Afterpay camping - A guide for camping outdoors on a budget

Vacations are a great way to bond and let everyone unwind from the stress of everyday life. However, nowadays, vacationing has become a stressful feat of its own. With hotels becoming increasingly expensive and tourist destinations being as costly as they are, why not find a getaway that avoids these costs? Afterpay camping on a smart budget is a good way to go about this.

Forget the high price of a trip to Hawaii or Disney World. Spending time together is priceless and memories don't have to cost a fortune. You don’t need to spend a ton of money to have a great camping experience and we’ll even show you just what you need to do to sustain yourselves on a shoestring budget and still have a great time.

Behold our handy guide for camping on a budget.

Preparation
If you and your friends prepare properly, you will save lots of money on this outdoor adventure. The more you are self-reliant, the less the trip will cost.  Knowledge costs nothing to keep, therefore, practice and preparation are your main tools in keeping your budget low. YouTube is a plentiful resource for instructional videos on outdoor skills.

 You might want to consider sharing your car or campervan with a couple of friends. Being able to splitcosts such as rental fees, campsites, and road tolls can really make a difference to your daily spending and budget.

Finding a site

If you don’t have big backyard out in the country or know a friend with a plot of land in the outback then you are probably going to have to check for nearby campgrounds. There are free sites dotted across Australia but if you can’t find a free site then your best bet is at a state or national park, state or national forest, or similar recreational camping grounds.

These plots of land commonly have areas set aside for camping and only cost around $35 or $60 per night to pitch, which is a much better deal than any hotel can offer.

Afterpay camping - getting the right equipment for the right price

Here’s a handy camping equipment checklist for the budget minded soul:

A proper tent – Make sure your tent is large enough to fit your whole group. People like their space so it may be wise to buy a tent slightly larger than the group you intend to camp with. For example, a family of 4 would probably be more comfortable in a 5- or 6-person tent.

Sleeping bags – Sleeping bags are a not only a good way to stay warm during the night but they can act as a necessary buffer between you and the ground so you do not have to suffer unwarranted back aches that will haunt you well after the camping trip.

Portable grill and camping stoves - Cook up a storm with these portable grills and stoves for your ravenous campers. It is a fun activity as well as you can feed yourselves in the process.

A cooler – If you’re going to be bringing any sort of food that can spoil, then a cooler is pretty much a must-have. From the good old beers to ice cream, you may need to evaluate the size of the cooler you need to bring with the number of people you aim to feed.

Outdoor camping toilet - For those braven souls that can bear the wilderness and relieve themselves in nature, good on you. But for those who might be a little finicky about that situation, an outdoor camping toilet would help you.

Foldable chairs and tables - You can always sit on the mud and earth or makeshift pieces of wood but foldable chairs and tables have saved many tired feet.

The Bottom Line

Once you've acquired your gear, each subsequent camping trip will be even cheaper. You may have to add to your gear from time to time, and some items will need replenishing.​

For more information on how you can pull off a budget camping trip, visit EXTG.