Readers’ tips
Who better to ask for advice than our massive panel of at-home experts – our readers?
1 Purchase a good quality tent. It’s better to spend that little more and get a tent that will hold up against the wind and rain. Also, purchase long tent pegs as short ones won’t hold up to the wind. – gary
2 Bring clear nail polish. It can be used to repair small punctures, as glue, and even stops cuts from bleeding. Try it. Amazing stuff. – lynda
3 Keep a couple of plastic shopping bags in the boot, and put any dirty laundry straight into those. Easy to transfer directly into the laundry at home! – alida
4 Pegs – a must to hang out wet swimmers on tent ropes and don’t forget the Aloe Vera gel – it’s your answer to all things. – kristie
5 Pack bedding, clothes and towels in space-saver vacuum bags. Yes, you have to take a vacuum camping, but with the considerable space savings, there is ample room so we can re-pack the bags to come home, and a vacuum also comes in handy when cleaning out dust and sand during your trip. – kylie
6 Tupperware is your friend! Make your kids’ favourite meals and freeze them. In a good esky these meals will last 3 to 4 days on ice so you only have to reheat. A good example is spaghetti bolognese. – rachel
7 Have a container to store important things like your wallet, car keys, glasses or torch. These things easily get lost in your tent and you don’t want to spend your holiday constantly searching for them. – fiona
8 My camping tip is to make sure your air bed fits in the tent before you leave! We found that out the hard way. – donna
9 Never go away without a set of solar garden lights. Place these near the tent ropes so you don’t trip over them in the middle of the night. – tanya
10 Set your kids up with their own chair, own sleeping bag, own cup and plate, own toilet bag to take to the showers. They will be really excited to ‘look after’ their own things! – kate
11 We have a family of six – two small boys, 3 and 4, and two teenagers. Camping has been one holiday we can all enjoy. In the outdoor shower make sure you lather up with soap before you start using the water. – heather
12 Camping is one of life’s simple pleasures. Don’t be afraid of dirt! Pack the old clothes and relax – let the kids be free (they love it!). Bring slip-on shoes that kids can get on and off themselves. – kate
13 Involve kids in the setting up and packing up. Fun stuff like collecting firewood, filling up water buckets and hammering in tent pegs helps to make them feel part of the big adventure and keeps them occupied and happy. – miriam
14 Take tent pegs to suit your campsite. The small tent pegs that come with new tents are a bit like Goldilocks; the ground has to be just right – not too firm and not too soft – for them to be useful. For hard ground, you want heavier tent pegs that are not too long so they don’t bend as you hammer them in. For soft or loose ground, the longer and wider sand pegs are great. Keep a few of each in your peg bag. – barry
15 A blank scrapbook for each child and a glue stick means they can make a collage of nature from items found around the campsite – a great way to create lifelong memories from the trip. – miriam