Adventure advice

You’ve got your tow vehicle sorted, your trailer is ready to go and all that remains is to connect the two.

A campfire is a glorious thing: it never fails to give your campsite a homely feel, it’s great for cooking and, at night, it’ll keep the chill of the evening at bay. The “bush television” (so named because people are inclined to sit and stare at it for hours) is an integral part of any camping experience – but just how do you start one? Here are a few easy steps to help you create your very own campfire.Don’t light any sort of fire if there’s a total fire ban or ‘no burn notice’ days in effect in the area in which you’re camping, or if there’s a ‘no open fires’ policy at your campground – it may be a seasonal rule (i.e. bushfire season) or a conditions-reliant one. This is one of the most important rules of camping, so it’ll likely be well signposted in order to ensure campers are aware of it.Not sure? Ask someone official such as a National Parks ranger or the owner of the campsite if you’re staying on a private property – don’t just take another camper’s word for it.Besides, if the bush you’re in is tinder dry and the wind is strong, then seriously re-consider your urge to start a campfire because those are far-from-ideal conditions in which to start a fire.Make sure your fire is in a designated fire pit, fireplace, fire ring or the like as this will make it easier for you to monitor and control the campfire, and you won’t get into any strife with officials.The correct spots for fires are usually easy to locate and should be kept clear and ready for the next set of campers.If you don’t have access to a designated fire pit then create your own: use your shovel to dig out a shallow pit and use the extracted dirt as a wind-break around the top edge of the hole.(Note: many national parks and some campsites require visitors to bring in their own wood, as gathering wood from the area is prohibited.)Okay, so let’s assume you’re camping in area where collecting wood is allowed. This is an activity where you can rope in everyone – kids, parents, friends – for a bit of fun to help get armfuls of wood from off the ground around the campsite.You’ll want to collect tinder (dry leaves, grass, twigs; anything that will easily catch fire), kindling (small skinny sticks that will quickly catch alight and help fuel the fire), thicker sticks (to help sustain the fire until the bigger wood is well alight) and logs.A fire needs oxygen so you need to set up your fire structure in such a way that the fire will always be feed air, but not too much; you don’t want it to be blasted by gusts of wind as you try to get it – and keep it – alight.Now, there are many ways to set up a fire structure – and people have their favourites – but we prefer the old-school ‘pointy tent’-style build.Put your tinder – and some scrunched-up paper if you have it – in a little bundle in the fire pit, allowing for plenty of air flow through it. Add a few firelighters if you want to give your fire an extra boost.Stand some kindling up in a tent over the top of that, so it should look roughly like an upside-down cone. Don’t smother the tinder as you want the flame to always be fed oxygen.Add thicker sticks over the top, continuing in that tent-style of structure.Okay, now its time to start your fire.Light the tinder and firelighters using matches or a lighter. Make sure the fire is getting plenty of oxygen and give it time to establish a sustained flame.Add three short logs, again in a tent style, over the top of the fire. The flame from the tinder-and-kindling combination should be continuously hot enough now to set the logs alight.The fire should soon be strong enough to sustain itself but closely monitor it for safety and add more logs when needed to keep it burning.If you built your own fire pit, scrape your dirt wind-break back over the fire-pit so that dirt covers it. Then pour water over that area.If you used a designated fire pit, let the camp fire burn down until it has no fuel left, then pour water over the embers left in the fire pit. Stir them around to scatter them and help them cool down faster. Keep doing that – pouring water and stirring – until the ash is cool to the touch, then it is safe to leave the fire pit.It’s best to go camping fully prepared with matches or lighters but if you, for some reason, don’t have access to those, then you could use:A magnifying glass: We all did this as a kid, right? No? Just me, then. Well, it’s easy enough. Make a nice little neat pile of dry tinder, hold the magnifying glass just above the tinder pile and focus the sun’s rays through the lens of your Sherlock Holmes tool to focus as small a point of light as you can on the tinder. If it’s a clear sunny day, then you should see smoke from the tinder within 30 seconds or so.A 9V battery and fine steel wool: Pull the steel wool apart and ball them up into the pieces. Rub the battery’s connector points against the steel wool and it will ignite. You can use the same method with two AA batteries duct-taped together, positive end to negative end, and rub the exposed positive point of the top battery against steel wool.A fire-starter tool: Part of any self-respecting camper’s go-to gear, a fire-starter is simply a magnesium rod, which you hold steady in one hand, and a striker, which you rub firmly against the rod to make sparks. Use those sparks to ignite the tinder and kindling structure you will have set up.

With the advent of dual-cab utes and cheap rental vans, the art of towing is in danger of dying out. And it can be intimidating in an ever-busier road environment.Learning the basics, though, isn't hard… and think of all the favours you'll curry with family and friends thanks to your new-found towing prowess!Towing requires a special set of skills that are best absorbed – initially at least – in a formal setting (during accredited training), before being practised and repeatedly honed with consistent use in the real world.And, like all skills, your towing prowess will improve the more times you hook something up behind your car.Here are our top five tips so you can tow like a pro.1. Know your weightsGVM (Gross Vehicle Mass; the maximum your vehicle can legally weigh, fully laden), GCM (Gross Combined Mass; the maximum your vehicle and trailer combination can legally weigh), GTM (Gross Trailer Mass; the maximum manufacturer-recommended axle load that your trailer is designed to carry), tow bar download (between 10-15 percent of the GTM) and more… there are many towing terms to come to, er, terms with it but the better you understand claimed and recommended capacity figures and how they all actually apply to towing, then the better equipped you'll be to tow safely and sensibly.And remember: once you start putting people and gear (say, for instance, mountain bikes) into the same vehicle, it will affect your GCM, amongst other things. The more weight you have on board the vehicle, the less weight you'll be legally able to tow.Mark Oastler's feature on the subject is an excellent preface to your next towing job.2. Get schooledYep, Crafty has preached this to you Adventurers before, but it's definitely worth saying again: do an accredited towing skills course. Just book it now.Towing is difficult. It affects the performance of any towing vehicle, and it requires from the driver a high level of patience, skill and precision.A course will help you learn how to manoeuvre your tow vehicle, how to monitor the vehicle and trailer while in motion, and how to control the whole shooting match if something untoward happens at high speeds (like trailer sway) or low speeds (like a slow jacknife).Trust us; towing won't be anywhere near as daunting if you've learned all of the proper driving techniques at the hands of an experienced teaching professional. Your confidence will increase with your new-found skills, and you'll be a better and safer tower for it.3. Check tyre pressuresYou keep an eye on your vehicle's tyre pressures to optimise ride and handling, make your vehicle safer to drive, and to reduce everyday wear and tear, and fuel consumption, don't you? So why wouldn't you check the tyre pressures on your trailer?As well as monitoring them for general wear and tear on the tread and sidewalls – particularly cuts, chips and tears – it also pays to make sure that correct tyre pressures are always maintained.Check them before, during and after any trip, and check pressures when the tyres are cold so you get an accurate reading. And always use a reputable tyre-pressure gauge; for example, something from ARB or Ironman 4x4. A two-dollar job from the corner garage won't cut it.4. Keep an eye on itWhen you're behind the wheel, you will be paying a LOT more attention to what's going on. As part of that, you need to monitor how your tow vehicle is working for you. Is the engine under stress? You may need to change gear. Is the steering a bit light? Your load might not be well placed on the trailer.As well, you'll need a feel for how the trailer is behaving. Does it feel like it's 'porpoising' (bobbing up and down on the towball)? You may need to drop a few km/h off your speed. Does it feel like it's tugging at the rear of the car? Again, that might be load-related.It's a great idea to have a 15-minute rest stop every two hours, too. While you're stopped, have a good walk around the trailer to make sure everything is fine.Check the tow bar, the coupling, trailer plug, wheels and tyres, chains – everything. If it's a caravan, make sure that the doors and windows/hatches are still securely fastened in position. If it's a car or bike, make sure it's still well lashed down, and that the excess strapping is tucked away.A full check really won't take long, and it'll mean you can be back on the road with peace of mind that your vehicle and trailer are right to go.5. Back it upThis is another aspect of towing that makes some people anxious, but with dedicated practice, reversing a trailer, boat, caravan or even a car trailer won't seem like such a big deal.As mentioned earlier, do a course, and then practise, practise, practise. Do that in an open space when you're first getting the hang of it so the chances of hitting something – or someone – is minimal.Before reversing for real, have a good walk around of the area in which you're about to back up. When reversing, slow and smooth wins the race, so thoroughly scan the area, edge backwards and use small steering inputs.Remember: turn your steering wheel right-hand down to go left and left-hand down to go right – and take your time. It's always handy to have someone standing in plain sight of the driver so they can give clear directions and alert the driver to any sudden hazards or obstacles.If you're heading off-line, stop, edge forward a little bit to straighten up, and then try reversing again.

Prevention is better than a cure, everyone knows that, but sometimes things simply happen. In the world of off-roading, tyre punctures are a definite possibility. You might be the most vigilant driver around – checking your tyres' condition, inspecting them for wear and tear, cracks, splits, cuts but your tyres may still cop an errant nail, screw or stick in the tread or sidewall; and that's puncture time.Your tyres are your points of contact with the ground, so never drive for any great distance when you know one or more of your vehicle's tyres are punctured. The simple solution is to fix the puncture, so you can drive the, hopefully, short distance to reach a tyre professional who will then properly fix the tyre or replace it. Be prepared with a good tyre-puncture repair kit, know how to use it and then you'll be ready for action when the time comes.Note: Only use a tyre-puncture repair kit on tubeless-type tyres. Also, and this is a great tip from aftermarket supplier ARB: "Never attempt a repair on a tyre that shows signs of internal or external structural damage such as exposed belts, sidewall bulging, ply separation, cracks etc."A tyre-puncture repair kit should include a carry case and all of the gear you need to achieve a temporary fix of a puncture, which will give you enough leeway on that repaired tyre to safely reach a tyre-repair professional in order to have it properly fixed.As with any gear, you get what you pay for so when it comes time to buy a tyre-puncture repair kit, spend as much as you can afford because that way you'll ensure you have the best quality equipment onboard. In this yarn, we're using an ARB Speedy Seal Mk2 kit ($49).The tools and materials in a tyre-puncture repair kit include:A pair of pliers: Use these to remove the cause of the puncture (i.e. the nail, stick etc).Lubricant: Use this on the reamer to ease its way into the hole.The reamer: It looks like a cross between a short ice pick and a drill bit with a handle. The reamer is used to probe the puncture, clear away any remaining debris and temporarily separate the tyre's steel belts without damage, helping to smooth the way for the repair cords/plugs.The cord-insertion tool: Looks like a cross between a sewing needle and an ice pick. You use this to, you guessed it, insert the repair cord into the puncture.Repair cords: Thick strings of spongy cord that you insert into the puncture to fill the hole and make the tyre temporarily safe to drive on.Some kits, like this one, include valve accessories, a blade (to trim the repair cords) and more.Make sure your vehicle is on as flat ground as possible, is switched off, in gear and the handbrake is engaged. If possible, do all of your repair work while the tyre is still on the vehicle, that way its weight will help you maintain a stable working area while you fix the puncture.Find the punctured spot, and pull the offending object (stick, nail etc) out of the hole with a pair of pliers, as provided in the ARB Speedy Seal Mk2 kit.Then you need to clean the hole as best you can so no left-over material can cause any further problems and your repair cord has a clear hole in which to adhere.Smear the kit's lubricant on the reamer – this is the tool with the spiral, drill-bit-like shaft – then insert the reamer into the puncture to clear the hole. Move the reamer around in the hole, in circles, in order to make the hole a bit bigger, separate the steel belts, then pull the reamer out. Now's the time to reinflate the damaged tyre to help wth insertion of the cord.Next, thread a length of repair cord through the eye of the insertion tool so there are equal lengths of cord protruding from either side of the tool. Then smear a bit of lubricant on the insertion tool if necessary and push it into the hole until only a little bit of the repair cord is visible. Hold the tool's metal hilt against the tyre, and pull the insertion tool out. Do not twist the insertion tool's handle. Trim the ends of the repair cord so they aren't protruding too much, inflate your tyre back to the suitable pressure and away you go. I've been on desert trips where some fellow travellers have been forced to drive for hundreds of kilometres over sand dunes and corrugated dirt tracks on tyres repaired with a kit such as this, but it's better if you avoid doing that if you can.Our recommendation is to have the fixed tyre repaired by a professional as soon as you possibly can.

Your tyres are your vehicle's only point of contact with the ground, and in an off-road situation, your choice of rubber matters.

Snow's a funny old thing... it looks so lovely and firm and supportive, and really, it's just not that at all for the most part. It's cold and slippery and wet and treacherous and I'm not a fan, really.

There's one absolutely correct tyre pressure for your vehicle that will work every time on every type of terrain. Do you want to know what that one absolutely correct tyre pressure is? It's whatever works at that particular moment on that particular terrain.There is no one magical PSI (pounds per square inch) tyre pressure figure that you can apply every time to every different type of terrain or situation. Your optimum tyre pressure will change according to the vehicle, the load it is carrying at the time, the terrain your vehicle is traversing, the time of day, the amount of time you've been driving on those tyres that day, the size and type of tyres you're using and myriad other variables.However, there are various approximate tyre-pressure ranges that work best on different terrain and if you operate within those parameters you will be able to drive off-road sensibly and safely. (Note: If you want to know how to deflate and inflate your tyres, read this yarn.This is a no-brainer, right? Well, a fair few people don't bother ever checking their tyre pressure and that can result in greater tyre wear and tear, less-than-ideal fuel consumption and, worse still, unsafe driving.On bitumen, recommended tyre pressures on an AWD or 4WD will generally be from around 30 psi and up but, as always, check the tyre placard on your vehicle.Always check tyre pressure when your tyres are cold (i.e. the vehicle hasn't been driven for about three hours) and only use a tyre-pressure gauge from a reputable company, such as ARB or Ironman 4x4, to get an accurate reading to make sure you're running at recommended pressure.Again, you'd think this'd be simple, but a lot of drivers set and forget a bitumen-suited pressure, don't bother ever checking and hope for the best. For firm, well-maintained dirt tracks or gravel roads, aim for between 28 and 36 psi to yield better ride and handling than would be achieved if your tyres were simply set at bitumen pressure.For lumpy, bumpy gravel tracks – say, for instance, a chopped-up Birdsville Track – set tyre pressure from 26 to 32 psi. Because you may be forced to travel at lower speeds and over bigger, sharper rocks and deeper potholed sections, tyres will need a little bit more give than if they were set at bitumen pressures, but not too much.Drop tyre pressure to between 15 and 20 psi before you drive onto sand and you'll make off-roading much easier for yourself. That 20 psi measure is a pretty good pressure as it allows you to drive along firm, hard-packed sand and then, if you have to, do short stretches of bitumen – at low speeds – in between beach runs, without the need to inflate your tyres back to road-going pressure every time.If you become bogged or have driven onto a patch of very soft sand then you may have to drop as low as 8 psi (no beadlocks) or 5 psi (with beadlocks) to help get you out.Remember you will have to adjust your driving style to suit lower tyre pressure; read this yarn.This unpredictable, but fun, slop requires judicious attention to tyre pressure at all times and may require you to go as low as 8 psi (no beadlocks) or 5 psi (with beadlocks) in order to help you get out of particularly tricky patches of it.A great general approach on any terrain is: deflate your tyres, drive, and see how you go; then adjust your tyre pressures as needed.Aim for a tyre pressure between 22 and 28 psi when driving on rocks, or even lower if the situation calls for it. You generally don't have to drop too far down from highway pressures but every now and again you may have to drop even lower those pressures mentioned above. By dropping your tyre pressure you'll reduce the risk of punctures, improve traction and make the ride a more comfortable one for everyone inside.As well as using snow chains (if required by law), maintain uniform tyre pressure, as advised by your vehicle owner's manual, to suit the conditions. NSW Transport advises that: 'Tyre pressure should be 25 PSI or higher when using chains. Tyre manufactures recommend that cars with radial tyres shouldn't travel faster than 40 km/h when fitted with chains … National Park regulations require all vehicles (except four wheel drive vehicles) in the National Park to carry chains between the June and October long weekends when driving through designated ‘snow and ice' risk sections*." (*Including Alpine Way – Thredbo to Tom Groggin; Kosciuszko Road within the National Park boundary; and Guthega Road within the National Park boundary.)Uneven tyre pressures can severely affect a vehicle's handling, especially under braking and cornering, so check that all five tyres – never forget your spare – are at the recommended pressure.Before you head back too far along firmer ground (gravel roads, bitumen), re-inflate your tyres. Driving on hard surfaces with low-pressure tyres is unsafe and may damage, among other things, your rims.To inflate your tyres, use a portable air compressor or head to your nearest servo. Portable air compressors are easy to use; attach the unit's alligator clips onto your battery's positive and negative points, and pump up each tyre back to the required levels. Opt for a solid product from a reputable company.

As with many sections of society, the world of recreational towing is unfortunately influenced by rumour, misunderstandings and misinformation.

Good and safe towing largely boils down to knowledge, skills and experience. Get some training under your belt, use a lot of patience and clock up plenty of hours towing in the real world. But there are tips and tricks to starting out well and maintaining sound habits – and it all begins with safe hitching. Here's our guide for easy hitching of your caravan.Make the whole process easier – and safer – for yourself by doing it all, start to finish, on even level ground.Trying to hitch a caravan with a 50mm coupling on a slope with too much of a gradient, means there's too much of an angle at the towball and coupling, and the coupling pin won't engage or disengage.You might think you're the most vigilant, skilled and experienced reverser of caravans known to mankind but, no matter, you will still benefit greatly from the added vision a reversing camera will afford. Either make sure you tick that option with your next new vehicle, or grab one of the many high-quality aftermarket reversing cameras available if your existing tow vehicle doesn't have a camera.If you can see just behind the tow vehicle with the towball in frame and also see the coupling, you will be able to better steer accurately towards it for easier hitching. Bonus: most newer versions of reversing cameras have guidelines – in the form of colour lines – on the screen which will help you to line up, with pinpoint accuracy, the tow ball and caravan.This is a crucial point as you really don't want any electrical cables (trailer plug cable or Anderson plug cable) dangling about while your tow vehicle and caravan are on the move. If cables are hanging they might hit or drag on the ground and if they're damaged that may cause a short or a break in the circuits and of course those are things you don't want.Use cable-ties (aka zip-ties) to secure any loose cables along the length of the cable to the caravan's A frame, so they're tucked up and out of the way. Make sure you allow enough slack in the cable(s) for when the rig is turning.Common sense perhaps but doing this will ensure that you're towing within the limits of the law and, more importantly, that you're towing safely. Towball download, along with all towing-related measures (GCM etc), is something you should never guesstimate.You never take off on a holiday with a caravan at tare weight, so check towball download (aka towball download mass) yourself, either by using portable ball-weight scales (there are nifty electronic versions available) or visit a weigh bridge and pay for the privilege.Also, remember that people are easily dazzled by a vehicle manufacturer's claimed maximum towing capacity figures, but it's absolutely crucial for a driver to always keep in mind a vehicle's real-world capabilities, including its GVM (Gross Vehicle Mass; the maximum your vehicle can legally weigh, fully laden) and GCM (Gross Combined Mass; the maximum your vehicle and trailer combination can legally weigh). If you tow the max 3500kg you won't be able to load much more of anything in your vehicle before you're well and truly illegal. Remember to factor into your equation that your vehicle will be fully loaded with driver, passengers, camping gear and more.Tip: use your local weigh bridge before heading off anywhere with a caravan, boat or trailer load.For more, read Mark Oastler's yarn hereGet in the habit of always removing the safety chains only when the coupling has been raised off the towball and the caravan handbrake is fully engaged. Undoing the safety chains last, thus keeping it connected to the tow vehicle, will prevent the caravan from rolling away if the caravan handbrake disengages or otherwise fails when you're in the process of unhitching.Note: This and other towing-related yarns in Adventure have been completed with the expert help of an Australian towing legend, who wishes to remain anonymous, but who we will call "Old Mate" for now. Thanks, bloke – you know who you are.

Here's our comprehensive checklist of what to sort out before you head off.