When we travelled recently to Kangaroo Island it was a bit of a challenge…

The challenge was the fact that we were going to camp on the Island and that meant transporting all essential camping items with us on a plane. Not only were we limited to the flights weight restrictions ( 3 carry ons at 7kg each and 2 check ins at 15kg each) but also the fact that I had to be able to carry the gear with the assistance of my 6 and 9 year old.

As a result, this trip took a bit of planning, lateral thinking and down sizing of camping items.

I was quiet happy with the result,we made it easily under weight while still having all the items we needed to camp for 8 nights.

Here a list of the five essential camping items I took to Kangaroo Island;

Kathmandu Boreas hiking tent:

I have spoken about this tent before here on my blog and I will mention it again because it seriously is the best tent EVER!! The Kathmandu Boreas 3 person tent is compact, lightweight, easily fits myself and the two youngest inside and is so sturdy. During our time on Kangaroo Island we got hit by a fierce storm. The winds were blowing so hard and the rain was pouring down but we were safe and sound tucked away. the storm was so bad that In the morning three lots of people in the campground came over to see how we were, they had been battling their annexes throughout the night and thought for sure that we would have struggled to! Kathmandu always has sales throughout the year, bide your time and you will grab a bargain on this tent! Also check out our video on You tube to see a tour of it!!

Trangia cooking system:

This is my latest purchase that I love!!! A Trangia is a compact, hiking cooking system that uses mentholated spirits as its fuel source. Trangias have been around since 1951 and I have always wanted one since I was a Girl Guide, so I finally purchased one just before Christmas. It took a bit of trail and error to get the temperature levels right but once I had that under control it was so easy to use. Purchasing the large size meant that I could easily cater for all three of use and it still be reasonably lightweight and compact, with all the items  (frypan, two pots, cooker, windshield) conveniently packing into each other. I also could fit in an additional two small bowls and mug! I purchased mine through a store in Adelaide called Snowys who happened to have the best price at the time and free delivery in Australia, but you can also buy them in Annaconda stores.

Kathmandu self inflating sleeping mat:

While the younger kids are content with sleeping on the ground, I figure that I’m getting too old for that!!! I looked online at Kathmandu and found that they had a variety of self inflating sleeping mats on sale. I had a limited budget but thankfully the Ascent womans self inflating mat fit within it. The sleeping mat inflates very easily and because it is designed for woman it contoured and molded to my body and I never rolled off it! Sleeping on it was very comfortable. On deflation it rolls down and fits into a bag, making it small as well as lightweight and easy to transport in my pack.

Travel towels:

I love our travel towels. They roll up small, are absorbent, quick drying and obviously lightweight, eliminating the need to travel with bulky towels. They are useful for both the showers and the beach or any other situation that you need something to be dried. I have had my travel towels for a few years, purchased from a “cheap” shop, and continue to be in good condition. All camping stores sell these type of towels in varying sizes and varying prices.

Headlamps:

Small and convenient headlamps can be just as bright as torches but are much more easier to use because they are hands free. When having to pack light they are the way to go because they are not only small but lightweight as well. We took three, two from Kmart and one from Kathmandu, and all worked well in providing enough light to cook, read and play card games by, definitely an essential part of our trip!

All five of these items were important to our trip to Kangaroo Island, each served a purpose and were used daily. There is one other essential that we took … our sleeping bags!. These were probably the only items that we took that I’m not content with. The ones we have are bulky and therefore take up too much room in our packs. I will be looking at slowly replacing them with smaller packed sleeping bags, hopefully from Kathmandu, I am keeping an eye out for specials!!!

Travelling like this… flying to camp, is new to us, but something I can see us doing more of in the future… maybe throughout New Zealand!?!

Have you ever flew somewhere to camp? Where did you go? 

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Safe Travels!

Kerrie 

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