Outdoors unfiltered - your best and unforgettable "oops" camping moments

We've all had those moments - forgot the tent poles (uh oh!), ended up next the loudest neighbours, got lost for hours or holding down your tent in the middle of a storm - yep, just part of the adventure. We asked for your unforgettable moments and boy did our Outsiders deliver - we picked our favourites to share...

Dump Point

"Breaking camp always includes a trip to the dump point. It was my turn to empty the canister.
A queue of campers waiting their turn behind me.

I undid the lid, tipped up the canister and nothing came out! I turned it up again- still nothing?
So I shook it, hard. Suddenly, the biggest turd, ever, shot out and landed on the rim of the dump point.

I was horrified! Another lady grabbed the hose to wash it down. It wouldn’t budge. So I had to kick it until it finally disappeared.

I hosed out the canister and said, “So glad it was my turn.”

Karen

The Brown

"We pull up at Edi Cutting, on a stinking hot day,
At another free camp, cause we choose not to pay,
Only 2hrs here , and decide to go for a swim
On this fresh water river, known only as the King,

Then Shell says to me, have a look over there,
A dirty bloody Brown snake, swimming across without a care,
I jump out the water, and grab my phone for a pic,
So I took a short video, of this 4 foot Brown p###,

He then scurried off, into the thick dense scrub,
Hoping never too be seen again, or She'll start #### her duds,
Now snakes n spiders, seem to get her on edge,
With a wide eyed glare, even shaking I pledge,
Well what can I project, about our first day at Edi
If I said let's pack up, Shell would most certainly be ready.

So needless to say ,when we think of that small Edi town,
The first thing that we'll think of, is that stinking bloody Brown."

Shane

The cat and the fire

"Well u will laugh at this one...

We headed off at 5am on our big three week trip with the kids, the tents and the camping gear, all packed in the 6x4 trailer.

Only 15 minutes from home and the kids yelled "Mum Teddy, the cat, is hanging for dear life on the canvas covering the trailer!"

So back home to drop off the cat, he wasn’t going away with us.

Two hours into our drive and people are waving and flagging us down to stop... the canvas cover on the trailer had got caught on the wheel hub and caught fire!

In those days we didn’t carry fire extinguishers - all we had was bottles of cordial, which were in the trailer, to put out the fire. We successfully did that - phew.

On our arrival at our camp site, emptied the trailer, and unfolded the tent only to find loads of burn holes! Everyone at the camp bought over thread, patches and helped mend the tent.

We will never forget that trip wow! It ended all well the kids had a great time and we finally relaxed."

Carol

The Marriage Saver

"We pulled up at a caravan park and for the life of us couldn't find the site number. I was walking up and down , nope couldn't find it. My husband was getting quite irate (to say the least)!

We ended up on a dead end part of the park and had to back up slowly, as we couldn't turn around.

Then this chap comes up and says "hello, do you need the marriage saver?"

I replied "Pardon? Is that you?" as tempers were flaring at this stage between spouses.

Anyway it turns out we were on a corner site hidden right away next to two tents just behind us.

The marriage saver was a tractor that reverses your caravan into a very tight spot.

So the situation was saved and our marriage survived."

Jacqueline

Winning submission: Where's the boat?

" It was my turn to have a nap. I did and woke up slightly groggy and looked at the rear camera .. something was wrong .. I scrolled back in my mind ..

Did we leave the boat at the caravan park ..? Gradually I got my ducks in a row, and then the sudden realisation: WHERE IS THE BOAT?

After pulling over we found that part of the trailer was attached, but the rest of it and the boat - gone!

Panicked U-turn.

Soon after we came across a serious accident. Heart pounding, wound the window down to ask: was there a boat involved? What a relief when they said 'no'.

Drive on, checking gullys, ditches, bushes and brambles .. nothing. Then, driving around a gentle bend, there it was, cradled in a lush grassy depression against an uphill meadow. Not a scratch on the boat, but what was left of the trailer, was looking very sad.

Along comes a DOWNER crew. Without much ado, they loaded the boat on their truck and took it to a workshop in the next town. Two days later we were back on the road. Bad luck or good luck? You choose. Definitely an 'Oops' moment though."

Monica

Thank you Outsiders

Thank you for being brave and sharing Outsiders - there are some gems in there that had me snorting my coffee! I am sure make all of campers know we are not alone hammering in tent pegs with a thong, eating off a napkin because we forgot the plates, or trying to cook eggs without a pan!

Happy camping and story telling!