What is the best camping tent? That depends. You need to match your budget and needs to the right style and brand of tent to identify the best tent for you.

I am not going to try to tell you what your camping needs are, and therefore what the best tent is. Instead, you can assess your own needs. Questions you might want to ask yourself are:

• What style of camping am I doing? – base camping (set up and stay two weeks) or touring (set up and pull down every day)
• How many people? – is it for a family, a couple or just yourself?
• Do I prefer canvas or nylon?
• How much room do I have? – both in the car for transport and at home for storage
• Where am I camping? – many camp ground have relatively small sites, others are open plan
• What is my budget?
• What are the weather conditions I am likely to experience – a Queensland winter can be warmer than a Tasmanian summer!

Usually there are several brands that sell each style of tent. I am not going to try to assess the merits of each brand in this post.

The following is my opinion of the positive and negative features of the various tent styles available in Australia.

Dome tents

90% of tents in camping grounds are a type of dome tent. Don’t be tempted to buy the biggest dome from your local camping store (wives/girfriends are notorious for wanting to do this!) unless you have a genuine need for it. Biggest is not always best in camping. It may seem a good idea at the camping store, but when it comes time to set it up …

Medium-sized domes are a good choice for first time campers who are yet to establish their camping needs.

+: good interior space for price of tent; huge variety on the market from small through to huge size, and cheap through to quality; relatively small pack size; cheap and cheerful ones can be thrown away when damaged; nylon is easier to look after than canvas; larger domes are great for base camping

-: relatively slow to setup, and very slow if your wife/girlfriend convinced you to buy the mega mart Taj Mahal dome!; poles can break; can suffer in wind unless guyed out

Cabin tents

Cabin tents are generally canvas and have a lot of internal room. For some reason they seem to come up on eBay second hand regularly — perhaps people buy them, use them once and decide they are too hard to set up, then sell them? If you are looking at a large cabin tent, why wouldn’t you just buy one mounted on a trailer? – a camper trailer. With the pack size of these tents, chances are you are going to be taking a trailer anyway.

+: huge sizes available; near vertical walls maximise interior space; relatively cheap for the space; great for base camping; usually have full standing headroom throughout

-: heavy; very slow set up; canvas needs to be properly dried

Tourer tents

Tourer tents (also known as bus tents) are generally canvas and have a centre pole. Some of the extended tourers also have a upside down U-pole to support the rear of the tent. The best known (and very expensive) tourer tents are from Southern Cross. There are numerous cheaper versions on the market, including the OZtrail tourer tents. You will often notice this style of tent in the background of photos in camping magazines.

+: fast setup; robust

-: heavy; large pack size; slanting walls decrease tent volume inside; centre pole can get in the way (but can often be removed with a side pole kit); canvas needs to be properly dried

Turbo tents

I am using the term turbo tent to describe the increasing range of tents like the Black Wolf Turbo tents. Similar style new models on the market in Australia include the Jet Tent by Oztent and the OZtrail Blitz. Tents in this category are available in nylon or canvas.

+: fast setup on main tent inner; near vertical walls giving maximum space inside; the current range of Black Wolf tents have a reputation for being robust

-: still need to use a fly, adding to the setup time; expensive; lots of moving joints; large pack size

Oztent

The Oztent system really does not have any other similar tents in the Australian marketplace.

+: fast setup, sturdy construction; lots of accessories to customise the tent

-: low headroom; relatively small for family camping; long pack size will not fit inside most cars; expensive, particularly after you have purchased several accessories; accessories substantially increase the setup time

Swift pitch tents

These are the pop-up style tent. Throw them in the air, they pop out, a couple of pegs and you are done.

+: ultra fast setup; relatively cheap and cheerful; tent inner, fly and frame are one piece

-: small size; can suffer in wind unless guyed out; folding can be difficult (but with practice and the right technique, they are easy)

Swags

The quintessential Australian swag has made a comeback. Swags are very popular with single blokes going bush. Some swags resemble one and two person tents with pitching systems and insect screens. Others are more traditional, in that there is the possibility of a snake seeking some warmth joining you overnight.

+: quick setup; warm; able to be rolled up with sleeping gear inside; huge range available; robust

-: limited privacy; relatively large pack size for what they are; some people may find them claustrophobic

Camper trailers

A large canvas tent mounted permanently on a trailer.

+: large size; can keep all your gear stored in the camping trailer; double mattress permanently left on trailer

-: expensive; often relegated to the back of camp grounds with the caravans; storage for the trailer at home; canvas needs to be looked after; some of the larger tents can take forever to set up

Hiking tents

Hiking tents are generally carried by people on multi-day hiking trips.

+: small pack size; lightweight (important when you are carrying it for several days!)

-: only small sizes available; not as robust as some other tent styles due to lightweight construction; may be expensive due to advanced materials used to minimise weight

Roof top tents

Roof top tents, as the name suggests, mount semi-permanently to the roof of the vehicle. There are several different versions and brands on the market.

+: generally quick setup; sleep off the ground (great for crocodile infested areas)

-: must pack up everytime you want to use the vehicle; relatively small size given the cost; adds weight and increases the centre of gravity of the vehicle

“The rich man buys once, the poor man buys twice.” 

In other words, the rich man can afford to buy quality gear that performs its intended function and lasts a long time; the poor many buys cheap gear that either breaks or does not work and needs to be replaced after a short period. 

I see/hear this saying touted around the camping scene quite regularly. Quite frankly, it annoys me. If we all waited until we could afford the best camping gear before we went camping, the camp grounds would be very empty. And wouldn’t that mean we are all camping in Oztent, Southern Cross or Black Wolf tents? This is obviously not the case as I rarely see these brands of tents in camping grounds. What is everyone else using? DMH Outdoors, OZtrail, BCF-brand, Spinifex (Anaconda brand), Jackeroo (KMart brand) and similar tents!

Besides, how can you know what is the best gear for your needs until you have camped a few times? And you can’t camp until you have gear. Buy budget gear, make do, improvise, make it yourself or perhaps even do without just to get out there. If people can go camping with only what they are carrying on their backs, why do you need a car and trailer stacked high with the most expensive gear available to have an enjoyable weekend? 

Get out there and do it. Scrimp, save, do your research and buy smart. If the best gear you can afford is at the budget end of the range, still go for it. Just be aware of its limitations. It may only last you two years instead of 10; but if that means that you have had two years of enjoying camping instead of three years saving for the ultimate tent go for it anyway! 

You should still expect cheap gear to perform adequately. If you have bought a cheap tent, it should be water proof; you should be able to sit on a chair without it collapsing; and a sleeping bag should still perform within its temperature rating. However, the cheaper tent may take a little longer to set up; the chair may not be as comfortable; and the sleeping bag bulkier. 

The thing that often strikes me is that the people who have been regularly camping for the last 20 years have the small tent and the minimalist setup. It is the new campers who have the massive top-of-the-range tent. The experienced campers know that you do not need all the modern gadgets to have a great time — less is better! 

When we started out, we set ourselves a budget of $1,000 to purchase everything for our first camping trip, including a tent, gas stove, lantern, table, sleeping bags and matresses for a family of four. We had a couple of things already like an esky, torches and camping chairs. We also made do without a tarp or kitchen bench. In retrospect, we could have done it cheaper. 

We figured $1,000 was a fair budget because we would have easily spent more than that on renting a holiday appartment anyway. It turns out it was money well spent, despite buying mostly cheap gear from KMart. It was one of the best family holidays we have had. 

We have used the gear on three camping trips now, although we have added a tarp to the basic kit, a folding bench and bought different mattresses (the old ones were expensive high density foam, but we prefer self-inflating 4WD mats that cost the same price). 

We are getting a better idea of how we like to set up our camp site, and what things are important to us. Things like fast setup are important to me, meaning a quick pitch tent. My wife likes to have a large shaded space, meaning a tarp is a priority. 

Over the next few trips we will probably replace the gas stove with a low pressure regulated stove and our chairs that we had before starting camping also need updating. I also want to update to a quick-pitch canvas touring tent. 

While it is easy in retrospect to identify the important factors, it is much harder to identify appropriate gear that will fulfil those needs. Only experience, research, talking with other campers and seeing other people’s set-ups can help you with that choice. 

My recommendations for your first camping trip are: 

• choose a time of year when mild weather is forecast — it will minimise the amount of gear you will need and even cheap gear will usually perform adequately
• select a tent that is recommended for approximately double the number of people you intend to sleep — that is, if you have a family of four, choose a tent recommended to sleep 6 to 10 people to allow additional room to store bags and move around in the tent, but not so huge as to take forever to set up
• prioritise sleeping comfort — a good night’s sleep is essential
• use your gear within its limitations — don’t go camping in sub-sero temperatures with gear intended for summer!
• treat your gear well — take the time to set up and pack up properly, particularly ensuring the gear is dry before extended storage after your trip; even cheap gear will last longer if it is looked after
• make do with gear that you already have — bring a pot and pan from home, raid the picnic basket for some plastic cups and plates, and bring sheets and an old doona for sleeping.

And remember to enjoy yourself!

Our Lifetime 4’ bi-fold, height-adjustable table is a handy piece of camping kit. It can be used as a standing height bench, standard height table, a low table for the kids or as a side table while sitting down.

Sturdy camping tables that allow food preparation and washing up at a suitable height for standing up are hard to come by. Most of the benches marketed as camp kitchens are only 80 cm high – too low for most people. The Lifetime table is perfect at the standard kitchen bench height of 90 cm, but can also be adjusted lower to 72.5 cm and 55 cm. The table top area is 120 cm x 60 cm.

One of the challenges when camping is to find gear that can be used for several purposes. Why take a bucket for washing up, and then store your dishes and cutlery in a separate container? Why not use the washing up bucket to also transport the dishes and cutlery to save space and weight? Or why take a bench and a table, when one piece of gear will do both jobs?

The Lifetime 4’ bi-fold, height-adjustable table will do several jobs and folds up to a very compact size for transportation – 60 cm x 60 cm x 7.5 cm.

The only problem I have found with this table is that it has quite a slippery surface. If the table is on even a slight slope, cups and dishes slide off it. A couple of non-slip mats will quickly fix this.

If you are looking for a rock solid table, this one is not for you either. However, some movement in the legs is acceptable for camping purposes, particularly given the uneven ground it will often be used on anyway.

Selected Lifetime tables are distributed in Australia by Oztrail. I bought mine from Down Under Camping.

Our DMH Outdoors stainless steel mugs appear to have excellent insulation properties, as discovered on a recent camping trip.

We only took the bare essentials on the camping trip. This included a gas cooker that mounted directly to the top of the gas bottle, as well as a moka pot to brew our morning coffee. While we had brought the moka coffee pot, I had not thought to pack the kettle for boiling some water.

Moka pots make espresso shots, so need the addition of hot water to the mug for anything other than a short black coffee. My wife likes a good short black, while I prefer a long black.

Rather than adding cold water to my coffee, I decided to warm up some water on the other side of the gas cooker with some water in the bottom of a mug. I had some enamel mugs in the camping kit, but looked at the DMH stainless steel mug and thought it would be ideal to heat a little water – I just needed to keep the plastic handle away from the flame.

I put some water in the stainless mug and balanced it on the top of the cooker alongside the moka pot. As the moka pot began to boil, I checked the stainless mug. It seemed a little cold, so dipped my finger in – yep, cold. These DMH stainless steel mugs are well insulated! After several minutes on the gas cooker, the water inside was still cold!

I swapped the water into the old fashioned enamel mug, and sure enough, I had a mug of hot water in a pretty short time.

Well done DMH on making such a well insulated mug! No doubt it kept my coffee hot longer than the traditional enamel mug too.

The question, “Should you/your business use social media?” seems to be a common question in business circles at present. But to answer the question, you first need a definition of social media, and then need to understand the various flavours of social media. You then need to apply that knowledge to your own business circumstances.

What is social media?

Put simply, social media is content created by individuals expressing their own views and opinions. Traditional newspapers, radio and TV news are not social media; but content posted to Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn and blogs is.

Sending a media release to a traditional news organisation may or may not get your story published. But just as importantly, you are unable to control the message published by the media. Your facts may be presented very differently to how you intended. What is ultimately published carries the implicit endorsement of a third party, the journalist, and so is generally given more credibility.

Social media, on the other hand, allows you to control your message to your often limited audience of friends or followers. Typically posts on social media are not newsworthy in the journalistic sense (although there are exceptions), even though they may be very newsworthy and relevant to your friends or followers.

Types of social media

The easiest way to describe the various social media forums is to compare them with an offline equivalent.

Facebook is the backyard barbecue of the online world – mostly social with friends, but who is to say that you aren’t going to do business with the person you have just met over a beer and a sausage?

Twitter is like the self-indulgent yob at the BBQ. They are not interested in your views, but blather on about their latest news. You may catch snippets of their conversation, even though you are not in their group. They had better be interesting, otherwise going to get another sausage is looking tempting.

MySpace is the kids’ party on a Saturday night – very much oriented around teenagers interested in the latest music, and increasingly other multimedia such as video and games.

LinkedIn is the business lunch – you know everyone is there for business reasons, but even so you manage to catch up with other business acquaintances over a drink and some food. Business lunches can be very productive, but a bit of a bore if you are not in the business world.

Blogging is more like providing a detailed explanation about what you have done this week, rather than a 20 second grab of the highlights, around the BBQ. Hopefully you will be interesting enough in your narrative to keep people’s interest, rather than them wandering off for another drink and sausage. Blogging is a bit old school these days, but quite useful to put forward a more detailed explanation of your point of view. Not everyone has the writing and research skill to put together a thoughtful and interesting blog post.

My experience with social media

I have been online since 1994 – that was back when a 28 kbps dial-up modem was fast!

My own experience is that I have a Twitter account, but I do not Twitter. I do not have a MySpace account. I do not anticipate being active on Twitter or MySpace in the future.

Sometime back I changed my anonymous Facebook account (I know, it is against the Facebook rules!) to my real identity, but see this as really only social, not business. I try not to share too much personal information on Facebook because I am an old school web user. The limited information that I have put on Facebook is available by Googling me anyway. I do not intend putting my business on Facebook or Twitter because most of my business leads are generated from personal contacts.

I have a recently developed a personal business presence on LinkedIn, and am interested to track its progress. I keep in contact with a few business acquaintances this way.

I have a blog-style company news section on my business web site, and occasionally post opinion pieces there too.

Of course, I also have this personal blog, but it is anonymous as an individual and not linked to my business! The blog is where I put all my personal ramblings on various topics and generates more than 1,500 unique visits each month.

Should your business have a social media presence?

That depends!

If you are a business participating in social media, you should think of yourself as organising the BBQ – a bit like the Bunnings BBQ on a Saturday morning. You know people will stop by for a sausage, but then they buy a whole lot more.

If your business is based around attracting and engaging with groups of people, such as a professional association or sporting club, then a presence on Facebook may be useful.

If your business interacts with teenagers, then a MySpace presence may be useful – but make sure you are genuine! Don’t get a middle-aged PR person (like me!) trying to speak the teenagers’ lingo. You had better employ a couple of teenagers to get yourself a real presence there. A backyard BBQ is pretty dull for this group, so you had better think of something else that will capture their imagination!

If your business model is business to business, then LinkedIn may be a useful way to generate business leads, and be seen by other business people.

But Tweeting? If you have highly-engaging, must-have content, then Twitter may be appropriate.

And blogging? It can be very useful to express your business opinion on topics to a wider audience.

Now go put another sausage on the BBQ would you? I’m hungry!

Sleeping warm and comfortably is very important while camping. Getting a good night’s rest sets you up for a happy day, no matter what the camping challenges. A bad night’s rest will probably leave you grumpy only seeing the negative side of the camping experience.

Do you really need to go out and buy that expensive sleeping bag to get a good night’s sleep, or can you make do with household items you already own? Unless you are planning on a hiking expedition where specialist, lightweight gear is required, chances are you can get a great night’s rest camping using many things that you already own.

Assuming that you are car camping (size and weight are not a consideration) and will be in a tent (protected from rain and wind), the considerations are:

• insulating yourself from the cold below
• cushioning between you and the ground
• insulating yourself from the air above
• a pillow.

Insulation from below and cushioning is generally going to be the same item — a mattress. There are many options available.

Air mattresses, while cheap, tend to be very cold to sleep on because they absorb the cold from the ground. Stretchers can also be very cold because of the air circulating under the bed. If using one of these options in winter, try using an underlay such as a thin high-density closed-cell foam mat or even a thick blanket. We have also used woollen underlays.

Self-inflating mattresses or high density foam are much better options because the foam has insulation properties. Both can be bulky. Note that 4WD mattresses are designed for car camping. They are thicker and more comfortable than hiking mattresses, which are designed for light weight and small size for easy carrying. If on a budget, check out the foam mattress options from places like Super AMart or Clark Rubber. They can generally be rolled up for transportation.

If you are a couple, seriously consider whether you really need a queen sized mattress. They can be very difficult to roll up and bulky to transport. Often two single mattresses with a fitted sheet to hold them together is quite sufficient. They do not tend to move apart because they are so low.

I have seen it written that you only need a 5 cm mattress to get a good night’s sleep. While somewhat of an acquired taste, I am very comfortable on 5 cm foam mattresses, but I prefer my 7 cm swag mattress or 10 cm DMH self-inflating 4WD mattress for a little luxury.

When we first started camping, we went out and bought four sleeping bags for our family. What a waste of money! They are difficult to clean, narrow and restrictive, and expensive. I like to stick my feet out the bottom while sleeping, and you can not do this in a sleeping bag either!

These days I much prefer camping in comfort on cotton sheets with a doona from our bed at home! The doona and cotton sheets can be easily machine washed after the camping trip. We also take the pillows off our bed. Why make do with some tiny, uncomfortable camping pillow when you can enjoy the comfort of a full sized pillow?

The above photos are from our latest camping trip at Noosa River Caravan Park. This was the middle of winter, so we had a few extra layers. The mattresses and underlays were single bed size; everything else was queen bed size. From the top of the photo, our bedding layers were:

• DMH 4WD mattress
• lambswool underlay
• fitted cotton sheet
• plain cotton sheet
• 4-blanket woollen doona with cotton cover
• canvas tarp.

I slept in a cotton T-shirt and boxer shorts and was toasty warm and very comfortable.

Who ever said that you had to rough it while camping!?!

We have just come home from a magnificent weekend camping at the Noosa River Caravan Park. This is a top spot to camp for a few days or a week. 

We were lucky enough to get one of the waterfront camp sites. It was pretty special waking up only about 10 metres from the water and hearing it lapping the shore in the morning. 

I thought it was a little ironic the people with $200,000+ caravans were relegated to the back blocks of the camping ground, while those in $200 tents got to camp on the foreshore! Nice. I guess the tents have less of an environmental footprint than caravans.

We arrived on Friday evening, after dropping the children at their grandparent’s place on the way up from Brisbane. The convenience store and reception was advertised as closing at 6pm, but they had already shut for the day when we arrived at 5:50pm. No big deal. Our booking was clearly marked on a whiteboard. Unfortunately though, that meant we did not have an access code for the ammenities blocks until the following morning. There was one ‘public’ cubicle that was left unlocked that we used before bed. If you are planning to arrive late, phone ahead and get the access code to the amenities blocks! 

The amenities blocks were kept clean, although some shower cubicles could have done with a fresh coat of paint. They were certainly heavily used during peak periods! 

The camp site areas were clearly designated. However, if you have a megamart Taj Mahal dome tent, you probably should check the size of the site you have booked. Our site was one of the large ones at 4.5 metres x 5.5 metres. The sites were probably large enough for most six-person tents, but larger tents may not fit. We had planned to put up a big tarp over our tent so had booked the big site – but in the end got lazy and decided the tree we were under was sufficient.

The Black Wolf Turbo Lite Twin 300 beside us did not fit in their camp site. At 3 metres x 6.6 metres, they encroached on their next door neighbour’s site. Fortunately they seemed to know each other so it was not a problem. The Black Wolf Turbo Lite Twin 300 has to be pretty close to camping porn. The Black Wolf owners were only a couple and one four-year old — why did they need such a big tent? People were commenting about how great the tent was, but then taking the mickey out of the tent owners by asking if there was a bar in the tent! But I digress … 

The water was cold being the middle of winter, so no children were swimming. I would expect that the foreshore would be overrun by children swimming in summer. 

Our tent site was near the boat ramp. I think that the boat ramp was only for use by the caravan park visitors. The boaties started launching their the boats pretty early, but kept noise to a minimum.

People were fishing along the foreshore nearly all day. Adjacent the boat ramp was a fish cleaning bench. Pelicans would gather around hoping to be thrown a morsel of fish. Occasionally one came their way, and then the pelicans would squabble over it. Quite entertaining. A local told us that pelicans had only just begun return to the area after the breeding season at Lake Eyre.

The Noosa Ferry is a 10 minute walk towards Noosaville. During non-peak holiday periods, the ferry leaves about every 90 minutes from the T-boat hire pontoon, which is about two blocks away from the caravan park. You will have to flag down the ferry. The ferry takes you in to Noosa Heads Hastings Street behind the Sheraton Hotel, or up river as far as the Tewantin Noosa Marina. 

If you miss the ferry, Hastings Street is about a 25 minute walk away. The caravan park is also an easy walk up river to the Noosaville foreshore restaurants. We had several delicious meals up there. 

We also enjoyed a long walk through the Noosa National Park. We walked as far as Hell’s Gates. I think the return walk from Hastings Street was about 10 kilometres. This is beautiful and easy walk, and very popular. Noosa National Park is also home to Alexandria Bay, a nudist beach.

We are already planning our next trip to the Noosa River Caravan Park — this time with children and another family as well. I imagine the caravan park will get very busy in summer and school holidays, so book early!

I tend to view OZtrail camping gear as mid-range. It is reasonably priced for okay quality: sometimes quality can be excellent, such as my experience with the OZtrail UltraRig poly tarps; other times quality can be bad, such as my experience with the OZtrail Junior Deluxe folding chair.

We bought the Oztrail Junior Deluxe folding chair maybe two years ago (I can’t put an exact date on it). The chair has been taken to a couple of parties and on one four-day camping trip. It has only ever had my (now three year old) daughter sitting on it. Despite this light usage, the joining lugs on both front legs have broken as well as one under the chair. The chair has been stored inside the house in the shade. I expected this chair to last longer than a few light uses.

 

 

I now need to replace the Oztrail Junior Deluxe folding chair – I will be buying a different brand.

The black fold up chairs we bought at the Crazy Clark’s bargain store at the end of 2003 we almost expected to break. We bought them so that we had additional chairs to sit on in the maternity ward for the birth of my first child. They have been dragged to numerous parties, and been on a couple of camping trips. The chairs are not the most comfortable things, but they are still going strong!

Oztrail folding chair vs bargain store junk – and the junk wins!

I have purchased a swag to add to my camping kit. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly, I just like the idea of saying that I am rolling out my swag. Secondly, I think that it is a more practical solution to self-inflating air mattresses (the big ones can be time consuming to roll up and are still bulky) and sleeping bag (sleeping bags are not easily washable; a doona stuffed inside a swag is). Finally, my home made traditional swag was so comfortable, I wanted a second swag that was insect proof.

I have been sleeping traditional swag style intermittently during the last few months when my wife has had the winter lurgy (who wants to be in bed next to someone coughing and sniffling?) I laid a canvas tarp on the floor, put a DMH 4WD Offroad self-inflating mattress on it, laid a queen-sized doona and pillow on it, then folded the donna and tarp over me.

I did this in our living room, with no heating in the middle of winter. I have been so toasty warm that I have been looking for excuses to get back into it! When it has been really cold I have pulled the tarp over my head shaping a tunnel to give me fresh air. And the joy of pulling back the tarp in the morning and looking up to beautiful blue sky outside our massive window has been very pleasant.

Now to pick a fight with the missus so that she throws me out of the bedroom and I can sleep in my swag again! Am I bad?

Back to the topic at hand, buying a new swag.

Swags are significantly warmer than tenting it with a sleeping bag. I suspect this is because, with the head covered, the heat from your breath is re-circulated, although this can lead to condensation issues. Many people when using a tent still use their swags inside their tents. That is my plan, as well as laying it out around the campfire some nights when the kids are in the tent.

An internet scan suggests there are a number of good brands on the market. Without doing a feature-by-feature comparison, decent brands seem to be (in alphabetical order) AOS Swags & Bags, Burke & Wills, Bushskins, Darche Outdoor Gear, Down Under Swags, Jolly Swags, Mr Swagman, Onland Australia, Saul Swags, and True Blue Swags. Oztrail swags, particularly the value-for-money Mitchell swag, seem to be widely used too.

I wanted a traditional swag because I planned to use mine in a tent sometimes, which would mean that I could not tie it up, nor hammer pegs through the tent floor. Accepting that the above named brands were all decent, I looked for the features that I wanted – size around 200 cm x 80 cm (a good size for in the tent, but able to fit me in comfortably) and fully screened for those times when I did set up around the camp fire or on the beach. I was quite surprised just how many swags were not screened and open to Australia’s fauna joining you in bed.

I eventually decided on a Burke & Wills Ironbark single swag. Size was 210 cm x 80 cm with sand-fly mesh at the head end and a sizeable head flap. I liked the 15 oz canvas, cover over the entire 75 mm convoluted mattress (some swags only cover the top of the mattress), and zip from the foot right up over the head fly-screen. To top it all off I was able to choose a colour – my preferred colour was brown (most swags come in various shades of green), but I suspect that when I get my wife one it will be pink!

I purchased my swag from Wild Earth on eBay. I was the only bidder at auction and I purchased it for $224 + $7.95 freight. Bargain. The swag arrived two days later. Talk about quick!

The swag was packed in a box and vacuum sealed in a plastic bag. The plastic bag shrinks the packed size by about half making them much easier to freight.

I rolled out the swag and hopped in, zipping it up. There was plenty of height in the head area and I was able to prop the canvas off my head without having to tie it up. The 75 mm convoluted mattress was confortable too.

I have a doona cover folded in half lengthways in my swag – a queen size seems to fit quite well, but a double size, while the right size laying flat, does not wrap sufficiently around me. Perhaps I am too fat? Anyway, my old woollen queen-sized doona fits well and will keep me very warm.

Using the doona fitted with a quilt cover means that I am able to easily remove it to wash and air – washing is much more difficult with a sleeping bag. It also means that I am sleeping wrapped in a pure cotton cover top and bottom. I have a full-size pillow in my swag.

Who said sleeping in a swag is roughing it?!? I think my Burke & Wills Ironbark traditional swag is quickly going to become my favourite piece of camping kit.

The unseasonal hot weather in Queensland this winter has brought the snakes out early — this photo was taken on 4 August!

We spotted this carpet python in the grass near some children’s play equipment at our local park in Brisbane. By my guess the carpet snake was around 2 metres long. The snake was a little slow as it was not really warm enough for it to have come out of hybernation.

We took a couple of photographs and left the snake alone. The snake eventually slithered off into the bushes and did not worry anyone.