Swanndri & Ironclad - Summer Camping Checklist
We've been cooped up too long. It's time to get out of here (the office, the city, the general indoors) and out there (the outdoors).
Thankfully, summer's almost here. And with it, the sunburnt, salty, sand-in-your-undies awesomeness of summer camping. But after the long, wet winter we've had, you'd be forgiven for forgetting what exactly you need to pack.
That's why we've put together this quick checklist. Whether it's last-minute prep or months-ahead planning, we've got you covered with what you need for good food and good times when you're out camping.
Here we go:
- Sunblock. Sunhat. Sunglasses. Because it's summer. In New Zealand. C'mon.
- Bikini and/or budgie smugglers. There's plenty of people around this time of year, making skinny dipping a bit hard. But a these are about the next best thing and won't (necessarily) get you reported to the local community police.
- Towels. Scratch that. They take up too much space. Drip dry.
- Feldon Shelter. This is already attached to your car, so you don't really need to pack it. But just in case. If you don't have one, get one. It'll change your life.
- Beats for the car ride and the campsite. Download some for the inevitable no-reception patches during the drive there.
- Fishing kit. A hex wobbler and a handline are about all you need at this time of year to catch the mighty Kahawai, the people's marlin, the ultimate provider, the outrageously underrated fighting and eating fish.
- Something to cut things with. We recommend the sustainable ones with handles made from wool (of course we would), like those made by Shear Edge.
- Matches or a flint to light whatever you're going to warm your saveloys on.
- A pair of tongs to turn your saveloys.
- Some real food, other than saveloys. If you need some ideas, My Food Bag have created some handy recipe cards for epic and easy camping tucker as part of our Ironclad giveaway.
- Speaking of: Ironclad cast iron cookware - we'd of course recommend the limited edition Swanndri x Ironclad Dutch Oven, developed specifically for camping and campfire cooking. Better still, the box it comes in is perfect for kindling to get your campfire started.
- And finally, to cap it all off, probably the easiest thing to pack because you'll be wearing it - your warm woolly Swanndri to snuggle into later on in the evening while you share yarns around the campfire.
As you can see, it's not exhaustive, by any means. But that's kind of the point of camping, right? Making the most of using (and taking) less. The beauty in the basics. The awesomeness of the essentials. The good times that happen when you simply get out there.