Camping equipment recommendations

newagesurfer

Hi I am traveling to New Zealand next month and intend on doing mostly camping while I'm over there, so I am looking for advice on best tent, sleeping bag and sleeping mat. I will be traveling solo so want to keep weight and price down as much as I can.

my3cents

Would you not buy a tent and other equipment when you get there?

I know its a bit risky if stuff is not in stock but you could at least take a look at some NZ sites that sell camping gear and see if the prices are any better than buying here.

newagesurfer

Ya I would intend in buying stuff over there, as I will be traveling through South East Asia before then and don't want camping gear then,

my3cents

I've not looked but I would have thought it would be very hard to say what would be a good tent simply because the range available will be quite different.

If you can be bothered it would be a good idea to find your ideal tent over here so you know exactly what features you want and then try and get something similar in NZ.

What you spend and how much effort you spend on finding something good might depend on how long you intend to use it. If its only for a couple of weeks in good summer conditions you might get away with something really cheap but if staying longer or getting off the beaten track you may want to be a bit more careful and spend a bit more money.

Tabnabs

Just remember that you're coming into the southern hemisphere winter, that may impact on the quality of the gear you need.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

my3cents wrote: »

Would you not buy a tent and other equipment when you get there?

I know its a bit risky if stuff is not in stock but you could at least take a look at some NZ sites that sell camping gear and see if the prices are any better than buying here.

It depends on where you are going and what you plan on doing. It's Autum now, so the weather is starting to change, but it can be still quite warm. I was in NZ in February a couple of years ago and we trekked through all kinds of weather. Very much like Ireland in that sense.

Some walks only have huts which you need to book in advance, you are not able to camp wild and they are very strict about that. There's plenty of rangers patrolling the parks, keeping an eye on things and keeping invasive species in check. They are really serious about conservation and wildlife.

I had to pick up a set of trekking poles as my knee was giving me some bother, they were very expensive compared to back home.

The most important item you will need is "goodbye sandfly", Sandflies are demon creatures spawned from the devil himself.

You are asking for the best and to keep prices down, you can choose one of those options, not both Here's what I would be looking at if I was traveling to NZ solo, I traveled with almost identical gear to below (larger Vaude tent).

Tent - Vaude Lizard 1P

Sleeping Mat - Thermarest Neoair

Sleeping bag Synthetic fill is the way to go in order to keep the price down - Oztrail Treksmart

Enjoy your trip, NZ is a fantastic country.

newagesurfer

Thanks Iamxavier, great info.

BeardySi

Considered a hammock and tarp rather than a tent? Far cheaper than a super lightweight single berth tent, far lighter than lower end 1/2 person tents.

Main drawbacks would be you need to be sure of suitable trees where you're going, and they can be cold without an outer blanket if temps are low.

newagesurfer

Hammock and tarp is nice idea but since I cannot guarantee I will have trees to hang it from I will have to rule it out.