Blog: Minimum For Maximum Bush Experiences

Minimum For Maximum Bush Experiences

No doubt, for the Overlanding and Camping fraternity, there are gazillion gadgets, equipment, toys, instruments, and items and, and, and … that we would want for absolutely any usage including for vehicle set-ups, for tents and trailers, for camping, cooking, and solar energy and, and, and …. and we can all so easily justify the necessity of buying each and every item conceivable not only at a whim, but in a subconscious way.

We are the leaders in “breaking banks” as we can browse through any catalogue or walk down any isle in any Camping or Overlanding store and convincingly justify the need to purchase each and every single item on display as if they are an absolute necessity and critical for our upcoming adventure.

The end result of our behaviour and exuberance is overweight vehicles with protrusions all over the place making tight and challenging bush trails and terrains a nightmare to navigate, a lack of packing space for things that really count like luxury camping chairs, larger camping tables and an abundance of eats and drinks and lastly, being distracted from a true and legit bush experience by all these “freeloading” gadgets.

So where do we draw the line? – when do we stop with all those vehicle fitments and stop the hoarding of all that equipment that most of us will only use 3 or 4 times a year and dare I say, never?

I say …. NEVER! 

Shocked? You probably are but here is my point – for most of us, escaping to the bush hinges around work commitments, domestic responsibilities, school holidays and general life hacks and so, unfortunately, in any given year, we do much less Overlanding and Camping than we would like and so, what do we do at home for the rest of the time?

Well, for us Overlanders and Campers, doing an actual sortie in the bush is when we Execute our Dream but for the absolute rest of the majority of our time back home, is when we Plan our Dream.

So, the whole process of planning our dream sortie includes shopping, fitting, adding, eliminating, upgrading, swopping, cleaning, packing, re-packing, building, modifying, testing, re-testing, repairing, (have I mentioned shopping), fixing, shifting, replacing, comparing and admiring what we have created – all these are just as much fun and enjoyment as the actual bush excursion is. So, the dream starts long before we hit the road, it starts months or weeks before and this too is just as exciting. Let us admit, when we walk into an Overlanding or Camping store, we instantly get infused with elevated levels of dopamine and that becomes addictive and …. expensive, but dopamine is good for you, not so? We just can’t get enough stuff!

Okay, let me reign myself in now because you all get the point of how fanatical we Overlanders and Campers are …. Only purchase and install and take what you really need on your next adventure. It will make your trip simpler and easier.

All of us agree with that statement because really, it is logical and sensible, and this approach will satisfy those few that love biltong without fat, bread without butter, those that love non-alcoholic drinks and those who avoid challenging dirt roads because actuarially, the risk is too high. The question though is, is this who we wanna be? Really?

I guess that at the end of the day though, it’s what you want that counts as long as you accept that it’s okay to sit with a garage filled to the brim with Overlanding and Camping gadgets but, that does not mean you have to haul everything with you on every trip (and this is probably the only sensible statement in this whole blog) 

Which type of Overlander and Camper are you? … Are you the Minimalistic “brown bread and butter” type or the Over-The-Top Exuberant “oysters and caviar “type on Kubu Island?

Harry Nicolaides

Wannabe Wild Camper