We are planning a 7 month around Australia caravan trip, using Free and $ sites. We have a Baby Q, Solar with 2 batteries, no generator.
Do any of you experienced Gray Nomads have a list that I can use to help me prepare our van.
Thank you, I'm the Kiwi part, Rosemary
Aus-Kiwi said
11:25 AM Jan 11, 2016
Check out the solar section in tech forum ? Follow what others have done .. Gas for cooking and heating water .. Solar elect on 12v for anything else ..
Aus-Kiwi said
11:42 AM Jan 11, 2016
Food ..We take plenty of tinned food like backed beans and spaghetti . Long life milk, weat bix and rolled oats . Bakon and small portion of frozen meat in freezer with beans, peas..For vege . We buy fresh food when we can but don't carry much as it doesn't last . Again we have tinned peas as back up .. A few packs of fresh water in bottles from Aldi too .. Flour to cook scones or bread in camp fire in old cast pot .. Things that can be stored without too much refrigeration..
Canuck and Kiwi said
10:47 PM Jan 11, 2016
Thank you Aus-Kiwi, your tips are much appreciated. Naturally it means a simplification of our diet, nice for this Kiwi cook. I will look at the Solar in Tech section. Again thanks.
Delta18 said
10:38 AM Jan 12, 2016
Aus-Kiwi wrote:
Food ..We take plenty of tinned food like backed beans and spaghetti . Long life milk, weat bix and rolled oats . Bakon and small portion of frozen meat in freezer with beans, peas..For vege . We buy fresh food when we can but don't carry much as it doesn't last . Again we have tinned peas as back up .. A few packs of fresh water in bottles from Aldi too .. Flour to cook scones or bread in camp fire in old cast pot .. Things that can be stored without too much refrigeration..
We do the opposite, we take very little to no cans to keep weight down and we eat much as we do at home.
Fresh veg lasts a few days as does fresh milk (7 days).
When leaving home some frozen meat will go in simply to use the freezer space that is there.
Flour is good as said, as I make my own pasta, also batter for fish etc.
After cooking a roast in the Weber BabyQ we have lunch meat for a few days. We also carry a DreamPot so things can cook as we drive.
Our reasoning is we will never be far from a shop/supermarket to replenish supplies so no point carrying 3 weeks worth of food.
Cheers Neil
Canuck and Kiwi said
07:19 PM Jan 12, 2016
Thank you Neil & Lynne,
I do like fresh is best, like you I will fill the freezer as I know I can get at least a months worth in it. Yes Weber meals will always do extra days. I want to do bread & scones in it before I go.
Milk is no problem as we have been using long life for many years now. Northern WA looks to have long stretches of very little. Last year we did North Qld and fresh was only a weekly event & you had to be in the right place to have it fresh, after that fresh was from the freezer.
My salad twice daily will have a rest, soup will have to take over!
Thanks again and please keep your sense (both humour and camping)
Rosemary
brickies said
07:52 PM Jan 12, 2016
We only take fresh food some meat and bacon in freezer in reserve , always have flour , sugar, rice , pasta for cooking , Eggs are always a must you can always put something together using eggs , In 5 months on the road last year from northern Victoria to outback Queensland never had any trouble buy fresh food anywhere brought some of the best meat from the local butcher some time cheaper than Coles in the big city , I alway see local shop a service to us travellers not us doing them a favour by buying from them , We have a 120 lt caravan and no engel portable fridge and can cope fine by buying has we travel.
Nomad_Nev said
08:51 PM Jan 12, 2016
We currently do 7 day purchasing but are always near to a town so no problem there, at the moment we are on a tight budget but have a 1 year old so have to still eat healthy.
Wetbix for breakfast with some fresh banana for sweetening
Lunch is sandwiches for us and a veggie dish for the little one from previous nights veggies
Dinners
Every meal has a staple of Potatoes, Rice or Pasta, various veggies (Broccoli, Carrot and/or pumpkin are the best value) then the "meat" varies.
2x nights of fresh fish - this is really good value (about $2-3 per person for a good piece of fish and there is normally lots of choice when you buy)
1x Steak or Chicken - alternate by week - egg and veggies / curry etc....
2x nights from 1 pack of Sausage that gets made into a big batch of something, so a pasta dish or rice dish...etc
2x nights from a pack of Mince also made into a big batch of something
Works out healthy and about as cost effective as we can get it
Canuck and Kiwi said
09:30 PM Jan 14, 2016
Thank you to both Brickies & Nomad Nev, your input to our adventure is appreciated and I've taken note of it all. Roll on March when we take off.
Thanks, Rosemary.
Chicken strangler said
06:15 PM Jan 19, 2016
If you ever go way out west for a time but never want to run out of food do a search of " freezed dried au " you will want a decent bank balance but it's interesting reading if nothing else.
Otherwise do you really think you will be all that far from civalization for a longish duration ? A good portable 12 v cooler/ freezer does it all combined with a little planing.
Personally I always carry a recurve bow, it's a bit of fun plus I like the hunt.
brickies said
06:39 PM Jan 19, 2016
I have looked at freezed dried pack and would cost more than buy from shops in the west of Queensland , I shop local where ever and have always been able to buy food never had any trouble so you can carry to much junk with you alway have enough for 4 days at anytime , and you can always go and have a feed at a local pub .
Canuck and Kiwi said
09:23 AM Jan 21, 2016
Hi Chicken Strangler,
Freezed dried: my husband used that in his bushwalking days when he had to carry it on his back. I agree with you, curved bow would be better but then I would have to clean before introducing it to the weber!
Many thanks.
Rosemary
Canuck and Kiwi said
09:30 AM Jan 21, 2016
Hi Brickies,
Thanks, I'm now convinced that with this advice i am happy that I we won't go hungry......not that we ever do. We are living a very blessed life and WILL enjoy this experience.
Happy camping,
Rosemary
Desert Dweller said
01:49 PM Apr 5, 2016
We cook mostly fresh items but also carry powdered milk, dried peas, dried mushrooms & instant mashed potato just in case we're enjoying a remote spot in the bush & want to stay a bit longer than we'd planned. Tinned mackerel makes great fish cakes when mixed with boiled potato, parsley flakes & made into patties & coated with flour, egg & bread crumbs.
Rip and Rosie said
08:40 AM Apr 9, 2016
We carry "basics" in the pantry..............long life milk, tea. coffee. milo, sugar, flour, rice, dry lentils, curry powder, dried soup sachets, couple of meal base sachets (e.g. chow mein or taco base), canned tomato, tomato/BBQ sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, pepper, instant potato, variety of dry herbs and spices e.g. cumin, thyme, coriander, cinnamon etc , stock cubes, couple of cans of baked beans, chicken soup, can of salmon/tuna, can or two of tinned fruit, can beetroot, jelly powder .........
We carry "basics" in the fridge/freezer ..........butter, cheese, milk, avo in a tube, jam, honey, salad veges, bread, raisin bread, frozen meat/ chicken/ fish ......usually from home transferred on the morning we leave.
We buy fresh food as we go, but with the basics in the pantry can cook up a basic meal on basic fresh ingredients.
We carry minimal cooking equipment..........no blender or food processor, no bread maker, no coffee machine, no slow cooker, no deep fryer, no ice cream maker, no mix master even. ....2 saucepans (1 big & 1 small), a steamer which fits inside one of the saucepans, 1 frying pan, 1 electric skillet.........everything else goes on the BBQ. Toast gets made on the griller.
msg said
09:14 AM Apr 11, 2016
Rip and Rosie,
They are exactly the things I pack too. ( and don't pack.) One thing I do have is an orange squeezer. Love my fresh orange juice.
Rip and Rosie said
07:28 AM Apr 20, 2016
Msg
Once upon a time I would plan meals, do a grocery shop and take fruit & veges etc for a week, freeze casseroles etc ........... no more.
A basic pantry kept stocked up and whatever was in the fridge at home starts us off now, buying fresh as we go.
I find now we travel lighter and also can be more spontaneous ..... taking advantage of local fruit and veg stalls, buying local seafood, supporting a local business in small town, tasting the delights of a local bakery or eating out as we take a fancy.
We are planning a 7 month around Australia caravan trip, using Free and $ sites. We have a Baby Q, Solar with 2 batteries, no generator.
Do any of you experienced Gray Nomads have a list that I can use to help me prepare our van.
Thank you, I'm the Kiwi part, Rosemary
We do the opposite, we take very little to no cans to keep weight down and we eat much as we do at home.
Fresh veg lasts a few days as does fresh milk (7 days).
When leaving home some frozen meat will go in simply to use the freezer space that is there.
Flour is good as said, as I make my own pasta, also batter for fish etc.
After cooking a roast in the Weber BabyQ we have lunch meat for a few days. We also carry a DreamPot so things can cook as we drive.
Our reasoning is we will never be far from a shop/supermarket to replenish supplies so no point carrying 3 weeks worth of food.
Cheers Neil
I do like fresh is best, like you I will fill the freezer as I know I can get at least a months worth in it. Yes Weber meals will always do extra days. I want to do bread & scones in it before I go.
Milk is no problem as we have been using long life for many years now. Northern WA looks to have long stretches of very little. Last year we did North Qld and fresh was only a weekly event & you had to be in the right place to have it fresh, after that fresh was from the freezer.
My salad twice daily will have a rest, soup will have to take over!
Thanks again and please keep your sense (both humour and camping)
Rosemary
Wetbix for breakfast with some fresh banana for sweetening
Lunch is sandwiches for us and a veggie dish for the little one from previous nights veggies
Dinners
Every meal has a staple of Potatoes, Rice or Pasta, various veggies (Broccoli, Carrot and/or pumpkin are the best value) then the "meat" varies.
2x nights of fresh fish - this is really good value (about $2-3 per person for a good piece of fish and there is normally lots of choice when you buy)
1x Steak or Chicken - alternate by week - egg and veggies / curry etc....
2x nights from 1 pack of Sausage that gets made into a big batch of something, so a pasta dish or rice dish...etc
2x nights from a pack of Mince also made into a big batch of something
Works out healthy and about as cost effective as we can get it
Thanks, Rosemary.
If you ever go way out west for a time but never want to run out of food do a search of " freezed dried au " you will want a decent bank balance but it's interesting reading if nothing else.
Otherwise do you really think you will be all that far from civalization for a longish duration ? A good portable 12 v cooler/ freezer does it all combined with a little planing.
Personally I always carry a recurve bow, it's a bit of fun plus I like the hunt.
Freezed dried: my husband used that in his bushwalking days when he had to carry it on his back. I agree with you, curved bow would be better but then I would have to clean before introducing it to the weber!
Many thanks.
Rosemary
Thanks, I'm now convinced that with this advice i am happy that I we won't go hungry......not that we ever do. We are living a very blessed life and WILL enjoy this experience.
Happy camping,
Rosemary
We carry "basics" in the fridge/freezer ..........butter, cheese, milk, avo in a tube, jam, honey, salad veges, bread, raisin bread, frozen meat/ chicken/ fish ......usually from home transferred on the morning we leave.
We buy fresh food as we go, but with the basics in the pantry can cook up a basic meal on basic fresh ingredients.
We carry minimal cooking equipment..........no blender or food processor, no bread maker, no coffee machine, no slow cooker, no deep fryer, no ice cream maker, no mix master even. ....2 saucepans (1 big & 1 small), a steamer which fits inside one of the saucepans, 1 frying pan, 1 electric skillet.........everything else goes on the BBQ. Toast gets made on the griller.
They are exactly the things I pack too. ( and don't pack.) One thing I do have is an orange squeezer. Love my fresh orange juice.
Once upon a time I would plan meals, do a grocery shop and take fruit & veges etc for a week, freeze casseroles etc ........... no more.
A basic pantry kept stocked up and whatever was in the fridge at home starts us off now, buying fresh as we go.
I find now we travel lighter and also can be more spontaneous ..... taking advantage of local fruit and veg stalls, buying local seafood, supporting a local business in small town, tasting the delights of a local bakery or eating out as we take a fancy.