Australian CamperTrailers
national meet at Batlow 2013
monday
12volt,
batteries & solar panel workshop
Shane Adams of Jamie's
Touring Solutions along with wife Nikki are keen camper trailer owners &
members of the Australian CamperTrailers Group. Shane
presented
three workshops again this year,
the first on 12volt power, solar panels & batteries. This is a
topic which is discussed within the group & very often
misunderstood. To get hands on, face to face information from a
professional is a great asset to the group members.
Shane explained the
different types of batteries, their uses in off road vehicles &
camper trailers which can be very different to normal everyday
car batteries. The usual camping application is a high draw over
a number of days using a 12volt fridge, camp lights & perhaps a Cpap.
Recharging 12volt
batteries can often be a problem when camping away from 240volt
power. Solar panels are becoming more common these days as a
means of recharging 12volt batteries in the bush. Shane showed
the different types of panels available, setting up a panel to
the optimum size for your requirements & how to include a
solar regulator into the system between the panel & battery.
DC-DC chargers have become
very popular also & Shane showed how they can be included into the
system to charge the remote camper trailer battery from the
vehicles alternator when travelling.
It was
pleasing to see most had a good grasp on the subject at the end
of the workshop.
cuppa & chat
Carol hosted a cuppa & morning tea
for the ladies to meet each other. While some arrived with a cuppa in hand, most
showed the knitting, crocheting or craft projects they had been working on. Of
interest was Jenny Peisley's camper trailer quilt she had made & was
donating to the Wednesday evenings auction in aid of the Batlow Rotary.
biscuit decorating for
the kids
Alice Chaffey & Michael Wookey held a kids biscuit
decorating workshop. As you can see by the photos this activity was a big hit
with the kids putting their young imaginations into the designs.
camper trailer walkabout
Dave Cook hosted a camper trailer walkabout. Members gave
a brief talk on what they liked about their camper trailer, points they didn't like &
modifications they have done or they would like to do to make camping all
that more enjoyable.
silk handkerchief painting
Marie
Pennykid provided the opportunity for several members to participate in painting
their own silk handkerchief with instructions of how to do it. Members could
choose their own design.
cobb
workshop
To the tune of the show must go on, Gus
Skinner & Richard Wheatley jumped into the saddle to start the Cobb workshop in
the absence of Jill Skinner who was with Sharon Wheatley in hospital with Rhiaan's
suspected broken arm. They showed how the popular Cobb Cooker can be used in
camp as an alternative for cooking a range of food traditionally cooked in the
camp oven with the use of heat beads as a heat source. The Cobb can be used as an oven, a
barbecue, a smoker or a stove.
When Jill finally arrived the boys were showing how to prepare the evening dinner & went through the steps of what was
needed, lighting the heat beads, placing the chicken in the Cobb & placing the
lid on top.
led lighting
Shane Adams presented a LED lighting workshop
showing the different types of lighting available,
the beam they threw & also the intensity of light produced. In recent times there has been huge advancements in
LED lighting technology which is a bonus for us
camper trailer owners. The increase in quality has
laso seen the price fall. Shane showed what was
now available from LED flexible strips with self
adhesive backs to those on adjustable velcro backing
which can be placed anywhere. Of interest was the
green LED strip light used when insects were a
problem at night. The benefit of LED lighting is
they draw little power from the battery.
|