Undertaking a four month journey around Australia with two young girls requires careful planning and preparation. Our WAECO Products have made our camping life much more enjoyable.
CoolFreeze CF-80
The most essential item is our CF-80 fridge/freezer. The biggest benefit of the CF-80 is the ability to combine a fridge and freezer in one unit. Having a freezer has enabled us to stock up on meat and other frozen products on special saving us a great deal of money. With the children, it has also meant we can carry food items that can be prepared quickly to satisfy hungry tummies.
The large 80 litre capacity has enabled us to carry a huge range of foods and drinks such as frozen meat, ice creams, ice cubes, juice, margarine, deli meats, left-overs, beer and wine, all at appropriate temperatures.
After a hot dusty days travel there is nothing better than setting up camp and sitting back with a cold ale pulled straight from the icy depths of the CF-80. Powering our CF-80 is a breeze thanks to the three options available, 240V mains, car battery while travelling and WAECO Raps 36 Deep Cycle Batteries.
BordBar TB-15G Car Cooler
The Bord Bar is a fantastic inclusion in our vehicle, allowing us to pack all the needs for a family of four, for a day’s travelling. Conveniently located in the back seat and easy to reach for both the children sitting beside and the adults in the front.
Able to fit two 1.25L soft drink bottles, fruit and sandwiches, it is a handy day trip or picnic size fridge. The BordBar features both hot and cold settings also making it ideal to transport hot take-away meals.
On our early morning trips we packed the BordBar with milk, juice and sandwiches so that we could stop off for breakfast and lunch when it suited us. A great example of this was eating breakfast right in the heart of the Bungle Bungles after a scenic sunrise trek.
For us the BordBar has proven itself as a child barrier giving each child their own space and a handy drawing surface for colouring in books.
Raps 36 Battery Pack
We use two Raps 36 Deep Cycle Batteries to power more applications than we expected. The two Raps 36 predominantly power the CF-80. These batteries charge by either 240V mains, or in our case via Raps 12R In Car Charging Kit (sold separately) while we travel. We use one Raps 36 to power the CF-80 at camp while the second charges in car while we explore. This method enables us to
camp at unpowered sites in excess of three days.
We quickly realised the vast array of other applications we can power using the Raps 36 Deep Cycle Batteries. We run items such as our laptops, battery chargers, mobile phones and other electrical items.
The most remarkable application is when the Raps 36 is paired with the WAECO Can Size Inverter which will then power all our 240V items.
The portability of the Raps 36 has meant we can take our power anywhere.
MCI -100-12 Can Size Inverter
The size of a can of drink and able to fit in your cars drink holder, this great product instantly turns your 12V power into 240V.
The Inverter meant that we could power our dead laptop while driving, find the number of a repairer to fix a newly acquired chip in our windscreen thus saving us from losing travel time and a hefty windscreen replacement bill.
MDT 100 Wind Up Torch
We left home with three battery-powered torches and the WAECO Wind Up Torch. We are not sure where the other three torches have gone as we were sick of going through 2 batteries every night. The WAECO Torch is always on hand for night time trips to the toilet and has proven an invaluable way of comforting our three year old in unfamiliar surroundings, and if it runs out she knows how to wind the charger.
Another unexpected feature of the WAECO Torch is the handy screwdriver kit. As we always know where the torch is it means we are also never lost for a screwdriver.
Light to carry and easy to wind, you will never be without light again. No more running to the shops, no more having to charge rechargeable batteries, a quick wind and you can see again.
About the author
Great Aussie Road Trip - Inspiring families to experience Australia.
Three Kids, Two Adults and One Car... How hard can it be? Join The Power Family and other families as they travel Australia and learn first hand just how much fun it truly is!
Rachel Power wrote this article
