camping gear that will probably end up as junk - perhaps don't buy it!

see also:

• gear to take car camping

• junk camping gear falls into several groups:
  • poor quality budget gear that is likely to fail and add to the rubbish heap
  • unnecessary gear you don't really need
  • the wrong gear that you probably should not have bought and bought something that will better address your needs

• whilst buying cheap camping gear may be OK for those just trying out camping for the first time and they don't want to spend the money on something they may not like doing, the gear itself may adversely impact their experience and safety and is probably not a wise decision
• top examples of this include:
  • cheap gazebos
    • these are highly likely to be destroyed in strong winds or heavy rain
  • cheap dome or popup tents with fibreglass poles
    • these can be great for fair weather camping but as soon as the wind picks up, they are at high risk of having the poles break and then they peirce the fly and let the rain in
    • in addition, they are often poorly watersealed and you and your sleeping bag and clothes are at high risk of getting very wet and you could end up being dangerously cold
  • cheap side awnings for cars
    • they can be hard to put up and likely to be destroyed in wind gusts
  • cheap popup shower ensuites
    • if you really need one of these get a proper double ensuite weighing at least 6kg
  • cheap air beds and mattresses
    • a mattress only containing air is a very poor insulator (you will be cold even in a sleeping bag if temperatures drop below 15degC), tend to deflate slowly overnight and are prone to punctures which may need repair and of course also require a noisy air pump
    • cheap foam-based air mattresses if poorly designed will result in a poor night's sleep as your butt is likely to sink and create pressures on your spine - you really need a 3D type for these to be fairly comfortable
    • they are also too big for hiking
  • cheap polyethylene tarps “poly tarps”
    • yes they are cheap and if you get the heavy duty ones with D-rings they may even withstand strong winds but they are big, heavy and VERY NOISY which will disturb your sleep
    • these are best used to cover gear in a trailer or on the ground under your tent
    • better still get a polyester hiker's tarp which is lighter, and much less noisy and less flammable (although it will still melt) eg. DD Hammocks 3x3m tarps
  • poorly designed chairs
    • that you didn't test for comfort and you find that they are poorly designed for your back or they keep sinking into the ground
  • cheap under-powered air compressors
    • a key aspect of being able to drive on soft surfaces such as sand is letting your tyre pressures down to around 9-14psi - this means you will need an air compressor to get them back up again for the bitumen - an air compressor with poor capacity will take forever to inflate your 4 tyres - do yourself a favour and buy a better one
  • cheap hiking stove without a piezo igniter
    • yes you can get a Furno stove for as low as $29, but seriously, the last thing you want to be doing in the wind and rain is trying to light a stove (if you have a lighter with you or matches) - pay a few dollars more and get a hiking stove like the Soto Windburner
  • cheap guy ropes and pegs that don't reliably hold the tension and slip this may mean your tent gets destroyed or you end up wet and cold or both
    • if using small diameter line, get a micro-lock type fastener tensioner
  • “non-stick” frypans:
    • these are ONLY good for low temperature cooking where minimal oil is wanted such as scrambled eggs or dumplings
    • they are a POOR choice for most other cooking, won't last long, can't be put on wood fires and may be bad for your health as they deteriorate if they contain Teflon
    • if you want a wok to do stir fries or sautees - get a carbon steel one
    • if you want a dutch oven - get a cast iron one
    • if you want to sear steaks or most other things - get a spun steel one or perhaps a high end stainless steel
      • a high end stainless steel frypan is a great option once you learn how to cook with it, as it wont rust, doesn't need seasoning, is more non stick if you use oil, and cools down faster, while the handle stays cooler, makes the best meat fond/glaze/sauce, but it costs a lot more than a spun steel one and the spun steel frypan probably sears steaks better
  • low wattage or illegal 2-way radios
    • most campers do NOT need 2-way radios, but they can be handy if you are traveling as a group
    • 0.5-1W radios are only really useful around the camp ground - they are not worth buying as they probably won't do what you need them to do
    • if you really want a 2-way radio, get a pair of rugged waterproof 5W ones with wired mics for in vehicle use eg. GME
    • ALL Baofeng Radios and many other Chinese radios Are Illegal To Use In Australia - see https://secomms.com.au/legal/ and there can be massive fines or imprisonment if you use them and they interfere with emergency services
    • see radio basics
  • poor food options
    • garlic or ginger in bottles - bring fresh garlic and ginger if you are going to need these - they last weeks and the food will taste far better than jar rubbish with preservatives
    • ground white pepper for your steak - bring black peppers and crack them freshly - again your food will taste much better!
    • do not bring olive oil to cook with - its a garnish not a cooking oil - bring high temperature cooking oil such as peanut oil, sunflower oil or safflower oil

• if you are doing a major tour around Australia then you may want the following to make your trip more enjoyable, but for most others, you probably don't need these
• campers have a habit of continually buying new gear that seemed a good idea at the time
• much of this just spends your money, uses up space and increases your packing and unpacking times, and then when you realise it is too much hassle it gets left at home as junk
• roof top tents
  • unless you are traveling around Australia and including the crocodile tropics, these will just consume petrol and can be a pain, they are not good in the wind and can leak.
  • definitely avoid folding style roof top tents - they are a real pain ¹⁾
• hydration packs with drinking hoses for a back pack
  • don't bother - use bottles instead - easier, less weight and bulk, and far less nasty bugs
• tent footprints
  • tend to be overpriced - use a more versatile tarp or cheap Tyvek from the hardware shop instead
• a big BBQ cooker such as a Weber
  • yes, you may need this if you have a big family but otherwise it may just become a burden
  • a solo camper can get away with 1-2 super compact and light hiking stoves and gas cartridges
• induction cooker
  • this will sap your batteries really fast and you will need a 1500-2000W AC inverter and a 200-300Ah LiFePO4 battery
  • great for household or caravan use but don't bother for camping - use gas instead unless gas is banned as in some Fire Restrictions
• bulky lights
  • seriously, you do not need to waste your precious cargo space on bulky lights!
• lights that are not red or at least amber
  • lights attract insects, especially white light
• kitchen pantries
• extensive cutlery sets
• AC inverter
  • it might be useful to have a small 12V 120W cig lighter plug one in case you can't run a laptop or similar from USB-C
  • AC inverters do generate heat and are a fire risk if they fail
  • BUT larger ones will just drain your battery super fast - do you really need that AC appliance?
  • one use of a more powerful AC inverter may be to power a 1800W sandwich maker as your main cooking tool - it can cook a steak in 3-5 minutes and thus uses 7.5-12.5Ah of your battery, but you would probably be better of using a gas or wood stove
  • if you really need AC power then a 2000W rapid recharge power station may be a better way to go than a separate 2000W AC inverter
• hair dryer
  • these need lots of watts - you don't need them!
• solar panels
  • you don't need these UNLESS you are going off-grid for more than a few days
  • a 100Ah LiFePO4 12V battery will generally last a few days for keeping your fridge running and powering your phone
  • if you need more power over a few days, then a 2nd battery would be more reliable source than a solar panel
• television
  • seriously, you don't really need one of these at home let alone camping!
• air conditioner
  • these use a lot of power - Ok if you are at a powered site or you are allowed to run a big noisy petrol generator inverter
  • otherwise good fans in your van will be fine
• power generator
  • these will really annoy your neighbours with their noise - you really only need these if you must have an air conditioner, or as an emergency if you have an EV car
  • just use LiFePO4 batteries, solar panels, DC-DC charging and AC-DC charging
• microwave
  • these use a lot of power
• portable toilets
  • most campers can get by without these!
  • they are bulky, expensive, most require chemicals and require maintenance - are you sure you really want to do this?
  • most camp grounds have drop toilets at least and if not just take a shovel and dig a hole
  • if there are no toilets at camp, an alternative is a Elemental Thunder Down Under ThunderBox which is a sturdy large 20L bucket with a toilet seat and you just use a garbage bag - lockable lid so no spills or smells!
    • has the advantage it can be used as a storage bucket en route especially for hoses and wet gear, as a water bucket, a rubbish bin, vomit bucket and as a stool
    • can use biodegradable bags from eco stores or supermarkets (eg. 36L kitchen bags) & then bury the entire waste when off road - or take it back into town rubbish bins
• hot water shower systems
  • these need electricity, gas and a water supply to work - maybe think twice about getting one!
  • instead you can boil 2L water pour it into a narrow based collapsible bucket, add 5L or so cold water then just use a lithium battery powered shower pump - much cheaper and less bulky
  • for showers in summer, just have a black jerry can or similar filled with water and placed in the sun
• power stations
  • yes they are very convenient and handy, but in the longer term you may be better off buying a 12V 100Ah LifePO4 battery, cheap battery box and a 25A charger and you will get much faster charging and less time wasted
  • if you really need AC power then a 2000W power station may be a better way to go than a separate 2000W AC inverter
• bull bars, roll bars and winches
  • these generally just add weight and use up your fuel and are LESS SAFE HOWEVER, they may be important if:
    • you are traveling to a remote destination,
    • you are likely to need a winch to get out of a valley in wet weather or similar
    • you should not need a roll bar if you drive carefully and there is little evidence roll bars protect you
    • you drive a lot at night and are likely to hit kangaroos - hint: don't drive at dusk/dawn unless you are a keen photographer needing to catch the light

• campers often go through a evolutionary cycle of upgrade from one piece of gear to the next as they find better options - they would have saved a lot of money had they researched things well first and asked around experienced campers (not salespeople) and spent that little bit extra
• the wrong size tarp
  • if you are hiking, a 2.4x3m or 3x3m polyester hiking tarp is your best bet
  • if you are camping then you can have a few different sizes for different purposes (eg. under your tent, as an awning or shade for your tent) but a 5x5m tarp is probably way to big for most campers and will struggle in the wind - the larger the size the more stresses on the guy outs and the pegs and the harder it is to dry out at home and it will be more bulky and heavy unnecessarily - a 4x4m tarp is probably the biggest you should aim for if not hiking with it.
• 12V deep cycle lead acid batteries
  • whilst these are relatively cheap, they are VERY HEAVY and do not last long
  • the long term costs will be much lower with a 12V LiFePO4 100Ah battery which is about 1/3rd the weight
  • HOWEVER, many LiFePO4 batteries will automatically go into a frozen state if you alow the voltage to fall below a set point and this will require a special recharge process most likey with a 240V AC-DC charger which you may not have with you - so keep an eye on the voltage!
• under-powered 12V battery chargers
  • don't waste your money on a 15A charger, get a 25A charger that can do lithium batteries - you will be able to have your battery charged in almost half the time and that means much less time wasted in the campground laundry making sure no one steals your gear eg. Victron BlueSmart IP65 12V 25A
• eskies
  • if you really want to enjoy your camping and you can afford $2000 for a car fridge, battery and charger you are going to be far better off than spending a lot on an esky which will be a headache and a backache
  • do you really want to have to keep filling up your heavy esky with ice (if you can get some), then emptying out the melted ice every day and put up with your foods floating in water - chocolate tastes terrible after being soaked in water, and then risk food poisoning as the temperature has not remained low enough?
  • plus, with having a 12V LiFePO4 100Ah battery, it opens up a whole range of opportunities for you such as 12V electric blankets, iphone charging, etc.
• the wrong car fridge
  • get a quality car fridge which will fit nicely in your boot and be of adequate size for your needs
  • think twice about getting one with a built-in battery - they are heavy enough as they are and the battery may not be easily replaceable and not able to be used for other purposes
  • I use a 35L Dometic CFX fridge as it is not as tall as Engel ones and thus fits nicely under the boot blind of my Subaru Outback and is just big enough for my solo needs
• the 8P, 10P or 12P family tent
  • seriously, you really don't want an 8P or 10P tent or bigger unless you have special needs.
  • these tents lack versatility and are BIG, BULKY, HEAVY, require more than one person to set up and take down and can really destroy the fun of camping
  • you would be far better getting a 4P tent and a 6P tent - both can be set up by one person, you can get some spacial separation from snorers by being in a different tent, and when you only need a 4P tent you have one
• the 40kg tent when you have a bad back
  • Ok this should be pretty self evident - no employer would allow you to lift anything more than 15-20kg, especially above your head
  • things only get worse when you have to pack up in the rain and it becomes much heavier!
• the super expensive technical hiking tent for car camping
  • these tents will cost $1000 or so and are great for alpine hiking but they are overkill for car campers and are likely to be damaged or stolen - you would be better off with much more affordable, heavier, more durable tents for car camping
• other tents that do not match your needs
  • unfortunately there is no one tent that will be optimum for all needs but there are some designs which will suit your needs better than others and this means a lot of research
  • for example, I like to sleep within the protection of a 2P Mozzie tent which I place inside a larger standing height touring tent (much easier to control mozzies in a small 2P tent!) with a rear door and a Blockout fly so I can sleep in better, and the optimal size for this is a 6P tent (3x3m) as then I have room to walk around my Mozzie tent. If the night gets very cold, I can just place a cover over the Mozzie tent and I can keep it much warmer than my 6P tent which will always be about the same as the outside temperature. This gives me a LOT of versatility - I can use the 2P Mozzie tent at the beach when I want to relax without constant harassment from march flies or I can set it up in the shade as a break from long drives and get a power nap in far more comfortably than in the driver's seat of my car.
• bulky cooking and laundry gear
  • kettles with a spout, mugs and cups with handles - these are far too bulky and not packable
  • do yourself a favour and get silicone collapsible cookware and collapsible buckets (these can also be used as a water store for your portable shower pump)
  • you may want a nice billy can for the wood fire eg. Fire Maple stainless steel billy with steamer, lid, small spout.
• bulky, heavy solar panels
  • if you really need solar panels for going off-grid for extended periods, buy the more modern light versions with diodes so they work in partial shade
• bulky lanterns
  • get collapsible or compact LED lithium rechargeable ones
• old style PCM solar panel controllers
  • get the newer MPPT ones, they are more efficient
• cheap recovery boards
  • most cheaper recovery boards will fail you when you need the most - get a well recognized durable board such as a MaxTrax if you plan to go on sand or mud
• kinetic rope for snatch recoveries
  • you are probably better off buying the cheaper snatch straps as these are more compact
• heavy steel cables and snatch blocks
  • recovery gear is now far lighter with synthetic rope and winch pulleys