My New Tent: OZtrail Breezeway 3V

For the last few years, I've been doing all my camping in my Blackwolf Turbo 210 Canvas Tent.  This tent has been great for me, and is super easy to pitch and very spacious but it has some limitations.

Last year I bought a boat to do some camping with.  Up until now I've done my camping in my Landcruiser and previously a Commodore Ute so I've never been too shy of space.

My Blackwolf Turbo 210 setup at Atkinson Dam.  Camping near the water has always been a favourite of mine, even before I got a boat!

Unfortunately,  my recently purchased boat does not have as large an area to store camping gear as it cant be stacked as well or as high as it could be in the Landcruiser.  The items I needed to pack from largest to smallest were: Blackwolf Turbo 210 Tent,  Waeco CFX-50 Portable Fridge,  Blackwolf Mega Deluxe Mats x 2,  Coleman Pilbara C-3 Sleeping bags,  Coleman Event 14 Deluxe and then Engel Smart Battery Box.

For me,  sleeping comfort is most essential so the Blackwolf Mega Deluxe self inflating mattresses couldnt be downgraded.  The Waeco Fridge is not really able to be reduced down in size as it's needed for food and very important beer!  Besides,  it's already much more space efficient than an icebox.  The Coleman Event 14 is a very efficient for space shade shelter, and the group I was going camping with were planning on using this for the long weekend so it couldnt go.  The Engel Smart Battery box is required to run the Waeco fridge as well as my CampEzi LED Strip lights so the only real target is the tent,  after that things get real serious!   

My new OZtrail Breezeway 3V tent on its first run at Stradbroke Island!  

So the decision was made,  I would choose a smaller tent because once you're asleep you're just as comfortable as before and getting changed on your hands and knees is not too bad anyway.  

I've been a fan of the OZTrail Breezeway tent range for some time,  I like the new blue colouring and I really like the large windows that can be closed from inside the tent.

In addition to that you can open the windows fully if you want to reach out to pass something through the window (not sure when I'd do that, but I can!)  

My Oztrail Breezeway 3v on its second voyage,  this time on private property in Witta behind the Sunshine Coast.  

The little awning out the front of the OZtrail Breezeway 3V is a nice feature to help with keeping your shoes and other bits of gear dry that you dont want inside your tent.  

This tent is much much smaller!  It measures just 54x18x18cm,  tiny compared to my Blackwolf at 110cmx30x30 and much lighter too at just 4.8kg vs 18kgs.  

So far I've been very pleased with my OZtrail Breezeway 3V,  it will of course never surpass the Blackwolf Turbo 210 tent but when space is at a premium this tent does a very nice job and offers some nice comforts.

3 Easy Camping Lunch Recipe Ideas

3 Easy Camping Lunch Recipe Ideas 

There is something about camping that is exciting and rewarding when cooking, however I don't want to spend hours preparing food for every meal when I can be relaxing, enjoying the surroundings and joining in on the fun activities!

Below I have put together three quick and easy lunch ideas which are perfect for camping.  Ingredients should be easy to pack and store and simple to prepare.

1.  Walking Tacos/Tacos in a Bag

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 500g lean ground beef
• 1 pkt. taco seasoning mix
• 4 individual serves of corn chips
• 1 cup of shredded cheese
• 2 cups of shredded lettuce
• 1 chopped tomato
• 1/3 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• a few jalapenos (optional)

Directions

1. Cook beef on camping stove
2. Add taco mix as per directions
3. Gently crush corn chips whilst the bags are still sealed
4. snip the corners of the bags and slice the bags open
5. Spoon the beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese, jalapenos, salsa and sour cream into the bags
6. Serve with a fork and enjoy

2. Barbeque Feta and Hot Banana Pepper Turkey Burger

 Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients

• Burger rolls
• 500g ground turkey
• 1/4 cup seeded, chopped banana peppers
• 1/2 cup crumbed feta cheese
• salt and pepper
• Any additional toppings e.g. tomato, onion tomato sauce etc.

Directions

1. Preheat your BBQ hot plate on the stove.
2. Mix turkey, cheese, peppers and salt and pepper in a bowl
3. Form mix into four patties
4. Cook patties for apx 8 minutes on each side or until cooked through
5. Place on burger roll and enjoy

Omelette in a Bag

 Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 Tbsp. water
• Additional ingredients - add whatever you would like in your omelette e.g. mushrooms, ham, herbs, onion etc.
• Any desired Toppings e.g. sour cream, avocado, cheese, tomatoes, salsa, salt and pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil on your gas stove approx. 3/4 full
2. Crack eggs into a heavy duty zip lock bag and add water
3. Seal bag and mix until eggs are beaten
4. Add any additional ingredients and mix
5. Place bags in boiling water (don't let tops of bags poke out the pot and melt) and cook for approx. 13 mins or until omelette is cooked
6. Carefully remove bags from water
7. Open bag and slide omelette onto plate
8. Add desired toppings
9. Eat and enjoy

Do you have any great easy lunch recipes you'd like to share?  Place them in the comments below!

OZtrail Deluxe Gazebo at the markets, and sports events.

If you've been to the markets lately, you would have noticed that they're swamped in OZtrail Gazebos.  Mostly OZtrail Deluxe 3x3 Gazebos.

The very popular Oztrail Deluxe 3x3 Gazebo.

There is a good reason for this.  They're made from strong materials,  they're repairable and they have a wide range of gazebo accessories and different styles of walls available too enabling you to customise your setup to suit your needs.

The OZtrail Deluxe 3x3 weighs 27kgs and when packed away measures 160x35x30cm so it is definitely no small object.  OZtrail fortunately have tackled that problem head on and included with the Deluxe 3x3 gazebo a wheeled carry bag.  Allowing a single person to move the Deluxe 3x3 with ease.

Setting the Deluxe 3x3 Gazebo is easy enough on your own, but to make it easier it does help to have a friend.  The best way to do it is to open the frame up 3/4 of the way, then throw your canopy over the to and place in its correct position.

Once you've done this,  extend out your Deluxe 3x3 until it's locked into position.  You can now locate the gazebo in its final position.  Hammer pegs through the legs, and extend the gazebo to the height you desire.  Be sure to use the guy ropes attached the fly incase a large gust of wind comes through,  these can pick up the gazebo if they're not adequately secured as if it was an umbrella!  It can be very scary.

If you're looking for a Gazebo to take camping,  I would recommend you consider the Oztrail Standard Gazebo.  

The OZtrail Standard Gazebo is the perfect choice for the camper.

Dont be deceived by its name,  this gazebo is in my opinion the perfect choice for camping.     It weighs less than the Deluxe 3x3 at 20kgs,  is 135x22x25cm vs 160x35x30cm making this gazebo much easier to handle, store and lift if necessary.  Especially important if you're planning on storing your gazebo on the roof of your car!  

The frame design on the Oztrail Standard Gazebo operates differently to the Deluxe Gazebo.  Instead of having a pole that extends from the centre to the peak the poles extend from each corner to the peak.  This design means that the gazebo is less prone to pooling water in a heavy down pour.

Best of all though,  the OZtrail Standard Gazebo is compatible with all of the OZtrail Deluxe accessories such as the tent inner kit (converts your gazebo into a tent),  screen house inner kit (converts your gazebo to a screen house!),  screen walls,  solid walls,  walls with zips etc.

Setting up the OZtrail Standard Gazebo is the same process as the Deluxe Gazebo.  Best practise for it, and the Deluxe Gazebo is to remove the canopy when you pack it away.  Failure to do so may mean that the frame may pinch the material,  not a good move for keeping a water proof gazebo!

Click these links for more information about the Oztrail Deluxe 3x3 Gazebo and the OZtrail Standard Gazebo.





 

3 Great Games to Play Whilst Camping

3 Great Games to Play Whilst Camping

Camping is the perfect occasion to spend some quality time with friends and family without the distractions that seem endless at home.  Playing games together is one of my favourite things to do on a family trip and is a wonderful way to reconnect and enjoy each other’s company.

As soon as the tents are up, gas stoves are ready and camping chairs out we are ready for the games to begin.  There are thousands of games you can play together. I have narrowed it down to three of my favourites, capture the flag, Uno and charades.  They are classic games which have stood the test of time.  We have endless fun playing them and they never seem to get old.

If you have never played these games or if you are a bit rusty on the rules and need a refresher I have written a short instruction on each game below which may help.

Capture the Flag

Capture the flag is a great game for any number of people greater than 6. In capture the flag the goal is to find the opposing team's flag and get it to your side of the playing area without being tagged.  Find a place to play. A good place is a yard with a house in the middle. It is important to pick an area with a large obstruction near the centre so no guards can see all the way across the field. Try to do it in a place which is not an open area.

You will need: two flags and flagpoles, Bandannas or fabric scraps on sticks will do

Where to Play: a large area that is not too open as you need places to hide (in amongst the trees is perfect).

 How to play:

1.    Divide players into two teams

2.    Choose your territory – each team has its own territory with a boundary selected between the two

3.    Choose a spot for the jails – each team needs its own jail where captured opponents can be sent, for example, sitting on a specific rock or holding a particular tree.

4.    Designate a security zone around the flag – when the game begins each team decides where to place its flag. Once placed, it cannot be moved, although it can be guarded. Teams cannot enter the security zone around their own flag unless they are in pursuit of an opposing team member.

5.    Once the flag is placed, team members must decide who is to guard their own flag and who is to try capture the other team’s flag.

6.    Players in enemy territory can be caught and put in jail. To be released a teammate must tag the prisoner - only one prisoner can be rescued at a time.

7.    The team who captures the opposing team’s flag and brings it back to home territory wins. If the flag is intercepted before making it back the flag is set up where it was recaptured.  If a game must be ended before a flag is captured, the team with the most prisoners wins.

Find a place to play. A good place is a yard with a house in the middle. It is important to pick an area with a large obstruction near the center so no guards can see all the way across the field. Try to do it in a place which is not an open area!Uno

Uno is a simple but fun card game which has a specially printed deck.  The object of the game is to finish all your cards first.

The deck consists of twenty-five red, green, blue, and yellow cards. The cards are numbered zero to nine, and each have action cards - "Skip", "Draw Two" and "Reverse"  In addition, the deck contains four "Wild" and four "Wild Draw Four" cards.

How to play:

To start seven cards are dealt to each player and the top card of the remaining deck is placed face up (this must be a normal playing card not a wild card).  Each player in their turn must either

·         play a card matching the colour, number or symbol

·         play a Wild card or a Wild Draw Four card

·         draw the top card of the deck

The player who plays the wild card selects the colour change.

The player to finish all the card in their hand first wins.

Charades

Charades is a fun, light hearted game witch required little preparation, lots of imagination and can be made as hard or easy as necessary.  My favourite thing about charades is that you are always guaranteed a good laugh.

How to Play:

1.    Split group into two teams – team A and team B

2.    Each team writes short phrases, words (usually nouns), movie titles, song titles, book names, famous people’s names, television show etc. on strips of paper.  Make sure all people playing are familiar with these.

3.    Place all paper strips in a hat (one hat per team)

4.    The first player selects a paper from a hat (team a players from team b’s hat and vice-reverse)

5.    The first player begins by using actions to communicate the category and number of words they are acting out before  beginning the charades for his/her team to guess

6.    When the team members guess correctly the actor shouts yes and the next team has their turn.

Communication Actions/Codes:

Movie Title – hold one hand to your eye as if looking through a camera lens, while the other hand cranks like an old-fashioned movie camera

Song - Pretend to sing on one knee or over a microphone or move hands out from mouth as if they were the sound

Book – place your hands in front of you and open as if you were reading a book

Person name – stand in a pose with your hands on your hips

TV Show - Draw a rectangle in the air representing a TV screen or make a square with your fingers using both thumbs and index fingers.

Indicating number of words - Raise your fingers to indicate the number of words. Two fingers signals two words, three fingers means tree words etc.

There are so many fun games to play whilst camping.  Hopefully you will love these three as much as I do.

Quotations: denoted by fingers of both hands making quote signs.

oMovies: one hand held up to eye as if looking through a camera lens, one hand cranking like an old-fashioned movie camera.

oBooks: hands together in front of you, then opening like they make up a book.