Island
Island camping is the most diverse style of camping you can get. It throws a lot of spanners in the works. For starters, if you were camping on remote Lady Musgrave Island (and we will use this as an example), once you are there you have access to absolutely nothing. You have to be totally self sufficient. Organisation, preparation & planning is essential.
- Water: You need enough water to drink, wash up, cook, extra for safety in an emergency & to shower in.
Hint # 1. If you buy individual drums & one bursts, leaks or becomes contaminated you only loose a portion of your water. Individual containers also stack well. Don’t forget to take water treatment tablets as well. - Energy: I use an EvaKool fridge & it runs on a 12 volt battery. The problem here becomes the necessity to recharge it. Solar power is the key. Most island are in national parks, therefore petrol generators are often forbidden & wind generators are not real portable just yet.
Hint # 2: When buying solar you want a plug & go style system. This means you don’t have to do a thing other than hook it to the battery with alligator clips (All the regulators, wiring, carry bags & fittings are pre wired & the hard work is done for you.) - Safety: Satellite phones & Epirbs are great for island camping. In the case of Lady Musgrave Island you are miles out to see. So having this peace of mind & reassurance in the case of an emergency makes sense.
Hint # 3. This doesn’t have to be a huge cost. Why buy & spend all the money for one trip. Hiring this gear could be cost effective. - Gas: Pack enough gas to get you by for your stay. You will find gas consumption ratings on a sticker on most currently purchased gas products in Australia. It does vary from individual products, their heat, light output & depending on it being low or high pressure. The output ratings on the products will be in g/h. This stands for: grams per hour. There is a 1000 grams per 1kg of gas. So if your stove uses 100g/h & you have a 1kg bottle you will get 10 hours run time.
Hint # 4: When calculating your gas run time, the ratings are as if the product was running at its brightest or hottest. It will use less when you turn down the heat or brightness. Coleman also have small emergency 465 gr gas canisters that can be adaptable to any fitting if you happen to run out of your big bottles. It’s a good idea to carry a couple for “Just in Case.” - Toilet: Island camping is all about being self sufficient. You have all heard of “The only thing you should leave on a remote island is…….FOOTPRINTS!” I back this 100%. Portable chemical toilets have come a long way today & their chemicals have come even further. We now have environmentally sound all natural waste chemical. However, I still don’t believe in burying it as it wasn’t on the island before you got there. Waste chemicals will not only break your waste down, they are odour killing as well, provided you buy the right one.
Hint # 5. If purchasing a portable toilet, emptying it is not a pleasant job. Be sure you purchase one with a waste emptying outlet that has a long outlet spout. This means you can aim into small drain holes & not spill it.
- Rubbish: What you take in, you must take out. It’s all about having good rubbish bins. Croc Bin is an amazing product that has been released into the market. It’s Australian made & Croc bin is a family based company, which is why I support them. It’s light weight, has a drop lid to keep the fly’s out, can be put high up off the ground away from animals & no more tearing the bag to get it out.
- Swimming: If you are camping on a remote island like Lady Musgrave, you will have the ability to literally walk into the water & snorkel on reef. So don’t forget your snorkel gear & flippers. Remember that all coral is protected & it is living. Don’t walk on it & crush it, look after it for our kids to enjoy.
- Windy Conditions: If you are on the waters edge when camping on a remote island & it’s windy, having a wind break can be helpful to stop sand & salt spray getting on everything.. All gazebos we sell now have individual side wall wind breaks available. If it's a tarp you have, we have a canvas repair section inside our store that can make removable (with velcro) side walls. We can even make all four walls, fully enclose your tarp, or have them individual in sections. We custom build….tell us what you want!
- Lighting: Because of the range of activities to do at night on a remote island, having transportable lighting becomes, not only a luxury but almost a necessity. A headlamp sure makes life easy because it’s hands free. This makes life easy for fishing & putting on your bait, night walking & bird watching or even reading a book in bed. L.E.D lighting is incredibly efficient with battery life, with a 4L.E.D headlamp that runs on 3 AAA batteries giving you approx 50hours of life minimum (depending on it’s brightness)
- Sunprotection: Something my mum taught me years ago when camping near white sand or water. You can still get burnt from the reflection of water & bright white sand. You may be under cover, but you may still be copping the sun. Sunscreen is a must when Island camping.
