How to go camping like a hippy
How many of you have had this urge every now and again, to just set off and see where the road goes, no particular destination in mind, just wandering from interesting spot to interesting spot on the map. So, if you are into Glamping then this page is obviously not for you.
Firstly, less is best. Space is in short supply and after three weeks of loading and off-loading ‘stuff’, it becomes a drag. So remember clothes can be worn more than once – including underwear and socks 
Secondly, you are not going into the middle of nowhere (well you can if you want, but that will take a bit more planning than what I am suggesting); Food and other necessities can be bought along the way (and anyway most of us could do with a bit of an intake restriction – how cool is it to go on Christmas holidays and not gain any weight!!)
And Thirdly – YOU ARE NEVER TOO OLD TO BE A HIPPY!!!
Start with one of those coffee table books which highlight all the ‘attractions’ in the area you plan to visit – just to get a feel for what the area is about. Then get the AA travel/camping books and look at the same areas. Now you have a bit more of a feel for what is on offer! Then Google specific town or city names.
Make a list of all the places that sound interesting and all the attractions you want to see. The list should be way longer than the number of days you plan to be away. Pack the van, grab the map book and head for the first attraction. You will suddenly find, after a few days of ‘thinking’ about what next, the journey starts unfolding itself. Enjoy the ride!
Dusty - the gutsy little van for 2
So here is my very basic camping list:
Boots – good, tough, very reasonably priced Cabellas worked for me. These were comfortable from day one – no having to wear them in, they are warm and waterproof. Not good to drive in though…
Wool socks – the best! – warm and absorbent
Cooker & gas cylinder – a small gas cooker, one or two plate depending on how fancy you want to be, but make sure it is light-weight – since cooking needs to be outside you are going to have to lug it in and out. Just get a good gas cylinder with a safety shut-off – you don’t want to gas yourself halfway down the road
Table – a small folding table to cook on, prepare food on, etc.
Lighter – how else are you going to light the cooker???
Pot – amazing how many meals only need one pot!
Kettle – small – a big one just takes too long to boil
Plate – one each and one spare
Mug – one each
Cutlery – set each and a cutting/paring knife
Coffee, sugar, tea, snacks – up to you, whatever floats your boat
Sleeping bag – warm, waterproof and light – you can throw it off if you get hot, but you can’t make a cool bag warm when you need it
Sleeping mat – makes things a bit more comfortable (you can also get an air mattress that can be pumped with a 12V pump if you really want a bit more comfort)
Torch – make sure it is a good one, nothing worse than finding it has stopped working just when you actually need it
Spare batteries for the above! (in a waterproof baggie…)
Tyre weld – just in case
Tarpaulin & Poles – living in a van in the rain is not much fun day after day – this gives you a whole lot more freedom
Chair – just simple fold up camping chairs – easy to set up on the side of the road for lunch, comfortable enough to lounge in with a sundowner
Wet weather jacket – count on the rain, so it should be waterproof but light and breathable and big enough for you to wear your warm gear underneath and still be able to move
Wooly hat, Warm jacket & trousers– even in summer some nights in the mountains can get cold. Polar fleece from Katmandu is good, keeps you warm even when wet
Sandals – You really don’t want to be wearing your boots all the time
Map or GPS – this is only for when you get into towns and cities, so you can find your way out again J. Once on the open road it doesn’t really matter where you go – just head in the general direction of the next town
Camera – an absolute must – sharing your experience when you get back is just as much fun as the journey
Day pack – as you drive along you will find so many little things to go look at, and forests to wander through – take a picnic and enjoy
We built storage boxes, which were small enough that they were still fairly light, even when full. They packed into the back of the van and we slept on top of them.
We camped at Department of Conservation sites all the way, they were cheap ($5 – $8 per person a night), had hot and cold running water and toilet paper in the loos. We stayed in a backpackers or a motel once a week to do the washing.
Give the van a good service, squeeze everything in and hit the road. Keep it simple, keep it light and just have fun!
Capturing those Memories
Digital cameras equal point, shoot, delete or keep – making it easy for the rankest amateur to start practising the skill of taking good photographs. Gone are the days of dropping off reels of film and having to wait on the developer, only to find that most of your shots feature fuzzy, red-eyed, or sadly decapitated family and friends!
There aren’t many rules or ‘best’ ways to capture a great photograph; it’s best to simply, only focus on what it is you wish to convey. You can even strap your camera to a remote controlled plane, and take interesting aerial pictures of the neighbourhood. And because it’s digital, you can then upload to YouTube!
Digital cameras are also ideal to take an inventory of possessions – like jewellery – that you wish to insure. Then transmit these pictures straight to your insurance company. Or capture great shots from your seat in the stands of a football game, and send them to your buddy temporarily in hospital… or take shots of stuff around the house that you’d like to sell – and upload them directly to e-bay. People love to see what they’re going to get!
Best of all, favourite images can be electronically stored and never fade or become torn and tatty.
Millions of minute squares, called pixels, make up a digital image. Each photosite captures the brightness of a single pixel. The number of pixels used to create an image is called resolution. The more pixels used, the more you can enlarge an image without it becoming blurred. There’s a difference between optical resolution and interpolated (or enhanced) – and optical is what you want when you are choosing your digital camera.
The resolution of cheaper cameras varies around 640 x 480 pixels. But size isn’t everything; because even though larger images often give you better pictures, the more pixels there are, the more space is needed to store the larger image file.
The image file of a photograph is huge. For instance, a low-res 640 x 480 image has 307,200 pixels.
If each pixel uses 24 bits (3 bytes) for true colour, one image hogs one mb of storage space! And this will increase with better resolution.
There are two forms of compression: lossless and lossy. Compressing files using lossless – or reversible – compression reduces them by about one-third, so it isn’t very efficient unless you need the details, like in x-rays and satellite images.
Lossy compression does degrade images to some extent, with this extent rising the more an image is compressed.
JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) is the most popular, and allows the user to select the degree of compression. So you have a choice: lower compression and higher image quality or higher compression and lower quality. Choosing higher compression does create smaller file sizes for storing more images, or sending them via email, or posting them on your blog.
Go to Dusty’s Last Adventure to see how my brother and I did it…