%. For example, wherever the amp reading is on 13.6V, the charger will stop.

Charger Types Explained (PWM, DC-to-DC, MPPT)

Types of chargers include Pulse Width Modulation (PWM), DC-to-DC, and Max Power Point Tracking (MPPT). Both PWM and MPPT chargers are types of solar regulators, suited to charging batteries with a solar panel.

The PWM charger gradually charges by moderating the width of the electrical pulses, like a sinewave. The width will either increase or decrease to moderate the charge. In the right circumstances, a MPPT regulator can charge a battery quickly. For instance, if a solar panel’s maximum open circuit voltage is high enough, the MPPT takes advantage of that, delivering both a higher current and faster charging.

Cons of MPPT chargers are that they’re heavier, less portable, and more advanced in electricity circuitry. The latter means they are less reliable over time, while portability is key when off-road adventuring.

While most people with solar systems on their house have a MPPT controller, the variation of MPPT and PWM controllers in an off-grid system of that size is negligible. In fact, the value of an MPPT charger comes with the larger kilowatt capacity system on a house. This is because the maximum voltage of solar panels on a roof is much higher than that of portable solar panels.

Why do you need a regulator with a solar panel set-up?

Solar panels give out an open voltage of 22V and close voltage of 19.2V. As delivering 19V into a 12V battery isn’t possible, a regulator converts the 19V back to a 12V so it can feed the 12V battery.

Portable power packs are available as all-in-one units with inbuilt MPPT controller, therefore requiring connection to a raw panel. As the power pack has solar input specs, the solar panel output needs to correspond to these. In the case of inbuilt MPPT controllers within battery packs, it is suggested to disconnect the regulator and plug the panel directly into the power pack. Whilst a 24V wouldn’t work, it would be rare for a 12V solar panel not to suit that regulator.

Compatibility Between Batteries and Solar Panels

If the rating of a regulator isn’t sufficient to handle the current coming from a solar panel, the process won’t work. For example, a 40 Amp Hour AGM power pack with inbuilt MPPT and solar input specs of 18-20V with 5 amps fits a 200-watt solar panel. However, the solar panels deliver 11 amps and are unable to regulate down to 5 amps. Essentially, if a regulator only handles a maximum of 5 amps, the panels must correspond to this (i.e. 80-90 watts), where a current that is too high presents the risk of frying the regulator. Whilst most regulators include around 15% of inbuilt ‘fat’ for protection, it’s still recommended not to exceed the ideal current.

A low amp rating doesn’t allow too many options for adequate solar panels. Most panels should state the number of amps they’re rated to use.

Important Tip if Charging Lithium batteries with an AGM Program

While some batteries such as AGM require a ‘float’ program – a continuous voltage to keep them floating at a certain charge – such a process will damage a lithium battery due to its difference in design. When releasing a load to power the system’s devices, the charger is usually capable of recognizing this.

The Future of AGM and Lithium Batteries

While AGM batteries are currently the more popular choice and accessible option, the advantages of Lithium batteries may see them ultimately prevail as we move forward in the 12-Volt space.

With new technology and the gradual decrease in price of lithium-ion phosphate, it’s not out of the question for AGM batteries to eventually phase out in favour of lithium types. Given the fast-charging, long-lasting characteristics of Lithium batteries, and with AGM systems still common, it’s possible there will become more of a demand for lithium battery-compatible appliances and voltage regulators to ensure consistent use and power out of AGM systems.

Limitations of AGM and Lithium Batteries

It’s understood that owners of AGM systems can be cut from their load at only a 30% discharge. Certain accessories (an example being a fridge) require certain voltages, which is where AGM batteries can fail. Their chemistry discharges in a linear fashion, i.e. from a full charge of 13.8V to a full discharge of 10.5V, which means the load will inevitably cut out at some point. While voltage regulators are an optional accessory at present, it’s hoped that they become more of the future part and parcel.

The main issues with lithium batteries are their price point and safety concerns. Price wise, it’s unlikely lithium batteries will reach the same price as AGM batteries anytime soon. Their tolerance of heat is also low, where it is strongly advised to not keep them beneath a bonnet as both a safety and performance consideration. Considering this limitation, lithium batteries indicate an optimal temperature range across three states of use: storage, charging, and discharging.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep32 – Battery Chemistry with Hard Korr appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep31 – Creepy Crawlies at the Campsite

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 21:30:41 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Be it fresh, forest floors, or hot, sodden swamps…

that creepy crawly on your pillow is only there because you are! Nonetheless, unwanted company on a camping trip can extend a little further than just the obnoxious family in the campsite next door questioning Dad’s awning. Let’s just say that you’ll want to be a fly on the tent wall for this week’s episode of the Snowys Camping Show.

Outdoor experts Lauren and Ben discuss the best ways to both avoid and repel the four most common creepy crawlies in the Aussie outdoors. Get to know the insects that leave you itching, the critters that like to cling, and the bugs beneath the bark: mozzies, midges, leeches, and spiders.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

04:16 – Mosquitoes

07:02 – Pick your campsite carefully

07:56 – How to manage mosquitoes when camping

15:48 – Treating mozzie bites

17:55 – Midges

20:03 – How to manage midges when camping

22:11 – Leeches

24:20 – Removing leeches

25:58 – Spiders

26:59 – Preparing your first aid kit for spider bites

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

St John First Aid for bites and stings

Mosquito head nets

Oztent Screen House Hex

Citronella candles & coils

Battery-Operated Mosquito Repellent

Thermacell

Permethrin

ItchFix Soothing Gel

Outdoor Snake and Spider First Aid Kit

Orange lighting options

Blogs:

Spider Safety article

Mosquitoes

From lactic acid to floral fragrances, mozzies are drawn to various substances on our skin. With naturally existing ammonia and Type O blood, deodorants and dark clothing also attract these tiny terrors – be it their sweet, floral aroma, or the warmth absorbed by your t-shirt activating their heat sensors.

Pick Your Campsite Carefully

From muddy marshlands to placid pools, avoid setting up your campsite near stagnant water, mangroves, or waterholes. Dark, damp, still spaces close to dense bushland are also a breeding ground for mozzies, and an unsuitable base camp for backpackers who want to beat the bite!

Even so, a water source undoubtedly offers a sense of security on any off-road adventure. When camping near water is unavoidable, simply keep within your tent walls when mozzies are most active during dusk and dawn.

How to Manage Mosquitoes When Camping

Light-coloured clothing reflects sunlight and therefore reduces heat, which would otherwise attract mosquitoes. As well as this, wearing long sleeves and pants will cover perfumed skin and further help to deter them.

For evening antics and family charades beyond the mesh, simply apply a repellent like DEET with another mode of protection such as a mosquito coil, citronella candle, Thermocell, mozzie zapper lantern, or orange lighting.

An invisible dome of protection, the Thermacell works as a butane canister which, when lit, heats an inbuilt pad and disperses mist across your campsite. Note, a still environment will likely allow for the mist to diffuse more adequately and evenly.

Where mozzie zappers serve as an attract-and-kill device using a bright blue-white beam of light with an electric shock, the warmer glow of orange lighting deters bugs as well as provides muted light after dark.

Like a helmet without the heavy, or a safety net without the fall – mosquito head nets or mesh screen rooms allow relief from relentless insects. Outside the tent, mesh domes also offer a separate sanctuary in an open, outdoor environment so you can eat, drink, and hang out without bothersome bugs! Before travelling off the beaten track, examine all equipment for damaged mesh screens and replace if necessary to ensure ultimate defence against those dusk demons!

Other relief methods include silicone mosquito wristbands, battery-operated mosquito repellents, and residual insecticide treatment such as permethrin. Whilst the citronella oil impregnated in the wristbands helps repel the bugs by the BBQ, the battery-operated mosquito repellent emits a soundwave frequency that stuns and deters mosquitos, chemical-free. Lastly, DEET-free permethrin treatment can be applied to camping apparatus such as tents, swags and shelters instead of the skin, repelling mozzies from your rustic refuge.

Treating Mozzie Bites

It’s one thing to be bitten beneath the awning, it’s another to tolerate the irritating itch that follows. To reduce the swelling of a mozzie bite, apply a cold pack to the area, and avoid scratching by using a Mozzie Click instead. This device inhibits histamine production via piezoelectricity, by extension reducing inflammation and irritation.

For evening antics and family charades beyond the mesh, simply apply a repellent like DEET. Image: Bushman

Midges

Prolific in the tropics and sub-tropics, these persistent, provocative, and humidity-loving pests are a tiny 1.5mm – 4mm in length! Like mosquitoes, you’ll find them by the water and laying their eggs in soggy soil, decaying leaf matter, and muddy areas. Midges are mostly active at daybreak and dusk, but can also be dynamic during the day in overcast conditions.

If a single midge bite isn’t painful enough, these insects also tend to swarm, threatening a blanket of blistery bites!

How to Manage Midges When Camping

Picture this – your dog is whimpering at the front door after dark, begging to be let back in just to be near you. Shortly, he devotedly curls up on the doormat after deciding he’ll wait to see you in the morning.

Yeah…midges aren’t that cute.

At such a small size they’re capable of squeezing through anything – be it minor gaps in zips, holes in mesh, or tears in fabric, let alone open-door panels as you come and go from your shelter. As suggested for mozzies, choose campsites far from midge breeding grounds, avoid exposing yourself during their most active periods, and keep all shelters, havens, and internal spaces fully closed. Loose, light-coloured clothing will also help protect exposed skin from these bothersome bugs, and either DEET or picaridin will deter them.

While giving it a good scratch may offer temporary relief, this will only exacerbate a midge bite more. Instead, apply an ice pack to reduce the swelling or consider antihistamines to mediate symptoms.

Leeches

At first glance, leeches are eerie, slimy, sinister looking critters – but despite their distressing nature, they don’t cause pain or harm to the body. That said, while leeches alone are innocent, the open wound from their bite is at risk of infection.

Like mosquitoes and midges, leeches are often found in wet, damp, and more sodden spaces nearby stagnant waters. Beyond base camp, they’re more likely to be a concern for hikers navigating their way along trails, over creek crossings, or through long grasses.

To avoid these pathetic pests pretending to be vampires, simply cover exposed skin with long-sleeved shirts and pants, and further repel with DEET.

Removing Leeches

When faced with a fat, beastly leech on your leg, it’s likely that your first response would be to slap, pull, or flick it away. This fast, fickle method can cause further damage to the surface of your skin.

Instead, the recommended way to remove the parasite is to locate the head at the thinner end of the body, pull your skin taut, slide your fingernail towards its mouth, and scrape it away.

Like any stage-five clinger, leeches will eventually find their way back to you – to avoid reattachment, remove the suction area of its mouth. Lastly, clean the wound with alcohol or a first aid cleanser before bandaging with sterile material to stop the bleeding.

If you’ve seen A Bug’s Life, you may remember the scene where the slug foams at the mouth from too much salt – this serves as inspiration for another method of removing blood-sucking brutes like leeches. Applying salt to a leech will remove moisture from its body, causing it to shrivel, shrink and fall away from your skin.

Spiders

Sliding your foot into a grubby gumboot, reaching into a crevice for a fallen trinket, lifting a solid stone or tree stump, or stumbling mid-hike into a hammock of strong, stringy web – chances are, you’ve trespassed on a spider’s territory at some stage.

Spider species span from state to state, so it’s wise to be aware of the dangerous varieties living in the areas you’re exploring. Before bundling away your belongings, shake out any loose sheets and shelters, tip over any open canisters, and tap the base of any footwear sitting free from your set-up. Avoid leaving shoes outside at night, and ensure your shelter is fully closed – leaving no gaps between the zipper toggles.

Preparing Your First Aid Kit for Spider Bites

Spiders build their sanctuaries in all sorts of nooks, crannies, and hidey holes. When pulling up to the campsite, chances are you’ve cushioned that caravan tire atop a spider’s property – so it’s best to be prepared!

Treatment for both Funnel-Web spider and snake bites are similar, where both involve applying a pressure bandage to slow the spread of the venom – such equipment should be included in your First Aid kit before hitting rural roads.

First Aid modules for snakes and spiders are also available for reference in worst case scenarios, and St Johns detail the necessary precautions and directions to take on their website. That said, keep in mind the most likely scenario when innocently tapping that tent peg into an arachnid’s asylum – that spider is as terrified of you, as you are of it!

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep31 – Creepy Crawlies at the Campsite appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep30 – Campsite Q&A’s #2 with Ben & Lauren

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 04 Oct 2021 22:24:44 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Back by popular demand, we have another Q&A session with Ben and Lauren!

This week, you asked them all kinds of things – like the true definition of camping, and their favourite recipes for cooking over fire. From questions about gear checks and maintenance, to First Aid, essential luxury items, and how to keep pests at bay – watch or check out this blog for a written version.

The way you explore the outdoors shouldn’t matter. Image: OZtrail

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:34 – Has anyone made up their own windbreak? I was thinking of using shade cloth and star droppers. Thinking star droppers might be on the heavy and awkward to store side of things though, are there aluminium poles that would be suitable?

06:39 – What do you look for when choosing a campsite and do you have any local faves?

10:44 – I’m thinking of getting a good head torch but I don’t know if it’s worth spending good dollars on one or just replacing cheap ones as they stuff up.

15:02 – Do you always pack clothing for any possible weather, or do you only ever bring clothing for the expected weather?

16:28 – What’s your favourite recipe for camp stove and for open fires?

19:38 – Do you consider using a caravan “camping”?

22:19 – First aid, what knowledge is essential for campers and what items do you never leave without in your first aid kit?

26:41 – Unpacking at home rituals and gear checks and maintenance. Wet or windy weather activities!

30:31 – Ben you always seem very focused on weight and functionality (rightfully so) but what do you take camping that isn’t necessary or you consider luxury?

33:19 – How to keep pesky pests at bay. Wildlife sure are experts at penetrating defences.

36:28 – Right way to stake tent? Some say 45° away from tent, others 45° toward tent and some say vertically. Confusion reigns. For me, critical tent remains secure in wind!

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Tarps

Poles

Black Diamond, Petzl, Silva, Ledlenser & Nitecore headlamps

Petzl Tikkina headlamp

Petzl Core Rechargeable Battery

BioLite Headlamp

‘Fire to Fork’ by Harry Fisher

Hard Korr orange lighting

Tent pegs

Other:

WikiCamps

St John First Aid Training

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep30 – Campsite Q&A’s #2 with Ben & Lauren appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep29 – 12V Lighting with Hard Korr

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 23:41:43 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or you can watch the video version here:

Sick of being left in the dark on your adventures? Get expert advice on everything you need to know about 12V lighting on this week’s episode of the Snowys Camping Show.

Our gear gurus Ben and Lauren were joined by Steve Buttigieg and Zac Buckley from Hard Korr, where they talked through the ins and outs of illuminating your vehicle and campsite on your outdoor adventures. They cover everything from lux vs lumens, daisy-chaining your lights, mounting options, installation, power consumption, and more. So, check it out below for all the details.

Timestamps:

01:26 – How Hard Korr got started
03:07 – Where does the name come from?
05:28 – How to choose 4WD lighting
06:52 – What makes quality LED lights?
08:46 – Types of chips
11:37 – Lux vs lumens
12:34 – How important are lumens?
17:12 – RGB & colour temperatures
20:26 – Lighting your campsite
22:35 – Daisy-chaining lighting
23:36 – Working out your power consumption
25:00 – When do you need to consider a secondary power source?
27:13 – Lights for night driving
28:44 – Mounting options
31:08 – How many lights can you mount on your vehicle?
32:38 – Installation with an auto electrician
37:29 – Taking care of your lights

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

How did Hard Korr get started?

Hard Korr founders Kirk Buckley and Cameron Cross came from different professional backgrounds – Kirk was in building and construction, while Cameron’s experience was in audio and sales. Kirk needed Cameron to help him with an installation at his home one day. The two of them got chatting about boat lighting and at the time, there were no real 12V lighting for boats available so an idea sparked and together, they made their first boat light kit.

Kirk loved camping and went away a couple of times a year using the old-style gas lanterns. There wasn’t a lot around back then so, the idea to expand their product line was born. Originally it was called Korr Lighting, as one of Zac’s uncles walked into the shed where Kirk had been working on the range and exclaimed “Cor! That’s pretty cool”, and the ‘hard’ part of the name came later.

How do you choose 4WD lighting?

It depends on your application, if you’re doing a canopy fit-out – rigid bars are a great option, or you can hardwire them in. A more compact option is flexistrip lighting as they’re easy to pack and can be cut down to fit your setup.

What makes quality lighting?

Osram LEDs which are German, Lumileds which are Dutch, and CREE, which are American are the top-of-the-line chips that are the leading names in the industry which you should look out for when purchasing 4WD lighting. There are two main types of chips – the 3528 chip and 5050 chip. The 5050 is a lot brighter and you can tell immediately when you switch the lights on. Another quality feature to look out for is a silicone coating over the LEDs, this provides protection from water and dust so that you can use it reliably outdoors.

Lux vs lumens

Lumens are measured at the source of the light, but it doesn’t give you an indication of how far a light will go. Lux, on the other hand, is a measurement of light, so it’s useful information for when you are trying to work out your needs for lighting your vehicle.

How many lumens do you need?

For a headlamp, you just need to see your immediate surroundings so anything around 100 lumens or more is absolutely fine. However, if you’re getting into the hunting or fishing category where you need a high-performance spotlight, a lot more lumens are needed, and you should consider the lux readings as well. Keep in mind that beam distance, is not actually all useable light, the lux reading is going to be more accurate for how far you’ll be able to see.

RGB & colour temperatures

Colour temperatures affect your lux reading. For example, orange lighting gives a lower lumen output compared to white lights and will, therefore, have a lower lux reading. This is what makes orange light so effective at keeping bugs away.

White and orange are the most common lighting colours when it comes to the 4WDing and camping categories. Recently, Hard Korr has brought out 3 colour technology which combines white and orange to create a third shade of warm white so that you get something in the middle for more versatility outdoors.

Limits with daisy chaining lighting

There are limitations with daisy chaining lighting within the Hard Korr range, as the dimmers on their own have a 3.7-amp rating so they will run close to five 48cm bars in one series. You would then need to add 2 or 3-way splitters to branch off to run more bars in your setup.

Everyone’s lighting needs will be different. Image: Hard Korr

Working out your power consumption

The easiest way to work out your power consumption is to add up all the amp-hour power requirements and then divide it by the useable amp hours you have in your battery.

When do you need to consider a secondary power source?

If you’re only running lights in your setup, a secondary power source isn’t needed, just the 12V cigarette outlet in your vehicle. Once you add a fridge, a fan and other gear, then you’ll need to add an auxiliary battery to your setup.

Night driving lights

If you’re driving in the hills, a light bar is great as it provides flooded light and gives you visibility to the side of the road. Whereas, with country driving, a spotlight is better as it will give you a lot of distance ahead. They don’t immediately flood at the beginning, but as you travel further down the road that will expand out for better visibility. Both would cover you for all kinds of scenarios – as you will get distance and flood.

Mounting options

It depends on your preference whether you want to mount your lights on your bull bar or roof rack. Your roof rack will give you more spread, but if they’re good quality lights then it shouldn’t matter as they provide the visibility you need for your use.

How many lights can you mount on your vehicle?

Every state has their own law around the number of lights you can mount on your vehicle and where you can mount them, so it’s important to check that out through the Australian Design Rules, which are linked to above.

Installation with an auto electrician

It’s important to ensure that you safely install lighting in your vehicle, so go to an auto-electrician if you don’t have expertise in that area. You could actually cause damage to your car, not to mention endanger yourself and others in the process.

Taking care of your lights

In terms of caring for your lighting, if it’s high quality and weatherproof lighting, the upkeep will be minimal. However, it’s a good idea to make sure that everything works before you leave so that you’re not caught out at the campsite. You should also check that your auxiliary battery is fully charged so that you don’t run out of power and keep your lights inside their case/bag to protect them when they’re not in use.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep29 – 12V Lighting with Hard Korr appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep28 – Caravans for Beginners

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 19 Sep 2021 22:35:59 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or you can watch the video version here:

Are you sick and tired of setting up your tent each night or are simply dreaming of escaping the hustle and bustle for weeks at a time without trying to squeeze everything you need into the car? Then in this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren get the caravan expertise of Kevin Leslie, to break down what you need to know when upgrading to a caravan.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro
03:13 – Why Kevin built his own caravan
05:17 – Caravan & camper trailer boom in Australia
06:20 – Can your vehicle tow a caravan?
09:53 – Difference between a caravan & camper trailer
13:00 – Off-road capabilities
16:28 – Changing the layout of a caravan
19:26 – What to look for in a secondhand caravan
27:34 – Onshore manufacturing of caravans
29:43 – Types of caravans
31:34 – Dangerous modifications
36:52 – Ongoing costs
38:22 – Caravan covers

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

Caravan & camper trailer boom in Australia

Over the last few years due to the restrictions on travel, there has been a huge boom in the caravan and camper trailer industry as many people turn to holidaying at home.

When you’re thinking about upgrading to a caravan, there are lots of factors to consider including the size, how many people will be sleeping in the van, and where you want to take it. But, the very first thing you’ll need to determine is the towing capacity of your car.

Towing capacity of your vehicle

Cars have a towing capacity, and they have a download capacity on the towball. Look in the handbook of your vehicle to check how much weight it can tow, this figure will need to include everything you will be carrying in the van so all your water, gas, food, clothes, gear, accessories, furniture, and more.

The download capacity, on the other hand, is how much weight there is on the drawbar of the caravan pushing down on the back of the car. Some cars can’t tow anything without a distribution bar, so make sure you do your research as you may need to make this upgrade if that’s the case.

Caravan or camper trailer?

If you’re considering upgrading from your family tent, then you’re probably tossing up between a camper trailer or a caravan, so let’s break down some key differences that could help with your decision.

Of course, caravans come at a higher cost compared to camper trailers, but they both require a safe place to store them at home. What’s great about a camper trailer is that it’s got everything you need ready to go, with no packing required. Camper trailers are the same size and space as a tent but depending on the design, they can take up to 30 minutes to set up.

Caravans also provide everything you need in one handy package but are faster to set up. There are no pegging points with a caravan unless you are using an awning or annex. You just park it, get it level, put down the stabilisers, plug it in if you’re in a caravan park, and that’s it!

Off-road capability

If you are planning on travelling on rough roads, then your van needs to be set up for it. Consider how the chassis, suspension, and everything else underneath the caravan will manage, and make sure it’s designed to handle corrugations, rocks, ditches, and washouts.

An off-road van will accommodate these conditions, but they are significantly heavier and that needs to be considered when calculating your towing capacity. If bush camping is your style, then an off-road van will allow you to get the most out of your adventures.

Check the towing capacity of your car before buying a caravan. Image: Dometic

Changing layout and increasing capacity

If you’re planning to renovate an older second-hand van, there will be some limitations if you want to change the layout to increase the capacity. You can get clever with the interior space by modifying a double bed into bunk beds, which would then sleep the average family. But you are limited by the internal dimensions and any alterations will depend upon the style of van.

What to look for in a second-hand van

The big issue with older caravans is that the sealant they used had a shorter lifespan, so it shrinks or cracks which lets water into the van. One of the first checks you should do is to look for water stains in the roof corners, windows, frames, and inside the cupboards along the back of the wall.

Examine the overall condition of the van, and make sure everything still runs by plugging it into power. Ask them to run the fridge for a couple of hours before you get there to see if it’s working, as these things are very expensive to repair. Check the suspension, pipes, hoses, water tanks, and shock absorbers for general wear and tear like you would when examining a second-hand car. Timber frames can rot too, and you won’t know how much damage there is until you take the skin off so be wary of that.

It’s worth taking photos of any problem areas, and showing them to a repairer so you can get a quote on the cost before you go ahead and make a purchase. You might still come out on top depending on the condition of the van, so it’s worth looking into repairing instead of buying brand new.

Types of caravans

Many are drawn to windup campers as they look like they can be towed by a smaller vehicle, but they are a bit deceptive. Once loaded with gear they can weigh up to a tonne, so they’re not a great option for cars that have a limited towing capacity.

There are also pop-top styles to consider, they have a lot in common with a standard caravan, but the roof will pop up and down as the name suggests. Pop tops are designed to make storage easier at home in your shed while also offering some wind resistance too.

Dangerous modifications

It’s really important to ensure your caravan is safe to drive on the road, so don’t make any dangerous modifications. For example, some people add a fold-up boat trailer on the back of a van, which adds a lot of weight behind the axle. Weight distribution is very important and it’s essential that your van is never tail or nose heavy. For the safety of yourself and other road users, make sure that you load your caravan properly to avoid unnecessary dangers.

Gas & 12V

Don’t ever modify gas in your caravan, ever. 12V additions are fine, and there are so many 12V options today such as TVs and microwaves that you can add to your van and enjoy some more creature comforts. But, if you want to add a powerpoint or anything like that, you will need to get it done by a licensed operator.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep28 – Caravans for Beginners appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep27 – Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets for Camping

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 12 Sep 2021 22:31:49 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

From cookware and tableware, to your cooking station, dishwashing, condiments, and storage solutions…

…this episode covers all of it, and the kitchen sink! Our gear experts Ben and Lauren talk you through the ultimate functional camp kitchen for your next adventure. They’ll cover their personal camp kitchen setups, and the different ways to organise your own.

Save yourself time, space, and frustration – and check it out below!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

03:38 – Ben’s Kitchen Setup

08:20 – Lauren’s Van Kitchen Setup

12:15 – Saucepans & Frypans

13:50 – Using a Billy

16:50 – Utensils

18:27 – Tableware

20:32 – Condiments

21:33 – Dishwashing Station

24:07 – Kitchen Pantries

29:27 – Camp Cupboards

31:42 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Nalgene leakproof bottles

Campfire cooking equipment

Mini grater

Camp cupboards

Camp kitchens

Outdoor Connection Collapsible Stool

Sea to Summit Trashsack

23Zero Kitchen Gear Sling

Podcasts:

Ep2 – Tips for Keeping Camping Food Fresh

How to Set Up Your Cooking Station

Ben has a minimalist approach towards his gear, so he keeps everything he needs in a stackable tub that can be packed neatly and safely into the back of his 4WD. Lauren, on the other hand, prefers a full bush kitchen arrangement when she goes away with her family. It takes around 20 minutes to set up but caters for 6 people, and she does also have an edited kit for shorter trips.

However you set up your space, it’ll save you time to have your cooking essentials such as oil, paper towel, utensils, and spices always in your camp kit ready to go. Then you can change out your gear seasonally or based on how many people you’re travelling with. Through trial and error, you’ll be able to edit and adapt your camp kitchen so it can be tailored to your adventures.

Multipurpose Cookware

Choose cookware that has more than one use, is relatively lightweight, and packs easily with your other gear for functionality. Cast iron cookware is fantastic for creating delicious meals outdoors and in the form of a skillet, your cooking can move easily between stove and campfire. Keep in mind though, they’re not the lightest option so if that doesn’t work for you then you could also consider a frying pan with a folding handle. A billy is another nifty multi-tasker that can also be thrown over the fire to boil water for a cup of tea, heat water to wash dishes, boil spaghetti or make pasta sauce – so it’s an excellent addition to your kit.

Tableware

Polypropylene tableware is ideal for keeping weight down in your camping kit, but there are other sturdier options that will be more pleasant to use. Melamine tableware mimics the look and feel of porcelain but is far more durable making it great for those travelling in a camper or caravan. A super hardwearing option would be enamel or stainless-steel plates and bowls, which when taken care of can essentially last a lifetime. However, they’re not the best for kids as they get quite hot which might not be comfortable for little hands.

With a bit of thought and prep, your camp kitchen will be a breeze to use.
Image: GSI Outdoors

Utensils & Condiments

If you want to keep it simple, a spork could be all you need to eat with. But if that’s not your style, there’s a wide range of camping cutlery available, or you can use an old secondhand set from an op shop that you don’t mind exposing to the elements.

Small refillable leakproof bottles such as those made by Nalgene or HumanGear can be filled with your favourite condiments and reused over and over again. You can also pack your favourite spices into mini containers to add some crucial flavour to breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. Having a spatula, compact folding knife, and tongs ready in your kit will also help you prepare and cook meals without a hassle.

Dishwashing Station

Hard plastic dish tubs are an affordable and convenient choice for washing up at camp. However, they can take up a bit of space. With that in mind, there are foldable lightweight sinks as well as tubs that have collapsible silicone sides for easier more compact storage. Save time when you want to hit the road by putting biodegradable wash, a scrubber, and a towel to dry your dishes all ready to go.

Pantries & Camp Cupboards

Depending on the length of your trips and how many people you’re going away with, you might want to consider a camping pantry or kitchen unit. These are less of an investment compared to a camper trailer and enable you to set up a fully operational cooking station for a group or large family. They’re definitely not a necessity, however, as you can get away with a table and a stove stand for food prep and making meals.

Transport & Storage

If you use a tub system, these will stack along with your other gear in your vehicle for easy packing. At the end of each trip, you can just go through each one, check for missing items, and restock it ready for next time. There are also other storage solutions such as gear slings, which allow you to pack all your kitchen essentials into compartments and pockets on a fabric roll. Then you can hang it up on an awning for easy access when you’re at the campsite and roll it up again when it’s time to head home.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep27 – Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets for Camping appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep26 – Portable Solar Power for Hiking

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 23:11:24 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Which watt for what?

Do you get lost when trying to figure out how to keep your phone, headtorch, or GoPro powered up while out in the sticks? On this week’s episode of the Snowys Camping Show, gear gurus Ben and Lauren take you through all you need to know.

Whether you’re kayaking, hiking, or backpacking, they’ll talk you through your solar options, power banks, batteries, how to work out your power requirements, and the best ways to conserve battery life. Check out below for all that, plus more.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:22 – Conserving Battery Life

03:15 – Turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Off

04:53 – Portable Power Pack Options

07:55 – Rechargeable and Disposable Batteries

09:17 – Portable Power for Everyday Use

11:04 – 240V Options When Passing Through Towns

11:56 – Lightweight Portable Solar Panels

13:27 – Powerbanks Vs Solar Panels

21:20 – Heat-Generated Power Options

22:45 – Solar / Charging Lanterns

24:58 – Battery Life in Cold and Hot Environments

26:05 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Lightweight portable power packs

Rechargeable headlamps

PETZL rechargeable battery

MPOWERD Luci lanterns

BioLite CampStove 2+

Black Diamond Moji Charging Station

Blogs:

Hiking the Larapinta Trail – Not Just For the Young (by Kevin Leslie)

What Devices do You Actually Need?

The first consideration is to work out how many devices you will need to use on your adventure. This could include a phone, lantern/headtorch, camera, GoPro, or outdoors/fitness watch. A smartphone has many uses and incorporates multiple devices into one – communication, camera, navigation, torch, clock, and a playlist if you want to listen to tunes. This one device saves you from having to keep a number of different items charged and with that considered, you’ll be able to figure out the best power option for your needs.

Conserving Battery Usage

The best way to extend the battery life of your devices is to conserve your usage. You’re not going to need to spend hours a day scrolling on your phone or answering emails on the trail, so it’s good to have a realistic expectation of how long you can use your device.

If you have a modern smartphone, fully charged at home and kept on aeroplane mode, it will often get you through 3-4 days before needing a recharge. If you turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth that will also significantly reduce battery usage. So those are some techniques you can implement to make your battery last longer.

Lightweight Solar Panels

Lightweight solar panels are an option that you could consider for powering your smaller devices off the grid.

But, there are a few key things about solar panels that you need to know before you make that decision. They are ineffective when exposed to filtered or partial sunlight, so being aware of the weather and the environment in which you are adventuring is important. Consider your constant movement while you hike and how much you change your orientation towards the sun. If you have a solar panel hanging off your pack and are relying on it for powering gear, remember it requires an optimal position to work.

There are also environmental variables that will affect the panel. If your panels are plugged into a phone to charge, for example, your phone will use more energy notifying you of “charging” or “not charging” with the voltage fluctuations, so it won’t be worth your while. The only way to offset this would be to charge the phone whilst it’s turned off. Generally, a power bank would be a better option.

You will need to weigh up the cost vs how much power you’ll get if you take a larger power pack instead of a small power pack and a panel. Also factor in the remoteness and length of your trips.

Some products, like the lightweight hiking lanterns from BioLite or Luci, come with their own built-in solar panel and will be affected by the same issues.

Try to conserve battery so you can recharge less on the trail. Image: Goal Zero

240V Access When Passing Through Towns

On your hike, if you stop in towns or through places that have 240V access, you may not have to take a portable power source at all as you could find locations along the way to charge your phone, such as cafes and public parks. Some trails such as the Larapinta now have solar-powered charging stations for topping up phones and other small electrical devices via USB cables.

Solar Alternatives

There are some products on the market that are multi-purpose and can charge your devices while also serving another vital purpose for hiking. An example of this is the BioLite CampStove 2+ which is an electricity generating wood camp stove. It burns biomass fuel such as twigs and wood pellets which creates heat that generates electricity, providing 5V power to charge your devices. It’s got an integrated 3200mAh battery on board that can be charged at home before you leave without the need for turning the stove on too.

Lightweight lanterns from brands like Black Diamond or Goal Zero also have a battery on board that can give your phone or headtorch a boost of power. There are some particular designs that have the option to recharge via solar or hand cranking as well, making them ideal for when you are truly going off the grid.

Rechargeable and Disposable Batteries

Headtorches require some sort of battery, whether it’s standard disposables or a rechargeable lithium-ion.

Some models are designed so you can switch out the batteries inside for a compatible rechargeable option from the same brand, which is a great way to reduce your environmental impact. Otherwise, lithium-ion batteries are easily available, though they will need to be charged at home using 240V. Just make sure you leave enough time to do so before your trip as it can take several hours.

The heat and the cold will affect the battery life of your devices, so consider sleeping with devices stashed in your sleeping bag pocket in winter to help the battery hold a charge.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep26 – Portable Solar Power for Hiking appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep25 – Taking Your Dog Camping

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 29 Aug 2021 22:29:51 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

No one likes to leave their wide-eyed, whiskered, waggy-tailed friend at home during their camping adventure…

…but there are some key things to consider if the decision is to take your beloved pooch camping!

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren take the lead on where is best to bring your dog, how to keep them safe and comfortable, the better ways to transport them in your vehicle, and more!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

03:20 – Where you can take your dog camping

04:52 – Why you can’t take dogs to national parks

05:53 – Camping with friends who can look after your dog

06:58 – Baits and poison

07:59 – On leash areas

09:40 – Don’t leave your dog unattended

11:41 – First aid considerations

13:38 – Water for your pet

14:43 – Checking for ticks

15:47 – Food for your dog

17:44 – Leaving no trace

19:14 – Sleeping options

23:06 – Travelling in your vehicle

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Sea to Summit Kitchen Sinks

Sea to Summit Tableware

Other:

Where Can’t You Take Them?

Unfortunately, you can’t take your canine into conservation parks or national parks, but for good reasons. The scent they leave behind disrupts wildlife and keeps them away from their own habitat. Plus, there’s the risk that they might injure or frighten native animals, and often baiting systems are in place to control feral species. These can be fatal if ingested by your dog. Some national parks allow you to take your pup for walks only, but they must stay on the trails and be on leads at all times.

Where Can You Take Them?

Game reserves are generally a good go-to place to look for a dog-friendly campsite, as well as some caravan parks, and state forests. Wikicamps is a great resource to research an appropriate site, as you can filter out locations that aren’t pet-friendly.

Include Your Dog on Your Adventure

It’s important to consider how much you’re able to include your dog in all aspects of your adventure. It’s not fair to your pup or to other people if you leave them at camp all day while you go off exploring. Have some thought to your pet’s behaviour when they’re left alone and consider leaving them with a sitter at home if you’re not able to include them.

Leaving Your Dog With Other People

If you’re camping with friends, you may be able to leave your pooch with others that you trust for a few hours at a time while you do a short hike or day trip. This again is dependent on your pet’s temperament and your travel companions.

First Aid Considerations

There are a few considerations for keeping your pet safe when you take them camping with you. Make sure they can be identified with a collar should they get lost. Don’t let them eat or drink anything they find at the campsite and have plenty of water at the ready so they can stay hydrated.

Find out if there are ticks in the area where you’re headed and make sure you know how to treat them. You will need to check your pet morning and night to be sure he/she has not got any. Keep up to date with basic first aid for animals and stock up your kit with the appropriate essentials. Before you leave, it’s a good idea to check in advance where the nearest vet is from your campsite, just in case you need help.

Leaving No Trace

Just like when you’re back at home in the burbs, you should always clean up after your pet, and dispose of their waste responsibly when you’re in the bush.

Keeping Your Dog Comfortable

Keeping your pooch comfy as they sleep is an important consideration too. The best sleeping option will likely depend on if they’re an inside or outside dog, as well as whether it’s hot or cold where you’re camping.

If they’re an indoor dog, then there’s the option of having them in your tent or swag with you. You could set up an old foam roll, blanket or yoga mat to provide extra comfort and protection from the ground. Or you could bring their bed from home if it’s easy enough to pack. There are also portable camping beds available specifically designed for dogs that you can set up wherever works for you and them.

If you’re swagging it and don’t fancy snuggling up with your pooch, there’s also the option of a separate shelter, like the Darche Hutch. This can be attached at the end of your swag or used on its own as a freestanding mini abode. This is perfect for your pooch at night, or for chilling out undercover during the day.

Keeping every member of the family a happy camper is super important. Image: Coleman.

Travelling with Your Dog in Your Vehicle

It’s important to check with your local authorities about what the safe and legal option is for keeping your dog secure on the road.

You will need to be able to carry your pooch safely over long distances inside your car if you’re going on a trip. If you’re travelling with them in the rear seat, you can use a barrier with a harness and seat belt attachment to keep them restrained and secure.

Dogs can travel in the open cargo area of a wagon vehicle behind a cargo barrier or in a travelling crate. They will also need enough space to lie down, stand up, and sit up easily and comfortably with plenty of airflow.

Food and Water

Keep your pet’s food stored away so that it doesn’t attract local wildlife. If it is consumed by native animals, it could cause health or behavioural problems. It’s a good idea to keep a lightweight pop-up bowl or fold up sink handy in the car to fill up with water or food during stopovers, and for keeping your pup fed and hydrated at the campsite.

Final Thoughts

Keeping your dog safe and being a responsible pet owner is so important when you’re camping. The availability of pet-friendly campsites depends on how you and your pet respect both other people and the environment.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep25 – Taking Your Dog Camping appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep24 – The Ozpig Story with Anthony Shepherd

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 22 Aug 2021 22:41:23 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or you can watch the video version here:

With a love of adventure and a passion for flavour born from fire, Ozpig is celebrating 15 years since they brought their first design to the Gympie Muster in 2006. To mark this milestone, managing director, Anthony Shepherd, chats with Ben and Lauren on this week’s episode of the Snowys Camping Show.

Anthony shares the journey of the Ozpig brand, and together the three of them dive into the nitty-gritty of how they built the first prototype. They talk about how it’s evolved over the years, how their customers influence their brand, the challenges of manufacturing and quality control, and what’s in store for the future – so check it out below for all the details.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro
03:12 – Building the prototype of the Ozpig
06:02 – Why did you choose a gas bottle?
09:36 – Challenges with the design
14:10 – Ozpig Lovers Facebook group
17:47 – Customer stories that stand out
19:48 – Offshore vs Australian manufacturing
23:55 – Quality control
29:38 – Testing process for the Ozpig
31:57 – Caring for your Ozpig
33:37 – What’s in Ozpig’s future?
34:37 – What is your favourite memory of the Ozpig?

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

Origins of the brand

Established 15 years ago by Anthony’s parents, Ozpig is a family business that has come a long way since its inaugural appearance at the Gympie Muster. Anthony is a boilermaker by trade, so he brings his background and previous experience working with steel to the company.

Their invention came about during a 6-month trip along the River Murray. Allan and Assunta Shepherd had just retired and built their own caravan for the adventure. On this trip, they discovered that you weren’t allowed to have a fire on the ground. As they were country kids from Mt Isa, fire and cooking were what they loved to do, so the idea for creating a safe and contained fire off the ground was born.

Inspiration for the product & manufacturing

Like any good invention, they built the Ozpig for themselves and continued to travel with it. Everywhere they went, other campers were interested in their product so using their friendship network around the country, and Allan Shepherd’s jack-of-all-trades skills, they used a 9kg gas bottle and fine-tuned it to create the original prototype. After many variations and adjustments, the Ozpig was born, with a name inspired by the animal itself.

Like any business owner, they had hopes that they were onto something special, but it was only ever supposed to be petrol money for their retirement. They travelled all around Australia for the caravan and camping shows, and then the brand just grew from there. Now their retail networks are over 300 in Australia and they distribute in NZ, Japan, UK, and Europe.

Challenges of product design

One of the challenges was creating the accessory line as it can be complicated to make sure they all work together with the Ozpig cooker to create the ultimate cooking station.

The actual Ozpig has not changed that much, but the base of the chimney on the Series 2 cooker has been updated, and the Series 2 also has had some other accessory additions. The mesh door is an add-on that allows you the chance to use the unit in places such as national parks. The Big Pig, a more recent addition to their range, is a passion project that took 6 years to develop before it was released onto the market. The design considered lots of customer feedback to create a larger heater and cooker for keeping warm in cold weather outdoors.

Stories customers have shared about their Ozpigs

There are so many stories of Ozpigs that stand out, but one customer told them recently that his wife gave him an Ozpig 8 years ago and it has been absolutely everywhere with him from Alice Springs down to South Australia, to all over the east coast and west coast – and it’s still going strong! For him, it’s the best present that he’s ever had. Experiences like that help the Ozpig team get up every day to keep pushing what they’re doing, hold their values strong, build a quality product, and continue to deliver on their promises to customers.

Ozpig Lovers Facebook group & connecting with customers

This group was created by customers, and the brand has always been a part of it. It’s a place for Ozpig lovers to share and learn from each other, not to hear from just the brand. They do have to monitor it, but the focus is on the customers getting together to showcase their cooking and supporting others who are new to using their Ozpigs.

They’ve seen a shift in customers using their products at home, so it’s no longer just for campers. A lot of people like to leave it set up on the back patio for cooking or to simply sit around enjoying the fire. Seeing the evolution of how the Ozpig is used, gives the brand direction for where they need to take their product range.

Ozpig celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. Image: Ozpig

Quality testing & maintenance

They’re not bulletproof, and like any product, there is a weak point but they are tested and tortured to make sure they don’t buckle under extreme heat. The original ones are still kicking around Australia 15 years later so just like any product, if you look after it and it’s built well, it will last.

Once it’s holding temperature and it’s warm enough to touch, get some canola oil on some paper towel and rub it on the surface gently to keep it in condition. The more often you use it, the better it will last as when it’s left sitting around it’s more likely to be exposed to the elements.

Perspective on overseas vs Australian manufacturing

There’s a time and place for Australian and overseas manufacturing, and it’s complicated. If Ozpig were to manufacture their products in Australia, it would significantly increase their cost. Driving the price up more than $600!

They could potentially make it here and sell it directly to the customer, but that would cut out the retail network, so the effect of that on independent businesses needs to be considered too. Creating a product that’s commercially viable and high quality so that the average person can enjoy it is really important, but so is supporting the independent retailers that provide local Aussie jobs.

Prior to COVID, 90% of products in the Ozpig range had Anthony’s fingerprints on them as he was directly part of the quality control process. Ozpig as a brand does not just slap its name on something. Instead, they take the time to make sure it meets their high standard. When other manufacturers hop on board and take advantage of a trend, or aim to be the cheapest in the marketplace, it makes it difficult for smaller family brands to produce good products.

People have the perception that offshore is poorer quality, but that comes down to the brand and its values. Some brands are focused only on making increasing their profit margin, which makes the product and consumer experience suffer. At the end of the day, it’s about what the brand wants to offer their customer, especially in regards to quality and consistency.

Building good relationships in the manufacturing process and not being afraid to get your hands dirty is important to Opig according to Anthony. Using a grinder to show people how to do it helps to create a deeper partnership so that everyone believes in what you’re trying to do. Just showing up in a suit and tie and telling people what you want them to make at the cheapest price, is not what the Ozpig brand is about.

The future of Ozpig

Over the last 12 months, they’ve been looking inwards to focus on who they are as a brand, and it’s all about sitting around the fire, creating meals infused with the flavour that comes from fire, and sharing those moments with family and friends – so they’re focusing on products that can help people enjoy the outdoors longer.

Favourite memories of the Ozpig

Sadly, recent years have seen the passing of both Anthony’s parents, but he tells us that there are so many special memories from times shared together as a family at tradeshows and at the Gympie Muster. The Ozpig brand was born at the Muster, and Anthony still takes his family there when he can.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep24 – The Ozpig Story with Anthony Shepherd appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep23 – Campsite Q&A’s with Ben & Lauren

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 15 Aug 2021 22:36:15 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, we’ve got something a little different for you…

A special Q&A session with our hosts, Ben and Lauren!

This week, you guys asked them all kinds of things, from their favourite gear and the best sleeping bag, to tips for solo campers and buying a camper trailer. There’s even discussion on the future of Aussie outdoor gear manufacturing, and what is the easiest tent to set up. Tune in, or check out this blog for a written version.

If you’d like to ask Ben and Lauren any questions, jump on our Facebook group. Image: Oztent

Shortcuts:

1:25 – What is your favourite piece of camping equipment?

5:26 – How do I figure out the best small option for recharging my phone when camping?

6:53 – I currently have 50mm thick self-inflatable sleeping mats for my family car camping trips. I was thinking of going for hiking air mattresses with insulation so they can be also used for canoe camping and the odd hike. Do you think these would be a good option?

11:55 – Would love your opinion on the outdoor connection air tents as there is not much unbiased information out there.

14:52 – Beds, stretcher vs air vs self-inflating – particular consideration for those with back, knee and hand issues?

19:05 – How can we limit the amount of sand and dirt little feet bring into our swags?

20:52 – There is a lot of women camping solo these days. What are some products that make camping easier and safer?

23:16 – What are your thoughts on camper trailers vs tents for young family camping?

25:46 – For men and women, what is the: Best rain jacket? Best down jacket? Best sleeping bag?

29:37 – I recently bought a brand new down sleeping bag but noticed that it has a strong smell. It kind of stinks like a wet dog and I’m wondering if the down inside is bad or something’s wrong with the bag? Is it normal that new down bags stink?

31:07 – Would you take a hiking tent on your regular car camping trips? Or do you use a larger tent for those trips? Also do you have an AGM battery in the car or Lithium? If not lithium, will you make the switch eventually?

33:12 – Which tents on the market are the absolute easiest, quickest to put up and down for a newbie?

34:39 – What are your thoughts about the future of Australian manufacturing within the camping/hiking and touring sector?

38:10 – What do you think of the really cheap Kmart and Big W tents?

39:39 – What are both of your setups?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

AeroPress

Powerbanks

Solar panels

Sea to Summit X-Pot Kettle

Scrubba wash bag

Hillbilly cookstand

Air Mats & Self-inflating hiking mats

Sea to Summit Ether Lite Mat

Outdoor Connection air tents

Zempire air tents

Stretcher beds

Foam mat and tarps

Coleman Instant Up tents

Sea to Summit Sleeping Bags

Australian-made camping and outdoor gear

Portable power

RV5 tent

Zempire Neo tents

Blogs:

Guide to Buying a Camper Trailer

Podcasts:

Yellow jerry can for diesel

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep23 – Campsite Q&A’s with Ben & Lauren appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep22 – Keeping Clean When Camping

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 08 Aug 2021 22:45:46 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or you can watch the video version here:

Is there anything better than a steaming hot shower in the middle of the bush, surrounded by nature and the stars? In fact, your off-grid showers are probably better than the ones you have at home! In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, our gear gurus Ben and Lauren run through everything you need to know about showering outdoors. From basic baby wipes to luxurious portable hot water on demand units, how to conserve your water and what to do with the waste afterwards, they know how to keep it clean and green.

Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro
3:26 – Wipes
4:50 – Bucket & water
6:40 – Solar shower bags
20:16 – Conserving water
21: 48 – Flooring for showers
23:24 – Wastewater
24:22 – Shower tents
27:52 – Detergents, sunscreen & repellent
28:53 – Microfibre towels

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

Wipes

Baby wipes or wilderness wipes are super handy when camping and make a perfect way to freshen up if there are no showers available. There are quite a lot of options on the market, so consider using ones that are compostable or biodegradable, and ensure you dispose of them responsibly.

Bucket & water

On a short trip where no amenities are available, you can keep it simple and just use a cup or bucket of water with a washcloth to sponge yourself down.

Solar shower bags

Shower bags are a super affordable option for freshening up without breaking the bank. On a warm day, you can just lay them out in the sun and the water will naturally heat up, then once suspended, you just open the nozzle and let gravity do its job.

They’re obviously not ideal to use in the dead of winter, and some ensuite tents can’t handle the weight of these bags so those are factors to bear in mind when making your choice.

12V showers

12V showers are versatile, economical, lightweight, and easy to use. They’re essentially a small pump attached to a hose, that you then pop into a bucket of water (which you can heat up first for comfort) and switch on for an excellent shower outdoors.

Just like any other piece of gear, you will have to consider care and maintenance, so packing it away clean and dry is super important to prevent rust and to keep it running smoothly.

Hot water systems

These are the ultimate luxurious option and enable you to have instant hot water, on demand, when you’re camping in the bush. There are a few drawbacks though, as they are at the higher end of the price spectrum, require 12V power for the pump, extra gas to heat the water, and add more weight to your setup.

They’re fantastic for those who perhaps have a rural block set up, a caravan or camper trailer, are extended touring, or anyone who just likes their creature comforts.

There is an array of showering options from simple, to indulgent. Image: Sea to Summit

Managing your hot water supply

There are ways to get the most out of your hot water supply, so you’re not left cold and with soap in your hair mid-shower. We recommend getting undressed, having your toiletries all ready to go, and turning the shower on briefly to wet yourself down. Then turn it off, soap yourself all over, then turn it back on to rinse off.

Flooring for showers

Standing in a big pool of mud inside your ensuite tent somewhat defeats the purpose of trying to get clean, so consider setting up flooring underneath. There are canvas options available or a choice of EVA foam matting, or you can DIY your own. This will give you grip while keeping your feet clean and preventing the water from pooling.

Wastewater

If you’re planning to set up an outdoor portable shower station, you should consider where the water runoff will go. Ensure you don’t leave behind a muddy greywater puddle for the next camper and aim to always use biodegradable soaps, whether that’s for showering or dishes. It’s also very important to dispose of your used water at least 100m away from natural watercourses.

Detergent, sunscreen & repellent

If you’re camping near the beach or the river, you could also just take a dip in the water to rinse off. But you should avoid doing this if you are wearing insect repellent or sunscreen on your body, as the chemicals will have a negative impact on the environment. You will also need to avoid using any soaps at all in a lake or stream. Even though many are biodegradable, direct use in a natural water source can cause harm to aquatic life.

Shower tents

Shower tents are a great option to give you some privacy at the campsite. You can set them up with a hot water system, a 12V shower, or some models have frames strong enough to support a solar shower bag. There’s an array of choices from a basic single room pop-up shower tent that are affordable and lightweight, to more structured ensuite tents that offer extra stability.

If you’re looking for the ultimate privacy solution, there are double ensuite tents available that have all the bells and whistles. These feature two rooms, one for showering and one to use as a dry area for storing towels and clothes, or it can house your toilet instead. They also have external access for your hot water unit, come with ventilation, toiletry caddies, and more.

Compact & lightweight towels

If you’re looking to save some space and weight, microfibre towels come in bigger sizes that can be used to replace the standard cotton bath towels you have at home. They’re easy to wash, dry quickly, and pack down to the size of a drink bottle for convenient storage and transport.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep22 – Keeping Clean When Camping appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep21 – Camp Furniture Setups with Zempire

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 23:07:49 +0000

Or you can watch the video version here:

If you want to get the details on how to create the ultimate home away from home at the campsite, then have a listen to this week’s episode of the Snowys Camping Show. Our hosts Ben and Lauren talk to the camp furniture setup experts over at Zempire.

They cover the trends in the outdoor industry, the effect of social media on camping gear, materials, durability, product testing, sustainability, and more – so check it out below for all the details.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro
03:18 – Trends in the industry
04:32 – Wood and bamboo furniture
05:22 – Durability and longevity
07:40 – Importance of weight in design
08:44 – Can you leave wood/bamboo furniture out in the rain?
10:11 – Aluminium vs steel frames
13:02 – Stability of single-piece designs
14:35 – Can you use a stove on a wooden table?
15:54 – How are products tested?
17:18 – Weight ratings
21:04 – Materials & fabrics
25:13 – Storage bags
27:51 – Sustainability
29:45 – Maintenance & spare parts

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

Trends in the outdoor gear industry

One of the trends we are seeing in the outdoor industry is that people aren’t just going for functionality in their camping setups, but are also wanting to create pleasing aesthetics. There’s also a shift in the materials being used, with wood and bamboo being preferred over plastic.

Trends & social media influencing outdoor product design

The movement towards more sustainable materials is unique to what we have previously seen. With the recent trend in long-term touring and more people spending time outdoors in nature, sharing these activities in a stylised ‘Insta-worthy’ way has gained popularity. People really want to create a home away from home, that ticks all of their boxes.

Natural materials vs plastic

Wood is actually a very flexible material from a design point of view as it can be formed into just about any shape. Whereas plastic and metal have their limitations and can only be worked within those boundaries.

Wood strikes that nice balance between functionality, durability, and weight. At the end of the day, each material has its strengths and weakness, so you’ll have to find the right one that suits your needs.

Can you use a stove on top of a wooden/bamboo table?

In terms of the suitability of using a camping stove on top of a wooden or bamboo table, as long as there is no direct flame and you’re using it as intended, there shouldn’t be an issue. The surface is naturally anti-microbial too, so it’s also a good choice for food preparation.

Can you leave wooden furniture out in the rain?

Wooden camping furniture is treated, so you can expose it to some moisture and UV light without worry. But, you shouldn’t pack it away wet and you should avoid leaving it out under harsh UV light for prolonged periods of time. It’s just like any other piece of camping gear – you will need to take care of it and maintain it so that it will last.

You can create a stunning campsite that’s also functional. Image: Zempire

Aluminium vs steel

Aluminium has great strength to weight ratio and does not rust which is why it’s so popular in the industry. Obviously, it is not as strong compared to steel, but that has to be balanced with all the other factors that are important such as design, usability, and overall weight.

Stability of all-in-one designs

In the past, camping furniture such as camp cupboards and kitchens have been very difficult to set up as they featured multiple components and steps. Now, with the advancement of design and technology, there’s no longer a compromise on stability and ease of use with all-in-one designs, plus you don’t have to worry about losing any parts.

Weight ratings

When it comes to weight ratings, it’s important to use the item as it was intended, as that rating is calculated using a static test. If you are using the chair, cupboard, or table the way it was designed to be used, then you should be able to rely on the weight rating.

Sustainability

Sustainability has become a huge focus in the industry and product development. People want to make better choices to reduce their environmental impact, so they’re shifting towards renewable resources like wood. There are a lot of products on the market that are basically one-use due to poor materials and workmanship. Sticking with the buy once buy right philosophy allows you to get more enjoyment out of outdoor gear, while also keeping those items out of landfill and saving money in the long term.

Maintenance and spare parts

Another element to consider with your camp gear is whether there are spare parts available for it. This is because if it does get damaged and a repair needs to be made, you will be able to do so instead of throwing it away and purchasing a new one.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep21 – Camp Furniture Setups with Zempire appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep20 – Fuel Storage Methods for Camping

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 23:04:29 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show,

our gear experts Lauren and Ben discuss everything you need to safely transport your back-up fuel for those longer expeditions!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

01:43 – How much fuel should you carry?

08:04 – Where can you carry fuel in your vehicle?

10:23 – Long range fuel tanks

12:13 – Ben’s current Patrol vs old Patrol efficiency

13:42 – Spreading out your fuel load

15:36 – Certified jerry cans

16:23 – Colour coding your fuel

17:45 – Fuel bladder

20:57 – Summary

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Red jerry can for petrol

Blue jerry can for water

Green metal jerry can

Podcasts:

Ep4 – Packing Like a Minimalist

Other:

Australian Capital Territory

Tasmania

Carrying Fuel in Your Vehicle

Firstly, it’s essential to check the state government guidelines that are relevant to the area in which you are travelling. These will detail the appropriate amount of fuel you can carry and how you are allowed to carry it. The advice given in this podcast is based on our own research, so make sure you do your due diligence so you can stay safe on the road.

How Much Fuel do I Need?

If you’re going remote, you might need to plan how much fuel you’ll need and consider carrying it with you. This will all depend on factors such as the terrain you are driving on, how many fuel stops are in between as well as contingencies for an emergency.

Obviously for long and remote trips, carrying extra fuel will be essential. But for shorter trips, supporting rural petrol stations along the way is important and helps everyone out. These places provide a service that goes beyond essential supplies and fuel, as they are also a hub of information and support for those passing through.

Weight

Fuel will add extra weight to your load, as petrol weighs 0.75kg per litre, and diesel weighs 0.832kg per litre so factor that into your GVM and load that you are already carrying. For more information about weight, check out our episode on packing like a minimalist linked above.

You have a few different choices for carrying fuel for your adventure. Image: MAXTRAX

Long-Range Tanks

If you have a 4WD, then factory fuel tanks or long-range tanks are the most reliable option to consider. If you use your vehicle frequently for remote driving, then these could be a good long term investment.

Jerry Cans

If you have a car that uses petrol, it’s important to note that you can’t mount jerry cans containing unleaded petrol to the front or rear of your vehicle – or anywhere else that is an impact zone. This only really leaves you with the option of carrying it in the tray of a ute if you have one, so bear that in mind. If you intend to carry diesel, your roof rack or the back of your vehicle will be suitable.

If you use a jerry can, choose one that is certified to Australian standards. For safety reasons, colour co-ordinate your jerry cans if you’re carrying more than one kind of fuel so that there is no confusion. Red is the colour for unleaded, yellow or black is for diesel, blue is for water, and orange is for ethanol.

Fuel Bladders

Collapsible jerry cans or fuel bladders are a lesser known fuel storage option that you might want to look into. We don’t have a lot of experience with them, but they seem to be popular for marine use and for motorcycle tourers.

These obviously are more flexible and will compact down as they are emptied, but are potentially not as reliable compared to traditional metal jerry cans or long-range fuel tanks.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep20 – Fuel Storage Methods for Camping appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep19 – Managing & Carrying Gas for Camping

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 22:33:55 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or you can watch the video version here:

On this week’s episode of the Snowys Camping Show, our gear gurus Ben and Lauren are gasbagging about how to manage and carry gas for your camping adventures. They cover everything you need to know including storage, usage, safety in transit, and responsible disposal of gas canisters, so check it out below.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro
01:38 – LPG gas
03:47 – How to carry gas safely
10:47 – Liquid fuel stoves
13:28 – Transporting fuel
14:15 – Fuel and gas weight comparison
15:59 – Gas vs fuel consumption
18:44 – Where can you use gas appliances?
20:35 – Carbon monoxide dangers
24:09 – Safety considerations for gas bottles
27:25 – Disposing and recycling gas bottles
29:53 – Storing gas at home

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

Where can you store LPG?

When you’re travelling to and from the campsite, you need to ensure your gas is carried safely.

Keeping LPG inside your vehicle, caravan, or camper trailer is unsafe. Instead, always transport the gas upright and in a well-ventilated position. The best way to do this is to get a gas cylinder holder for your roof racks.

Plastic crates can be used to keep the cylinder upright but ensure there are open sides so if there is a leak the gas will be able to escape. It’s also important to remove the cylinder from your crate while refilling.

Safety considerations

Keep your gas appliance away from your tent, as the heat generated is a fire hazard and you should never leave it unattended when it’s turned on. It’s essential that you follow the instructions stipulated by the manufacturer and use the appliance in the way that is intended.

In Australia, the AGA is the certification body that tests all gas products. Once approved, they issue a certificate of compliance that deems the product safe by our national standards. All gas appliances sold in Australia must meet their requirements.

Where can you use a gas appliance?

You should never use your gas appliance indoors or in an enclosed/semi-enclosed space such as a tent or caravan annex due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Any portable gas heater, stove, lantern, or hot water unit needs to be used in a well-ventilated area. If you’re not sure what constitutes a ventilated space, then check the manual for your appliances which should supply a diagram or list what setups will apply.

Safe disposal of gas canisters:

Isobutane fuel canisters

The smaller isobutane gas canister that are used for hiking stoves are generally a bit easier to recycle in comparison to larger LPG bottles. Although easier to deal with, some consideration is required to comply with responsible waste disposal. Smaller canisters need to be punctured to expel any residual gas, and then they are safe to chuck into your recycling bin. This is where tools like the Jetboil CrunchIt can really come in handy to make that process simple.

Coleman propane gas canisters

As they are so convenient, affordable, and don’t require maintenance, they are an extremely popular option for powering your gas appliances. However, these single-use canisters are frequently being discarded and left behind at campsites. If you do choose to use these, contact your local recycling centre for information on how to properly recycle them or dispose of them safely. Otherwise, consider upgrading to an LPG gas bottle if you camp regularly, as it will help keep these canisters out of landfills.

Safe use and proper disposal are crucial when it comes to gas. Image: Companion

SWAP’n’GO gas bottles

These can be swapped out at participating retailers, and as a bonus, you won’t have to wait for them to be refilled. The only downside is that they are not readily available in more remote areas, so they might not be a convenient option for those who like to travel further when they camp.

LPG gas bottles

An LPG bottle is probably the best all-rounder option for your gas appliances. These will expire after 10 years, but up until then provided it is not damaged, it can be refilled as many times as you like. When it has expired, make sure you get it tested at an authorised facility before you continue using it.

Liquid fuel

Liquid fuel stoves that run off shellite or unleaded petrol are actually a very good alternative to gas stoves. This is because you can be more precise with how much fuel you need and you will always know how much you have left, so you can avoid paying for a full gas refill unnecessarily.

Safety considerations

Ensure your gas appliance is safe and ready to use by following these routine checks:

Test your appliance for leaks using the soapy water test
Never use homemade appliances or connections
Get your cylinder tested as they expire after 10 years
Dispose of gas canisters responsibly – do not ever burn them
Check your O-rings and washers
Replace dust cap on the cylinder when not in use

You can find more detailed safety information on gas appliances in the link section above.

Storage at home

At home, it’s best to keep your LPG bottles upright in an area that is well ventilated, away from heat, flame, or any other ignition sources. For more detailed information on storing LPG in different contexts, head to the Elgas website here.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep19 – Managing & Carrying Gas for Camping appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep18 – Camping, Waste & Leaving No Trace

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 22:46:51 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

We’re here to talk some trash on this week’s episode of the Snowys Camping Show.

Our gear experts Ben and Lauren dive deep into everything you need to consider when it comes to waste on those outdoor getaways, in order to leave nothing but footprints and tyre tracks behind.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:04 – What are the leave no trace outdoor ethics?

03:22 – Campsite closures due to rubbish

05:56 – Planning ahead and zero waste camping

06:45 – Preparing food in advance

08:35 – Options for carrying your waste out

09:41 – Leave what you find

10:57 – Personal waste, trowels, and toilet paper

14:49 – Showering and dishes

18:28 – Considerations for local wildlife

18:50 – Campfires and stoves

23:36 – What you can do to help?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Reusable collapsible containers

Other:

Wikicamps

Outback Cleanups Australia

LNT Centre for Outdoor Ethics Information

‘Leave No Trace’ Principles

Fundamentally, the principles are that everything you pack in; you must pack out with you. Leave nothing behind but footprints!

For those who are new to camping, please keep in mind that in national parks and other campsites there aren’t any services that clean up after visitors. Campsites all over the country are under threat of closure due to some visitors leaving rubbish behind, causing damage, and not respecting property rules.

With some extra consideration and care, these places can remain open for everyone to enjoy for years to come.

Keeping Rubbish Under Control

Keeping your waste organised by separating rubbish, recyclables, and organics will make it easy to dispose of responsibly. If you drive past bins and you see them overflowing, don’t add more rubbish on top, wait until you come across the next one. If you had room to carry it in with you, you have room to carry it out!

Wheel Bags for Carrying Rubbish

A wheel bag is perfect for carrying your waste while keeping the inside of your car fresh. This way you can pack out your rubbish without the mess or smell affecting your commute to and from the campsite.

Leave What You Find

It’s very tempting to take souvenirs with you, but remember to take nothing but photographs and leave the natural habitat for animals and insects undisturbed. If every camper left with a few shells or rocks, it could have a serious ripple effect on the environment.

Personal Waste

Don’t empty the contents of your portable camping toilet down a long drop toilet. The chemicals required for a portable toilet to operate will destroy the delicate bacterias inside the drop toilet. This microbial environment is essential for the safe and effective breakdown of waste. Instead, locate a designated dump point to dispose of the contents of your portable toilet. If you’re not sure where to find these areas, apps such as Wikicamps are a great resource.

Consider a Trowel

Portable camping toilets can be ideal for people with young kids or those looking for creature comforts, but a trowel will eliminate the issue of carrying out waste with you. We suggest digging a cathole at least 15-20cm deep, do your business, bury toilet paper in the hole, then fill it with dirt, compact it down, and disguise it with leaves when you’re finished. Choose a site that’s 100m away from watercourses, where people are unlikely to camp, ideally with rich soil that will help decomposition.

Being respectful and keeping campsites tidy benefits all. Image: Sea to Summit

Toilet Paper

There’s nothing worse than seeing toilet paper flapping around the bushes on the side of the road, half dug up by animals on the ground or solidified into clumps after it’s been left out in the rain. Despite being made from paper, toilet paper is not actually designed to disintegrate when left outside on the ground. Either bury it properly inside the cathole, burn it if it is safe to do so, or pack it out with you and dispose of it properly.

Campfires and Stoves

During campfire season, always use the designated firepits provided at the campsite, or bring your own so that you’re not charring the landscape unnecessarily. Even though campfires add warmth, allow you to cook delicious food, and create an amazing atmosphere, think twice about whether you actually need a blazing campfire each night of your trip. Instead, some nights you could just cook with a portable camp stove to reduce your impact.

Scatter Greywater Away from Water Sources

On your camping trips, don’t forget to take along a multi-purpose biodegradable wash for showering and cleaning. When doing your dishes, take care to filter out any food before disposing of your waste water so as to avoid attracting animals. Always scatter your water 100m away from natural sources.

Pick Up Rubbish, Even if it’s Not Yours

If you see rubbish when you’re on your travels, just pick it up and take it with you. It only takes a couple of seconds and will provide an enormous benefit to the local wildlife and your fellow nature lovers that pass through.

Minimal Waste Camping/Zero Waste Camping

Challenge yourself to create less waste or choose products that are recyclable or biodegradable when camping to limit rubbish at the source. Bulk food stores are a great place to purchase ingredients that come with no packaging, or you could remove the plastic before your trip and pack your food into reusable containers. The less rubbish you have, the easier it will be to clean up your camp before you head home.

Organisations You Can Support

Outback Cleanups Australia is a non-profit that travels around the country, removing garbage from coastal areas, bush, and marine environments. You can donate to keep them on the road or purchase one of their OCA Sacks to help clean up when you’re out and about. They are the first organisation of its type to become officially registered in Australia and all donations are now tax-deductible.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep18 – Camping, Waste & Leaving No Trace appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep17 – Coffee Options for Camping

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 04 Jul 2021 22:46:18 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or you can watch the video version here:

Savouring that first sip of hot coffee while you soak up the great outdoors, is a campsite coffee connoisseur’s ultimate start to the day!

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, our gear experts Ben and Lauren talk you through all your brewing options so you can make a perfect cup of coffee on your adventures.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro
02:25 – Instant coffee
03:47 – AeroPress
06:15 – French press
06:58 – Stovetop espresso maker
07:49 – Drip coffee
09:14 – Cowboy coffee
10:39 – Portable pod coffee
12:35 – Carrying out your coffee grounds
13:55 – Coffee bags
15:55 – Portable grinders
16:56 – Portable french press
18:05 – Mugs & flasks for keeping drinks hot
19:04 – Milk options & frothing
23:04 – Stovetop vs campfire
24:53 – Storing your coffee gear

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

Instant coffee

Instant coffee is definitely the easiest choice for time-poor adventurers as it’s lightweight, compact, and only requires boiling water to liquefy the granules. Nowadays, there are so many improved instant choices that are more than palatable. But, if you want to step up your campsite coffee game, keep reading for all the other available options.

AeroPress

The AeroPress is a super popular design that’s been around for years and years, offering a fantastic balance between an espresso and a long black. The plastic tube design is very similar to a french press but it’s lighter and more convenient to travel with. You also have a lot of versatility to make a short or long coffee, at whatever strength you like.

The drawbacks are that it can’t make a huge volume for a group and that it requires paper filters. However, you can purchase a reusable metal filter separately to create less waste.

French press

The french press is an absolute classic that’s really easy to use, affordable, and available at most cookware or homeware stores. When you’re camping with a large group, this is a great method for making large volumes of coffee so multiple people can enjoy their cuppa at the same time. You can also brew it as strong or as weak as you like depending on how long you let it steep.

Portable espresso makers

If you prefer a shot of strong espresso in the morning to get you going, then a portable espresso maker might be the ideal solution for you. These are best suited for portable hiking stoves as the base is quite small, so you might want to branch out into other choices for use on a larger gas stove or campfire.

Pour-over/drip coffee

Coffee drippers or pour-over coffee provide one of the lightest and most portable ways to brew your favourite beverage outdoors. They’re comprised of a funnel-style filter into which you add your ground beans. Then while this is suspended over a cup, you pour in the hot water.

Even though they’re effective and will meet your basic caffeine needs, this design is probably best suited to solo hikers and motorcycle tourers who need to count every gram.

Cowboy coffee using a billy/kettle

Cowboy coffee is as basic and old school as it gets. All you need is a billy, water, and your grounds and you’re essentially good to go. The method is easy: you boil water in a pot/billy, add ground coffee, stir it, let it rest for a few minutes, then add some cold water to help them settle to the bottom and it’s ready to drink. It tends to be very bitter, and you’ll find it hard to separate the grinds from the liquid, so it’s not going to brew the smoothest or richest beverage.

Percolators

Percolators are very popular and versatile for camping and at-home use. You just add grounds to the basket, water, and then heat it up over a stove. The boiling water goes up through a tube over the grounds and then back down to make your brew. The only downside with these is that they’re not ideal for use on an open fire, so you’ll need to use them with a gas stove.

There’s a huge array of options for every coffee lover. Image: Blacksmith Camping Supplies

Portable coffee grinders

If you want the freshest coffee possible, you can also add a portable hand-operated bean grinder to your stash and add an extra something to your morning cuppa at the campsite.

Coffee bags

These are essentially just like a teabag, but instead, it’s filled with ground coffee. Basic varieties are readily available from the supermarket or fancier options can be sourced at specialty coffee shops. They are simple and convenient but tend not to produce a very strong brew compared to other methods.

You could even make your own bags if you want to, but again, if you like strong coffee, this method might not be the best choice.

Keeping your beverage hot

Once your drink is ready, you’ll need to keep it warm by pouring it into a double-walled or insulated mug so that it stays hot and ready to enjoy.

Milk heating & frothing options

You can get portable milk frothers that are battery operated so they don’t require plugged power to add some froth to your hot drink. You can even add hot milk to a French press, and then push it up and down to get a frothy effect. Otherwise, you can heat up your milk of choice over your stove gently and add it to your brew.

Campfire vs stove options

When factoring in which method will suit you best, make sure you consider your regular camp cooking setup. Some options won’t work over a campfire and require the concentrated heat of a gas stove.

Storing your coffee gear

Pack your brewer of choice, beans, and mugs all into a little kit to keep everything you need ready to go so it’s easy to grab for a roadside stop on the way to and from the campsite.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep17 – Coffee Options for Camping appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep16 – Tent Waterhead Ratings with Zempire

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 22:51:50 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

An essential part of enjoying your time away at the campsite is staying dry and comfortable inside your shelter.

But what exactly do those specs on your tent mean, and how do they affect its performance?

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren have roped in Zempire’s resident product expert, Ryan Faulkner, to demystify waterhead ratings – so choosing a shelter for your adventures can be easy-peasy!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:00 – How the Zempire brand started

03:20 – What is a waterhead rating?

04:59 – How are ratings tested?

06:19 – How does this relate to rain on your tent?

07:50 – Is there standardised testing for these ratings?

08:54 – What minimum rating is considered waterproof?

11:16 – Overall tent design & construction

15:05 – Maintaining & storing your tent

18:34 – Fabric strength & waterproofing

21:01 – Why do some tents have very high waterhead ratings?

24:39 – Tent longevity & warranties

28:07 – How should waterhead ratings guide your tent purchase?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Zempire Pro Series Tents

Air tents

Hiking tents

Repair & Treatments

Nikwax Tent & Gear Solar Proof

Rainbird Stowaway Adult Jacket

Podcasts:

Ep9 – Dealing With Tent Condensation

What is a Waterhead Rating?

A waterhead rating is a standardised measurement of how waterproof a fabric is and rather than being based on the tent design, it is specific to the fabric itself.

It’s basically one component of the overall design of a shelter, and an element that helps you to compare fabrics and materials across different brands.

How is it Tested?

The original way to test waterhead ratings involved clamping a clear tube on top of the fabric and filling it with water. The height at which the water leaked through was measured in millimetres, which provided the waterhead rating for that fabric.

Most brands have now moved away from the tube method, and use a pressurised jig called a Suter test. This method applies pressure to a piece of fabric that’s clamped down into the machine. At the point in which water penetrates the fabric, a psi measurement is taken and that is translated to millimetres.

However, this doesn’t take into consideration any other factors that could be present out in the field such as the factors specified below.

How Does a Rating Relate to Rain on my Tent?

If your tent is set up with a properly tensioned fly, in calm conditions, you won’t need a very high waterhead rating for it to perform well and keep you dry. The minute you add in extra mechanical loads like water pooling, any sort of physical pressure, or even wind-driven rain, the tent fly will be under pressure so a higher waterhead rating will be required to keep you dry.

A good example here is an umbrella, these don’t have a high waterhead rating, but they keep you dry as there’s no external pressure on the fabric.

Is There Standardised Testing Around This?

There’s no standardisation around the testing for waterhead ratings, but there are independent companies that provide this service to brands in the outdoor industry. One of the world leaders is SGS, and Zempire uses a facility approved by them to test their products.

What Minimum Rating is Considered Waterproof?

1500mm is considered waterproof for general use in mild conditions. A higher spec’d tent designed for harsher conditions will require around 3000mm for a fly, and 5000mm for the tent floor.

Overall Tent Design & Construction

The overall construction and design of the tent are critical to keeping you comfortable and dry, not just the waterproofing on the fabric. Look for features such as seam sealing, protected zips, and sloped walls to ensure effective water run off, as well as an appropriate waterhead rating.

Consider the construction of your tent as well as the waterhead rating. Image: Zempire

Maintaining Your Tent

Mildew is what’s going to affect the waterproof performance of your tent fly in the long term. Packing your shelter away clean and dry is the best way to ensure that the fabric performs at its best over time. Avoid using harsh chemicals to clean your tent as it will damage the waterproofing. Instead, use warm water and a soft brush to gently remove any mould. When you’re not using it, make sure that it’s packed away properly with no risk of abrasions as well.

Fabric Strength & Waterproofing

The process of adding coatings of PU to an ultralight material to make it waterproof can weaken the fabric, making it stiffer, brittle, and more prone to tears. To produce a tent with a higher waterhead rating, a stronger and thicker fabric is required to compensate the waterproofing.

This is why hiking tents are not as durable or waterproof as car camping tents as they need to find the right balance of weight, durability, and water resistance to suit their purpose.

Why do Some Tents Have Very High Waterhead Ratings?

The reason why some brands such as Zempire choose to over-spec their tents is to ensure long-term performance and durability. Adding a higher waterhead rating provides extra insurance that the tent will hold up for longer periods of time when exposed to factors such as abrasion and UV rays.

How Should Waterhead Ratings Guide Your Tent Purchase?

This rating is just one component of the overall tent design, so keep that in mind when choosing your shelter. You still need to balance that with weight, style, ventilation, and quality.

Consider the ways in which you will use your tent and select the fabric spec based on that. For example, if you’re looking at a family tent that you intend to use all day and night for two weeks at a time a higher rating is ideal. But if you are searching for a lightweight hiking tent that will only be used to sleep in at night on occasional hikes, a lower-spec fabric will be more than suitable.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep16 – Tent Waterhead Ratings with Zempire appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep15 – Comparing Tents, Swags & Rooftop Tents

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 20 Jun 2021 22:47:49 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Or you can watch the video version here:

Whether you’re new to the camping game and are struggling to choose between shelters or just keen to change your setup, Ben and Lauren take you through all the pros and cons of tents, swags, and rooftop tents in this episode of the Snowys Camping Show.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro
01:57 – Tents
02:43 – Instant up tents
05:59 – Air tents
07:55 – Rooftop tents
14:04 – Swags

Links to things mentioned in this episode:

Tent

Tents are the classic option and provide plenty of sleeping and living space. They are particularly suited to those who plan on settling in one spot for a couple of days or even weeks at a time.

Tents allow you to create a base and then have the freedom to leave your campsite setup while you explore and sightsee.

With so many options available such as instant up, dome, air, pop up, and canvas touring tents – narrowing it down can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re new to camping. Each style has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s simply a case of weighing up your needs with how much you want to invest in the lifestyle.

Further considerations include the additional time they take to set up and pack down, their bulk inside your vehicle and the need for bedding.

These are best for beginners or family campers.

Each syle of shelter has pros and cons. Image: Darche

Rooftop tents

When it comes to convenience, rooftop tents definitely come out on top – pun intended! They’re perfect for those who go away regularly and love to be able to camp wherever you can park your vehicle.

Some other benefits of a rooftop tent are that you can keep your bedding inside when it’s packed down, you’re away from the cold ground, plus you get amazing views of the stars as you drift off to sleep.

On the flip side, RTTs need to be packed away before driving your vehicle, which can be a hassle if you are based somewhere and want to go exploring. The average two-person rooftop tent weighs upwards of 50kg, so the additional cartage also needs to be considered to ensure your vehicle can safely accommodate. Another factor is that RTTs are a greater financial investment in comparison to tents or swags.

These are best for frequent adventures and touring couples.

Swags

The swag has come a long way since its humble origins in the Australian bush. Nowadays, swags come in many different sizes, shapes and configurations yet they are still the simplest way to sleep outdoors.

Swags are fast to pitch, you can keep your bedding inside, and they come in a range of price points to suit everyone’s budget. For campers who need extra elevation off the ground, there is also the option to set up your swag on top of a stretcher to make getting up in the morning much easier.

The limited space available inside swags is probably their biggest drawback, so if you like to be able to hang out undercover in your shelter, a traditional swag may not be ideal. There are a few models on the market that feature a roomier hybrid design, with the space of a small dome tent and the construction of a swag for more wiggle room. Weight is also something to keep in mind with this style of shelter, especially the double-sized models which can be pretty hefty to pack.

These are best for weekend warriors, or solo adventurers.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep15 – Comparing Tents, Swags & Rooftop Tents appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep14 – Water Storage Options for Camping

Ben and Lauren — Mon, 14 Jun 2021 22:28:10 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Need advice on the best way to store and transport your precious H2O for your adventures?

Check out this episode of the Snowys Camping Show. Our outdoor experts Ben and Lauren talk through the options for carrying and storing water. They cover jerry cans, soft water cells, water tanks, plus considerations such as filtration, treatments, and more – so listen below for all the details.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:25 – Jerry cans

07:22 – Soft water cells

12:31 – Water tanks

16:51 – Tank sanitisers & water purification

17:30 – Portable water filters

20:45 – Storing water at home

Mentioned in this Episode:

MSR Dromedary

Sea to Summit Pack Tap

Biomagic Water Purifier

Platypus Gravity Filter

Jerry Cans

Sea to Summit Watercells

Water purification

Jerry Cans

Jerry cans are an affordable, tough, and reliable option for carting water around, and are probably the most popular choice for entry-level campers. They come in a range of shapes and sizes to suit your vehicle set up, are fairly easy to clean and fill, and allow you to spread out your water supply in case one jerry can leaks or gets contaminated.

The disadvantage, however, is that once they’re empty, they become ‘dead space’ in your vehicle yet still need to be carried. When new, jerry cans tend to give water an aftertaste and will heat up while sitting in the back of the car. They also need to be stored low in your vehicle for safety reasons.

Soft Water Cells

Soft water cells vary and have been around a while. But recently, there have been some new developments in the market that have made them even more functional for your camping adventures.

The main benefit of them is that they shrink as you drink, so you can pack them flat once they’re empty. They’re also easy to fill, the caps are designed for easy pouring, and some models come with extra features such as a showerhead attachment for more versatility.

There are a few options for water storage depending on your set up. Image: Sea to Summit

Water Tank with a 12V Pump

If you go away regularly, a water tank with a 12V pump might be the most convenient choice for your adventures. It will give you simple access to your water without having to unpack your vehicle every time you need H2O.

Keep in mind, a water tank isn’t easy to clean due to its size and shape. To combat that factor, there are tank sanitisers and purification products available that will help keep the water inside drinkable.

Other factors to consider are that they are difficult to remove from your vehicle and need to be refilled from a mains water supply. If that supply is contaminated for any reason, you will be left without water.

Storing Water at Home

If you use jerry cans or soft water cells, it will be easiest to just stow them empty with the lid open in your shed so that they can dry out. If you have a water tank, then you can either leave it completely full to the top to prevent mould growth or empty with the bungs open to air it out.

Filters & Water Treatments

Whenever you go camping remotely you should also consider carrying a water filter or treatment solution just in case your supply runs out and you need to use whatever water source you come across in the field.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep14 – Water Storage Options for Camping appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep13 – Camping on a Budget

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 06 Jun 2021 23:09:55 +0000

When it comes to a quality holiday that won’t break the bank, camping is the ultimate solution.

However, the start-up costs can make it tricky for beginners who aren’t sure if they want to invest in the lifestyle.

Be you a newbie or simply someone who favours the more frugal ways, then tune in to this episode of the Snowys Camping Show as Ben and Lauren tap into their tips on how to kick back while saving cash on camping gear and supplies.

Shortcuts:

0:00 – Intro

2:15 – Buy once, buy right

3:40 – What to look for when choosing gear

4:30 – Borrow from friends or family

6:34 – Camp with others to share the load

7:46 – Use what you already own

9:49 – Second-hand camping gear

10:25 – Affordable items from homeware stores

12:18 – Preparation is key

13:20 – Dehydrating & vacuum sealing food

14:58 – Budgeting for fuel

16:10 – Campfire cooking

18:03 – Liquid fuel stoves

21:26 – Caravan parks vs free/low-cost campsites

24:20 – Being respectful & leaving no trace

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

360 Degrees Group Dinner Set

Affordable steel crockery

Vacuum sealers

Liquid fuel stoves

Coleman Dual Fuel Powerhouse Stove

Camp books and guides

Blogs:

8 Ways to Make Group Camping a Success – by Aaron Schubert

Other:

YouTube: Tips for Keeping Camping Food Fresh

Wikicamps

Saving Money on Gear

Generally, we would always advise you to try to buy once, buy right. But spending a bit more on quality gear isn’t an expense you necessarily want when you’re just starting out on your camping journey and aren’t sure of exactly what you need.

Start small and purchase just one or two quality items and with the remainder, choose things that can be upgraded but still of use down the track. For example, you could invest more money into a comfortable sleeping mat and then choose an entry-level tent to get you started. Eventually, that first tent could be used by the kids if you decide to upgrade.

Or, if choosing to invest in a more expensive tent from the get-go, focus on the quality and materials of the model rather than being influenced by the extra bells and whistles.

Borrowing Gear & Shopping Second-Hand

Before you go out and buy anything, check if you can borrow some gear from friends and family. Borrowing gives you the opportunity to suss things out before you spend your hard-earned dosh or commit to a product that may not suit your camping style.

Another option is to embrace the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, by purchasing second-hand gear from op-shops, swap and sell groups, or Gumtree.

Use What You Already Own

Look at what you already have before you go and buy anything, you can probably use your existing down doona/quilt, pillow, and older sheets you don’t use as much. You could also grab some old towels, crockery, and cutlery to use for camping. From there you can fill in the blanks for the rest of your essentials.

Share Gear on a Group Trip

If you go away as a group, you can share gear and subsequently divide the workload when it comes to tasks like cooking at camp. This is a great way to keep costs down and to make the whole experience easier for everyone.

Stay at Free or Low-Cost Campsites

The price difference between staying at a low-cost campsite and a caravan park can be considerable, so download an app such as Wikicamps or grab a free camp guide to suss out a good site for your trip. Just be aware that free sites may have limited facilities and might require you to be self-sufficient, which will involve extra gear and potential costs.

It’s also important to recognise that just because something is free, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be treated with respect and care. Free camps across Australia are closing due to disrespectful campers leaving their rubbish behind, causing damage to the area, and/or behaving poorly.

Don’t forget to leave no trace, that way we are all able to continue to enjoy these spaces for years to come.

You can definitely still get out and explore, even on a tight budget. Image: Coleman.

Saving Cash on Camping Supplies

Stocking up on drinks and snacks before your trip will avoid temptation at the servo en route. If you pre-cook batch meals before you leave and freeze and/or vacuum seal them, you can save yourself a lot of time and money by not picking up last-minute supplies.

If you’re able to carry fuel safely, then fill up early when it’s cheap so you’re not caught out paying higher prices in remote areas.

Cooking Options

Campfire cooking doesn’t require any gas refills, you will just need to get your hands on some high-quality and affordable firewood. If you are camping on a station or private property, decent wood can usually be picked up for a good price.

Liquid fuel stoves might also be a good option to consider as you’ll never have to guess how much gas you have left, and you can easily plan how much fuel you’ll need to take.

Remember – the fun you have while camping is FREE!

The most important thing to remember is that nature is free and there’s no cost to exploring the outdoors and having fun. Those memories and the experiences shared with your friends and family will last forever. Make the most of what’s around you and as always, leave nothing but footprints behind.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep13 – Camping on a Budget appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep12 – Caring for Your Camping Gear

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 30 May 2021 22:51:14 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

Could your gear use a little TLC?

This episode of the Snowys Camping Show Podcast is the one for you! Listen in as our gear experts Ben and Lauren talk you through the importance of maintaining your gear and what should be done before a trip. They also dive into transporting it securely and storing it properly, plus correct use, DIY repairs, warranties, and more!

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:20 – Test your tent before your trip

04:33 – Cleaning gear after your trip

05:37 – Transporting gear

06:18 – Zip maintenance

07:37 – Storage at home

08:36 – Waterproofing your gear

09:21 – Setting up your gear correctly

10:09 – Manufacturing faults

11:08 – Using your camping gear properly

11:57 – Environmental factors

13:59 – Airbeds & punctures

16:21 – Spare parts & warranties

21:52 – Repairs & modifications

23:06 – Wear and tear & lifetime of products

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

OZtrail Duraplus Pole Kit

Gear Aid seam sealant

Kenyon repair tape

Nikwax waterproofing products

Heavy-duty pegs

Blogs:

Guide to Camping Gear Maintenance & Repair

Other:

YouTube: How to Repair a Broken Tent Pole

YouTube: How to Repair a Leaky Air Mattress

Before Your Trip

Even if it’s not a brand new tent, set it up at home before your trip so you can suss out if there is anything missing. Or if it is a new purchase, take it out of the box and give it a test run so you can get to know your new gear and troubleshoot anything that you’re uncertain with before heading off on your trip.

Cleaning & Transport

Before you leave the campsite, wipe off any dirt or moisture from your gear before you pack it up. This will prevent it from getting mouldy, keep it cleaner, and will ensure it lasts. Plus it makes it much nicer for next time.

It’s also important to pack your gear up properly into a sturdy carry bag so that nothing gets broken while you’re in transit.

Where to Store Your Gear

Choose somewhere cool, dry, and out of direct sunlight to store your gear. Inside a cupboard or in tubs in your shed will ensure it’s unaffected by moisture.

Living in a humid environment can potentially have a negative impact on your gear. For example, the fly on lightweight tents can become sticky if the waterproof coating is exposed to moisture. A way to mitigate this is to keep it in a dry cool area out of sunlight and in a breathable bag.

Ensure your gear lasts by taking care of it properly. Image: Oztent

Correct Use

It’s important to set up your gear properly using all the included pegs, poles, and guy ropes, and don’t take any shortcuts. If you are using the standard pegs that come included with your tent, then consider upgrading to heavier duty ones.

It’s a good idea to use your gear for its intended purpose and keep within the laws of ‘fair use’.

Environmental Factors

Tents are not a permanent structure, so they’re just not designed to withstand extreme weather conditions. That’s why it’s super important to get to know your gear, understand the limitations and use your common sense when out in the field.

Repair

Repairing your gear is something that is generally a great skill to have so that you can do an impromptu fix if it breaks mid-trip. Spare parts across brands are not always readily available, but we may be able to source one directly from the supplier should you need it.

We have some resources such as videos on how to fix a hole in an airbed, and how to repair a broken tent pole which are worth checking out too.

Warranty

Care, storage, and correct use are all factors that are important when it comes to warranty. This is because manufacturers won’t cover the wear and tear on your products, just the materials and workmanship of the product.

Some examples of wear and tear can include abrasions, scuffs, stains, rips or tears, loss of DWR, fabric wearing thin, or degradation from UV exposure.

We are passionate about after-care service and we have an in-house warranty department to streamline the process for our customers. Unfortunately, we can’t control the outcome of a warranty claim as we are a 3rd party, but we aim to make it easier to achieve a resolution from a supplier should your product fail.

Also keep in mind that warranty claims take time to be processed by the supplier and in some instances, the product may require testing. This highlights the importance of checking your gear before you leave so that you’re not caught out in the middle of a camping trip.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep12 – Caring for Your Camping Gear appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep11 – Sleep System Ratings with Sea to Summit

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 23 May 2021 22:44:03 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

If you find yourself cold when sleeping outdoors

…or stuck trying to figure out the best sleeping setup for your adventures – this episode of the Snowys Camping Show is essential listening.

Our hosts Ben and Lauren pick the brain of industry expert Dean Woodall from Sea to Summit! They cover everything from temperature ratings and testing, down vs synthetic sleeping bags, sleeping mats and insulation, ASTM R-Values, and tips for a warmer sleep when outdoors.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

02:26 – Commonly Questions About Sleep Systems

03:58 – Hot or Cold Sleeper? How to Tell

08:07 – Temperature Standards and Ratings

09:25 – EN 13537 Rating

11:34 – The Testing Process

13:12 – Temperature Ratings: Comfort, Lower Limit & Extreme

17:00 – Sleeping Bag Liners

21:03 – Down Vs Synthetic Sleeping Bags

26:17 – Benefits of Natural Fibres

31:13 – Sleeping Mats and Insulation

32:02 – R-Value and the ASTM Standard

37:22 – Tips for Warmer Sleeps in the Outdoors

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Sleeping bags

Sleeping mats

Sleeping bag line

Quilts for camping and hiking

Are You a Hot or Cold Sleeper?

When you’re trying to work out where to start with your sleep system, the first point of call would be to consider your unique physiology. Everyone is different, so your body mass and how physically fit you are will impact how you sleep. Generally, women have also been found to sleep colder than men based on research and testing.

Your sleeping habits at home are going to be a good yardstick for how you sleep outdoors. For example, if you reach for a thick duvet at home, then chances are you’ll be reaching for a warm sleeping bag and mat combination out in the field. You might be used to sleeping with a partner, but when you remove that additional body heat, there’s a strong chance that you’ll sleep a lot colder, which should also be considered.

External Factors

There is a plethora of external factors that will affect how you sleep outdoors. Of course, changes in the outside temperature will affect your body. But also, what you’ve had to eat before you went to sleep, if you’ve drunk alcohol, and if you’re dehydrated are among the many other influences.

Temperature Ratings

To make it clearer and easier for consumers, in 2002 an industry testing standard was developed for sleeping bags. The aim was to provide the market with an ‘apples for apples’ comparison across different brands. This European system is called the EN 13537 test and is used by most of the big companies to gauge a rating for their bags.

EN 13537 Testing Process

The EN 13537 test uses a person-shaped heated manikin which is composed of numerous different zones that each has its own temperature sensors and power sources.

It’s placed in a climate-controlled room on top of a standardised sleeping mat with an R-value of 4. The manikin will wear a set of standard pyjamas and a scary-looking, cold weather ski mask, while the data is fed into a computer using cables that come straight out of its eyes.

The test is performed to the same technical standard for both down and synthetic bags and the results are correlated with real-world qualitative data from real people.

The Three Temperature Ratings

This testing method gives you 3 ratings:

Comfort rating – the temperature at which a standard woman can sleep comfortably while in a relaxed position.
Lower Limit rating – the temperature that a standard man can sleep for eight hours in a curled-up position without waking.
Extreme rating – a survival-only rating for the average woman.

Your unique physiology will affect the elements of your sleep system. Image: Sea to Summit

Down Vs Synthetic

When sleeping outdoors, the type of fill inside your sleeping bag is largely going to determine your warmth and comfort.

Going by weight to warmth ratio, down is by far the more superior fibre and its properties have yet to be replicated in a lab environment. Its ability to insulate is called loft, and the more loft, the warmer you’re going to be. A disadvantage of down is that if it gets wet it will clump up and lose its ability to loft, so you won’t be able to get warm. Nowadays, brands and manufacturers have also developed hydrophobic treatments for down which will minimise the effects of moisture.

Synthetics have the upper hand with their ability to reflect heat, so if your bag gets wet, it still has thermal properties. This makes it ideal for kayaking or other water-based activities. Also, some people may prefer not to use down for personal reasons, so it’s all dependent on a range of circumstances and factors.

Compressing down can cause cold spots and is the reason behind women’s specific bags. These bags are shaped and stitched slightly differently. Some even use a combination of down and synthetic fill in key areas for enhanced insulation.

Sleeping Bag Liners

Sleeping bag liners are fantastic for adding extra comfort and keeping your bag cleaner, which in turn, prolongs the life of the product. But, keep in mind that liners are not EN tested, and don’t have specific temperature ratings. If your bag isn’t suited to the temperature that you’re using it in, you can’t rely on a liner to get you over the line. An insulated liner can tweak the temperature, but it’s not going to change the dynamic of your sleep system entirely.

Consider What You Wear to Bed

Wearing lots of layers while you sleep can be counterproductive. Instead of trapping warmth, the fill becomes more compressed and loft is reduced. You’ve got to let the bag do its job to trap/reflect your body heat to keep you warm.

Here’s the scary looking manikin during the EN test. Image: Sea to Summit.

R-Value and Sleeping Mats

As part of a cohesive sleep system, your mat will insulate you from the cold ground which plays a significant role in keeping you warm.

Its thermal efficiency is measured and represented by a number, which is called R-Value. If you compare something like an airbed to a self-inflating foam mat, there will be a huge difference in how both will insulate – so that’s an important factor to consider in your setup.

Recently, there has been a new test introduced that measures R-Value, which is called the ASTM test. This was driven by US retailers to standardise R-Values and enable consumers to compare ratings across brands for a better and simpler experience.

ASTM Testing

The test involves sandwiching a mat between 2 plates – the bottom plate is cold to simulate the ground, and the top plate is warm to simulate the person using the mat. The test measures how much energy is needed to maintain the heat on the top plate over a period of time which is how they determine the R-Value.

You might have noticed that there have been changes to R-Value ratings across many brands. This is just because the test has changed to reflect the new industry standards. The product remains the same.

Final Thoughts

It’s easier to make your bag cooler than it is to add warmth. Opening a zip for ventilation, or using your bag as a quilt are both effective solutions if you get too warm. If you’re wanting one bag to carry you through all adventures, it’s worth factoring that into your decision.

It’s you that’s going to warm up the bag, so if you increase your body temperature before bed, it will help speed things up. You can have a hot drink or get your metabolism going by eating a high-calorie snack. You could also use a hot water bottle in your bag, and make sure you remove any damp or wet items from inside your tent plus, sleep in clean dry clothes.

Dean’s other piece of advice when building your sleep system is to start with your sleeping mat and then build it from there.

Thanks for listening, tune in again for next week’s episode!

If you have any questions for Ben and Lauren, make sure you head over to our Facebook group and let us know as we’d love to hear from you.

Catch you out there!

The post Ep11 – Sleep System Ratings with Sea to Summit appeared first on Snowys Blog.

Ep10 – Camping with Teenagers

Ben and Lauren — Sun, 16 May 2021 23:22:33 +0000

Listen to the full episode here:

As your kids get older, they’ll start wanting their own independence and space – especially on your camping trips!

In this episode of the Snowys Camping Show, Ben and Lauren give you all the details on how to keep your teenagers happy so that everyone can enjoy quality time away as a family.

Shortcuts:

00:00 – Intro

03:00 – Camping with younger kids vs teens

04:20 – Giving them their space

06:04 – Involve them in planning the trip

08:08 – Caravan park camping

09:36 – Cook food you don’t eat at home

11:30 – Going with other families or extra kids

13:56 – Take your kid’s bikes

16:20 – Radios for communication

18:48 – Technology

23:14 – Games

Mentioned in this Episode:

Products:

Coleman Instant Swagger 2P Tent