In our June issue we challenged you to send in your best camping tips. Here’s the pick of the bunch… but we need your help to pick the winner of the Howling Moon 4-man tent!
1. KEEP YOUR POT CLEAN
A great way to keep your pots and pans clean when cooking on an open fire is to rub Sunlight dishwashing liquid on them BEFORE using them on the fire. No more black pots and pans – it comes off easily.
Shane Hall
2. LET IT GROW ON YOU
We do a lot of extreme bush camping (often in the Kalahari), and two to three weeks before we leave I buy four seedling trays from the nursery, usually with mixed herbs and lettuce. The trays fit into a beer box that I find a spot for in the Landie. When we stop, they find a place in the sun and enjoy a little water. Just before the end of the holiday when NOTHING is fresh any more, we are able to enjoy a delicious green salad! We also use the herbs the entire trip as we just keep snipping off bits as and when we need to. Along the road home I pass the trays on to the first person I see that has a garden growing.
Cristina Richardson
3. TRAVEL LIGHT
Don’t pack what you don’t need! I have seen so many campers come with so many gadgets and accessories… but it takes them so much time to set up camp! Then they end up using only onethird of all that stuff. Take the necessary items and allow yourself to relax and enjoy your holiday sooner. At the end of your holiday, packing-up is easier and quicker if you have less stuff.
Eleanor Derrick
4. DRY IT OFF
If your tent gets wet while camping, then as soon as you arrive home you must make sure to fold it open immediately and allow it to dry out completely. You must also always check to see that no leaves are stuck inside. I made this mistake once; and when I eventually opened my tent to dry it, I noticed that some blue gum leaves had made black marks on the tent. The acid from the leaves had eaten through the canvas and I could stick my finger through the black patches. Sadly, after 10 years of use I had to pension the tent off as it was full of holes – and as the canvas was so expensive I was never able to replace it.
Guy Middleton
5. STRAP IT DOWN
Always keep storm belts handy, especially the one that has the spring on one end for tensioning. Keep that handy, as one day you will need it! I’ve been in storms where people laughed at us for using a storm belt… but the next morning ours was the only tent standing.
Guy Middleton
This article appeared in the November 2013 issue.
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