Wintery getaway

This past year has been a tad busy (in a good way); four family weddings within six months, an overseas holiday, first home ownership... so although it is getting a little late in the year to dream of open-fire-cooked breakfasts and lazy afternoons in the sun at a picturesque campsite, that is indeed what we have been doing. It's usually around May that I declare we should squeeze in a last camping trip "before it gets too cold". Err, since I've been suffering numb fingers, toes and nose during the daytime sitting here in my apartment in Sydney, I'm thinking this weekend might be a bit interesting in terms of keeping warm.

I dare say, having lived through three German winters and regularly camped in a tent where normal people pay to stay INSIDE a building, I'm a little bit qualified to give advice about keeping toasty! (Insert gratuitous picture of cold but sunny German winter day with nice castle in background).

You do see people doing some serious camping set-ups with tent heaters and electric blankets running off generators (that give off a stressful noise and an awful smell). The classic example I give is the family we spotted at a beautiful otherwise quiet and secluded campsite that brought up a generator and a TELEVISION, and then ran a CHAINSAW to build a wooden box to put over the generator as they couldn't hear the footy commentary over the din it made as it powered the tv. I shake my head.....why bother even leaving the house?!

So, the basic rules for "real" winter camping or travelling:

• Keep dry, and keep your head and tummy warm! Long tops, high topped longs, whatever you need to do to stop warmth escaping. And we all know that we lose most of our heat through our head so on with the fuzzy beanie. Bring fresh socks and don't let your toes go numb because it's very hard to reverse the situation!
• Layers, lots of layers. The basic rules I used to teach my customers: start with some thin thermals top 'n bottom, and decent socks - on many occasions I have declared out loud my love for my merino travelling socks. So soft and cosy and they stay that way forever so do splash out on them.
• Layer up with some nice mid layers like fleece or wool.  Puffy or windproof vests are great because they keep your core warm; high collars an extra bonus. And I hereby declare fingerless gloves are very trendy. (You can't use an iPhone at the bus stop in regular gloves. I say at the bus stop because there shouldn't be reception at a "real" winter campsite ;) ooh does that make me a campsite snob?)
• Find a nice outer "shell" like a lightweight but waterproof and windproof Gore Tex jacket or similar. Goosedown is lovely but if it gets wet it's as useful as wearing a (wet) cotton tshirt. Alternatively, if it's not likely to be raining, find the cheapest, most padded polyester jacket possible and stay away from sparks from the fire!
• Get into some little added extras like "pocket warmers" - little reusable sachets that you "activate" and they generate heat for an hour or two. Great for popping in the sleeping bag before you try to sleep with numb feet. Boil them up in water for 5 minutes to liquify them and they're ready to use again next time. Available at camping stores but they're a dime a dozen at German two dollar shops!

A few other tidbits about the rest of the gear needed to keep cosy....

• An air-filled mattress like a lilo will literally surround you in cold air while you sleep. Use a mat with foam inside (any thickness is better than that freezing air!)
• Bring your matches in a waterproof bag or case....
• Bring a warm-blooded tent buddy!

What are your keeping-warm tips and tricks? Or are we Aussies completely wussing out by even complaining it's cold when there's not even a chance the temperature will drop below freezing?! Leave a comment and join the discussion.

Glamping! Or, Busting the myths of camping

Those in this world who screw up their noses and say to me "camping? Haven't you heard of this marvellous new invention called hotels?" are really, truly missing out! To help them understand why, I want to bust a few of the myths about camping, 2011-style. Glamping - glam-camping - as it has come to be known.

Myth: "The toilets are always stinky!"

Actually, pit toilets have come a long long way! Ventilation systems and ways of breaking down that what fills them have had fabbo breakthroughs in technology and a modern pit toilet usually makes you wonder how on earth "they" (the people who install toilets in remote places?) got the toilet there!

Myth: "Tents are impossible to put up and always leak."

Most tents now come with colour-coded poles so it's pretty hard to go wrong. Even the cheap and previously nasty brands are much higher in quality than they ever used to be. Spend the money and buy a decent tent, and let your dad's old mouldy one stay right where it is at the back of the garage.

We use a Black Wolf Mojave for car camping and yes, it's big, designed to sleep about 6 people! But you can spend comfortable days lolling about inside in comfort if it rains, and it has an amazing ventilation system of little flaps and straps that meant it was by far the coolest tent at the entire camping and 4WD show where we bought it in high summer.

Myth: "Camping is uncomfortable and dirty".

Ohhhh no it isn't. Grab some 4WD sleeping mats for home-bed comfort (save those blue foam rolls for padding the truck when you're moving house), a solar shower (black plastic - heats up when it sits in the sun - genius), and some gour-met food and you're on your way. A folding chair with inbuilt pillows and insulated pockets for drinks should complete the picture.

Our "5-day esky" is supposed to keep food cool for yes, 5 days, but apparently that experiment involved dry ice and opening the esky just twice a day for 30 seconds at a time, not every 30 minutes from the time of the first "brekkie beer" til bedtime.  But it certainly will keep your glamping fare - vino, cheese and chocolate - icy cold for the length of a weekend. Get one with wheels or you will regret it when your camping buddies stop at the bottlo on the way and fill it to the brim with heavy beverages!

Myth: "There are no camping spots nearby."

There are good spots everywhere, you just need to know where to look! A National Parks annual pass for the car works for me in the same way as my gym membership - I've already paid for it so I had better use it and get my money's worth.

Keep an eye on my blog for tips and hints on good camping sites in Sydney's surrounds, but don't expect me to give away all our secrets at once!