Part 3 of our 5-week packing series. 🎒

Eating out every night drains your budget by week two 💸 A simple camp kitchen keeps you fed, keeps you on the road longer, and makes a sunset dinner taste like a five-star restaurant 🌅

Confession time 🙈 I'm guilty of two-minute noodles on road trips too. Boil the water, chuck in the noodles and crack an egg in, done 🍜 Some nights, that's all I've got in me!

But my favourite trick is to cook once and eat twice (or three times!) 🌯 I don't like cooking every single night, so I make a big batch of chicken wraps for dinner, then pop the leftovers in the esky for the next day or two. Just keep them cold 🧊

You don't need a fancy setup to eat well on the road. You need these five things 👇

1. 🔥 A gas stove and a spare canister

Kmart's Campmaster Portable Gas Stove does everything you need, and it takes the standard butane cans you can buy almost anywhere. Cooking for two? The Halo Peak Twin Burner lets you cook pasta and sauce at the same time 🍝

Always carry one spare canister, because it runs out mid-pasta, every time 😅 Keep spare canisters in the shade, never on the dashboard. And cook outside only, never inside the van or tent. Gas stoves give off carbon monoxide.

2. 🧊 A good esky (and an ice routine)

Kmart's 24L Hard Cooler is a great budget pick for two people. Going remote for longer? Invest in a bigger and better esky to keep things cold for days longer.

Keep it in the shade, drain the water every day, and open it as little as you can. Buy ice at servos and supermarkets as you go.

3. 💧 Water containers

Carry at least 20 litres for drinking, cooking and washing up. Remember the 20L container from Part 1? A 20L water jerry can does the job. Fill up whenever you see a clean tap, because you won't always know where the next one is.

4. 🍲 One-pot cookware

One pot, one pan, two plates, two mugs, a sharp knife, a chopping board and a can opener. That's it! Anything more just rattles around in the back.

5. 🧽 The wash-up kit

A collapsible sink from Kmart, biodegradable soap, a sponge and a tea towel. Or sometimes, if I cook with a pot, I end up filling it with water to wash my dishes. Same rule as issue #7: tip your dishwater on the dirt, well away from creeks and lakes 🌿

Pack dishes away clean, or the ants will find them before morning 🐜 And at night, lock food away. Possums, birds and, on K'gari, dingoes all know what an esky is. Never feed wildlife.

Check fire bans before lighting any campfire. They change often in summer, and each state's fire service posts the current ones. Find yours on this Australian Government page, which lists every state and territory 🔥

Agree on food with your travel buddy before day one. Shared kitty or everyone buys their own? Any dietary needs? Who cooks and who washes up? Taking turns keeps it fair. Our cost splitting guide shows how to share costs without it getting weird 🤝

Next week: clothes for three climates, and why you'll need a beanie and a rashie on the same trip. 🧥