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Practical gear advice for Australian conditions

Gear wisdom for the way Australians actually get outside.

Field-tested guides, honest comparisons and free planning tools — from weekend beach camps to multi-week 4WD traverses.

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58 deep guides · 9 explainers · 19 product reviews · 15 interactive tools · tested in every Australian state

Pack Weight CalculatorAdd gear by category and see base, min and total weight.Open tool →Checklist GeneratorBuild a tailored, printable packing list for your trip.Open tool →Water Needs CalculatorPeople, days and heat — how much water to actually carry.Open tool →4WD Power CalculatorTurn appliance watts into daily draw and battery sizing.Open tool →Tent Size AdvisorSleepers, gear and season to the right tent class.Open tool →Camping Trip Budget CalculatorSites, food, fuel and buffer — what the trip will really cost.Open tool →Sleeping Bag Temperature CalculatorFrom forecast low to the comfort rating you should shop by.Open tool →Fuel Range & Trip Distance EstimatorHow far the tank really goes, and whether the next servo is inside it.Open tool →Gear Packing List BuilderBuild a kit list, track every gram, save it in the page address.Open tool →Layering / Clothing AdvisorForecast low, wind and effort into the layer stack to pack.Open tool →Campsite Elevation & Temperature AdjusterConvert a town forecast into the temperature your camp will really have.Open tool →Sunrise, Sunset & Daylight Hours ToolKnow the light you have before you plan the drive, the walk or the bivy.Open tool →Best Time to Visit CalculatorNine Australian camping regions, twelve months, one honest answer.Open tool →Leave No Trace / Impact Score ToolScore seven campsite habits against the principles, get the fixes.Open tool →Packing Weight vs Comfort Trade-off VisualiserSee your load as a share of bodyweight, and what the grams buy you.Open tool →

Fresh from the field

Latest Guides & Gear

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The journal

Articles & Explainers

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Camping Systems ·

What should I look for in a first tent?

A first tent is hard to shop for, because you have not slept in enough tents to know what matters. The good news is that only a handful of choices really decide your comfort. Work through them in order, and you will avoid the mistakes that send most new tents to the back of a shed.

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Camping Systems ·

How do you stay cool camping in 35-degree heat?

Heat is the one camping problem you cannot buy your way out of. A hot, still night will test a good sleep system and a cheap one alike. What saves you is not gear but habit. Where you pitch, how you vent, and when you rest all decide how the night goes. Here is a plain playbook for brutal heat.

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Camping Systems ·

What really keeps you dry camping in the rain?

A wet trip forces quick decisions, so the myths around rain camping stick hard. Many of them came from a time when gear was simpler, and a few of them are outright dangerous. This piece takes the common sayings apart one by one. None of this rests on our own lab results; it rests on how tents and weather are understood to work, and on the safety advice agencies give for storms and floods.

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Ranked & tested

Best-Of Buying Guides

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The bench

Single-Product Reviews

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Hiking & Ultralight ·

MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2

Best all-round two-person hiking tent. The safe first choice for pairs who want one tent that pitches fast, breathes well in humidity and survives hard summers. It is not the lightest two-person tent here, and it runs tight once two full packs move inside.

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Camping Systems ·

Camp Field Folding Camp Table

Best simple fold-flat table for a car-camp kitchen. The Camp Field table is the buy when you want a proper level surface at camp for cooking, prep and a drink, without hauling a bulky setup. It folds flat, weighs little for an alloy table, and sets up in moments. It is a car-camp and site table, not an ultralight one you hike in, and the legs want level ground.

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Hiking & Ultralight ·

Fjallraven Kanken

Best all-round day pack for town, travel and light walks. The Kanken is the buy when you want one simple pack that suits a commute, a weekend walk and a trip abroad. It is hard-wearing, water-resistant and easy to pack, and it looks as good in a cafe as on a track. The trade is a plain back and no real harness, so it carries a heavy load less happily.

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Pack with confidence

Printable Checklists

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Camping SystemsShelter, sleep, kitchen and shade→4WD & OverlandingTraction, power, recovery and touring→Hiking & UltralightGrams count on Australian tracks→Beach & CoastalSand, salt and shade→Trip PlanningRoutes, permits, water and logistics→Gear CareClean, repair, service, repeat→Health & SafetyFirst aid, navigation and emergency prep→Kitchen & LightingStoves, cookware, power and camp lights→

Head to head

The Versus Desk

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Tested in Australian conditions

Red dirt, salt spray, alpine frost and 40 °C afternoons — nothing gets recommended from an armchair.

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We buy or borrow every product we test, and affiliate links never change a verdict.

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Numbers, checklists and calculators you can act on before the next trip, not glossy hype.

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