Camps App v Wikicamps

yobarr · Guru

RE: Camps App v Wikicamps

JeffRae · Guru

Honestly, what age are you guys, scroll by if you don't like the comment

dabbler · Guru

I carry a larger scale maps and books but much prefer my apps for navigation. Talk about flat batteries is frankly absurd. Most of us travel with auxiliary battery systems and a means to recharge our 12v systems and mobile devices are easily recharged. Your vehicle's accessories run perfectly well long after you can no longer crank the vehicle and if your vehicleis immobilized both navigation is the last if your problems. But the conversation is (was) about camping apps. Paper camping books *do* become outdated and rely on their accompanying apps for current info so using two makes little sense.

Johnnym · Member

use wikicamps all the time and find it really helpful I don't pay any attention to complaints about wifi, TV reception etc. and if negative people don't stay there it probably suits me!

suengreg · Veteran Member

If you have bought a Camps Australia book you can get updates for the next 3 years simply by logging into their website, I only buy a book every 3 - 5 years

peatop · Senior Member

I got the Camps Australia app and to be honest I'm not that impressed as I find there are many locations not on it, before getting it I just opened google maps to an area I want to go and typed "free camping" this brought up a number of symbols that you just click on to see the comments, however it did not always say if it was free or not but you could use the provided link to check costs involved, I will give Wiki ago when the subscription is due.

The camps Australia book comes with a 12 month subscription to the app.

oldbloke · Guru

A combination of wikicamps and maps for me.
Also wikicamps has an update out. Seems to a privacy update. I wonder if it has anything to do with the new owner?

Ger08 · Senior Member

Its interesting to see this topic crop back up - weve just completed a trip through the Kimberley and my wife normally chooses the camp sites and navigates etc, so she has been using both the Camps app and WikiCamps. He conclusion is that she has more confidence in the content of WikiCamps than the Camps app due to the lack of current reviews on the Camps app. Its interesting to note that she actually prefers the user interface of the Camps app and I agree with her, the Camps user interface is excellent but the currency of the information is an issue.

As for the hard copy Camps - thats a big thumbs down, we much prefer the apps and dont want to carry paper books or guides where we can avoid it.

Dick0 · Guru

I always use WikiCamps and no need for wifi or mobile reception if you download the appropriate maps, then link into Google Maps for offline navigation which I find very accurate.

mixo · Senior Member

Wikicamps is KING..We have a camps book, half the time I forget it at home and if i do remeber it, use it for the maps.I'm on camps 8 dont think I will update.

I also have campermate and hicamp, hardly ever use them.

Will use wikicamps untill the new owners F#$k it up..

mixo

Ger08 · Senior Member

mixo wrote:
Wikicamps is KING..We have a camps book, half the time I forget it at home and if i do remeber it, use it for the maps.I'm on camps 8 dont think I will update.

I also have campermate and hicamp, hardly ever use them.

Will use wikicamps untill the new owners F#$k it up..

mixo

I think well all be pleasantly surprised with WikiCamps as the new owners add much needed features and hopefully improve the user interface.

mixo · Senior Member

Ger08 wrote:
mixo wrote:
Wikicamps is KING..We have a camps book, half the time I forget it at home and if i do remeber it, use it for the maps.I'm on camps 8 dont think I will update.

I also have campermate and hicamp, hardly ever use them.

Will use wikicamps untill the new owners F#$k it up..

mixo
I think well all be pleasantly surprised with WikiCamps as the new owners add much needed features and hopefully improve the user interface.

Well, Time will tell, usually, things don't end well. Let's hope for US users who contribute to the program, they don't meddle with it too much.

Mixo

Seaeagle63 · Member

I use a combination of WikiCamps, Camps Australia App, Hipcamp, & Full Range Camping. Each has there own specialties, however I do use Wiki more so than the others. They are all good in my opinion.

gdayjr · Senior Member

mixo wrote:
Wikicamps is KING..We have a camps book, half the time I forget it at home and if i do remeber it, use it for the maps.I'm on camps 8 dont think I will update.

I also have campermate and hicamp, hardly ever use them.

Will use wikicamps untill the new owners F#$k it up..

mixo

I have just purchased Camps Australia 11. It does have an app with it, which is upgradeable for about the same cost as Wikicamps.

I use them both right now, but i am only in the planning stage.

peatop · Senior Member

I am finding camps Australia doesn't show all the camping sites that you can find just by using google maps and typing "free camping" which then displays paid and free camping but none of them show areas that you are able to camp for free away from the delegated areas setup by the forestry departments in each state. It seem to me that these government departments only want us to camp where they choose, here in Victoria you are able to camp pretty much anywhere as long as it's not within a declared park (other guidelines permitting) when you load these camping apps you see a little icon of a tent yet you cant click on it to get information, when I asked the rep from Camps why? he said that sometimes these site get closed for maintenance and if they are not opened again within 3 months they are removed from the app, he said they are then check at a later date and if open are relisted, however I found several sites that are in fact open, some never closed in years but still removed from the app.

I have removed my auto payment from the Camps app, I may give wiki a go but I very much doubt it will be any better, although I don't like anything google, if maps can deliver a free or low cost camping ground and not close the link off then I'm all for it.

Mike Harding · Guru

peatop wrote:
>It seem to me that these government departments only want us to camp where they choose
You bet your little pink slippers they damn well do!
>here in Victoria you are able to camp pretty much anywhere as long as it's not within a declared park
It's not that simple: You may not camp in a Nature Conservation Reserve (National Park by stealth) ever. You may, generally, bush camp in a State Park, you may camp in designated camping areas in a National Park and you may camp in areas of a National Park which have deen declared "Dispersed camping areas" - how you discover where those areas are is still a mystery to me... and Parks Victoria it appears. Although I do know most (probably all) of the Alpine National Park is gazetted as "Dispersed camping".
In reality one can camp anywhere in a NP as the act requires a ranger to give a warning and kick you out rather than fine you immediately. Just pack up and go if told to, NP rangers have surprisingly wide powers.
>when you load these camping apps you see a little icon of a tent yet you cant click on it to get information
I *strongly* advise you totally ignore the land status (NP, SP, State Forest etc) and use Forest Explorer (in Vic) to check it, land designations often seem to be guessed by the original poster of the camp site - the correct designation is *very* important if one has firearms or a dog.
Wiki Camps is, far and away, the best camp database for Oz.

peatop · Senior Member

Thanks Mike, I've added that map to my favorites, I find the fact that there is no easily available information on where you can and can't camp with the exception of paid and provided areas frustrating, I'm not one for crowded and noisy camp sites so I do prefer to be somewhat secluded wink

malken · Veteran Member

I have just returned from a trip from Sydney to Queensland and tried the Camps Australia app. Found it extremely disappointing. The symbol indicating overnight camping is misleading. When looking for a site which displays this symbol it does not necessarily mean it is an overnighter as I found out on a number of occasions. Their get out I think is that in the comments it says check signs which I found meant that no overnight stay allowed, or at least that was the case on a number of sites I checked.
I strongly suggest that you do not rely on sites displaying the overnight symbol which also has the wording check signs in the comments section. This symbol should not be displayed when the site clearly indicates no overnight camping permitted.
Extremely frustrating when trying to plan a stopover at one of these sites with the overnight symbol only to get there and find no camping allowed.
Be very aware.

Kebbin · Guru

WikiCamps for me, one off payment for life, not $10 a year for Camps Australia App and then people buy the book as well which is out of date when you get it, for anything up to $100. It's a no brainer as far as I'm concerned.

Moose2 · Senior Member

Ger08 wrote:
I have been using both these apps for the past few weeks and Im interested to hear from others that have used both. I have found the Camps App to be very underwhelming? Am I missing something?

-- Edited by Ger08 on Wednesday 5th of June 2019 11:18:08 PM

Absolutely agree. On our last trip I started off with both apps but quickly uninstalled the Camps one as I found it to be hopeless.

86GTS · Guru

Camps is a bit like last weeks newspapers these days.
We stopped years ago with the Camps 8 book.
It was good in its time though & we found some great places to stay. smile

RoboLB · Senior Member

Interesting about apps v books. Both are great. I find wiki camps really useful, particularly the photos and reviews.

But the big downside of apps I find is the lack of a 'broader view'.
With paper maps and books you get a much better perspective of your route and what lies to either side of it.

Using apps is a bit like painting your hallway through the letter box!
Sorry to use a pommy term, (where letter box is in the front door) but I'm sure you can picture what I mean.

mixo · Senior Member

I got an old camp 8 book, found it cheap at a bookstore for 20 bucks. Only use it for the maps when I am planning at home for a big trip. Everything is out of date in it(even the maps)

Wikicamps is King , use it all the time, in the car and for planning.

Each to their own I suppose, lots of resources out there.

mixo

Dick0 · Guru

yobarr wrote:
Santa wrote:
yobarr wrote:
And Santa wrote:
Wingers can be whingers and whingers can be wingers.
And the point of this obviously well thought-out post is?????
- Edited by yobarr on Saturday 8th of June 2019 05:54:35 PM
Probably as relevant/pointless as this little gem.
"And here I was thinking that wingers were part of a football (Rugby or Rugby League) team.How silly of me.Cheers"
Remember: Whenever you feel the need to correct someones spelling, think about it and ask yourself: does this person want to be corrected? If the answer is no, or even just maybe, don't do it.

Terribly sorry that you are so offended,but I am one of a dwindling number (NOT amount of people) of people who tries to write in a manner that is easily understood.Many moons ago I was taught that if a sentence needed to be read twice for its meaning to be understood,that sentence had not been written well.How far do you think we should allow our language to deteriorate before something is done.We already have rubbish such as amount of people instead of number of people.Then we get He gave the bananas to myself when it should be He gave the bananas to me.The ONLY person who can give bananas to myself is me.And this is just the tip of the iceberg.Feel free to write whatever rubbish you want,but please dont expect me to not comment.Cheers.

A space is normally required between punctuation marks and the next word, for those correcting others of their grammar.

biggrin

TheHeaths · Guru

As you say DickO, if you are going to correct others with spelling, grammar, tense or anything about language, ensure you are correct with your own efforts, before posting. The number of times this is obviously not done only highlights the irony of many such posts to me.

That said, with respect to the topic, we use WikiCamps and are pleased with it as a first stop in planning. Still have an older hard copy of Camps Australia, which can provide some photos but wiki is also superseding that. Havent looked at the Camps app.

-- Edited by TheHeaths on Friday 2nd of December 2022 04:04:05 PM

86GTS · Guru

Wikicamps is also great to suss out which camps are very popular.
After establishing that you can avoid them & go to somewhere quieter.