Printing while tent-camping

My life is taking a radical new direction; soon will be semi-permanently a "grey nomad'. Not in a RV though; just car and tent.

Will be leaving my apartment, and want only to keep what will fit in the car. This is radical; heaps of gear and furniture has already gone. Advertising things, getting rid of it day by day.

Currently reduced to two laptops and one desktop system. The latter includes a Brother HL2040 laser printer and UPS. Decided to give it to the Lion's Club. They give computers to poor people, both in Australia and third-world countries.

But, still want to be able to print sometimes. There are places to go, such as OfficeWorks, that offer low cost printing. But, still, would be nice to have my own printer.

There are really tiny A4 thermal printers, and cheap, such as this one at Kmart; however, they require thermal paper, that fades. One requirement is that I will be doing online booking at some campsites that require the booking confirmation to be left on the car dashboard so the park ranger can see it. A printout on thermal paper, in sunlight, will very quickly turn completely black. Even out of the light, in a warm car, will quickly turn black. I read that even keeping the printout in a relatively cool house, it will only last 6 months.

There is another possibility, what is called a "thermal transfer" printer, that has a ribbon. These print onto normal paper, and the result is permanent. They are very small. So, have ordered one, a Phomemo P831:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/126202984702?var=427216256520

A good thing about this printer, is there is a Linux driver:

https://pages.phomemo.com/#/p831

There is one downside; the ribbon is only good for about 45 pages. I bought two spare ribbons, at AU$10 each; that works out to 22 cents (15 US cents) per page. That's OK. I don't do much printing, maybe 20 - 30 pages per year.

Another thing, while on the road; although I don't use optical media at all, not for the last several years, there may still be a need to test with EasyOS. Neither of my laptops have builtin cd/dvd drives, so ordered this:

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/397758162064

So, in the tent will have a small collection of computer hardware, enough to continue with EasyOS development.  

Tags: nomad

Fuel economy across the Nullarbor Plain

The Nullarbor Plain is a large expanse of flat, in some places treeless, limestone land, that the Eyre Highway traverses connecting west and east sides of Australia. I have just got back from a drive across, Perth to Coober Pedy, a round trip over 5,000km, as reported earlier today:

"Naughty Kia?"
https://bkhome.org/news/202604/naughty-kia.html

...the Kia Picanto actual fuel consumption was a bit uncertain, depending whether we believe Kia or the petrol pumps. I'll say it is somewhere in the middle, about 5.0 litres/100km (47 mpg).

I had a chat with a guy at one of the roadhouses on the Nullarbor, driving a motorhome. This is a 4wd with fat tyres. He said driving at the 110 km/h limit on the Eyre Highway, he was getting 13 litres/100km, but when driving in the Northern Territory, where there roads have no speed limit, he was pushing 16 litres/100km (14.7 mpg) ...yikes!

Fuel consumption is a huge issue right now, as Australia imports 90%. It has become expensive, often about 50% more than before the iran war. It is going to force up the cost of everything.

Chatted with a guy on a motorcycle, a Himalayan 450cc; he said that he was getting 3.5 to 4 litres/100km. His bike is air-cooled, whereas the latest models are water-cooled. I wondered whether the water-cooled bikes would have better economy, and it does seem a little bit. For example, this guy reports about 3 L/100km:

"Big Al’s Bike Review 2024 Royal Enfield Himalayan 450"
https://www.ulyssesstgeorgesutherland.com.au/bike-review-2024-royal-enfield-himalayan-450/

This guy is reporting 2.8 to 3.0 L/100km:

"Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 Review 2025: The Ultimate Budget Adventure Bike?"
https://www.reallybigbikeride.com/royal-enfield-himalayan-450-review/

Interesting also, in total I passed five bicycles, four riding east, one west, and one guy walking. oh yeah, on the return journey, passed one guy jogging! -- he had a trolley behind him, attached to his waist belt. His has a single pole to hook onto the waist, but have seen others with two poles, like this one:

https://trekkersfriend.com/

Ha ha, there's even a Facebook group for these trekking trailers:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/wheelie.radical

...looks good, getting the weight off the back!   

Tags: nomad

Naughty Kia?

I have just got back from a very long drive, from Perth in Western Australia to Coober Pedy in South Australia. it was partly sightseeing, but also, I had seen a news item that Coober Pedy and Andamooka have the cheapest houses in Australia. Was contemplating moving there.

There is an earlier post showing the fuel consumption of my Kia Picanto 1.2 litre manual car:

"Camping in-car sleeping"
https://bkhome.org/news/202603/camping-in-car-sleeping.html

...4.8 litres/100km.

Wondered whether this is true, so on the trip to Coober Pedy, recorded the amount of fuel (unleaded 91-octane), price, and distance at every bowser. Just checked on that word "bowser"; that is a common word used for the fuel-dispenser in Australia -- that would be "gas pump" in the USA. I think in Britain it is "petrol pump".

Did calculations over most of the journey and between segments of the journey, and got consumption figures between 5.27 and 5.29 litres/100km ("liters" in American English).

Whereas, the display in the car, a short time after starting the journey dropped to 4.6 litres/100km and stayed there the entire journey. Not quite, there was a short segment where I pushed the car to 110 - 116 km/h and consumption indicated 4.7, and when I eased off to the usual 95 - 110 it dropped back to 4.6.

...snapshot taken near end of journey.

Significant difference; which is correct?

What could account for the difference is the bowsers under-pouring. There are inspectors who check metering and impose a fine if incorrect. A couple of reports are that 1 in 20 bowsers were found to be under-pouring in 2019:

"Petrol bowser audit reveals under-pouring, Government authority issues fines"
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-17/australian-petrol-bowsers-caught-under-pouring-by-auditors/11804344

Then another study in 2026, the under-pouring has grown to 1 in 10:

"1 in 10 Petrol Stations are Short-Pouring Aussies, Audit Reveals"
https://manofmany.com/auto/cars/1-in-10-petrol-stations-short-pouring-australians

...and the fines have been massively increased.

Hmmm, I wonder how often those fuel bowsers out in the middle of nowhere, the Nullarbour Plain, get checked?

In summary, it is possible that the Kia screen readout of 4.6 litres/100km (51.1 mpg) is correct. However, I doubt it, as Kia's own publicity states consumption to be no less than 5.0. See also this independent table, a figure of 5.0, which also shows how much better the manual is compared with the automatic:

https://www.carsguide.com.au/kia/picanto/engine

So 4.6 is likely wrong, meaning that Kia is cheating, showing better fuel economy than actual. That's how it seems anyway.   

Tags: nomad

Compact table, chair and bed for tent camping

As posted recently, I gave away most of my camping gear a few years ago, when my car got written off. Now with a new car and camping adventures are happening. So far, have done some "car camping", as opposed to "tent camping", see recent post:

https://bkhome.org/news/202603/camping-in-car-sleeping.html

In the tent, there is a need for table and chair. Fortunately, did not give away the chair. This chair is really nice, very light alloy, packs small, and has a long back so fully supports the back right up to the head:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005653891993.html

...the legs will tend to dig into the tent floor somewhat, but that is a requirement of the design. Hmm, maybe could cut a piece of plywood, with 4 holes.

The table that I no longer own, was very nice, light and cheap; however the size would have made it very difficult to fit into the new small hatchback car. Need something that will fold up fairly small, so bought this:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006985452259.html

...in the photo there is a kitchen chair, and the table height is just right when the legs are fully extended. The height was the main determining factor, up to 64cm, so that the chair fit is comfortable, as well as the table legs don't get in the way.

The table is all alloy, so quite light. Of course those slats will require a mouse-pad to use a mouse. The light weight was another factor that determined the choice.

Bought the last one from that vendor, but it is a "BISINNA Multifunction IGT Table" and probably sold by other vendors on AliExpress.

Yes, being all-alloy, it is intended for outside use, such as for cooking, but I will use it inside the tent. It comes with a carry-bag and rods that can be attached on all 4 sides; however, don't intend to take them. Will pack the main frame and slats into some nooks and crannies in my car.

It is fun getting this gear together. Should mention also, I have a really nice, compact and light all-alloy folding camping bed. This one:, the brand is WESTTUNE:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007182759426.html

This is another item that I gave away. Had the green one. So, purchased another, this time the khaki one; strange, the khaki one is much cheaper than the other colours. I thought maybe that is due to the different postage, or maybe it is an older model. Yes, it took over a month to arrive. Assembled, it looks OK, don't recall any difference from the green one.

The green one had a lot of use, even as a spare bed in my apartment. Loved it, especially the light weight compared with other camp beds.

The foam mattress already shown in the previous post, fits nicely on this bed. Also using a normal pillow, not one of those uncomfortable inflatable pillows.   

Tags: nomad

Camping in-car sleeping

I posted about a trip to the Eastern Wheatbelt, and fuel consumption of the new Kia Picanto:

• Tin Horse Highway — February 26, 2026

...5.3 litres/100km. Yeah, but I have just got back from a 1,300 km trip, and look at this:

...the trip was east from Perth, to Coolgardie in the Goldfields, return via Kulin in the Eastern Wheatbelt. Drove between 90 - 110 km/h, with air conditioning on most of the way. 4.8 litres/100km (49 mpg), is that true?

A new car has a "run in" period, in which fuel consumption improves slightly; I saw a figure of 0.1 litres/100km. Maybe that's the reason for the improvement, else the readout is wrong.

On the first trip, sleeping in the car was uncomfortable, so made significant changes. Firstly, there is a need for ventilation, but it must be secure, keep out the mosquitoes and rain. I bought a pair of window vents, for a GWM Tank 300 as that looked like the closest fit:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005009427272351.html

Had to rivet some aluminium on the ends, glued insect mesh on the inside, and it works OK:

...not perfect, but OK. Could make them from scratch, to be an exact fit, but this will do for now.

To achieve sufficient length for a bed, I thought it would be necessary to take out the entire back seat; however, then realised that the back-rests can be removed independently, leaving the rest of the seat installed. So took out the back-rest of the back seat, passenger-side -- quite easy to do, just remove two bolts and disconnect the middle seat-belt.

Bought chipboard from Bunnings, 1800x600x12 mm, cut it to fit, painted black. Fits real nice:

...the chipboard is supported at the tail-end by a storage box underneath, and folding camping-bed and chair on the front seat. Very stable, and easy to enter and exit the bed via the driver's seat.

Note that the front passenger seat has not been removed; it is still there, just fully reclined.

Already have a foam mattress that have used with the camping-bed on previous camping trips, in a tent. It is 1900x600x75 mm:

The mattress folds up, and the down-quilt and pillow stow neatly in front:

This bedding arrangement completely transforms the sleeping-in-the-car experience. Very comfy, just like a regular bed. A slight criticism is that the 3-inch thick mattress could do with a bit more padding, either higher-density foam, or maybe a yoga-mat underneath. A minor criticism, it was OK. A positive comment: a foam mattress is a much better experience than an air mattress.

As mentioned above, getting in and out of the bed is very easy, via the driver's seat. Just a matter of lifting the bum up and across, no crawling in or out.

The above photos were taken at the Boorabbin campsite, on the Great Eastern Highway, east of Southern Cross:

Also bought a tray that clips onto the steering wheel, so can use the laptop while sitting in the driver's seat. Haven't tested that yet. The Bluetti power box sits on the floor in front of the front-passenger seat.

Envisage two different modes of car camping. One, is to camp somewhere with a tent setup, and stay there for sometime. Likely, that will be a trip to a coastal campsite. Second, on-the-go, driving a long distance and just needing to park overnight. The latter example, planning to drive across the Nullarbor Plain to South Australia later this year, and will just pull into a roadhouse in the evening, have a meal, sleep in the car, take off the next morning -- that is a journey of about 2,500km each way.

It should be noted also, I packed everything for the alternative of tent-based camping. Folding camp-bed, folding chair, tent, all packed in the car. The only extras still to be added are a folding solar panel and folding table; the latter is a design that rolls up very small, so easy to pack into the car -- that is still stuck at an airport in China awaiting a flight -- the delay is due to the Chinese annual 2-week holiday, in which almost everything stops.

Amazing, all of this stuff fits in; who needs an RV?!

A comment about using a "city car" for country driving. I once owned a Holden Camira, with 2.0 litre engine, and it was a delight on country roads. A little car does have much better fuel economy, but steering is a bit "twitchy" and the ride not so smooth. The small engine is not so good on hills; have to change down to a lower gear and speed sometimes. But overall OK; mostly I have owned small cars, and prefer them.   

Tags: nomad

Tin Horse Highway

Posted a few days ago about the new Kia Picanto:

https://bkhome.org/news/202602/bought-a-2025-kia-picanto-sport.html

...Kia claims as low as 5.0 litres/100km; I wonder if that is realistic? So, went on a country trip to find out.

When left Perth, the car had done only 114km, reading 7.6 l/100km (31 mpg), mostly in fairly heavy stop-start traffic. It was a relief to get out of Perth, heading east through mild rolling hills, becoming flatter the further east.

Visited towns in the Eastern Wheatbelt, pretty much directly east from Perth. A highlight of the trip was the Tin Horse Highway:

https://www.westernaustralia.com/au/attraction/tin-horse-highway/56b2679cd5f1565045daacb5

https://trailswa.com.au/trails/trail/tin-horse-highway-kulin

The story behind this is fascinating... Kulin, and surrounding towns, were in decline, so the locals dreamed up this idea to bring in tourists. The background story, a video made 13 years ago:

"Kulin Tin Horse Highway Documentary"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG6RyLQnJCM

I stayed there one night, in the free RV parking. I was the only one with just a car; the others were motorhomes. Well patronised, as was the pub over the road. Reports are that the meals are excellent. So impression was, yes, the initiative has worked.

Now, about my car...

As I drove, the litres/100km kept on dropping. After 800km, just about back at Perth, it had dropped to only 5.3 litres/100km (44.4 mpg). Midday temperatures were about 36 degrees Celsius, so I had the air conditioning on for most of the time.

Searching online, saw figures that AC adds about 5 to 10% to fuel consumption. Taking the lower figure, 5%, that would have added about 0.25 litres/100km; so yeah, Kia's claim of 5.0 litres/100km is not fantasy.

Do need to clarify, that I drove gently, mostly over flat terrain, with some slightly rolling hills, at between 90 to 105 km/h (56 - 65 miles/h). The roads mostly had speed limit of 110 km/h, but traffic was very light and no problem driving at a leisurely pace.

Interesting to, to compare with my previous car, a Hyundai Getz, with 1.4 litre naturally-aspirated petrol engine; long distance highway driving, fairly flat roads, about 100 to 110 km/h, got 6.8 litres/100km.

So, very pleased with the Picanto.

As for the camping experience, this was a driving test, and there were two overnights, sleeping in the car; no actual camping with a tent. Before the trip, the passenger front seat was reclined as much as possible, and a length of chipboard inserted, 170cm long. Due to the passenger-side glove compartment, the effective length was less, about 160cm. On the chipboard was placed an inflatable Sea-to-Summit hiking mattress.

The inability to fully stretch out proved to be the undoing of the sleeping experience. Uncomfortable nights. The air mattress didn't help either. Stay tuned, now building a 180cm long bed, chipboard, with foam mattress. The extra length is achieved by taking out one side of the rear seat backrest. Field test soon!     

Tags: nomad

Bought a 2025 Kia Picanto Sport

I posted recently that my car was written off about 3 years ago, and I have got around by public transport, sometimes Uber, since then. It has been OK, but the itch to go camping is still there, so decided need to scratch the itch...

The thinking at date of the write-off was, hey I'm in my 70's, the camping days are over. Now 76 and still quite healthy, so going for it again. Besides, best to be out there doing stuff, instead of just pottering around the house.

A couple of weeks ago, bought a 2025 Kia Picanto Sport 1.2 litre petrol manual. One of these:

https://www.kia.com/au/cars/picanto/features.html

I bought a 2025 demo car, so got it at a reasonable price. New car warranty of course. But it was a saga to find a car with manual transmission. Maybe I'm a bit of a Luddite, but all the new cars are automatic.

Here in Australia, we are flooded with Chinese cars, for example the Chery Tiggo4, that is only about AU$1,500 above the Kia Picanto:

https://cherymotor.com.au/models/tiggo-4

...I mention that one, because the specs are amazing compared to the Picanto.

There is another one, a MG car, that is about AU$1,000 cheaper than the Picanto. Recently advertised for AU$20,990 drive-away.

So, yeah, the Chinese cars are squeezing the Japanese, Korean and European cars, perhaps ending up putting them out of the market.

My previous car was a Hyundai Getz, very basic, mechanical speed and rpm dials, no touch screen. So, an experience with the electronics in the new car. As I drove it home, got annoyed when it beeped at me and tugged on the steering wheel when I ventured over a lane marker -- that's Lane Departure Warning (LDW), gotta figure out how to turn that off!

Comparing specs Picanto and Tiggo4, I notice the Picanto claims as low as 5.0 litres/100km, whereas the Tiggo4 7.3 litres/100km. There is something to be said for a simple small naturally-aspirated engine with manual transmission. The Picanto is happy with standard unleaded (91 RON), whereas some of the others want premium unleaded (95 RON).

The very cheap MG that I mentioned, is the  MG3 Vibe:

https://mgmotor.com.au/pages/mg3-petrol/#mg-hit-the-road

...ok with 91 RON. Fuel consumption as low as 6.0 - 6.7 litres/100km.

As a final note, why haven't I gone for an EV? A little bit more expensive, though prices are coming down, and with sodium-ion batteries likely late 2026 price should be attractive (as well as very safe and suitable for high Outback temperatures). But, the infrastructure for charging in rural Australia is not yet adequate.       

Tags: nomad