Great tips. If possible, can you please do a video on essential need for first time campers, if you haven't uploaded one and if you have it, can i please have a link.
Hi Sabelo. If you check my play lists you will see a list called Beginners Series. There are a few episodes there that will be valuable. Essential gear is in this episode: th-cam.com/video/vDiX3QkGS84/w-d-xo.html
Nice one man. Camping here in Japan, I did change mind about canvas tent etc etc. weather really makes a big difference. Sometimes next to stream other times mountain, hot summer high humidity, snow in winter. South Africa for that was a great place for camping generally cheaply. Here you need a wider variety of equipment for all year camping. Also since we walk more than go by car. In this case the blow up matt work better. They do deflate but not really leaking. It is really pressure changes in atmosphere and also the actual air density reducing due to colder convection from ground. You will find if you blow up your matt a while before then before bed again top it up, they tend to be a bit better. But yeah miss camps with car in the bush like that. Those were lekker days. But do give backpacking a try. I reckon you could well like it.
Sounds like camping in Japan is very different to SA. I'm tempted to do a hike of the Fish River Canyon in Namibia, that's 5 days of walking, so back pack weight is a big factor. I've been considering it for a while but I haven't found a way to slip it into the travel schedule.
@@TravelGigolo if you do get the time at some point, that sounds like a fantastic plan. Hope you can cross that one off your bucket list in near future.
lol 😂 always sit with your stomach in. Great video and you've demonstrated you don't need an elaborate camping system or a palace behind your vehicle to go camping or touring.
well well well, thank you for the basic set up camping ,and I love it, back to basics I say, yes if can afford the top of the range camper go for it but, it really not necessary ,but then only my opinion, happy traveling and looking forward for your next tips
Quite interesting that you have a rooftop but use the ground tent more often. I suppose it’s a base camp if you staying in one place for a few days. One the move everyday, then “roof it”..😁. My Mrs likes to take the house when camping, I should just blindfold her,drive round the block and say” surprise we here!”
We definitely prefer to use the ground tent. It's more comfortable, more spacious etc and also you don't have to take it down when you go for a drive. I've done a comparative review of the two. th-cam.com/video/gzYF8rkrqU8/w-d-xo.html As for packing the whole house I will not comment 🤐 But I understand fully 😄
We have a Coleman xtreme cooler box. It works pretty well for our needs. Can keep stuff frozen for several days depending on conditions. Before we got a camping fridge we used 2 Colemans for long trips. One as meat freezer (strictly packed in order of use and only opened once per day, drained and ice added when available), and one as a cooler box. I haven't had experience with alternatives so can't really comment on ice boxes. On our recent trip to Zim, with temperatures reaching the 40s we had a hard time keeping ice longer than 2 days despite only opening once per day. If I could get a box that can keep ice under those conditions (40+ Deg C) without taking up too much space then would probably go for it.
What do you do in the case of rain with this setup? We also have the dome but also the full extension which takes up lots of space so more suited for long stays. So we would like to go with dome only but then worried about rainy days with the table, stove, etc. not having cover. Do you then just pack it back into your vehicle'?
We used to have to put stuff back in the car that wasn't rain proof. However, we bought a tarpaulin and a couple of poles just before our recent December trip and that worked well. You'll see it in an up coming episode. We also have a small awning on the car, which is useful but provides very little space. The tarpaulin setup worked really well, and it takes up very little packing space.
Yes we have a camping fridge, and a few other items in the car like a water tank for example. The fridge is nice to have, but we have managed for years with cooler boxes as well. The water tank we always fill but almost never have to use. We also have an awning on the car which we only occasionally use and so on. We do depend on a simple set up with just the essentials. I'd like to do a separate episode on the vehicle only as well.
@@TravelGigolo you are living the dream! How do you budget for travel? You know my life is centered around bills and financial responsibilities, yet my heart is on the road.. i find it difficult to set aside money for it. Any tips?
That's why we started camping, to make travel more affordable. Now that we have accumulated stuff over time, our main costs are fuel and food. The vehicle we bought already kitted out, that's the biggest saving.
@Musa Njabulo Shongwe Hey. Hope you won't mind if I also put in my 2 cents here. 1. Camping is definitely the much cheaper option, and tends to work out cheaper, the more you are, so invite friends (provided you personally are not paying for everyone). 2. If you do go for camping, here are some of my tips. Don't buy grand/fancy equipment to start with. You can get a cheap poly tent at Makro, a nice camping chair at Checkers, etc. That's how I started. Well actually I started by borrowing from friends first. 3. Go nearby to where you are located. Find camping spots close to you and book a weekend every few months (better in early summer, after the cold but before the rains). 4. Don't start with fancy menus. Do pasta and rice dishes, or braai chuck - did that for a long time too. 5. Specials specials specials. Look out for camping gear specials on Takealot and at major retailers. Look out for food specials at your local retailer (or online). If I see something we use very often on special, I buy it in bulk (especially if it is non-perishable e.g. paper towel or pasta, or if can be frozen e.g. meat). 6. Take a look at your year, and plan your trips ahead of time for the year. Know when you'll be having a weekend away (i.e. more expenses e.g. fuel and camping fees) and when you should schedule a break so you don't have a lot of expenses all bunched together. 7. If you do the December trips, like Travel Gigolo does, then start booking bit by bit from early in the year, February or so. That way, you pay for your December trip slowly but surely throughout the year, and by the time you reach December, your accommodation is already paid up. Hope that helps!
Great tips.
If possible, can you please do a video on essential need for first time campers, if you haven't uploaded one and if you have it, can i please have a link.
Hi Sabelo. If you check my play lists you will see a list called Beginners Series. There are a few episodes there that will be valuable.
Essential gear is in this episode:
th-cam.com/video/vDiX3QkGS84/w-d-xo.html
@@TravelGigolo Thanks mate....
Loved the video mate. I'm getting ready for summer here in 🇿🇦
Looking forward to a warm summer! Glad you enjoyed the video 👍🏾
You had me a scratching my head a bit on some of the terminology: stretcher, braai, etc…. I figured it out 😆👍. Also add a first aid kit.
😄😄 Should have said barbecue for the rest of the English speaking world.
Not sure about another term for stretcher though 🤔
@@TravelGigolo cot, or sleeping cot. A stretcher is what the emergency medical people put you on to get you into an ambulance. 😂 👍
In our part of the world, a cot is what a baby sleeps in 😄
I love the last tip! Tip number 1 the first tip! Hilarious!
😄😄😄 Top tips for all campers 👍🏾
Nice one man. Camping here in Japan, I did change mind about canvas tent etc etc. weather really makes a big difference. Sometimes next to stream other times mountain, hot summer high humidity, snow in winter. South Africa for that was a great place for camping generally cheaply. Here you need a wider variety of equipment for all year camping. Also since we walk more than go by car. In this case the blow up matt work better. They do deflate but not really leaking. It is really pressure changes in atmosphere and also the actual air density reducing due to colder convection from ground. You will find if you blow up your matt a while before then before bed again top it up, they tend to be a bit better. But yeah miss camps with car in the bush like that. Those were lekker days. But do give backpacking a try. I reckon you could well like it.
Sounds like camping in Japan is very different to SA.
I'm tempted to do a hike of the Fish River Canyon in Namibia, that's 5 days of walking, so back pack weight is a big factor. I've been considering it for a while but I haven't found a way to slip it into the travel schedule.
@@TravelGigolo if you do get the time at some point, that sounds like a fantastic plan. Hope you can cross that one off your bucket list in near future.
Evidently you’re a Pro at camping 👍 Thank you Sir!
Thanks Renier! Appreciate the feedback 👍🏾
Once again, great advice I travel a lot never to old to learn, keep up with the great work.
Thanks! Always good to hear that the channel is having an impact. Appreciate the positive feedback.
lol 😂 always sit with your stomach in. Great video and you've demonstrated you don't need an elaborate camping system or a palace behind your vehicle to go camping or touring.
Thanks. We 'try' to keep it simple 😁
@@TravelGigolo Always the best way. 👍
Can relate to your set up. Great work!🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺
We try to keep it simple. Thanks, appreciate the feedback! 👍🏾
Thanks man. Great video.
Glad you enjoyed it. Tried to keep it to the essentials.
Thanks for the feedback 👍🏾
Great episode! Well done 👌🏻
Thanks, hopefully covered all the basics.
Thanks for your always great videos and Thanks for taking it down to basics
Glad you are enjoying the channel. Thank you for the feedback, much appreciated!
Great videos thanks
Glad you found it informative 👍🏾
Thanks for the feedback!
Great tips,we just started our camping journey and loving it. Learning as we go along 😀
That's the best way to do it! We started with a whole lot of stuff and have trimmed down along the way with experience. Enjoy the experience 👍🏾
well well well, thank you for the basic set up camping ,and I love it, back to basics I say, yes if can afford the top of the range camper go for it but, it really not necessary ,but then only my opinion, happy traveling and looking forward for your next tips
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the episode. We try to keep it simple. Less stuff means more time to enjoy the moment 👌🏾
Great review
Thanks 👍🏾
Thank you for the vid. Looking forward to the car setup video.
Great, we'll be filming the car setup is video soon.
@@TravelGigolo Everyone wants to see that car of yours LOLOL!!!
Quite interesting that you have a rooftop but use the ground tent more often. I suppose it’s a base camp if you staying in one place for a few days. One the move everyday, then “roof it”..😁. My Mrs likes to take the house when camping, I should just blindfold her,drive round the block and say” surprise we here!”
We definitely prefer to use the ground tent. It's more comfortable, more spacious etc and also you don't have to take it down when you go for a drive. I've done a comparative review of the two.
th-cam.com/video/gzYF8rkrqU8/w-d-xo.html
As for packing the whole house I will not comment 🤐 But I understand fully 😄
Did I miss your comments on a cooler box? Do you prefer an expensive camping cooler, or a solid ice box?
We have a Coleman xtreme cooler box. It works pretty well for our needs. Can keep stuff frozen for several days depending on conditions. Before we got a camping fridge we used 2 Colemans for long trips. One as meat freezer (strictly packed in order of use and only opened once per day, drained and ice added when available), and one as a cooler box. I haven't had experience with alternatives so can't really comment on ice boxes. On our recent trip to Zim, with temperatures reaching the 40s we had a hard time keeping ice longer than 2 days despite only opening once per day.
If I could get a box that can keep ice under those conditions (40+ Deg C) without taking up too much space then would probably go for it.
Do you run a dual battery system for the fridge freezer?
Yes, we have a deep cycle battery for running the fridge freezer combo. Will do an episode on the car as well.
What do you do in the case of rain with this setup? We also have the dome but also the full extension which takes up lots of space so more suited for long stays. So we would like to go with dome only but then worried about rainy days with the table, stove, etc. not having cover.
Do you then just pack it back into your vehicle'?
We used to have to put stuff back in the car that wasn't rain proof.
However, we bought a tarpaulin and a couple of poles just before our recent December trip and that worked well. You'll see it in an up coming episode. We also have a small awning on the car, which is useful but provides very little space.
The tarpaulin setup worked really well, and it takes up very little packing space.
@@TravelGigolo Sounds like something easy to do.
I’ll keep an eye out for your next video to see how you set up that tarp with the poles
if you have a roof rack, mount a vehicle awning
@@hvr1874 I don’t have a roof rack
We have the setup in this video
th-cam.com/video/Vh28yfFquJA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Lx7HdAQfdJk459Z4
What are your essential camping items?
My camper trailer!!
No camping fridge?
Yes we have a camping fridge, and a few other items in the car like a water tank for example. The fridge is nice to have, but we have managed for years with cooler boxes as well. The water tank we always fill but almost never have to use. We also have an awning on the car which we only occasionally use and so on.
We do depend on a simple set up with just the essentials. I'd like to do a separate episode on the vehicle only as well.
could you please show the packed vehicle
I will post a video on the vehicle setup soon. Been busy travelling.
@@TravelGigolo you are living the dream! How do you budget for travel? You know my life is centered around bills and financial responsibilities, yet my heart is on the road.. i find it difficult to set aside money for it. Any tips?
That's why we started camping, to make travel more affordable. Now that we have accumulated stuff over time, our main costs are fuel and food. The vehicle we bought already kitted out, that's the biggest saving.
@Musa Njabulo Shongwe Hey. Hope you won't mind if I also put in my 2 cents here.
1. Camping is definitely the much cheaper option, and tends to work out cheaper, the more you are, so invite friends (provided you personally are not paying for everyone).
2. If you do go for camping, here are some of my tips. Don't buy grand/fancy equipment to start with. You can get a cheap poly tent at Makro, a nice camping chair at Checkers, etc. That's how I started. Well actually I started by borrowing from friends first.
3. Go nearby to where you are located. Find camping spots close to you and book a weekend every few months (better in early summer, after the cold but before the rains).
4. Don't start with fancy menus. Do pasta and rice dishes, or braai chuck - did that for a long time too.
5. Specials specials specials. Look out for camping gear specials on Takealot and at major retailers. Look out for food specials at your local retailer (or online). If I see something we use very often on special, I buy it in bulk (especially if it is non-perishable e.g. paper towel or pasta, or if can be frozen e.g. meat).
6. Take a look at your year, and plan your trips ahead of time for the year. Know when you'll be having a weekend away (i.e. more expenses e.g. fuel and camping fees) and when you should schedule a break so you don't have a lot of expenses all bunched together.
7. If you do the December trips, like Travel Gigolo does, then start booking bit by bit from early in the year, February or so. That way, you pay for your December trip slowly but surely throughout the year, and by the time you reach December, your accommodation is already paid up.
Hope that helps!
Great advice 👍🏾 👌🏾 👏🏾