A few months ago, our little family decided that we are ready to camp. After years of looking into it, hearing from friends and colleagues talk about it, we thought it was time to give it a go!
What probably made us most hesitant was the huge initial investment required. And we weren't even sure if we will like it so spending too much was not an option, apart from not having the money to spend anyway. But our due diligence led us, thanks to Google, to this website that has relevant information about camping. I found most useful the list of 10 basic things needed by new campers:
2. Table. We also got the folding table from Aldi. It was very light and came with a bag.
3. Camping Stove + cookware. Aldi also had this double burner lightweight camping stove. We left this at the last minute that we did not even realise that we did not need a lighter to make it work. So on our first night we ate fruits and sandwiches instead of cooking anything due to that misunderstanding. We also drove over 20 kilometres, via the tourist drive, thankfully, to buy a lighter, among others, only to find that it was not necessary.
The cookware included plates and cups so it was good too.
4. Beddings. Since the camping kit only came with adult sleeping bags, we needed two more for the kids. Good thing we already have one for Miss Z so we only needed one more. We found what we wanted at Kmart for a bargain.
We also got the air mattress and air pump from Aldi but on the night that we tested the tent, we slept very well with just our sleeping bags that we thought it was not important. We did not have a very good experience with air mattresses before, and we already have something that we can use alternately. So we returned the air mattress and air pump and got a refund.
Maybe next time we can get the self inflating mattress.
5. Rechargeable Lamp. Aldi had a battery operated LED lamp with fan so we got it but we felt that we needed a rechargeable lamp since we were going to an unpowered site. We went to Bunnings and got ourselves a lamp. We also got the kids their own torch that they had fun playing with at night time.
6. Esky. Also from Bunnings, we got ourselves an Esky with wheels, making it really easy to move such a heavy box that contained our food and drinks. A fridge would be nice :-)
7. Shovel. We just got ours from Kmart. We did not really use it this time.
8. First aid kit. We bought from our local chemist and just added things that we thought we might need.
9. Bucket. We just used one we already have, and as advised, it proved very useful. It's good we brought two along.
10. Sense of humour. I suppose this should be on top of the list because I imagine it takes people with lots of sense of humour to put themselves in a position to make life a bit difficult and a little inconvenient in order to make memories. But the kids love it and it kept them away from the television and gadgets the whole time. Win-win.
My selfie stick did not make it to the list although it almost ruined it for me especially that we had to take turns when taking pictures. But because we had heaps of sense of humour on our first camping trip ever, somehow I managed to get past it.
If you are like me, you would want to know the figures and this is probably on the low end as we got these things on special. We probably spent under 400, max 500 for these essentials and we will be using them again when we go next which comes out way cheaper when I think of going away for breaks and the huge amount allocated for accomodation. It totally justifies every expense and discomfort considering the priceless memories we collected as a family! x
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