Our Camping Life.
Everybody talks of progression. Their original setup, what it used to be like when they started camping and heading off into the great outdoors. Like Grandpa’s stories of old, walking to school through the snow, uphill, both ways - ours is one of ghetto beginnings.
If you were to look at our current setup, all shiny and new, you could be forgiven for thinking we’re accustomed to the finer things. The truth is anything but. . .
Obligatiory family shot. All smiling, likely somebody here has been bribed with lollies to bring a pleasant demeanour to the photo.
Originally it was just Kate and I. Then came Dale. Next was Ada. Suddenly we were a family! ❤️
And to be honest, we didn’t always camp. We had a few little trips just Katie and I, pre-marriage, when we were childless. Oh, how funny it is to look back on that and see that we found it quite challenging without children. Ha Ha Haaaaa! What a good belly laugh that was!
But to be fair, we had a little Audi 80, a crappy $80 tent from BCF, an air mattress with a slow leak and Katies original metho trangier for cooking that had to be about 30 years old if it was a day. . .To say we were hopelessly ill-equipped would be an understatement. There were a million sand flies, we had a single torch and and unpowered tent site. Suffice to say we didn’t do much camping after that.
But lo and behold, children came into the equation and it dawned on us that it really was up to us to create wonderful memories that would truly brand into their young minds. . .Introduce them to places of wonder with amazingly starry skies, burning your mouth on hot marshmallow, sleeping in a tent, playing with your first fire, swimming in your first river, chopping wood, whittling sticks and playing all day until you can’t play anymore - you know, all the good stuff.
So we got back into it. . .Tent camping is how we started again. Did a trip with Dale and for all it’s challenges, we were hooked.
It was the solitude, the lack of distraction, the attention we had for each other and the feeling of just being grounded -in touch with the earth and a part of our surroundings. Something I now believe to be living in the present moment.
But camping in tents is much like it sounds. . .Intense (Dad puns are a specialty of mine, sorry, not sorry. 😜) Especially with kids and my OCD about dirty feet in the tent and sand in my bed (Hey, we all have our faults!) yet we persevered.
We learnt a lot, we made a lot of stupid mistakes and we upgraded slowly. Next was a bigger tent, a pop up shade tent and even a BBQ! 😲
It was positively luxurious compared to what we were used to and we kept at it until Katie was heavily pregnant with Ada. Our last trip in a tent was to Lake Boondooma which was a place we always found ourselves drawn back to.
Humble beginnings. On this trip of 40ºC days we learnt that we needed shade aaaand (surprise, surprise) the tent awning didn’t cut it as we needed somewhere for our esky. 😳The “She’ll be right! It’s fine! We’ll work it out!” assurances that I convincingly spouted before we left home were often a contentious topic.
Our “Luxury” Tent Setup. Luxury, mostly because you didn’t suffer sunstroke by having shade. And cooking on an actual gas BBQ provided extra comfort. Imagine! (Note: Grass mat to combat dirty feet! 👌
The last trip was awesome with all that stuff - we absolutely loved it. We packed our tinny with all of it so we could get it all there (as it would never have fit in our Prado) and we had a ball at the lake. Beers, the water, the boat, exploring it all - it was just sick and we had so much fun.
That was the last time we went in a tent. Not because we didn’t like it. . .but because child number 2 came along and with her, a host of new challenges. Enter, Ada Mae Fitzpatrick.
Transitioning from one child to two, for us, felt like going from the 5K to the full marathon with no prep. To say it completely smashed us is an understatement. Hahahah oh man. . .it was like our camping trips, In-tents! (Didn’t think I’d get that in twice did you? Pun Ninja.) Consequently, the idea of camping in a tent with these two was more than concerning and I’m sure we could have done it - but honestly, we were kinda terrified. It was hard enough before. . .trying to manage it all with two kids was significantly more concerning and it wasn’t until Ada was about 1 and a half that we decided to take the next step.
This was the point where we really decided to invest. It hadn’t been cheap for us getting the tent and stuff set up. We weren’t rich (still aren’t. dammit.). But we went camping with a mate who had a camper trailer and I tell you what, we lusted hard after that thing all weekend while we struggled with our own gear. It just looked like such a better way.
So we were bit by the bug and we bought a camper trailer. . .and it was. . .awesome. . .kind of. . .once we got used to it. Ok, straight talk, so the first trip to Lake Boondooma they gave us the wrong instructions and it took us 4 hours to pack up the gear, another 2 hours finding 6 different ways that it wouldn’t slide and fold closed, with the kids screaming the whole time. So after contemplating just leaving the whole thing there, finally we managed to get hold of somebody at the company on a Sunday who helped us work it out. That trip home was slightly sullen as we both questioned our $30k+ investment and considered driving straight to the closest family law office to work out the divorce. Just kidding it wasn’t that bad. . .but gee, it was close. 😜
Our Camper Trailer. It’s inaugural trip. Unforgettable for more than a few reasons.
In all it’s glory. The camper trailer fully set up with the old Ranger out the back there, For all the challenges in setting up, we loved the old girl.
We got used to it though. We had some epic trips, we had some amazing times, it served us so well and we loved it to death. Camper trailer life was epic.
I remember meeting a guy with a caravan, who had just upgraded from a camper trailer at Kenilworth and he told me “Mate, it’s only a matter of time! You’ll have a caravan soon enough!” I remember thinking at the time “Bulldust, I’m a camper trailer guy, mate! I don’t want a caravan, I love the canvas and the open feel, the outdoor kitchen. You can keep your fibreglass box!” But as it would turn out, maybe I should have asked old matey for the lotto numbers as well, since he turned out to be quite the clairvoyant after all.
You see, the challenge for us with the camper trailer was that we still needed to take so much stuff in the car. That canopy on the ute was literally stacked full, every time. Solar panels, esky, bikes, cushions, tools, extra canvas, tables, chairs, bins, boxes, lights, cameras - you name it, it didn’t fit in the trailer. Very little actually did. So that made setting up and packing up a very time consuming process.
So fast forward to present day - the words of old matey with the flash new van in Kenilworth still ringing in our ears - here we are awaiting the delivery of our new caravan. A Marvel Golden Child, coming in at 22’6” with twin bunks for the kids. We finally got to a caravan!
It’s an off road van, full independent suspension, it’s got a shower and toilet, banging solar and 240V setup from Safiery and all the trimmings. We’ve never had one before, but coming from a camper trailer, well, let’s just say I’m thinking it’s going to be a lot like when we went from tent to camper trailer, but a metric kaka-tonne easier and a whole lot more comfortable.
Then to go along with it, we’ve had to purchase a new Ford Ranger (I’ll explain why somewhere else), get a GVM and GCM upgrade from Lovells Springs so we can legally and safely carry and tow what we want to and then there’s a very tidy canopy setup from Norweld dropped on the back.
To say this is a dream setup, well, who knows - as of writing this, we’ve not used anything like it at all, ever before. But all we know is that we’re over the moon with how it’s all turned out - and it’s a good thing too, as it’s cost us an absolute bomb and we had to literally break everything to get all this to work. It certainly was anything but easy - and that’s even with the help of our awesome partners that have helped us out, who could see merit in our vision and were excited to see us turn the lens on everything in our path.
So there you go. Consider yourself up to speed. That’s our camping and family history distilled into one overly verbose and excited article. I hope it suitably sets the tone and the scene for what’s to follow. . .”What’s that?” You ask. . .Well, why. that’s Salt, Earth and Sun and you’ll find out soon enough.
Thanks for reading, thanks for now being a part of this journey with us. We look forward to showing it to you through our lens and our learnings.
- Christian, Katie, Dale and Ada. x