The camping season is upon us and that means weekends away at my favourite State Forest or ride park enjoying the dirt by day and the fire by night. It’s my favourite time of the year. I get to go riding, fishing, surfing and swimming all in the same holiday. Oh and there’s the ice cold beer too! Man, I love this time of the year and it’s better in an Oztent.

But there’s one thing that is always on the back of my mind and that’s having my bike stolen while I’m away from camp. As a journo, I’m always broke, I like to think I’m frugal but like all good journos, I’m probably just tight. However you want to look at it, one things for sure, I definitely can’t afford one of those fancy Base Stations where you can lock a bike inside a caravan.

When I go camping with my family, I actually camp. You know, in one of those canvas tents we all grew up holidaying in, in the ‘80s and ‘90s. I keep telling myself I want my kids to experience real camping, the kinds where you’re always a little bit dirty and there’s no air conditioning.

Unfortunately, without a Base Station to lock my bike away I often just leave it chained to my ute while I run down for a surf or swim. I get a little nervous as the chain isn’t that hard to cut through. Fortunately I’ve never had a bike go missing but I know blokes that have and it ruined their vacation.

So this summer, I reached deep into my empty journo pockets and forked out for a tent with a front compartment that would allow me to hide my shiny ride from opportunistic thieves. The only tent I could find that was big enough was the Oztent SV-5 Max with the extra sides and the front panel. 

THE TAJ MAHAL

When I was a kid we used to have a family tent that would sleep all six of us. I’m one of four siblings and we nicknamed that tent the Taj Mahal because as a 10-year-old it seemed massive. So, the name has carried through and this beauty from Oztent is my new Taj Mahal.

WHY IT’S THE BEST

  • The SV-5 Max is the biggest tent Oztent make. It’s the size of a two-bedroom apartment with the front section zipped in.
  • It takes 30-seconds to setup. You simply lift the bar at the back and the tent comes up!
  • It’s super spacious with a 3.5m frontage and sloping internal walls for greater floor area. I can attach a whole second section to the front of the main tent (side panels and roof) that allows me to fit my Sherco 300 SE Factory in the front with enough room for a dining table next to it!
  • It has a zip-in tarp extension included that tapers out to give the front a massive five-metre width so you don’t even need a pit tent, you can work on your bike under that.
  • It has a SkyMesh Skylight built into the roof for romantic moments with my wife while the kids lie right next to us… not.
  • The material is also super tough and breathes well. Oztent call it polycotton canvas and it feels just like tough canvas but more malleable.

HOW IT WORKS

So in order to shield your bike from thieving eyes, you will need to purchase the side panels and the front panels for the SV-5 Max. The tent already comes with the peaked roof which is great for tall buggers like me at 188cm. 

I also got the Floor Saver which is model-specific for the SV-5 Max so it tapers out at the front which then means the front section of the tent can be used like a living space with no dirt or grass underneath your feet. We have even slept in the front section next to the bike at night.

The front section has side panels and a front panel that can be zipped up so no one can see inside the tent. There’s doors in both side panels and the front panel. Then, you can hang the awning the tent comes with off the front panel. It’s like living in a two bedroom apartment.

I can wheel the bike into the front section so it is out of sight which makes me feel like it’s out of mind for most thieves which I’m comfortable with. You can even padlock the zips together on the tent so someone would have to cut the zips or the lock or cut through the canvas which is going to be obvious to neighbouring campers.

WHY A TENT?

Some might be wondering why I don’t just use one of the alarmed padlocks like the ones I have from Oxford. The reason being is a padlock through the disc brake won’t stop someone from lifting it straight into a van and racing off. If it was parked out the front of my tent, anyone could easily reverse up, lift it into a van and be gone in less than 30 seconds or the time it takes to erect the SV-5 Max. 

I also get nervous that anyone might bump the padlock and the alarm will go off for hours on end while I’m enjoying a beverage at the beach and not able to hear it going off. I couldn’t do that to my fellow campers.

By being shielded behind the tent, it’s not only harder to spot but it takes a little more effort to get into the tent and get it out. And unless they’ve been watching, how do they know that someone isn’t having an afternoon nap in the tent with the bike!

ANY OTHER WAY?

For me there isn’t any other way to camp and ride and keep my bike safe. I can’t afford an expensive camper trailer to lock it away in and I need that peace of mind knowing I have another layer of resistance between my bike and a would-be thief. 

The Oztent SV-5 Max tent is the Gucci of tents. It’s not the cheapest but you get what you pay for, it’s top quality. Everything from the zips to the canvas and the mechanism that allows you to erect it in 30 seconds are incredibly sturdy. The front section we added on makes the tent massive and plenty big enough for a family of four like mine. We can fit three bikes and eat around the table inside when it’s raining.

My family and I can’t wait to do a little more camping, riding, fishing and surfing over the summer months and despite being a tight-arse journo without a fancy trailer, I think we will still have just as much fun without the fear of losing one of our precious rides!

Hard Earned

SV-5 Max $2199

Side Panels $469.99

Front Panel $359.99

Floor Saver  $229.99

Total: $3258.97

Chainsaw Bag

I always take my chainsaw when I go camping for firewood. I usually let it slide around in the ute and if I need to protect the chain or the back seat of my ute I just wrap one of my wife’s jumpers around it which doesn’t end well.

This heavy-duty chainsaw bag is designed for both saw and gear. It’s pretty damn sturdy and I haven’t had the chain cut through the bag yet. It has three internal pockets a padded carry handle, zipper guard and Oztent do them in two sizes to fit a chainsaw bar 12 inches or smaller if using the small bag or 14 – 20 inches if using the medium to large bag.

Small – $89.99

Large – $109.99

Gearbags

After getting the chainsaw bags and seeing how solid the material was, I also got the gearbags because my crappy travel bags had more holes than a block of Swiss cheese. The gearbags are made of the same material with PVC lining which is so solid. They’re also waterproof and built like a perfect rectangle which is great for fitting stuff in. 

Small – $59.99

Large – $79.99

Storage Pods

I also grabbed some of the Oztent storage pods not just because they look like fully sick goggle bags but mainly because they’re incredibly handy. Again, they’re made from a solid material with PVC liner with a clear lid so we can see how many snacks we have left for the kids so they don’t turn mutant.

I got the kit which has three bags in total: small, medium and large. You could fit a case of beer in the large one and a 16-pack in the small one.

$254.97

King Goanna Chairs

Of course you can’t go camping without a comfortable camping chair. But what made these ones stand out was the fact they are heated! They come with two pockets in the neck and back where you can put a warm gel pack so to keep you toasty in front of the fire. 

They also have a strap that goes around the lower back section which you can tighten to pull your back in a little. I have a stuffed lower back so this little part was crucial. They’re also super comfortable and really sturdy.

$199.99 – $209.99

Redgum HotSpot Heated Sleeping Bag

I only got these sleeping bags after the Kowen Forest Ride last month (you can read all about it next issue) where it was less than 5 degrees overnight and I was freezing in my regular sleeping bag!

These things are awesome because they’re heated! They’re the world’s first non-electric heat adjustable sleeping bag. They have six HotSpot pockets to keep you warm overnight. They’re got a cotton canvas outer shell, loads of insulation great zippers and a comfort inner section for a little extra padding. 

$279.99

Bi-Fold Table

I was using one of those white, trestle tables from Bunnings to camp with but it was a pain in the arse to transport so I got this handy little Bi-Fold table instead. It’s made of steel so it’s pretty strong and it folds down three times so it’s about the size of those good ol’ ‘80s briefcases and it can take 50kg.

For the full feature, check out issue #531 of ADB.

WORDS | MITCH LEES

PHOTOS | JOSH EVANS