Camping

Real touring camping gear is what survives a season of corrugations, salt air, dust storms and 40-degree days. The difference between budget gear and serious touring gear shows up around month three: cheap rooftop tents leak, awning frames bend, fridges struggle in heat, drawer slides bind. Touring gear has to handle ambient temperatures from below zero in alpine country to 45-plus in the desert, salt and corrugations on coastal tracks, and the simple wear of being deployed and packed dozens of times a year.

This collection is the gear we use ourselves and the gear we recommend to customers building rigs that will see real use, not just weekend showroom outings. Ultimate Offroad stocks rooftop tents from The Bush Company, modular touring systems from Front Runner, premium fridges, and the storage and lighting that makes a camp work.

KEY CATEGORIES AND WHAT THEY'RE BUILT FOR

ROOFTOP TENTS

Hard shell rooftop tents (The Bush Company AX27/MAX, Kanga, Cap-Plus) deploy in 30 to 60 seconds and pack down dry even when wet. They handle wind better than soft shells, last longer, and protect your bedding from dust and rain. Heavier (60 to 90kg), so suspension and roof rack capacity matter.

Soft shell tents pack smaller, fit under low garages, and cost less. The Bush Company is the brand we install most: Australian-tested, well supported, full warranty. Premium tents typically last 10 to 15 years with regular use, while cheaper tents can fail within 2 to 3 years on heavy use, which is why we steer toward the Bush Company range.

AWNINGS

An awning is the single accessory that transforms a touring camp. Set up in under a minute, gives shade and shelter for cooking, dropping the kids out of the sun, eating dinner while it rains, or working on the truck.

Front Runner Wraptor and The Bush Company 270 Series are the benchmarks. The 270 XT and 180 XT MAX deploy in under 30 seconds, cover the side and rear of the vehicle, and stay deployed in moderate wind without poles. Side and rear walls (sold separately) extend the awning into a fully enclosed space when needed. Free-standing awnings give larger coverage areas at the cost of setup time.

PORTABLE FRIDGES

A 12V compressor fridge is the highest-impact camping upgrade most touring rigs ever fit. SnoMaster, National Luna and similar premium brands maintain stable temperatures in 45-degree ambient conditions, draw 2 to 4Ah per hour at steady state, and last 10 to 15 years.

40 to 60L suits weekend-to-week trips for two; 80L+ for families or extended travel. A 60L 12V fridge typically draws 30 to 45Ah per day, so for a weekend at camp you want at least 150Ah usable battery capacity (a 200Ah AGM at 50% usable, or a 100Ah lithium at 90% usable). Pair with a dual battery system sized to the load. Browse portable fridges.

CAMP COOKING AND LIVING

Travel Buddy ovens, BOAB camp ovens, fold-flat tables, chairs, lighting and cooking systems make the difference between a functional camp and an enjoyable one. Bush Cooking covers cast iron and outdoor cooking essentials. Camp chairs include Front Runner stainless and folding options.

For longer trips and family camping, the kit list grows: water containers, gas bottles, lighting, fire-pits, recovery shovels. The point is to build a kit that works for how you actually camp, not what looks good on Instagram.

ROOF RACK CAPACITY MATTERS

A rooftop tent (60 to 90kg) plus a fridge slide on a side platform plus two jerry cans plus an awning quickly hits the dynamic load limit of factory roof racks (often 75kg). Touring builds need a rated platform like the Front Runner Slimline II or equivalent before adding rooftop equipment.

We will spec the rack as part of the camping setup, because adding a tent on an unrated rack is unsafe, and most owners do not realise their factory rack has a low dynamic load rating until it is too late.

BRANDS WE STOCK AND WHY

The Bush Company covers Australian-designed and tested rooftop tents, awnings and camping systems. The AX27 hard shell tent and 270 Series awning are our most-installed combination across touring builds, with strong build quality and full Australian support.

Front Runner brings modular Slimline II roof rack systems and the touring accessories that hang off them. The standard for full vehicle touring builds where the roof rack platform supports lights, awning, water tank, jerry cans, drawer mounts and tent in one coordinated system. SnoMaster is the premium 12V compressor fridge brand: stable performance in extreme heat, low draw, long life. We fit SnoMaster on builds where the fridge is critical to the trip.

BOAB covers Australian-made camp cooking and water storage. Cast-iron camp ovens, water tanks and the simple, durable kit that makes camp cooking work. We also stock Travel Buddy Ovens, MSA touring accessories, RAXAR camping kit, Clearview canopy systems and Explore lighting.

WHAT A QUALITY CAMPING SETUP INVOLVES

Most camping gear is owner-installed (chairs, awnings on existing brackets). Where the workshop matters: rooftop tent fitting on a new rack platform, fridge slide install with dual battery wiring, awning mounting on canopy or roof rack rails, drawer system fits, and roof rack platform installation itself.

We do these at Ferntree Gully and Pakenham as part of full touring build configurations. Walk into either workshop with the vehicle and the gear list and we can spec the install. Submit a service enquiry for a coordinated build.