Hubby and I are both wanting to start our nomading days but all we have is a large family tent. We do have all the camping equipment we need but just not the preferred caravan/campervan.
Do you think we could still start doing some traveling with the tent, or is it best to hang off until we can get ourselves a caravan/campervan? I'm happy enough to start with a tent but I guess it would be better to do it only in the warmer months ? Any constructive opinions, help or whatever would be appreciated so we can better decide how we go about it.
Lyndall, welcome to the site. Of course you can do the "grey nomad thing" in a tent. There are no rules to being a Grey Nomad, except get, get out there and enjoy life. We started our travels late in life with a motor bike, trailer and a tent, upgraded to a 4wd and camper trailer, shower tent and porta-potti, but now we are on the road permanently, we upgraded once again to a fully self contained caravan. Being on the road permanently, life is easier in a caravan/motorhome, but there is nothing to stop you trying. Good luck!
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DUNMOWIN is no longer on the road and still DUNMOWIN!
I am an full-time GN ... and must admit I do it "soft" - caravan. Before I got the van I had a CUB Camper Trailer and before I retired I used to travel extensively with a tent. I still carry a tent for those times when I want to camp somewhere where it is too "bush" for the van.
If you are comfortable camping in a well set-up camp with a tent, then go for it. If you decide to get "soft" later, you can always upgrade to a van - or similar.
There is at least one member of the forum who travels with a tent - Esperian ... and answers to Ziggy. He's a good bloke and hopefully he will see your post and give some background of his experience. Or you could always send him a PM.
Cheers - John
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Hubby and I are both wanting to start our nomading days but all we have is a large family tent. We do have all the camping equipment we need but just not the preferred caravan/campervan.
Do you think we could still start doing some traveling with the tent, or is it best to hang off until we can get ourselves a caravan/campervan? I'm happy enough to start with a tent but I guess it would be better to do it only in the warmer months ? Any constructive opinions, help or whatever would be appreciated so we can better decide how we go about it.
G'day Lyndall, in our early days on the road we had tents, a 12x12 to begin with and later a more modern lighter one which was much easier to set up, Depending on your transport, we carried a small home made wood heater with us during winter ans still do in our bus, it's made from a gas bottle and you can make them pretty small. You use exhaust pipe for the flue and they throw out heaps of heat. Our bus is 12m and even when it has been snowing (tas) the heater keeps it lovely and warm.
if you're going to be full time, sit down and think of all the things you may need for tenting, then half them and take the bare essentials. On the road you will pick up the bits and pieces you find you need pretty cheaply in second hand and Op shops. We carried everything in wooden boxes, which also became tables and chairs and one had a plastic box liner which was used for washing etc.
if you are going to be full time travelling and intend buying something down the track, consider a diesel MH or converted bus. You can carry many time the weight a van can safely and also setup a good solar system for power, to my mind they are much more preferable for full time travel to a van and with converted buses, you can alter them to suit your tastes and needs.
Tent is quite possible. It does mean you take a bit longer to set up/strike camp, so with the bigger tent, you probably will not want to move on every day.
We always tented - until the Driver had hip replacement, which caused us to get van. But once the hip was up to strength, we had times when we left the van stored and just used tent - in places we didn't want the hassle of towing. Would do things like 12 weeks in tent, when we did Cape York, for example.
We found that it was best to have a much smaller tent, as well as the big one (something like a hike tent), that we could use if we just wanted to quickly overnight somewhere.
We've met people who were on the road for over a year with a tent. It was an Oztent, quick and easy to put up, and they were happy as. You might have to be choosy about where you are in what weather though.
The tent we used to use before the caravan was a Coleman 4, we love it, but carry a much smaller one in the van, like Wendy
Hubby and I are both wanting to start our nomading days but all we have is a large family tent. We do have all the camping equipment we need but just not the preferred caravan/campervan.
Do you think we could still start doing some traveling with the tent, or is it best to hang off until we can get ourselves a caravan/campervan? I'm happy enough to start with a tent but I guess it would be better to do it only in the warmer months ? Any constructive opinions, help or whatever would be appreciated so we can better decide how we go about it.
What sort of vehicle do you have? I started with a two man dome tent (I was on my own then) and a Holden Astra Hatch Back (rebadged Nissan Pulsar) and had a ball, good way to see what others are using too. I have seen a number of people since using tents both in free camps and caravan parks, families with bigger tents and longer stays, or couples/solo's with small tents who are mostly on the move.......I think you will find many on here that started their RV life with a tent or use them as alternative accommodation when needed.
we started with tents in early 70's and went from internal framed European style to external frame (was made in Canada in those days) and travelled and camped for years.
I built a high sided 6' X 4'6' box trailer that we could tie a waterproof cover over. we threw everything in there, gas bottles, bbq, sleeping gear, clothes in our individual bags.
2 adults and 2 very young kids could pull up and set up 20-30 minutes max. Pack up was a bit longer.
If you go this way, you WILL get wet from time to time, so you can overcome this with canvas the same size as trailer (well a bit bigger) to isolate wet and dry gear. Tuck the tarp in like you do a bed, it's very easy.
We loved it but we were in early 20's,,lol.
Give it a go and see how you go!!!!!
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Why is it so? Professor Julius Sumner Miller, a profound influence on my life, who explained science to us on TV in the 60's.
If you have already got all of the gear and it is serviceable then go for it.
However if you will have to replace or add gear you should be aware that setting up can easily approach the cost of a small secondhand caravan. In your case I'd probably sell what I have and put it towards a small van anyhow.
I loved camping and did it as basic as possible which was my preference. Later I had to buy more gear. We age.
It is much easier to get up and go with a small van, the living is easier and it is far kinder on bodies that will never see 25 again.
What puts people off is wanting to get the 'best' rig/caravan first off. However the logic should be suck it and see. Which means that a cheap secondhand starter which can be sold on again for minimum or no loss could be the go. You could be surprised what people throw in with that small van.
2c worth
-- Edited by johnq on Wednesday 9th of April 2014 01:26:00 AM
Yes, definitely. There are so many wonderful places a caravan or motorhome can't go. No matter the accommodation there is always advantages and disadvantages. A tent gives greater freedom. I've grey nomaded the Simpson, Canning, Gibb, Mitchell Plateau, Cape Leveque, Cape York, Plenty, Birsdville, Oodnadatta, Strzelecki, Tanami, Anne Beadell, Connie Sue, Gunbarrell - all using a tent. So yes it certainly can be done. Have an OzTent and love it. Fast set up for one night, but have side and front panels for longer stays and then I have a little house.
Thank you so much everybody for your replies to my query! It gives me a renewed impetus to get out there. We have already agreed that around September-October when the weather is warming up again I will head out for a 2 week holiday which I had planned to do after Easter but it didn't happen due to a flat tyre and nowhere to get it fixed because of holidays...arrghh. That way I can take all the gear with me and work out what works and what doesn't, what we might need, or not need, etc..and hopefully take some great photos while I'm about it. I'm an amateur photographer so I can't wait to have some new subjects to "shoot".
The vehicle we have is a Mazda Tribute SUV all-wheel drive which I purchased specifically for our nomad lifestyle. We also have a luggage trailer that we'll be using for all our camping gear.
So I am looking forward now to getting out there and meeting up with fellow nomads. We are both pensioners so we'll be doing things on the cheap as much as possible and if we can score some odd jobs along the way that will be awesome.
Our essential geat was tent(s), shadecloth that went under the tent floor and extended at the front and to one side. This made a "floor" for our tent verandah area and a clean area to the side to put our gas/electric Chescold chest fridge on.
Took a block hammer for tent pegs, and some 6 inch masonry nails for places where ground would bend tent pegs. Some spare lengths of rope, including some clothesline.
Had a Coleman 2 burner gas stove that worked ok in wind, and 2 gas bottles (4.5kg??). Folding stand for stove. Outside tent used a Coleman kero lamp but I think there are better LED options available now. Used torch inside tent.
Bedding was lilo. Sometimes sleeping bags, sometimes sheets and doona.
A folding table and a chair each. Also had a small folding table that held washup dish and various oddments.
I used plastic boxes about the size of milk crates - they stacked on top of each other - to hold foodstuffs. One had tins, another had stuff that was used all the time (e.g. coffee, cooking oil), another had stuff that was used sometimes e.g. cornflour). That size crate was light enough to be able to easily lift for loading and unloading. A fourth one of these held oddments - spare lamp glass, wire toaster rack, little container of cutlery, spare batteries, bag of clothes pegs, etc.
Used a rectangular plastic crate - about 3'x2' - to hold cooking utensils, plastic plates etc. It was just that this size suited our packing configuration in the Truck.
I carried a basket on the back seat of the vehicle that held a thermos oif hot water, small jar of coffee and some teabags, Wet Ones and container of fruit cake - this meant we could have morning and afternoon tea easily. I usually pack our lunch in the morning, when travelling for the day, and we had a very small esky that held lunch, with a chilled can of Zero or similar to keep it cool.
Hope the above helps you with getting the gear set up.
