6 Things We Learnt (and Re-Learnt) Off-Road Camping in Western Australia

Every Off-Road Trip Teaches You Something New (or reminds you of something you've forgotten)...

We don't get to go off road nearly as much as we would like to nowadays, so when we do, not only do we learn new things, but we remember the old stuff we'd forgotten about - and our trip over New Years to Northcliffe in WA was no exception. 

 

6 THINGS WE LEARNT (OR REMEMBERED)

  • Tyres Matter: Road terrains wont cut it 
  • Our Beaches Are Windy: Don't forget the sand pegs
  • Don't tell your wife you can't fit the blanket: She'll never let you forget it
  • Don't forget the microfibre cloth: No one wants to sacrifice their towel for the solar panels
  • Easy lighting is a game changer: Especially for your brother who forgot his camp light...
  • Upright Fridges are the BEST: I had my reservations, but I'd never go back to a chest fridge

 

1. The Right Tyres Makes a World of Difference

Clay (our son) has only been offroad a handful of times since owning his own vehicle, and with a motorbike to save for (I know, I tried to talk him out of it), new tyres weren't high on his priority list. After this trip, though, I think he's going to push them up the list. 

Road terrains and 18 inch rims may look nice, but off road they can leave you struggling - especially in soft sand. Fortunately we were travelling as a group, and we didn't go anywhere too difficult, so it gave him the opportunity to learn the importance of tyre pressures and driving skill. Momentum was his friend, but he also had to learn when to stop, reverse, and try again (rather than digging himself in).

So in the end, whilst it made things tricky, having to learn the technique to get out of a situation on bad tyres will mean that once he gets decent tyres, he'll be laughin'. 

 

2. Sand Pegs are a Must for Solar Blankets

There's a reason we have some of the most beautiful, sandy beaches in the world in Western Australia - wind. And lots of it. Eroding the coastline for millions of years, we've been left with long uninterrupted stretches of soft, powdery white sand, and wind is the price we pay for it. 

Solar Blankets are made to be light weight, which means a gust of wind (even a small one) can easily topple them over. We are constantly improving products, and this is one we had heard over the years, so when Jason was developing our newest model of the AllSpark Solar Blanket he made a couple changes to combat this problem. Firstly, the legs on the blanket were made wider, and with a thicker material, ensuring they would stay straight and sturdy on uneven ground, and secondly, he swapped the eyelets for material loops. 

This was a small but important change, as it allows for the use of sand pegs, which don't fit into eyelets, and I tell you what, with the sand pegs in, even in soft sand on a windy day, the blanket doesn't move an inch. 

 

3. Blankets are needed. Even in Summer. 

And you can't convince me otherwise! I am always cold, but when packing for the trip, I looked at my blanket, I looked at Jason, and he said "It's summer, you won't need that".

Well, I was cold.

Fortunately, I had my Milwaukee heated jacket that Clay had bought me for Mothers Day (he knows me well) - but I was missing my blanket. This was also (funnily enough) a gift (see? People know I get cold!), from a beautiful friend. It is a woollen blanket from Saul of Tawonga and it is PERFECT for camping. Heavy, thick, warm and durable, wrapped around me at the campsite, it is one of my absolute favourite gifts....and it was left, at home. 

So now, it's not an option, it WILL be packed. 

 

4. Don't forget the microfibre cloths. 

Even on a relatively short trip off-road, the dirt kicks up and almost always results in a fine layer of dust settling on your solar panels. Have you ever measured your panel's output, then cleaned them, and seen the difference? Depending on how long it's been between washes, it can be significant! 

Our dual AllSpark 200W panels are mounted onto our roof rack and pump in the solar throughout the day (which is needed when everyone is lining up to use the toastie on the beach!). With a massive 600ah of battery capacity (under-chassis and behind the seats, not taking up valuable canopy space), we weren't searching for power, but if your battery system isn't large, getting the most out of your panels is important.

Micro-fibre cloths are small and perfect for cleaning panels - we forgot ours, and Jason didn't seem too keen on my idea to use his beach towel ), so there went my idea of getting some nice shots of the panels on the beach!


5. Simple doesn't have to mean compromising.


We weren't the only ones unorganised this trip, my brother left it too late to hard wire in our AllSpark LED Light Strips, so we brought along one of our AllSpark 4 Bar LED Light Kits - and it was impressive!


He ended up only attaching two of the four bars, as the light these little bars put off is huge! Versatile and simple to install, can even be portable when paired with a power pack (like our AllSpark Jump Starter) as they have a USB-C power plug. I popped on the white setting for the photo above and was very quickly told to "turn it off!" (sunnies required ) - even the red on high power was really bright and was promptly turned down to its lowest setting for a nice, ambient glow.

 

6. Upright fridges are soooooooo good!



When building the canopy, Jason had his mind set on an upright fridge.


I wasn't convinced.


Having always had chest fridge, I was worried that things would fall over (or out), and that we would have less space for the same size. What I found on this trip is that things tend to stay in and upright really well, we didn't have anything tip over or fall out, and space wasn't an issue as we used containers that stacked into the shelves. The ease of access also brought about many jealous comments from others, who were struggling with finding things in their fridges.


This trip was only 4 days, though, and we know that on longer trips we will need to add a separate freezer (considering a drawer style), but for trips up to a week the Bushman 85L is ample, and I don't regret being overruled on this one for a second.


Forever learning...


Overall our trip south for a quick catch up with some beautiful friends that we hadn't seen in ages, and family that (despite living 20 min from) we don't see often enough, was exactly what camping is about for us.


We are forever learning, from our setup and from others. Everyone camps differently, we see comments online that shame people for wanting to take a coffee machine, but if a nice pod cuppa each morning is your thing, then all the more power to ya! (literally ). In the end, it's the quality time, whether it's with friends and family, or with nature, or with a pokey stick and a pit full of fresh coals - camping is what you make it.