Thread: Defender Minimalism

Originally Posted by MrLandy

OK...Think I've got it... So it's off the ground so the spiky ruff stuff can't get you and you can put your snakeskin boots underneath, and then you also put your duvet underneath! to keep warm, and you don't bend like a banana but you can't sleep on your front, and you can't share it with someone else unless you're an Olympic gymnast ������ and....not only that, but you can load it into your Landy with your tent, swags and kitchen sink. ...loving the minimalism!

Don't forget this is intended for hiking so people are able to actually carry everything they need in a backpack. How minimal is that!
Snake Skins aren't boots, they're a bag for keeping the sleeping gear in.
I think the idea of being able to pack the whole sleeping arrangement into a backpack, plus some cooking gear and food, sounds just great. If I can just throw the backpack in the back of the Defender and motor off, even better.
Actually, it could live in the Defender. Be prepared, they say.

Yeah, just teasing you about your snakeskin boots Mick 😎 ...absolutely, nothing more minimal than walking. In the warm country you can just go with a handline and sleep on the sand...done that 😊
The discussion is really interesting where it becomes about where exactly to draw the fine minimalist line and curbing the cultural desire to be overly prepared...

Minimalism and lightweight camping is something I practice when bushwalking and I am bringing that to the Defender. I am currently over hauling our camping setup and considering removing some additions that were added when we last travelled and going back to simplicity and lightweight.

This is a nice quote by Bruce Lee which seems relevant here:

"In building a statue, a sculptor doesn't keep adding clay to his subject. Actually, he keeps chiselling away at the inessentials until the truth of its creation is revealed without obstructions. Thus, contrary to other styles, being wise in Jeet Kune-Do doesn't mean adding more; it means to minimize, in other words to hack away the unessential.
It is not daily increase but daily decrease; hack away the unessential."

Its good to hear the chat about camping hammocks, I make them down here in Tassie so happy to answer any questions.

....Love this topic!

I think for everyone, it is about finding their balance of minimalism and practical convenience. We're all somewhere on that bell-curve, but all scattered at different points along that curve.

MY spot on that curve just changed with the arrival of a baby boy to add to wife and dog. So.....now more than ever I am interested in what you all have to say/think about reducing the unnecessary but keeping the helpful.

What items do you find have multiple purposes that lend themselves to saving space and packing effort. I think for most of us, the act of packing and unpacking can be the difference between a quick trip in the bush, and too hard to leave the house.

For me, the little things add up fast (cutlery, plates, pot, pan, billy, mugs) any golden nuggets?

Hi TG,
Best thing we've found has been the slide out drawer (home made)and vertical water Tank "Boab", In particular the drawer means the kitchen and eating can be got underway whilst Dad (me) gets the tent set up.
Oh, also the Black wolf quick erect means no more feeding of poles/taking ages to set up the tent.

Yep the quick up tents are the way to go. I have a cheaper version of your Wolf tent in a Coleman Instant Up Gold series with the HD floor and upper. It is up and fly on within 2 mins. Pegging out obviously takes longer but it's an up and straight in process if raining. Never go back to a pole insertion type. Talking about minimal Instant up tents are heavy compared to glass pole types. 20odd KG for a 6v...but again I wouldnt skimp on it. Also I reckon I save 15kg plus in not drinking beer. Cheers!

I roll my clothes up to save packing space. Can fit a lot more in that way because it reduces the airspaces.

Originally Posted by ThorneGator

....Love this topic!

I think for everyone, it is about finding their balance of minimalism and practical convenience. We're all somewhere on that bell-curve, but all scattered at different points along that curve.

MY spot on that curve just changed with the arrival of a baby boy to add to wife and dog. So.....now more than ever I am interested in what you all have to say/think about reducing the unnecessary but keeping the helpful.

What items do you find have multiple purposes that lend themselves to saving space and packing effort. I think for most of us, the act of packing and unpacking can be the difference between a quick trip in the bush, and too hard to leave the house.

For me, the little things add up fast (cutlery, plates, pot, pan, billy, mugs) any golden nuggets?

Congrats on the son. You're a couple of months ahead of me, and with two pups and SWMBO I have had to have a very hard think about camping style. My FFR 110 is useless-only two seats though ample load space. I can fit two pups and a child in my 110 County but it doesn't leave a lot of room for gear and as soon as there is a second child it'll be another rethink due to canine size. Unfortunately one of the pups is a 'special needs' variety and can't be left at a kennel, and these animals rule out a roof top tent too.
In my bachelor days I used to pride myself on only taking items that would actually be used. A bag of clothes, a milk crate of water, three plastic tubs of food for a couple of weeks, one tub of cooking gear, a table, bedding, chair and RTT. Didn't even have a fridge most of the time. But now I have a significant other.

A trailer is one solution, but I've never been much of a standing camp person, so camper trailer tents aren't desirable to me. A box trailer might be okay, but trailers generally have drawbacks with manoeuvrability and tow vehicle strain.

For me, a dual cab ute will fit the bill I suspect. I hope...


I find the most space-intensive comfort items are chairs. Comfort versus volume and awkward shape is a challenge. The $10 kmart specials that are often found burnt in fireplaces are not worth taking imho, though I persisted with one for years.

Also, don't forget you can store things in the roof over the load space, whether bungee mesh, baskets or a solid shelf-all have been done by members here and great for soft/squishy light stuff.