Lightweight camping gear

[Ksullivan]

Hi there, we would love some tips on the best light weight camping gear ie camp table (for eating and schooling), chairs, cooking equipment etc etc.  We are a family of 5, heading off around Oz at the end of the year. Any other tips would be appreciated.  Cheers Kristy

[speewa158]

Get stuff you can use comfortably as if it hard or uncomfortable you wont use it will you  .
Over the years l have tried & rejected a lot of kit that didn't work for me , so don't be afraid to do the same .     

[RWS]

Hi there, we would love some tips on the best light weight camping gear ie camp table (for eating and schooling), chairs, cooking equipment etc etc.  We are a family of 5, heading off around Oz at the end of the year. Any other tips would be appreciated.  Cheers Kristy

What is your mode of accommodation?...tent ,campertrailer, caravan, etc...this will determine how much storage room you may have. 
Light weight gear is fine for short term, but if you are going to spend lengthy periods using the gear, go for what is best comfortable for you and your family. Make sure you try before you buy. When your sitting in that chair at the store, envisage whether it is going to be comfortable enough to laze around on reading a good book, to sit at the table for a meal or just to doze off in.

There is some good  blown mould tables, they are durable and reasonably light weight.... for storing go for one that folds in half.

Food always seems to taste better when camping and you can cook up a real storm with the right equipment. If I was cooking for five, a four burner stove would be a must and a some form of portable BBQ, such as a Webber Q or something similar...its amazing what you can do with a webber...do a search here http://www.myswag.org/index.php?board=18.0, there's heaps of posts on webber creations.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Rob
 
   

[oddsocks]

We use the Zempire Mantis table.

Pros: Cheap, light weight and can be set to two heights (very handy coffee table style which we find great to cook at).

Cons: On the small size (however can use two together), surface scratches easily.

Purchased from Snowys and had Sarah make up a double canvas bag for me. (Links below)

https://www.snowys.com.au/mantis-table

http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=30053.msg889885#msg889885




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[BaseCamp]

The plastic tressle tables that Bunnings sells have served us well....  (ute canopy and small van camping; 2pax)....

They are both cheap and strong and have some patiented ideas.. ....  they will fold down in 2/half their size....    They also sell a round dining version that folds....

Easy to clean; folds up compact; light weight; cheap.....

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[GGV8Cruza]

We have these for chairs, extremely light and pack down to nothing. Not cheap though

http://www.helinox.com.au/

GG

[Ksullivan]

Thanks everyone for your tips.  Our mode of transport is a camper trailer.  We have looked at the Helinox chairs, not cheap but reality is with 5 of us, we want to keep weight down where we can.

 Thanks for the table tips too, will definitely check them out at Bunnings and Mantis.

We were looking at a table with chairs connected, however that would then mean we can't just pull up a chair by a river etc if that's our only seating, thus we will scrap that idea as we certainly don't have room for both options.

Much appreciated, Cheers Kristy

[weeds]

We have these for chairs, extremely light and pack down to nothing. Not cheap though

http://www.helinox.com.au/

GG

We purchased the the aldi copy of helinox....will be buying a helinox table


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[Pete79]

I personally wouldn't go with the table with attached chairs if you mean those fold out things.
I'm yet to see a decent quality set, they seam to rarely last more then a couple of trips.
And you're right they are very limited in their uses.

We have one of the lifestyle plastic molded sets with 2 bench seats that clip onto the bottom of the table for transport.
I guess they weigh about 30+kg as a set, but we've found them super handy.

We can just take the table if that's all we need or if we have to be conscious of weight.
The bench seats have come really in handy on lots of trips and are a good practical match for the set of comfy chairs that you need to laze around the camp and fire at night.




Edit;
Damn that missing "n't".....

[Redcherokee]

We have camping recliner chairs, three legged stools, the chairs that fold up umbrella style etc that all stay at home.  We use some cheap and extremely light director style chairs with fold up tables that we got at BCF.  About $35 each from memory.  These ones are excellent for sitting up in.  So many chairs are fine until you try to sit up at a table for a while, when you find yourself getting a bad back.   Seat bottoms that lean back are only good for reclining in, not for anything that involves leaning forward (like eating).  Level seat, no front bar, firm so it doesn't sag.   Folding flat can pack in better than umbrella style, to my surprise. 

Adjustable height table is an awesome idea with kids.  They need to be able to comfortably sit at the table to draw, write etc.   Imagine yourself if the table was chest height.....  Some friends have the bench seats and they are surprisingly versatile (keep stuff off the ground, seat visitors etc)  - but you can't go all day without back support so they each have another chair as well. 

And be prepared that you may end up tossing stuff halfway round when you find it isn't working and go for a different style. 

[03GV]

We purchased the the aldi copy of helinox....will be buying a helinox table


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I bought 2 of those, they're on the small side but very comfy. We will use our oz tent sidekicks with them.
Pack down small and no weight to them.

[Pete79]

I bought 2 of those, they're on the small side but very comfy. We will use our oz tent sidekicks with them.
Pack down small and no weight to them.

They are a great compact solution and surprisingly comfy, we've noticed that their leg design makes them really easy to tip forward and need to be careful around the fire. Especially if kids are sitting in them, or more the point when kids are trying to get out of them.

We've seen a few too many close calls with kids almost rolling forward into fires, that's with the genuine brand name ones and the cheap knock offs.

[Ksullivan]

Thanks again, really appreciate all the feedback.  I saw the Aldi version of the Helinox but unfortunately we don't have any Aldi in Tassie, otherwise I would have bought them.
Still unsure about table, it's a tough decision, but yes we need to be prepared to toss it and start again if it's not right once we start our Big trip.  Cheers Kristy

[rokster72]

Hi,

We use one of these

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Yellowstone-Aluminium-Roll-Top-Double-Table-/162598833783?_trksid=p2385738.m2548.l4275

Bought it years ago from Ray's Outdoors... when the kids need to write/do school work on it, we place a cutting mat on top for a solid surface. It weighs next to nothing, build/dismantle in seconds, and has been going for nearly 10 years now. Goes everywhere with us. Can't recommend it highly enough

[trinityalyce]

Aldi can have some great gear. I bought their cast aluminium non-stick (good, not teflon) camping set of saucepans/pans and definitely rate it! This is the full-size stuff, not the fold-up gear. Definitely would fit more than enough for a hungry family of 5, and being cast aluminium its not heavy for the number of items.

We got a fold up table from Anaconda (I think) that's a good size. Its a plastic topped Coleman one I think. Not super light, but folds up to a reasonable size to slide in somewhere.