Being high on the idea of light travel from the hostel hopping times, both of us (Urska and Matic), and each of us on our own, developed a habit of traveling with hand luggage only. Not carrying a lot of luggage made travel so much more enjoyable – and cheap at the same time.
Then one day, I (Matic) went to a surf-trip to Portugal with a good friend Marco. We visited another friend, Walber, whom we knew from student exchange. He lived in Portugal, and had a nice young family there. And they had that marvellous old van which was perfect for surf trips.
However, not the whole family and us could sleep in the van, and with Marco, we had to get some shelter. And so we obtained a little green tent.
That day, nobody knew it has transform the way I travelled.
After camping Portugal, we flew to Madeiea and camped exclusively in that tent. From Madeira, I flew to Gran Canaria, and the story continued.
The next stop were Azores. The tent folds so small that I carry it around in hand luggage. Even better – it is small and light enough to be carried on a backpack for camping in distant locations on the treks – perfect if you visit Machu Picchu by trekking.
We used it in Slovenia, then returned to Portugal, flew with it to Australia, New Zealand, and camped under the soaring sun and heavy rain during which we were not sure whether it will flush us to the sea, all while being in this small portable house – dry.
In New Zealand, we move daily, and the beauty is that setting up and packing this tent is as easy as eating an ice cream.
In the moment of writing this article, I’m in this little green tent in a probably roughly 30th consecutive day of camping, somewhere in the woods of Abel Tasman national park in New Zealand, listening to the rainfall above my head.
It never ever, not once, leaked a drop of water. Actually, it’s the tent I trust in most. Besidss being a bit dirty, it doesn’t yet show signs of fatigue.
It’s our little home away from home which changed our travels from hostel-based to tent-based. Outdoor living at it’s best.
You’ll never believe the price. It was the cheapest in the shop. May well be the best spent euros on any piece of equipment up to now, ever.
And I’m sure it has a long story ahead.
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Author: Matic
Matic is tech startup guy who loves to spend time outside. In his free time he is an true outdoor freak – he tends to surf, run and ride a mountain bike, and in the winter time just loves powder skiing and snowboarding. Matic also loves to travel, often has to because of work, and even more often because he wants to 🙂
I can imagine how much money you probably save on hotels by camping! That could be an interesting idea one day! Camp your way through a country!
Hehe, yeah that’s for sure since the price of the tent was very low. I think we calculate that after camping for 5 night (paying for tent + campsite) we were already in plus, compared to staying in hotels or hostels. So yes, you can save a lot of money, but most importantly why we sleep in a tent is because we love to be close to nature and we love freedom. If camping lifestyle gives you something, it gives you freedom.
Sounds like the best travel equipment you own :). Many years ago we had a little green tent. It was bigger than yours though. That tent has quite a history, too; it was our home in many out-of-the-way places. We eventually outgrew it with three kids and started using a bigger one, but we still have it somewhere. I’m happy your little green tent is getting so much great use. Being small enough to fit in a carry-on makes it even more special. Thanks for sharing its story.
Yep, it sure is the best quipment 🙂 Ohh how awesome you also had a green tent. Glad to read that there are other people who like camping lifestyle.
I also try to work on this habit of traveling with hand luggage only – saves so much time! It´s awesome when the tent folds so small that you can carry it around in hand luggage. By the way, I dream of visiting the Azores!
Hah, yeah it’s not maybe for everyone, but we like it a lot because you really don’t need that much stuff. I think I have learned the lesson when I went to France for 3 weeks with hand luggage only, and in the end, I stayed there for 3 months, and survive. 😀 haha Yes, I dream to visit the Azores one more time.:) If you need any idea for visiting Sao Miguel check here.
I just have one question! Where the hell do I get that tent haha? I have been looking to upgrade my existing tent I got for $20 from KMART last time I went on an overnight hike on a budget haha! Im gonna stalk the brand now and see what I can come up with 😀
Hi Kreete, ohh K-mart tent, I never had it but as seen in many camps it’s not really a waterproof tent, what are your experience with it? We bought ours in Decathlon, it’s Quechua brand for a 21€, you can get it almost anywhere in Europe. 😉 Top tent if you ask me, 100% waterproof even in heavy rain.