Hi All,
I am considering signing up for IMWA this year. I’d be going for 10 days and looking at the cost and availability of hotels, I’m considering other options. One idea I had was to rent a car, buy a one man tent and camp for 10 days using the tent just to sleep in and the car to get around and store all my stuff in.
Does anyone have experience of camping before an IM and/or in Australia? I like the idea, and the low cost, but I’m wondering about the heat, bugs or other camping issues I may not have thought of.
I would be keen to hear your experiences.
I’ve camped before lots of triathlons but never in Australia and never for 10 days. 10 days is a long time though, you’d want to make sure you have a comfortable sleeping situation, and some ways to keep fresh. Also, would you be eating out or cooking? Have you camped much before, do you do well roughing it?
Either way, get a 2 person tent. Should be about the same cost and way more comfortable.
Thanks for your reply.
The campsite has a good shower block and I would look to eat out.
I haven’t done much camping, but I don’t mind roughing it. I guess my main concern is getting good sleep and not ending up with a crook neck or covered in insect bites before the race. I really like the idea, but my lack of camping experience counts against me. The few times I have camped I have learned it can get old real quick if things go wrong.
Thanks for your reply.
The campsite has a good shower block and I would look to eat out. I haven’t done much camping, but I don’t mind roughing it. I guess my main concern is getting good sleep and not ending up with a crook neck or covered in insect bites before the race. I really like the idea, but** my lack of camping experience counts against me. The few times I have camped I have learned it can get old real quick if things go wrong.**
If you don’t have much experience, I would not want to put myself through that for 10 days…especially the days leading up to and after an Ironman.
Treat the camping idea like any other thing you would consider for a race: try it in training before you do it in a race.
Pick a place close to home that has good swimming/cycling/running areas along with camping. Take a long weekend and camp out like your prospective race plan and see how it works as far as your ability to rest, clean up, get food, and for the peace and quiet that you would want the day before a big race. If you enjoy the experience and it does not hurt your S/B/R, then you are “trained” properly for camping out around a race weekend.
I am considering camping out for warm weather races myself, but with a tent camper trailer instead of a ground tent. We just bought a SUV specifically for pulling such trailer as well as for transporting my bike inside the vehicle that previously we strapped to the back of a small car. A camper trailer would give us better protection from the insect, a small AC/Heater and better beds than an air matress or cot. It is also a good thing that many races, running and triathlon, are centered on parks with camping areas.
I’ve done it for a few half iron distance races, and several long weekends of training. My wife and I have a large tent and an SUV so there is plenty of room for bike storage and all the comforts. We typically bring an air mattress with a mattress pad on top of that so its really comfy. We have a lot of camping gear so we have all the comforts, stove, coffee, 4 person tent, etc…etc… Its definitely not for everyone, but if you can “car camp” and bring anything you want it can be really fun. We’ve gone up to New Hampshire and Vermont for long weekends to ride and camp as well and its very inexpensive to do this. We even bring our dogs and find a local doggie day care for them so we can go and ride. Bugs (at least in the US) aren’t so bad with the right bug spray on, and we’ve always picked moderate times of year temperature wise. I would NOT want to try it anywhere it was stupid hot out as I wouldn’t sleep well that way. I also would not want to do it in a tiny one person tent. I just find those claustrophobic and unpleasant, and the idea is to have fun and enjoy being outdoors. I would definitely give it a try for a long training weekend someplace. Pick a campground with a lake and plenty of open water swimming and riding opportunities with a great shower house and facilities. My wife and I LOVE going for a long ride and then coming back to the campground to cook an early dinner near the fire with many beers. Good times!! All this being said though… if it rains a lot, its gonna suck. Even with a large tent, and another popup screened in porch type tent over the picnic table, it sucks camping in the rain for long periods of time.
SPlash out on an inflatable air mattress and a foam cover. Bring a good pillow and ear plugs. Otherwise no prob! Just stay away from the yahoo’s a few sites over partying till 3AM until after the race.
camped before races though not IM, I prefer it to hotel rooms, but have done a lot of camping…
Busselton has a mild climate and plenty of campsites, go south into the wine country too. It should be fine. Some of the campsites will have small bungalows etc for rent, might look into that too. We stayed in one in Perth, much cheaper than a hotel, and had a kitchen so we didn’t have to eat out all the time.
Don’t get a one man tent, it’s like sleeping in a condom… really cramped, claustrophobic and unpleasant… a 2-man tent is comfortable for 1, in case of rain it’s good to have a little room to relax in.
I like the Marmot Ajax 2-man, try coupon code ACJMAR4 for another 25% off that price…
Thanks for all the replies. It’s been really useful to get a bit of realism into the idea. After reading the replies, I looked into a slight variation which looks ideal. I looked at renting a 2 man camper van and then renting a plot on a campsite. Much cheaper than a hotel, van and campsite have kitchen facilities, it’s still sort of camping but a bit more comfort. win win.
Doug in co: Have you done IMWA before? I take it you can park somewhere within walking distance on the day of IMWA? Just thinking of how to get to the race start on race morning.
I’ve done a lot of camping. Will not consider it before a race, well at least not an important race, but for a reason not yet mentioned: the unpredictability of your neighbors. You can end up beside an obnoxious group that stays up until 3 AM. This can happen in a hotel too of course, but it’s less likely and you at least have a wall between you and them.
I camped out once before a race. It was uncomfortable, cold, smokey (from other campers around me), and impossible to get any sleep the night before a race (a HIM). If I were to do it again, I’d make sure to get a better tent, better sleeping surface/sleeping bag, and setup my campsite way way far away from other campers. Also, I’m not sure about the Australia element; I hear everything is trying to kill you there!
Ive camped before an Xterra and 8 hour mtb race a few years back and had lots of fun. I’ve also done plenty of camping before 24 hour races - and we usually get to the race site on Wednesday, set up our pit area and hang out until Saturday. Then race all day and night… We’ve done car camping with a tent for sleeping, an old motor home and most recently a van set up with bed in the back. And we want to get a trailer…
A few things to consider that can make or break your race.
Sleeping - tents aren’t the most cozy for sleeping, especially if it’s windy or such. There is also the noise issue as mentioned before. At one 24 hour race when we had to tent camp after the RV died, it was horrible. Worst pre-race expericen ever between wind, generators and just rowdy people. With the camping van you mentioned later, you will sleep better and be protected from the elements a little better.
Food - is eating out that much before a race really going to save you money or provide what you need before a big race? We have all our cooking supplies so we can make fresh food before and after the race. You’ll need a solid cooler or fridge in the camping van to ensure the food you do have stays safe to eat. Food poisoning before a race isn’t a good way to go.
Equipment - while you might not show up to the IM with six bikes in tow, you will need some way to keep your bike away from prying eyes - and hands. As well as the rest of your gear when you are out and about.
Hygiene - showers? If there’s a shower facility at the campground it’s not an issue anymore. But if there isn’t… Just mentioning it. Saddle sores suck - invest in baby wipes
Recovery - after the race, does crawling into a sleeping bag sound appealing? If it doesn’t, then you have your answer about camping!
I’m not saying don’t camp. It’s a lot of fun and with the 24 hour races, a small community of riders develop and you get to meet some really cool people. But make sure you know what you are getting into and are prepared for everything - perfect conditions or not?
I haven’t done much camping, but I don’t mind roughing it. I guess my main concern is getting good sleep and not ending up with a crook neck or covered in insect bites before the race. I really like the idea, but my lack of camping experience counts against me. The few times I have camped I have learned it can get old real quick if things go wrong.
I’ve always camped before my IMs and HIMs not much of any issue really. However, things always ‘go wrong’ when camping and you must prepare for that - that’s half the fun!
Like others have already said, an air mattress, real pillow are required. Depending how you sleep, ear plugs may be optional. I’d think that a one person tent would not work - you will also need a screen tent and a comfortable chair to recline in the days prior to the race - and the day after. Hydration is important - I always find that I need more water intake while camping. This will compound your pre-race hydration strategy and you’ll need to think this through. If you just drink a bunch of water the days before your race - a disaster awaits you as you reach the marathon portion of the IM.
If the campsite has shade, keep the bike locked in the car. If the car is not in the shade, you’ll need to buy a cable and lock for the bike.
You’ll need to spend some money to do this correctly - you really only realize the cost savings with a few camp trips after the initial investment. If this will be a one camp trip deal, you eat out, and don’t cook meals yourself - you may be better off in cheaper hotels.
Comfort would not concern me, I’d be more worried about the bugs and critters in that region. You should pm some of the locals who have already chimed in on this thread to get a better understanding of what awaits you. My camping has been in Europe and North America. Not much to worry about with insects other than a little scratching if you are bit. But that is why you would really want the screen tent. You just can’t sit at the picnic table for a week prior to your race.
I really, really like the suggestion to try this out before hand - If you have a long weekend coming up - pitch a tent in the backyard - spend Thursday night in the tent - stay outside all day Friday with your normal planned workout - sleep Friday night in the tent - do your long bike ride on Saturday - Sat. night in the tent, and wake up and do your long sunday run. That should give you a pretty good idea if this is something that you would want to do for 10 days.
if you bring a pillow and buy or borrow the thickest thermarest pad, it’s very comfy. A 2 man tent is more comfy and less hot. Get a stove so you can feed youself, no sense eating crappy restaurant food, plus you can make coffee. Camping is fine, people just get tired because their setup isn’t good.
Camping for 10 days with some low budget setup would be dismal.
This is how we used to rough it when camping, wish I still had “Wilma” the popup camper. So comfy inside, refrig inside and stove but did all cooking outside.
