What we packed for our lap, and what we didn't use

Preparing for a lap of Australia is not for the faint hearted!

The research, the planning, the packing up of your home, the excitement, the emotions and the many goodbyes, it’s an intense time indeed.

Working out what to pack and where to pack it, whilst being mindful of weight restrictions is a juggle and a half. We travelled in a Landcruiser 200 series, our GVM was 4200kg and we were allowed to tow 3500kg.
Our Trooper was Tared at 3115, meaning the weight when it was empty, so no clothing, water, food or anything except for the permanent fixtures of the van. We had 385kgs to utilise with our belongings. 

Having been on several camping missions before, I knew we would re-wear clothes for days on end, but as we were actually living in our van this time, with no end date in site, I also packed a couple of really nice dresses, just in case we went for a fancy dinner somewhere. I packed a couple fancy handbags + shoes too, just in case I had a special occasion on. LOL! In the 2 years we were travelling, these fancy items were only worn once. Once! Whilst going out for dinner was a favourite past-time on the Gold Coast, my favourite dinners turned in to Benn cooking fresh squid on the beach over an open fire. No handbag needed! When we were in WA I ended up selling a few things on eBay which I barely used. My OT denim shorts and cami tops became so well worn, but I didn’t give a shit. We were living our dream, it didn’t matter what I was wearing. I was beyond happy with just the staples. And it felt good to not be hoarding anything.

Benn had a few struggles with this packing list too. I mean, how many surfboards, fishing rods, tools and tackle does one bloke need? He ended up settling with 4 x boards, 10 x rods, a box of tools and 3 x tackle boxes.
And if we purchased any big ticket items a long the way, generally speaking we would sacrifice something else to take its place.

Lennox wasn’t too fussed on what he would take. Perhaps a few too many teddy’s haha, but in the end just a surfboard, a rip surf, skateboard and a fishing rod. We had bunks in the van so one of the beds was for all of his favourite things.

Apart from our personal possessions that just had to come on the lap, here is a list of other items we took with us:

Honda Generator 2 kva - only used a handful of times. We had a fantastic lithium battery system in the van which ran off solar, and the only times we used the genny was if there was no sun, and our battery charge was dropping.

Tools: Makita battery impact driver and drill, battery chainsaw and a bag of hand tools.

Bikes: We all had a bike each, and these were strapped to the front of our van in transit. We used the bikes heaps! Was a great way to explore towns. And when we arrived in to new caravan parks, Lennox would always jump straight on his bike and cruise around looking for other kids to meet.

Muk Mat: our green muk mat sat out the front of our van for 2 years, and is now our front door mat at home. We wouldn’t travel without one now.

Webber BabyQ: We actually didn’t use this as much as we thought we would. But still glad we took it as it was handy when we did.

Thermomix: I used this every day in our home, so thought I would use it heaps in the van too, however we barely used it at all. So many of our dinners were some kind of protein, usually fish, and either salad or veggies, so the good old thermy wasn’t required. It ended up living under our bed.

Juicer: Again, used this heaps at home but only a handful of times on the road. I think its because we only had a small fridge and cupboards in the van, we simply didn’t have excess room to store a heap of fruit and vege to juice.

Satking Pro: ok, we know travelling with satellite tv is certainly a needless luxury, but I’m so glad we had this fitted before we left. It worked all over Australia, even in the most remote off-grid locations....the only times it didn’t work was if there were too many trees around our site. We loved watching the footy and having movie nights. Some days it was incredibly windy or stormy where we were camped, and we were limited as to what fun we could have outdoors, so it was nice to have the option to kick back in front of the tv for the arvo. Certainly not an essential item to travel Oz with, but certainly a good one.

Deck chairs: I chose a reclining lounger deck chair to travel with, as I had envisioned many moments of me kicking back with a book and a cuppa tea... This vision did not eventuate as much as I thought it would. Plus this large chair didn’t fit properly around a table when eating. And if walking to another campers site for sunset drinks, it was too heavy to walk a long distance with. I personally would not do a big trip with this kind of chair again.
Benn had another large deck chair, which was also bulky and heavy.
Lennox had a Helinox chair, which was an awesome chair to travel with. Lightweight, comfortable, and a great design. Benn and I often wished we all had a Helinox for the trip.
The larger chairs were obviously comfortable to sit in, we just found them not very practical for what we needed.

First Aid Kit - this was a non-negotiable for us. You simply cannot travel without one. We had the ARB Family First Aid Kit, which literally had everything, including a Snake and Spider Bite Kit.

Tinny: Personally, our family would not travel Australia without a tinny. It was the best investment we made for the trip (apart from our car and van). Having a tinny allowed us access to so many incredible, remote spots, plus helped put food on the table. Literal game changer! We had an Almac boat-loader, which was amazing too.

Generally speaking we all have different needs and wants when travelling, and if you are full time on the road, your must-have items may differ to others who go camping only a few times a year. We all have different budgets too.

The most important this is to have fun, and be safe. So however that looks for you is perfect. Keep exploring!