WITH TENT AND MOTOR.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 244, 15 October 1929, Page 16

WITH TENT AND MOTOR.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF

CAMPING.

GADGETS THAT SAVE TIME

AND WORRY.

(By TRIP.)

These articles, which will bo continued •throughout the summer months, will deal ■with all aspects of camping ami motoring. As a spec:ai service to readers, queries on any matters relating: to" motor camping will be answered. Such queries should be addressed to "Trip. c/o. Motor Editor. 'Auckland Star.' " and a stamped addressed envelope enclosed for reply. Every possible assistance will be s'ven and queries will be answered in rotation.

Those who have travelled, either in New Zealand or abroad, know that there are many different types of travel, and that service varies according to the fare paid. So it is with motor camping, but here the comforts are cheaper, and their introduction depends less on the purse and more on the size of the car. The! saving effected on one good motor camping holiday as opposed to the ordinary methods of travel, will more than pay for an elaborate set of camp-

ing gear, but whether your car will hold that gear is a different matter. If you are one of those who have invested in the smallest type of car on the market, because of its economies in running and maintenance, you cannot expect.to take as many things with you as your wealthier neighbour with a larger car. Your style of motor camping will vary according to the size of your car, and the object of this article is to tell you how to obtain the maximum of comfort for your particular car. Small Car Equipment. The- writer has had many a good camping holiday with the "baby" class of car, and he has wandered afield also in larger cars. Probably the most useful''way of all for gaining motor camping knowledge, however, is by wandering around the camping fields in our more popular tourist resorts. At Wairakei and Rotorua during the holiday season it is possible to . see every type of camping gear under tne sun, and after seeing these you are in a better position to decide "what you want. . . For the small car a lightly made, easily folding tent is . essential —tl» lighter the tetter. There are many good motor camping tents on the market to-day, but in the main these are a little too cumbersome for the very smallest cars. The kind I like' best is one made of aeroplane cloth with a centre pole. This can be made with hinge and fastener and folds into very small space, according to the, height* of the tent. These tents, which are used by trampers, will hold two camp beds and a fair quantity of gear, but they allow little on which to come and go, and are not perfect in very bad weather. They pack into a tiny space and" allow xoom for plenty of luggage. Things That Assist. Folding accessories are useful for every type of motor camping, but more especially so for "the small car where every inch of' space must be fully utilised. The pocket type axe, which has a guard folding over the blade, is useful anywhere; likewise the diminutive spade which can be easily made by any handyman from a cut-down spade handle. When you leave town over a smooth bitumen road on a fine sunny day you are apt to forget that bad roads may mar your progress further on, and that the rain can make camping anything but pleasant if you have not, the wherewithal to make a trench round, „the tent. Above all things take that spade. Many a motorist who spent a wretched night or twolfuring the fearful weather just after Christmas last year wished for 1 that useful implement.. The übiquitous benzine tin—now conspicuous by Its absence from its former fields of glory —can be made into one of the" most useful of motor-camping gadgets with very little trouble,; and as oddments can be packed into it also, it may serve a double purpose. By cutting out half an end and putting two round holes in one side, it can be made into a miniature stove on which a kettle will boil quickly, and on which food may be cooked to perfection. There are many places where wood is difficult to obtain, and a stove of this nature will cook almost with kindling wood, and certainly, with any of the oddments that may, be gathered near the road.

Carrying supplies of food is always a difficult matter in the very smajl car, but good management will obviate it, just as good management in a, house will make all the difference between comfort and the reverse. A small box, , preferably. with hinged lid, should be used as the "larder," and small supplies of meat, vegetables, etc., can be carried, and the motorist thus freed from that bugbear of all campers—unending tinned food. , Ihe Medium-sized Car. What may be regarded as the average car, is the five-seater tourer or closed +?f 5 £ e i? er . tte Eour c y lin,iCT class, or >i- ght ty P e - This is car SS h" 1 T deQCe ffiotor campers, and it will certainly allow for greater comfort than the very sma U car, Sv because of the greater amount '£ War •it wdl carry. . - ¥ . .Where only,two people are traveuin* f a car of this type, it is ideal if Se front seat can be made to swivel *£fc against the rear seat, and the car'Sed' for sleeping,in. The gear can S m ****, and on the running boards, and the campers sleep in perfect" Becunty no matter wHat the weather Mere are, of course, certain definite dism

advantages if no tent is carried, the dressing question being one of them, especially in crowded grounds. On the other hand, if a tent is carried, or even one of the types which fit on to the eide of the car, this can be used in fine weather, and the car reserved for rainy nights. All the portable tents sold to motor campers are suitable for carrying in this medium-sized car where space is a lesser consideration than in the more diminutive models. There are many varieties, but I think that the centre pole type with a folding pole and four long, iron pegs for the corners, is the most popular. This type in the smaller sizes will hold three camp beds with comfort, while the larger tents will hold four. Some are made with a small porch in front, and this is useful for meals, and for storing purposes-—especially so, of course, where the motorist is camping in the one spot for some time, and using the car for trips about the district. For bigger parties large tents on the marquee principle are 'available, and these can be purchased in sizes that will hold from upwards. These usually have two poles, one hear either end, and they can be. secured with partitions which add to privacy. Beds or Sleeping Bags? Whether beds or sleeping bags are the most useful for motor camping' is a question on which opinion is divided. Personally I am in favour of camp beds, but when these are carried plenty of

blankets are essential, and it is important to have nearly as many beneath you as above you, because the cold draughts find their way up through the canvas. Camp beds are not as uncomfortable as sleeping bugs, although the latter are warmer, unless ample bedding is carried. The more expensive type' of padded sleeping bag is fairly comfortable r and can be useful where space is a consideration —in the small car, for instance. I know of at least one motor cyclist who has tried put motor camping, his equipment consisting of a sleeping bag, and a tiny tent made of aeroplane cloth, into which he had crawl! With that equipment he toured the North Island last summer, and contends strenuously that he enjoyed himself. So you can see the possibilities. Comfort is a comparative term, and the type of comfort available, depends principally on space, and to a lesser extents on the size of one's purse and the ability to purchase those minor items which add so much to the enjoyment of a holiday. (Next week: Caravanning and Luxury Camping.) v" \ v r - ■" '