Picnic case update ...

Given I posted of the updated beverage case, it seemed fair to include a picnic case update.  

We've used various baskets/cases (hah - basket cases!) over the years.  In earlier times we picnicked as a family and needed more plates, cups, cutlery etc, so had a larger format.  

I still have that green bag to use, when there are more of us out together.

These days it's just Nick and I most of the time.  A picnic-for-two set-up seemed more apt.  

I succumbed to Covid early last year and when I tired of watching YouTube, I upcycled a small lawn bowls case to picnic case (in between naps).  It wasn't until mid February that it had it's first outing, but I've enjoyed using it since. I like picnics!

The little red case holds some cutlery, two larger plates, a small serving tray and a cutting board, while the beverage case has other cutlery, two sets of smaller plates, two saucers and a baby cutting board.  They work well together on occasions when we have an extra person - or want to use more plates!

The beverage case has a stash of tea-bags and some coffee bags.  It's recent overhaul means there's now ground coffee for Nick's travel press, the press and my small teapot. You can see better pics of its contents, here.

Both cases have tablecloths, cos not all picnic tables are suitable to use as they are. The red case has a re-usable rubbish bag and a roll-top wet bag for washing up.  The beverage case used to have a plastic bag for washing up but we don't have many and I'm thinking of making a wet bag for it, also.  (Usually there is a mini tea-towel cos we rinse cups and dry them for re-use during the day).

Not long after converting the red bowl case, I found another red bowls bag made by the same company.  While still vintage, I think it might be a little "newer" based on the logo.  They look good together, though I'm yet to decide on a purpose for it!  It might work to carry a few non-esky items but would require some small tweaks to the interior and I'm not ready to commit to those, just yet.

We updated our stove last year.  As much as we like using the small dual fuel stoves, we've had several and they don't last as long as we might like for the price tag.  The butane one was bought on special for $30.00 and has been working well, so far.  It often stays packed in the car along the with the two cases, the kettle bag (with kettle!) and a 5-litre container of water.  

We take an esky for the food and lately I've been using an insulated drink bottle to hold milk, for extra chilling during the day.  If I'm feeling very flash, I'll pack ice cubes in one of our wide-mouthed thermoses for drink bottle top-ups!

Beverage case revamp ...

I generally take a teapot away with me, whether camping or staying in a cabin.  Nick isn't so fussy but was given an Espro Travel Press for Christmas - and liked using it at Chinchilla.  

We recently travelled into New South Wales to visit family and planned a picnic enroute, so I packed Nick's coffee maker.  

I happened to have my small teapot as well, packed more for our stay than along the way - but I enjoyed having it at the picnic table.

Both travel press and teapot were used on our homeward trip - and since, which prompted a rethink of the beverage case contents.  The case was an upgrade in 2015 and is still going strong.  Given it's usually just Nick and I picnicking these days though, I took out some excess cups to make room for the travel press, ground coffee and my smallest teapot.  Some small adjustments were necessary but all is now fitting nicely. 

I then used a magic sponge to remove some scuff marks from the outside of the case and wiped over with Koh cleaner also.  It's looking pretty good for it's age and eight years of regular use.  Not bad for a $5.00 investment, eh?! 

Chinchilla-ed celebrations!

New setup for the New Year!  We had intended to take our "new" Spacevan away in November but wet weather foiled our plans, so we stayed in a budget cabin at Tin Can Bay instead.

We didn't receive our new car till early December, so this was the first trip for it and the 2015 Spacevan. 

There wasn't a lot of planning.  Our destination was only chosen when we stopped for lunch, 1.5 hours/120 km after leaving home!

We thought we'd just stay one night away, though decided on a second night soon after arrival.  

There was some synchronicity in going back to Chinchilla, which had been the final campsite for our previous Spacevan and Elmer the Gold, back in April (on the way home from our Carnarvon Gorge-ing).  Mr Dog was very excited to join us for this trip, though was not impressed with all the ants taking over his food bowl! 

We departed home on our 18th wedding anniversary.  After consulting the archives we realised it was our 28th camping adventure, in just over 15 years.  There have been various upgrades over that time, since hiring a soft floor camper in late 2008 then buying basic gear in very early 2009 (and needing two cars to carry us and everything else to a free camp fairly close to home)!  

Here's to many more happy adventures!

Tin Can Bay!

We booked to stay at Stanthorpe (in our "new" Spacevan) to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our first "real" date but that plan was canned due to wet weather, so we ended up at Tin Can Bay instead!

Nick arrived home from night-shift, we packed the car and then I drove several hours up the coast, to our budget cabin accommodation.

We enjoyed the quieter surrounds and exploring.  We had fun feeding dolphins, meeting some locals at an open mic, admiring Rainbow Beach and doing a daytrip to Hervey Bay.

The cabin had a microwave, some plug-in hotplates and a frypan - but that worked out well.  We dined all fresco on the verandah, listening to the flying foxes and enjoying the stillness. At one stage, Nick went inside to refill his drink and I noticed a few mozzies, so suggested we both retreat inside. Hah. Seemingly they'd been so busy biting him previously that none had attempted to bother me! 

I tried something different this trip and packed one of our wide-mouth thermoses with ice before leaving home - so we had icecubes for our drink bottles en route and on arrival.  That was a bit flash! (I think it was during our Big Loop trip that we first packed flexible ice cube trays and those came away this time also).

Suck it up!

We did a local hike about a week before heading out to Carnavon.  I took a (purple) fashion backpack and my purple insulated drinking bottle. It's fair to say neither was up to the task!  

I love the drink bottle but did not love taking my backpack off multiples times to access said bottle.  Of course, 600ml was nowhere near enough water for the day's hike.  

The day after that local hike, we took advantage of an Anaconda sale to purchase two day packs - and a two litre hydration bladder for me.  

I have some back issues, so am mindful of how much weight I carry - and chose a small pack.  Nick opted for a pack with greater capacity, cos he carried a lot of food etc during our Carnavon walks.

We've used our packs a few times since April, when walking closer to home.  I folded a Daiso light insulated bag around my hydration bladder, while I pondered a better option.   

Earlier this week, we did a local-ish walk.  The drinking tube was very handy, though I wasn't so keen on the warm water mouthfuls.  

After Googling and YouTube research last night, I got up this morning and sewed an insulated cover for the tube as well as an insulated bag to fit properly around the hydration bladder (which then sits inside an inner pocket of my pack).

I made Erin an insulated lunch at the beginning of the year.  I found two offcuts from that project, which were ideal for the drinking tube cover.  (The whole tube didn't require covering as some of it will be inside the insulated bladder cover).  My next task was to create a simple bag for the bladder.  That made up very quickly also.  I just lightly quilted two fabric pieces to insulated batting, trimmed those to size, overlocked all the raw edges - then sewed the two pieces together.  

Ta-dah!  I'm looking forward to some field testing of my good work!

Makin' the bed!

One of the major benefits of the Cub Spacevan - is the space!  As well as the large floor area, the higher walls allow for an innerspring mattress.

Our offer for the local Spacevan was accepted as we were heading to my usual chiro treatment (so you can see the appeal of a proper mattress).  

We visited a Makin Mattresses showroom later the same day.  Their Matilda range is specifically intended for RV use.  

The height of the Spacevan meant we could choose the most comfortable, deluxe option.  

After taking careful measurements, we placed our order the following Monday.

Our custom mattress was ready for collection on Friday of the same week, much earlier than advised or expected!  I'd ordered a canvas cover and that arrived the same morning, so everything clicked into place nicely!

We set the bed up as we had done with our previous mattresses, in the D9 camper and 2006 Spacevan, using some irrigation matting to provide ventilation. 

The canvas mattress cover will keep our bed and bedding dry/clean - as the canvas walls and roof pack down into the camper/onto the bed when travelling.  If we have a particularly cold night, we can pull the canvas cover over our other bedding, for an extra layer of warmth - like a swag.

Setting up the exterior ...

Our first Spacevan had an interior kitchen, with an exterior BBQ and slide-out pantry. 

After our first trip in that Spacevan, we worked on better organisation of the pantry drawer (along with other missions).

The plastic baskets fit the new Spacevan, though I've filled one with our plates etc rather than the plastic containers.  

One of the many ads I viewed showed an exterior kitchen with expandable cutlery drawer - so I bought a similar one from Kmart to try.  It may be that I can fit another shallow container on top for a few longer utensils but I'm happy with the plan so far.

Kmart also had a "magnetic laundry station".  It fits quite well beside the window and I'm hoping it can hold a few essentials to free the limited bench area.  (It won't travel on the side of the van, just be put up when we're on-site).

I've joined a Cub Camper specific FB group, where the members share their various mods.  A few had DIYed an exterior side shelf, rather than buy the Cub version.  We also decided on a cheaper solution, using some supplies from Bunnings.

At this stage, we've only tried our improvements in the backyard.  We're hoping to have a night away soon for some proper testing!

Our 2006 Spacevan was an early model.  The 2015 design has sliding windows.  It also has bungee loops to clip the canvas into place, rather than press studs (as used previously).