Hi Everyone,
I've just discovered this site after attending the Camping & Caravanning Super Show at Rose Hill - loved it. Exchanging tips and learning from others experiences is my main interest for joining.
Lipstick Nomad is my wife's self-identification - refusing to compromise chic while thrilling at camping. We're in our sixties, recently retired and on a tight budget.
We have an old (mid 1980's) home-made, off-road camper trailer. No frills. It was given to us in 2012 by an old friend whose dad, a coach builder by trade, constructed it for his retirement adventures. We did some renovations to the mesh and the floor, repainted the box, added electric brakes and a big toolbox. All up it owes us about $2,500. It's an 8x5 box with straight up and down sides and a drop down tail gate, six-stud Landcruiser wheels/tyres on a 45mm square axle. It weighs 520kg (box, canvas, bed, spare wheel and gas bottle) before we load our camping junk and suitcase of lipsticks!! The canvas is in pretty good nick and I have re-waterproofed it. We've done several short getaways and one 6 week trip in 2013 to outback NSW, SA and Vic. Although I get "the wants" for smart, modern rigs, we are generally well satisfied with our basic old camper - we like to feel we're camping, not in a hotel. That said, there are some improvements which would not go astray and we're working through them on our limited budget.
Haven't done any free camping yet but I'm keen to give it a go if I could convince my wife there are not nearly as many axe murderers out there as she is convinced there are - all waiting for her. Mostly we opt for unpowered sites to get clear of the caravan cities but we both love a good amenities block. 12v power is an issue. We've got a dodgy, old, barely efficient Coleman 12v cooler but will likely retire it in favour of an new 47L EvaKool Icebox - most camp kitchens have freezer space to re-freeze your bricks/bottles/ice substitutes, leaving lighting as the only real need for power. LED seems the way to go. We're a bit over gas and endless broken mantles and glass. The Engel 28Kw Battpack sounds impressive and cost effective at around $370 promising 300 to 400 re-charges. Does anyone have experience of them or similar products to recommend? Any tips on lighting and 12v power generally would be welcomed.
Our next big trip this winter will be to the Red Centre. For organisational reasons we're going anti-clockwise from Armidale, NSW eventually to Mt Isa and then cross into the NT and down to Alice Springs, West McDonnell Ranges, Kings Canyon, Uluru, Olgas and south to Cober Pedy, Port Augusta then fairly quickly head for Sydney. We'd be grateful to hear from any members with tips on must see and must avoid and any other tips for this route. It's unlikely her lipstick-ship will agree to straying too far from well worn routes.
Looking forward to getting right into the posts and info on this site. Cheers.
