Comments on: The Dress Rehearsal http://www.lighteningonline.com/2009/04/21/the-dress-rehearsal/ Simple Living... Frugality... Gardening... Cooking From Scratch... Knifty Knitter Projects.. And More. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 02:58:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Lisa http://www.lighteningonline.com/2009/04/21/the-dress-rehearsal/comment-page-1/#comment-10744 Lisa Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:49:19 +0000 http://www.lighteningonline.com/?p=1538#comment-10744 Hi Jodie Just thought I would add tot he earlier comment about the "space bags" - they also do travel ones which you just roll up once the contents are inside to compress the air out. Not sure how large they are though, but may at least fit the children's doonas in them? My girlfriend's favourite caravan items are her convection microwave (she took out the regular oven) and her cast iron electric frypan. We baked biscuits in the convection oven and made the most awesome roast lamb with the crispiest potatoes in the electric frying pan! Lis :) Hi Jodie

Just thought I would add tot he earlier comment about the “space bags” - they also do travel ones which you just roll up once the contents are inside to compress the air out. Not sure how large they are though, but may at least fit the children’s doonas in them?
My girlfriend’s favourite caravan items are her convection microwave (she took out the regular oven) and her cast iron electric frypan.
We baked biscuits in the convection oven and made the most awesome roast lamb with the crispiest potatoes in the electric frying pan!
Lis :)

]]> By: StillKindaStuffy http://www.lighteningonline.com/2009/04/21/the-dress-rehearsal/comment-page-1/#comment-10742 StillKindaStuffy Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:07:38 +0000 http://www.lighteningonline.com/?p=1538#comment-10742 You'll find that a pre-paid Internet dongle will be far cheaper than paying internet cafe fees. You’ll find that a pre-paid Internet dongle will be far cheaper than paying internet cafe fees.

]]> By: Sharon http://www.lighteningonline.com/2009/04/21/the-dress-rehearsal/comment-page-1/#comment-10739 Sharon Wed, 22 Apr 2009 01:38:56 +0000 http://www.lighteningonline.com/?p=1538#comment-10739 We have found through travelling around that Steph's next G pre-paid internet connection works really well. You have to put $20 per month on to keep it active (just like a pre-paid phone) but as you can imagine that hasn't been a problem. Steph doesn't really use it at home as she doesn't need to but it's been great for when we have been away and the service areas are just as good as your phone. Can you leave the beds made up when you fold up the caravan? We make our beds up in the camper and leave it that way. I'm a doona girl, and so is Steph. Can't stand sleeping bags. We have found through travelling around that Steph’s next G pre-paid internet connection works really well. You have to put $20 per month on to keep it active (just like a pre-paid phone) but as you can imagine that hasn’t been a problem. Steph doesn’t really use it at home as she doesn’t need to but it’s been great for when we have been away and the service areas are just as good as your phone.

Can you leave the beds made up when you fold up the caravan? We make our beds up in the camper and leave it that way. I’m a doona girl, and so is Steph. Can’t stand sleeping bags.

]]> By: Leanne http://www.lighteningonline.com/2009/04/21/the-dress-rehearsal/comment-page-1/#comment-10738 Leanne Tue, 21 Apr 2009 13:24:37 +0000 http://www.lighteningonline.com/?p=1538#comment-10738 There are so many things to experiment with and pro's and con's to everything. All part of the fun :-) Here's some of the things we've learnt/decided on along the way: We've made the switch from doonas to sleeping bags. The doonas took up too much room when we packed up. The down side of the sleeping bags is they need to be stuffed into their sacks each pack up, but MUCH more efficient space wise. If you're getting rid of the table with chairs attached, consider if your camp chairs are comfortable to eat on or if they're high enough for the roll up table. Like Gemisht said, check out other wireless providers. Telstra has the best coverage but is the most expensive. If you're sticking to major population areas, you're likely to find someone cheaper. Caravan park connections are probably the most expensive option. You'll love the roast in the Dreampot. Very yummy gravy too :-) There are so many things to experiment with and pro’s and con’s to everything. All part of the fun :-) Here’s some of the things we’ve learnt/decided on along the way:

We’ve made the switch from doonas to sleeping bags. The doonas took up too much room when we packed up. The down side of the sleeping bags is they need to be stuffed into their sacks each pack up, but MUCH more efficient space wise.

If you’re getting rid of the table with chairs attached, consider if your camp chairs are comfortable to eat on or if they’re high enough for the roll up table.

Like Gemisht said, check out other wireless providers. Telstra has the best coverage but is the most expensive. If you’re sticking to major population areas, you’re likely to find someone cheaper. Caravan park connections are probably the most expensive option.

You’ll love the roast in the Dreampot. Very yummy gravy too :-)

]]> By: Mistress B http://www.lighteningonline.com/2009/04/21/the-dress-rehearsal/comment-page-1/#comment-10737 Mistress B Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:46:51 +0000 http://www.lighteningonline.com/?p=1538#comment-10737 I'm think that I'd be doing away with the table with chairs attached. We have an aluminium one that rolls up when not in use and it takes up a lot less space. Most places have such good camp kitchens now too that when we go away if we want to eat at the table we tend to use those. I know some of the ones we've been in have full kitchen type facilities too which would make things like hamburgers much easier and quicker. Our friends who went round Australia in a camper trailer reckon that the hardest bit for them was restricting clothes and personal items. I’m think that I’d be doing away with the table with chairs attached. We have an aluminium one that rolls up when not in use and it takes up a lot less space.

Most places have such good camp kitchens now too that when we go away if we want to eat at the table we tend to use those. I know some of the ones we’ve been in have full kitchen type facilities too which would make things like hamburgers much easier and quicker.

Our friends who went round Australia in a camper trailer reckon that the hardest bit for them was restricting clothes and personal items.

]]> By: Gemisht http://www.lighteningonline.com/2009/04/21/the-dress-rehearsal/comment-page-1/#comment-10736 Gemisht Tue, 21 Apr 2009 09:17:00 +0000 http://www.lighteningonline.com/?p=1538#comment-10736 Have you got a vacuum for the van??? If so could you use the space bag thingies that you vacuum the air out of them for all the quilts etc...... Make sure you look into other providers as well as Telstra - you should be able to get coverage maps from the different providers so that you can work out who the best would be to use. When we "lived" in the caravan at the farm, Mum used to love things like tacos as it was easy to feed a bunch of people in different shifts. Also look into whether the caravan parks have a BBQ that you can use - send Farmboy off to cook the meat while you prepare the other bits and pieces. And he could toast hamburger buns on the BBQ too :) Have you got a vacuum for the van??? If so could you use the space bag thingies that you vacuum the air out of them for all the quilts etc……

Make sure you look into other providers as well as Telstra - you should be able to get coverage maps from the different providers so that you can work out who the best would be to use.

When we “lived” in the caravan at the farm, Mum used to love things like tacos as it was easy to feed a bunch of people in different shifts. Also look into whether the caravan parks have a BBQ that you can use - send Farmboy off to cook the meat while you prepare the other bits and pieces. And he could toast hamburger buns on the BBQ too :)

]]> By: river http://www.lighteningonline.com/2009/04/21/the-dress-rehearsal/comment-page-1/#comment-10735 river Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:42:25 +0000 http://www.lighteningonline.com/?p=1538#comment-10735 Wouldn't a tightly rolled doona take up just the same space as a rolled up sleeping bag? Why do you have to roll them up anyway? Couldn't they just be left on the beds? I can understand packing up things that would roll around and get spilled/broken/otherwise damaged.....but doonas? They'd just lie flat. Can you tell I've never been caravanning? Wouldn’t a tightly rolled doona take up just the same space as a rolled up sleeping bag? Why do you have to roll them up anyway? Couldn’t they just be left on the beds? I can understand packing up things that would roll around and get spilled/broken/otherwise damaged…..but doonas? They’d just lie flat. Can you tell I’ve never been caravanning?

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