WITH TENT AND MOTOR

Evening Star, Issue 20310, 19 October 1929, Page 6

WITH TENT AND MOTOR

CARAVANNING AND LUXURY CAMG FLANKING FOR GREATER COMFORT [By Trip.] [All Rights Reserved.] These, articles, which will be continued throughout/ the summer months, will deal with all aspects _of camping and motoring. As a special . servic- to readers, queries on any matters relating to motor camping will be answered. Such queries should bo addressed to ‘ Trip,” care of P.O. Bos 1,178, Wellington, and a stamped addressed envelope enclosed for reply. _ Every possible assistance will be given, and queries will be answered in rotation. During the past two weeks we have dealt with motor camping as it affects the owner of the small and mediumsized car, and shown how the greatest degree of comfort possible to each can be secured. These cars are in the great majority, and it is a fact that, generally speaking, motor camping appeals less to the owner of the large and luxurious type of car, as a glance at any of our popular camping grounds will show. Wlku'g owners of such cars do go motor camping, however, a greater degree of comfort, even to the stage of luxury, is possible. There is another form of motor camping that goes a stage further still, and which represents practically the ideal. " This is caravanning .which ms yet has obtained very small hold in New Zealand, mainly because of the heavy expense entailed. FREEDOM OF THE CARAVAN. ’ I don’t supose there are more than fifty motor caravans in New Zealand, if one except those used by travelling showmen;, but with increased facilities everywhere for motor camping the demand is certain to grow, and in future caravanning will become as popular here as it is ■in England. Supply and demand rules the cost of caravans, and if there were a greater demand here prices would naturally come down, and their manufacture bo, to some extent, standardised. A very great deal of thought is needed in planning the caravan, and one or two 1 have come across when camping out have been simply splendid, and almost as handy as houses. Because they are so popular, caravans are a very reasonable price in England, and for £SO the owner of the smallest type of car can get a lightlymade caravan which runs behind, and which is fitted up with two or three bunks, etc. Here, of course, a caravan has to be specially built to order, and the way in which it is fitted up will depend entirely on the buyer’s ingenuity in planning. PLAN IT CAREFULLY. Anyone who is thinkng of buying a caravan should secure descriptions and plans of different types from, England. These can he seen in various -English motoring journals, and oven where no descriptions are given the pictures will show how best to lay -out the interior. H yon just build up a caravan without auy very definite ideas it is certain to be a disappointment, and not be nearly as efficient as a better-planned one would k°Two things essential in New Zealand are plenty of window space and ventilation. One caravan owner I met asi year told me that he had had to altei his considerably after the first season because the ventilation was so bad oi the hot summer nights. An advantage of the caravan if travelling in mosquitoinfested areas is that the windows can bo framed with netting to keep the 1 Having hunks one above the other is of course, essential for space reasons, and with a little care it is sometimes possible to have three bunks one above another. It is a great advantage it a small kitchenette can be fitted, apart from the sleeping accommodation, i nis need' only be the tiniest corner, but with drawers and a small stove it will make the cooking problem easy, it is an advantage if the stove be set well up with drawers underneath, so that stooping in a constricted space is almost unnecessary. One of the difficulties of motor caravanning is having comfortable accommodation in the daytime. If two seats can be fitted in front, one ot which is convertible into a bunk, it will make for much greater comfort m the day--time; any overflow can easily be accommodated in a tent. p THE LARGE CAR, Almost as much luxury can he secured with a large car as with a caravan, especially if there are fittings to keep all luggage outside oi: ilio car itself, iwo (rood-sized tents can taken, and special attention paid to lighting either from a special battery or from the car battery itself. By having lights close to tiio bunks it is possible to use very small globes and still have lights which are very satisfactory for reading—a very real luxury when camping, and when long days in the open have made you feel ready for bed at an early hour. With big cars it is often quite satisfactory to use the car battery, for by charging up in the daytime the night loss fs offset, especially as the lights on the car itself are not so much used. With a big car it is always possible, and therefore advisable, to carry some sort of cooking stove—one with a small oven is very useful—and special folding seats, tables, and camp outfits, with drawers for knives, plates, etc., all make for greater comfort.

MAKING CAMP FOR THE NIGHT. One advantage of the extra room in the big car is that the same layout can be followed throughout, things being loaded and unloaded in the same order, and the work of making camp standardised. Where camp is pitched in the one place for 'some time a very comfortable arrangement is possible, but this is, of course, more difficult where the party is moving on from day to day and covering fresh ground. It. is surprising how quickly camp can be struck or pitched, and how quickly it can be . made comfortable if the method used is always the same, and if the 'different members of the party lake different tasks and don’t go round wetting in on© another’s way. “ It has to be i'ecognised that the two greatest problems in camping are sleeping in comfort and cooking, ii these two essentials are handled satisfactorily,; motor camping is delightful; if they are mishandled, it can easily be the reverse. Camp beds, liberal bedding, and the most suitable cooking apparatus within reach of your purse combine to overcome the principal difficulties of motor camping. If you can afford a caravan or a large car you will add luxury to comfort; if you have to be content with a smaller car your comfotr will depend either on your ingenuity or on your pocket. Those whs e>re

handy with tools can make all the gadgets that add to motor camping coinfort for a few modest shillings and a lot of time and patience; those who can afford to buy them will naturally do so. In any case, the enjoyment qt camping is largely a matter of the individual, and not so much the possession of perfect equipment, although the latter certainly adds to creature comforts, and therefore to enjoyment. Next Week.—New Zealand roads and their attractions for motor campers.