Parents’ best ever camping hack is what we all need

Two WA parents turned a boring caravan function into an entertaining hub that’s the envy of campers everywhere.

When other travellers stroll past Rick and Kerstin’s campsite in the early evening hours, they often have to pause and do a double-take.

“They often walk by and stop and have a look again,” Kerstin, from Mandurah, WA, tells Kidspot.

“People don’t expect to see what we’ve set up - we’ve never seen anyone else with one either.”

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The best camping hack for parents. Image: Supplied

Camping 'must-haves'

While the couple’s off-road and off-grid caravan is only just a few months old with lots of nifty features, it’s the placement of a few, er, key essential items in an outdoor compartment known as a ‘spice rack’ - which was initially completely unintentional - that is attracting the most FOMO attention in person and online.

“We’d just moved into this new Wonderland caravan, working out where everything should go,” Rick, 41, says.

“I started off by putting a couple of bottles of scotch in there, along with the sunscreen and sauces and it just looked so messy.”

Rick, who does much of the cooking for his family, who includes son, Leo, 10, and daughter, Remi, 6, moved everything but the scotch to the slide-out ‘toolbox’ drawer next to the outdoor kitchen, where it would be much more accessible.

“The spice rack looked really empty, then I remembered we had all these things for cocktails that we never used because they were stored in a cupboard inside the caravan, so I decked it all out for Christmas last year and it’s stayed,” he says.

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Entertaining on the road

The full time travellers, who document their adventures around Australia via their Instagram, Livin in Sanity, say the bar has come in far handier than they expected when it comes to sundowners on campsites.

“We weren’t big drinkers at home or on the road and the bottles last us a long time, but it’s more of a social aspect - the five o’clock chat around the campfire,” Kerstin, 35 says.

“You’ll always find families chatting to each other after the kids have been playing together, and you share stories about where you’ve been and where you’re going. Having this space attracts people, because they do say, ‘Oh, is that a bar?’ and it starts a conversation.”

Rick and Kerstin’s tipples of choice are scotch, gin and Sailor Jerry spiced rum, but they aren’t averse to a fancy cocktail or two. 

“We had Christmas with two other families on the banks of the Sherwood River in Tassie, and Rick made espresso martinis for everyone and it was a really fun time,” Kerstin, who runs her own business remotely, says. 

While the bar is a lifestyle bonus for the couple, who have been travelling for the past two years, they believe they’ve made the best practical use of the space all round. 

The spice rack is enclosed by a fold up table, which is too high for the family to use for meals, but makes the ideal height for a bar-style drinks spot where multiple adults can rest an arm while they sip their drinks.

Setting up the bar takes just a couple of seconds, with two latches to open and it’s ready to go.

There’s been no worry about any of the bottles going mysteriously missing, either. The latches are protected by a lock, preventing thirsty thieves from rifling through the stash.

While the couple haven’t had to drive over majorly bumpy tracks so far, they recently crossed the Nullarbor Plain to arrive in Esperance, and all bottles and glasses arrived intact.

“I use cut-up stubby holders in between some of the bottles to make it all wedged in and the table shuts it up all tight,” Rick explains.

“I think I’ll be able to keep them safe, even on the corrugated roads.”

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Life on the road isn't always easy

As they continue their travels throughout Western Australia and beyond, Kerstin and Rick are all about keeping things simple to get the best out of the adventure that they spent many months planning and saving for.

“Some days it is difficult,” the mum-of-two admits.

“You’re in a small space with your children and your spouse, and life still happens. We do carve out time alone when we need it, but the key is you have to enjoy your family’s company because you’re with them 24/7. But for us, a difficult day on the road in a beautiful spot is still better than a good day at home.

"The freedom to pick up and move your house to anywhere you want to go and spend time all together is what we’ve always wanted. As long as the kids are happy to continue, we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.” 

Originally published as Parents’ best ever camping hack is what we all need