When nature calls

Males have it easy.   They can go to the toilet anywhere with relative ease.     Being a female and having to wee in the outdoors is more of  a challenge. 

(but if want to read about a challenge for males and females, then read here too) 

I think if you ask any female about having nature call when in the bush, they might have a story to tell about themselves or daughter or friend or sister, and the difficulties of going to the toilet outside.   Mind you, there are some who have mastered this art, but for those who have not…..read on………

To solve this issue, greater minds than I have come up with some alternatives. 

Firstly – Go Girl

This is a silicone can (with splash guard) which allows the user to urinate into it standing up. It comes with a bag for disposal and tissue.    It can be re-used.    

Now, I am not sure how this differs from just going in an everyday can or bottle.   But this one is pink and pretty, so that is a plus.

So now, you too, can tinkle in a can.    

This is available from Magellans

Secondly – P-Mate

This one is very intriguing to the uninitiated of going to the loo in the outdoors.      

Its great for all those females, who think, how easy it must be to wee standing up like a male (actually, I think that).    But this is an invention that allows females to experience this, well……experience.

The P-Mate means you and the male in your life, will be able to pee side-by-side (should you wish too).

How does it work?   Well, this is taken from the website FemaleFreedom, and I think they explain it best.

The P-Mate is basically like a cardboard shoe with the toe cut off. You place the entrance of the 'shoe' directly under your urethra, between your legs, pee into the shoe and then make sure that the hole at the toe end is funnelling the urine out somewhere other than on your feet.

If you need to know more and see videos of it in action, head to FemaleFreedom.for all the information.

And if you want to read about the next 2 gadgets to help male/females and going to the toilet outdoors, don't forget to check back soon.   OR     Subscribe to our email and you won't miss out!!!

We would LOVE to hear any stories or comments about this!    Leave us a note below.

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Selk Bag. One way to keep warm when you camp

When I first saw this concept over a year ago, I scoffed at it.    I will be the first to admit that I thought I would look like an idiot in it.

Having experienced being very cold on a camping trip, and dreading getting out of my sleeping bag (which was incidentally not suited to the weather conditions), I NOW think to myself, I wish I had one of these!!

A sleeping bag that allows you to not only sleep in it, but sit, stand, walk or run in it.

Great for those cool mornings and nights at the campsite.   Or maybe at home as well.



The Selk Bag 4G Lite or the Selk Bag Classic come in a range of sizes and colours to suit the whole family, and you can find more information and pricing details at Selk’Bag Australia.


Pricing is reasonable too.    At time of writing the Classic was under $200 and the Lite was under $100.
I feel the cold so much, I might sleep in the Selk, INSIDE my other sleeping bag!

Let us know below, what you think of this product.   I think I just may be a convert…..

If you want to warm your bottom, think about this item

All photos from Selk website

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Favourite Piece of Camping Equipment

What is your fave piece of equipment when you go camping?

The one piece of equipment you like the most. 

Maybe its not the most practical item but you like it anyway.   It might be something really inexpensive, but it makes that camping trip so much better……

We can’t narrow ours down to one bit of gear.  It’s harder than we thought, so that is why we want to hear from you!!

If you do want to see some gear that we do like, see them here

Leave your thoughts NOW, below.    Happy Camping.

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Camping Gadget of Week is Dry Sack Light

 

Lighting is a big deal when camping.  Anyone who tells you its not, well, they haven’t camped away from civilisation too often.

So we have another option for lighting as our Camping Gadget of the Week, and that is the T-Trail and Ambient Light Dry Bag.    It’s a long title, but a simple idea.

When camping and hiking,  space is a premium.     if you have to carry all your belongings on your back, then you look for ultralight options. 

This is a dry bag where you store all your belongings to protect them in your pack. 

But when you get to camp, and take all that ‘stuff’ out, you use the T-Trail Headlamp that comes with the pack, take it out, turn it on within the bag itself and voila, you have a an ambient light – enough diffused light apparently to read or cook by, or just use in your tent.

 

This gadget is made by Mammut, and you can get all details here.

Possibly another headlamp will do the job just as well?  Either way, its a smart, yet surprisingly easy and basic way to get a little more light using things you may be carrying anyway!

Other lighting gadgets you should check out include:

Lightcap 200

Petzl NAO Headlamp

What do you think of this idea?  Leave your thoughts below, or share this story with others!

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Camping with Geocaches

Geocaching. Its estimated over 5 million people worldwide do it.

We are recently new to the world of Geocaches.   Apparently, its been around for a while.

Have no idea how we even heard about it, but when we did, we thought it would be a great activity that the kids could do when we are camping and in a new place.

If you don’t know what it is, the idea is simple and fun and children love it!   We recommend you give it a go – because no matter where you are in the world, chances are, there is a geocache near you.





Geocaching is a big treasure hunt, using your GPS receiver (our iPhones work brilliantly), some information from a website (we use Geocaching Australia), and then we hunt down a cache (a hidden box/container which fellow Geocachers have hidden).    

Once you find the cache, there is a logbook you sign, and then you can share your find online.      You might like to be the hunters or if you like it, become one of those who hide caches.

There are a few rules which in the spirit of the game you need to abide to, and Geocaching can give you all the info you need on how to play, what to do and what not to do.

So when we are going to a new camp location, we check the app we have from Geocaching Australia, and see what caches are in the area where we are currently staying.   

Going on hikes becomes a lot more exciting for the children, knowing that sometimes they might have to leave the trail to hunt for the treasure!     

My children love looking for the cache, and there is genuine excitement when its found, and anticipation what little treasure will be in there!     (you can take a treasure out, as long as you replace it with something of equal or higher value).     But, its more about the hunt and discovery, than the goods inside.  


Once we discover the first cache on the camp trip, we eagerly check to see how far away the next might be.   

Some caches are relatively easy (the app gives you advice on the ease to find, size etc.when it was last found, hints, comments, and sometimes pictures); others will have puzzles you need to solve to lead you to it.     Our family struggle with the more complicated and sometimes cryptic clues, but maybe because we are new to it all or we are not very clever!

We got our practice with the concept, around the suburbs where we live.   It’s amazing once you start looking, how many caches might be in your area – or at the park down the road!       Some we find, some we do not.    But its all good fun, and doesn’t cost a thing.   

Have you tried Geocaching?   If so, let us know how you went below.     Maybe, you want to read more about camping?  If so, sign up for our email at the top right of this page.  

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Fenix GPS Watch is Camping Gadget of the Week

 

 

Looking for a new GPS device?

Tired of holding a GPS plus doing everything else?

Want a watch that does more than tell the time?

 

Then you might want to consider the latest offering from Garmin which is the Fenix Watch.  It is our Camping Gadget of the Week.

This watch is designed to give you navigation and tracking, all on your wrist!   

Navigate, hands-free.

 

The Fenix comes with altimeter, barometer and compass (ABC) and gives you live data on such crucial info as real time elevation data and weather.   You will also have the ability to have such navigational activities like planning trips, route creation and recording waypoints (parking, trailheads, shelters etc). 

All the features we would expect from Garmin are in this watch.    eg.  Ability to download route from the application BaseCamp™.    

Sort of person who gets lost?    This watch is what you might need.    It comes with a Tracklog  which means, that it displays a trail of "bread crumbs" to easily track your position. And  the “TracBack™ function will guide you safely back along a good visible and easy to follow trackline”

 

Why is this a good function to have for anyone who likes to go off the beaten track? Well, it takes the fear out of getting lost – you are given freedom to explore beyond the trail.

What else can it do?  The list is impressive (can you tell that I am impressed??)

 

• Mountaineering – know your ascent exactly
• Hunting – ability to use a function to see legal shooting times
• Hiking – ABC inclusive
• Trail running - Monitor heart rate, calories burned, elevation gain, pace, distance
• Geocaching – all on your wrist
• Backcountry skiing – waypoints to guide you home
• Biking - Track your speed, distance, ascent and descent, all on your wrist
• Boating – waterproof, with 3 axis compass

 

Want to know more?  Garmin website has all the details.   Or check out this video below.   I know we want to get our hands on this SOON!

Don’t forget, leave us your thoughts, here, at the blog!  We want to hear your   opinion.

 

Check out this Garmin Fenix ad. Be impressed like me!

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5 stages of Holiday Grief

Do you ever feel a bit disillusioned on your return from a holiday? If so, you are not alone. It's called vacation grief.

Coming back from a holiday of any sort, even a camping getaway, is not easy. To get to a destination involves planning, and then the anticipation of the vacation itself and then the enjoyment derived from your holiday.

Just for us to go on a camping trip, that needed prep work has to be done. It's all part of the holiday build up. Steps include:

• planning and researching the location and camping areas
• travel routes and timing
• what camping gear must come with us, and what would we like to bring, space permitting
• menu planning
• food shopping
• children packed their fave and must-have things for the trip
• pack the car (sometimes a tense experience)

And off we go.

Before you know it, we are back.    No planning involved with that moment. 

Real life and the chores you put off before you went on holiday, are all waiting for you.

Work beckons and its official, your holiday is OVER.

This infographic, taken from buzzfeed.com sums up the feeling of so many of us.   The longer the holiday, the more some of these feelings are magnified on our return to our jobs. We might feel all of these 5 stages, or skip a couple. The best way to get over this grief? Plan your next holiday!

Do you ever feel like this at the end of a break from your every day life?

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Campfires for Dummies

New people to camping might find building a campfire a bit tricky. Some people take their campfire building VERY seriously.      There is a little bit of finesse required and lots of campers have a specific way they like their campfire.

One company has decided to take some of the stress out of it for newbies, and created the Prairie.

Basically, put a piece of wood in each point of the metal star, and you have a nice looking pile of wood as the basis for your campfire.

Never freak out that you can't remember where the wood is meant to go again to get a good looking fire.




To read more about this innovation, you can find it here, but its all in another language, so good luck with that.

Or should you want to know more about campfire building (the more traditional methods), go to

Wikihow - how to build a campfire
or
Smokey Bear


What do you think of this idea.  Leave a note below!   Thanks.

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Heatstick is Camping Gadget of the Week

• Looking for something different in camping?  

• Tired of using the conventional way of cooking (so yesterday!)?  

• Maybe you have a burning desire to pretend you are in the Secret Forces? 

If you answered “Yes, that’s me” to any of the above, then this Camping Gadget of the Week is for you. 

It is the Heatstick by Danish company Heatgear

What is it?   

Well, glad you asked.  

It is a flameless stick, holding a propane and butane mix in an aluminium cylinder.   These elements heat up and boils what needs to be boiled.

This fuel will allow you to boil up to 6-9 litres of water – use it for freeze dried rations, boil in the bag food, beverages and anything that needs heating with water.     

The beauty of this camping gadget of the week is that it’s not temperamental like some cooking stoves that only perform in certain conditions.   As it’s working INSIDE a container, wind, rain, heat or icy conditions are not going to stop you getting your dinner.    The range is from -30C to + 50C, which I think would pretty much cover any camping trip.

Too busy exploring and don’t want to stop to eat?  No worries.    You can heat your meal up in the container provided with the Heatstick, whilst it’s in your backpack.  No flame at all, so it’s safe (plus lots of built in safety mechanisms too).   No pot required for that meal.  No wind shields or stands either – just the Heatstick.    

Anything that lightens your load has to be a good thing.

Cool or what???

For those of you on “special missions” (real or imaginary), this is what Heatgear have to say (and check out the video clip too which makes you want to run around like a commando with this gadget)

"HEATSTICK is ideal for use at night and in hostile environments. It doesn’t emit any light, making it undetectable by night goggles. It has a neutral thermal signature during use (same as body temperature). Plus, it’s silent and odorless."

To ignite the Heatstick it comes with its own igniter – once again flameless, and works under all conditions and missions.

The cost is a little on the high side – 2379KR – converts to AUD385.30  (at time of writing).    

But if you want to reduce weight in your pack; looking for a new way to cook; want to increase soldier survivability and improve mission effectiveness (that last bit was Heatgear’s words, not mine!)....then I think this could be THE gadget for you.

(Other camping stove gadgets that might appeal to you include the Biolite Stove and Stove in a Can)

What do you think?   Please leave a note below.    

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Adults Only Camping Drink

Camping drinks just got classier.

You may remember, that a while ago we tried the great American tradition, S'Mores.   With not a lot of luck.   It's going to be a work in progress sort of experience.    (Read about it here)

But I have come across a fantastic alternative, that requires me NEVER to leave home just to taste the S'More experience!     

Its origins are from without doubt the best looking food blog I have seen.......With luscious looking food, beautifully photographed, this site has me going "wow".      

The name of the site is How Sweet It Is and from this site I have discovered Smoretini Shooters.

All the following photos are from this site.   The recipe too!     

Graham crackers are required for this recipe, so Australians will need to use some other not too sweet, plain biscuit.  It's not the be-all and end-all of this recipe.

It talks in ounces, and we in Australia, talk in ml, so 1 oz = 29.57 ml.

S’moretini Shooters

makes 1 (2 ounce) shooter, easily multiplied

1/2 ounce marshmallow vodka (or vanilla, whipped cream or cake flavored vodka)
1/2 ounce Godiva chocolate liqueur
1/4 ounce Bailey’s Irish Cream liqueur
3/4 ounce cream/half and half
chocolate syrup or hot fudge
graham cracker crumbs   (or seek alternative sweet, plain biscuit)
vanilla frosting for glass rimming
mini marshmallows

Dip the rim of you glass in a bit of frosting, then dip into graham cracker crumbs.

Pour about 1/2 teaspoon chocolate fudge into the bottom of the glass.

Combine vodka, Baileys, Godiva and cream in a shaker (or water bottle with lid) with ice and shake for 15 seconds. Pour into glass. Top with mini marshmallows skewered on a toothpick.

For 8 shooters or 2 martinis, you will need: 4 ounces of marshmallow vodka, 4 ounces of Godiva chocolate liqueur, 2 ounces of Bailey’s and about 6 ounces of milk. Measurements obviously may change depending on your own preferred tastes.

Note: if you don’t have any leftover frosting for glass rimming, I think something sticky like maple syrup or agave will work.

So, what do you think?   Does this look like one of the best drinks ever to have around the campfire?    Camping and S'Mores just got a whole lot more interesting.     Would you like to try this?  Leave a note below!

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