Tents vs swags vs caravans vs camper trailers….Explorer Sarah has in contrast all variations of household tenting setups so yow will discover one of the best one for you for a profitable household journey to the outside.
It’s the primary query on all journey guardian’s minds – what’s one of the best tenting setup for the fam? Is there one tenting setup that can be utilized for all eventualities or are you destined to have a storage filled with swags, tents, and camper trailers so you’ll be able to sort out any journey? I requested round households who use totally different setups to search out out the professionals and cons of every. Let’s dive in.
Finest Tenting Setups for Households
1. The Huge ‘Ole Household Tent
The OG of tenting, the tent has been round in some kind or one other for hundreds of years.
Tents are available in many sizes and shapes — from pop-up, to inflatable, to good previous click-together poles. Lately the know-how is such that it’s best to keep dry and comfortable inside your tent even within the wildest of climate. And, relying on the scale of your loved ones, you will get tents with separate rooms and sleeping areas, too.
Learn extra: 5 Simple Set Up & Spacious Household Sized Tents
We Are Explorers’ Josh Fletcher from Southeast QLD informed me about his expertise with organising for household tenting journeys. ‘Going from an ultralight 2P mountain climbing tent to one thing that accommodates three (or 2.5) has taken a little bit of time to get used to — primarily due to its dimension and weight’, he informed me.
‘For tenting we now use an Oztent RS4 which has heaps of room and you’ll even get up in it, which helps with getting modified’.
Professionals: Some folks contemplate tents to be the one actual tenting expertise. Low cost to purchase in comparison with different choices, you don’t need to tow it or have a automobile that may tow. No rego or upkeep prices both.
Cons: It’s a must to purchase every part individually to go inside it – cooking gear, beds, and bedding. Arrange and pack up might take longer. If it’s highly regarded, chilly or moist it may not be as snug as a van or trailer. Tents can go mouldy if you happen to don’t dry them out earlier than you pack them away.
2. The Squeeze-Your-Household-Inside Mountaineering Tent
Light-weight and packable in your backpack or bikepack, these tents hold it actual easy.
You may assume your days of utilizing your loved one ultralight tent are over when you’ve gotten youngsters, however We Are Explorers Founder, and Papa Bear to 2 youngsters, Henry Brydon, has taken his tiny Explorers on in a single day hikes utilizing the Blackwolf Mantis 2P mountain climbing tent and had a blast.
‘What I really like most about tenting is simplicity and discovering quiet locations to name residence for the evening. Mountaineering into the bush with my youngsters has all the time been my most popular escape route! While peace, solitude, and delightful experiences will be discovered this fashion, the principle disadvantage to this type of tenting is the added weight I’ve to lug round on my again! As they grow old they begin to carry extra themselves’, he mentioned.
‘However when your youngsters are small you must be nicely ready – it’s all about embracing your inside pack-horse’.
Professionals: Good for walk-in tenting (if you happen to and the youngsters can pack mild!) for one to 2 nights. Simple to hold and small to retailer.
Cons: Mountaineering/ultralight tents will be dearer than a daily tent. As a result of compact dimension, it’s unlikely you’re going to wish to use one for a couple of weeks, so that you may need to have separate tents for journeys of various durations.
3. Household Swag
What’s a swag? The Australian swag developed over time from the travelling farmworkers and miners within the 1800s who used to hold their possessions or swag, together with a easy mattress, on their backs. Lately, it refers to a single or double tent with a mattress rolled inside.
Some come on a stretcher so that you sleep raised off the bottom. On preliminary inspection, you may assume they’d be no good for household tenting, however quite a lot of households use them.
Learn extra: How you can Select a Swag – The Final Information
Whether or not you’ve gotten youngsters that desire a little bit of independence from the household caravan, or you’ve gotten younger youngsters and may bundle right into a double swag with them — swags will be a wonderful answer to the household tenting setup conundrum.
Professionals: Fast and easy to arrange, normally nicely constructed, and can final for a few years.
Cons: May be dearer and extra cumbersome/heavy than a tent, however has the mattress already included.
4. Household Rooftop Tent
The rooftop tent has developed lately and will be something from a easy fold-out canvas construction to a hella fancy electrical automated quantity.
NSW Explorer Carly, and Mum of two groms, informed WAE about her expertise with a household rooftop tent.
‘Our rooftop tent is the perfect getaway accommodation because of how quick the set up and pack down is. I know as a family of four we’ll outgrow it shortly, however while the youngsters are little we are going to get pleasure from our compact setup.’
Professionals: Cheaper than a caravan or camper trailer. Don’t need to have a automobile that may tow or pay to register a trailer. Spacious and has good airflow since you’re up a bit greater. The mattress is already included so that you don’t have to purchase a mattress.
Cons: It’s a must to pack up each time you wish to drive wherever, however you’ll be able to overcome this by attaching it to a trailer (which you’d then have to take care of and pay to register). There’s additionally nowhere undercover that’s standing peak, however you will get a zip-on awning that creates an extension of your indoor space beneath the tent and in addition means you’ll be able to entry your automobile with out going exterior.
Learn extra: Roof High Tent vs Swag – What’s The Finest Automobile Tenting Set Up?
5. Household Camper Trailer
Camper trailers will be something from a small trailer with a mattress and a tender ground, to a big trailer with the footprint of a caravan that has a kitchen, seating, storage, and unwinds with pull-out canvas beds on every finish.
We travelled round Australia with our Jayco Swan camper trailer and six-month-old bub and had a blast. The arrange and pack up was fast as soon as you bought the routine down, however I did want a couple of occasions that we had our personal gray water tank and bathroom as a result of we’d have been capable of benefit from much more campsites in Tassie and the NT that require them.
Professionals: May be 4WD. Can get one with a heater if you happen to’re going someplace chilly. Camper trailers are simpler to tow and to retailer than a full caravan as a result of they pack down decrease to go in garages.
Cons: Want a towing automobile. You may’t tow different issues like a ship (though folks do put tinnies on the roof!). The canvas wants upkeep and may’t be packed away moist. Normally there’s no rest room or bathe.
6. Household Caravan
A caravan is a house away from residence, with all the trendy conveniences you’ll be able to consider. You may have something from a reasonably easy inside to a contemporary affair with a full peak household fridge, oven, and even a washer!
Measurement and worth range vastly relying on the kind of van you select. Nationwide stats present that caravan and campervan registrations throughout Australia have grown 21% within the final 5 years. In 2023 there have been virtually 859,000 caravans and campervans registered throughout the nation.
We Are Explorer’s Josh Fletcher has a Jawa Infinity 13 Hybrid Caravan.
‘It’s totally off-grid and off-road, which is nice for escaping to someplace quiet, whereas nonetheless having the comforts wanted to work remotely. Plus it has a delegated single mattress for the grom’, he informed me.
Professionals: Virtually no arrange time. You will get 4WD choices, they normally have a bathroom, bathe, and gray water assortment so that you will be self-sufficient and use most free camps. With the addition of photo voltaic panels on the roof you’ll be able to simply journey off the grid.
Cons: That is most likely the most costly household tenting setup. It’s a must to be assured reversing a trailer and have a automobile with a big towing capability. Upkeep and servicing, rego, and security certificates are all further yearly prices. Not all campsites settle for caravans.
7. Household Motorhome
A motorhome or van is a caravan and automobile multi function.
Like a caravan, you do need to do some tidying earlier than you set off to verify every part is safe and isn’t going to fly round whenever you flip your first nook, however you’ve received every part you want shut at hand.
Professionals: Once you flip as much as a campsite all you must do is park. You don’t even must get out of the motorhome to go from the driving force’s seat to the dwelling and sleeping space in most cases. Relying on the scale, motorhomes typically have a bathroom and bathe.
Cons: It’s a must to pack up each time you wish to drive wherever as a result of your transport and lodging are one and the identical. If the automobile half stops working it may be an costly repair or contain writing off the van.
What to Take into account When Selecting a Household Tenting Setup
Bogs
Whether or not you go for a setup with its personal rest room will rely on the place you intend to camp and the forms of journey you do.
My husband all the time laughs at folks ‘taking their poo for a walk’ as they wheel their caravan’s rest room cassette throughout the campsite to the dump level, and vows he won’t ever get a caravan with a bathroom for that very cause. However, I’m certain he may change his thoughts as soon as our children are out of nappies and he’s achieved a couple of midnight runs to the bathroom block within the rain.
Showers
The climate has a big impact on the bathe sitch. When you’re up north swimming all day, a photo voltaic bathe to rinse everybody off will most likely be okay. However if you happen to’re someplace with cooler climate, a sizzling bathe inside your caravan may make all of the distinction.
Cooking
Camp cooking seems totally different to each journey household. There’ll be foodies that cook dinner elaborate fare and different households that shortly throw collectively a sausage sizzle to feed everybody between actions.
From caravans with ovens, grills, cooktops, and full fridges, to a BBQ and an esky with ice behind your automobile – there’s no proper or incorrect! You do have to contemplate what kind of camp cook dinner you’re planning to be and select your setup accordingly.
Sleeping
Since having youngsters sleep has develop into extra essential than ever. Mattress selection each for folks and youngsters may imply the distinction between cranky household tenting and fun-filled recollections.
Among the best issues we did after we received a brand new setup was doing a tester evening near residence. You probably have house you may even do it in your yard. You don’t wish to be stunned by one thing out within the bush, so all the time strive it out first.
Issues to contemplate with sleeping preparations are: kind of mattress, separate sleeping areas, find out how to hold cool/heat, what number of beds you want, and mattress dimension. As with every part, cash will come into it. You don’t need to spend so much if it received’t final lengthy and the youngsters will develop out of it, however equally, you need everybody to like tenting as a lot as you do, so good gear is a should.
Enjoyable
One other factor to contemplate is why you’re going tenting and what you’ll do for enjoyable when you’re there. When you love fishing or water snowboarding and wish to camp on the dam for the weekend, towing a ship means you both want a non-towable tenting setup, or you must take two automobiles.
If enjoyable for you means 4WDing on distant sandy seashores you want a setup that may deal with the terrain.
In case your concept of a terrific weekend away tenting is pulling as much as a family-friendly caravan park, you may not want a lot in the way in which of kit as a result of they normally have fairly nice camp kitchens and facilities blocks.
Household Tenting Setup Patrons Guidelines
Earlier than selecting the final word household tenting setup, seek the advice of this record to be sure to’ve thought-about each facet to make the fitting selection for you and your loved ones.
- Value
- Arrange and pack up time
- Packing and unpacking at residence
- Consolation
- Ease of cooking and cleansing whereas tenting
- Sustaining gear
- Storage
- Bogs
- Showers
- Cooking
- Sleeping
- Enjoyable
FAQs Household Tenting Setups
What’s one of the best tenting setup for households?
One of the best tenting setup for your loved ones depends upon your loved ones’s wants, however choices like tents, camper trailers, and caravans provide totally different ranges of consolation and comfort.
Are tents good for household tenting journeys?
Tents are nice for households in search of an reasonably priced traditional tenting expertise. Relying on the scale of tent you select, you’ll be able to have separate rooms or one thing good and lightweight.
What’s the advantage of a camper trailer for household tenting?
Camper trailers are straightforward to tow and arrange, they usually typically include a built-in kitchen and sleeping areas which can be able to go from the second you park the automobile.
Can households use swags for tenting?
Sure! Double or household swags will be a wonderful, compact possibility for households who desire a fast and easy setup.
Are rooftop tents sensible for households?
Rooftop tents are perfect for households with youthful youngsters, providing straightforward setup and nice airflow. They might really feel cramped as kids develop.
