Camping gear for SOUTH AMERICA

[gravityfreak]

(Sorry for the double post as I already tacked this question onto the thread of the same nature but for Central America)...

Hi Everyone....!

Could I PLEASE have your opinions on whether or not I am likely to want / need camping gear in South America (Arg, Chile, Peru, Bolivia, Columbia, Brazil, Ven)? I will be starting in Buenos Aires in April and heading North West for warmer weather initially. Will come back down when the southern areas start to warm up in Spring. I am frantically getting things together already and need to figure out weather to buy the camping gear I will need. As I will have to buy tent and other camping gear - there is the question of cost / reward component here too - because that gear aint cheap and I could probably get many nights in cheap hotels for the money. Then again - seeing a lake with an idyllic camping spot on it shores but not being able to camp there would be sad too.....

Many Thanks!

[MikeS]

From my experience, we have only camped in Arg and Chile. but not at all in Bolivia, Peru or Ecuador. Bit of a pain lugging all that gear around too!

[apate]

Ive only camped in chile and argentina , but I havent been to brazil yet. Yesterday I was questioning if all the gear is really worth it.

[lost...]

I'm taking mine, but packing light as possible!

[Vaufi]

Mind you, always staying in hosterias isn't really cheap on the long run. I gather Bolivia & Peru are cheaper than Chile and Argentina.

When travelling from Punta Arenas to Santiago de Chile whith a pushbike I naturally couldn't do without my camping gear, but even with a M/C some of the distances between the settlements are immense. Besides that - I simply love those nights in the bush, with a nice fire, a big steak and a tetra-pack of wine ;-)

[konrad1974]

Hi,

We have been here for some time now. Camping a lot. Bolivia no problem, good people for this sport (will no bother you even if they see you), Chile and Argentina no problem, also good campngs in towns allowing to cut expenses for accomodations (not so tiny in these parts in hostels etc) . Absolutelly however unadvisable in Peru. This is a wild part with a lot of really bad experience - we have been attacked twice (they tried to take our foto bag we always have with us, good that not sucessfully, it was toughen specially for horse back riding in Kyrgystan, still have camera, however second time they attacked me on the motorbike when we were crossing crowded area in town of Ica, small accident with pedestrian, very unpleasent).

How does it look here - 3 last icons at the bottom of the page:
Podró¿ dooko³a œwiata

Have fun!

Regards
Konrad

[gravityfreak]

Originally Posted by konrad1974

Hi,

We have been here for some time now. Camping a lot. Bolivia no problem, good people for this sport (will no bother you even if they see you), Chile and Argentina no problem, also good campngs in towns allowing to cut expenses for accomodations (not so tiny in these parts in hostels etc) . Absolutelly however unadvisable in Peru. This is a wild part with a lot of really bad experience - we have been attacked twice (they tried to take our foto bag we always have with us, good that not sucessfully, it was toughen specially for horse back riding in Kyrgystan, still have camera, however second time they attacked me on the motorbike when we were crossing crowded area in town of Ica, small accident with pedestrian, very unpleasent).

How does it look here - 3 last icons at the bottom of the page:
Podró¿ dooko³a œwiata

Have fun!

Regards
Konrad

Man - I love your photos ! I just wish I could understand a word you say!

[konrad1974]

Hi,

Many thanks!

It is Polish - some have problem with it

But in a nut shell - Bolivia - this is it!
Nature and people.
And we reached 5100 m altitude (on 1st gear) on our 125 cc hondas.

Have a great adventure.

regards
konrad

[klaus]

Konrad,

I have to agree with "gravityfreak" - even not understanding Polish - those pictures you folks took make up for it! Makes we want to get on my old Honda TA and just go, leave, ...... But I guess it will be at least another 5 to 8 years until I can do it! Keep up the great work, show us more and if you should ever decide to come to Japan, let me know!!!

[konrad1974]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for kind words.

And best regards from Paraguai.

Konrad

[luanaigh]

I agree that in argentina and chile camping is a good option,i brought a one pole tent (under a kilo for a 2 man that only cost 40 euro). I never needed to camp in peru, bolivia or brazil but then again i wasn't on a bike (big mistake),,,,maybe a better option is a mossie net,and a small nylon hammock (unless it rained but a small tarp would do the trick). Very handy in the jungle,
I backpacked with all this (the tent,mossie net and hammock) and my clothes in a 40 litre rucksac (mind you i only had one pair of combat pants,one pair of shorts, four pairs of underpants,two pairs of socks and three tee shirts.

[Em and Hame]

We've camped in Chile and Arg a LOT, some of our best travel experiences in fact... can camp in Bolivia, Brasil - we think - about to find out. As we go North will probably be less although Mexico is supposed to be good and in the US it'll be much cheaper.
One tip - get a warm sleeping bag! We have down bags - can sleep comfortably in minus temps. SA can be COLD!!! Our tent is quite big but light - Exped Andromeda.
Tents are cheap in Arg - lots of camping stores.
Having sleeping bags with you is good too if the hostel is cold and there aren't enough blankets...
Personally I think it's worth lugging the gear around and people we've met without gear regret not bringing it.
Cheers, Emma

[The Big J]

Probably when camping in Peru/Ecuador bear in mind that most land accesible by road in in private ownership due to the density of the population. Only time I thought to try I was run off my prospective campsite by a campesino who thought I was a white bandito. I didn`t even understand when he said `pistolito` - apparently a few of the backblocks people are fed a few indigenous legends from colonial times of the nasty white man turning up and burning everything.

The thing I can`t work out is why he showed me a two inch pocket knife when he thought I had a gun!