About Camp Gear Rated
Who We Are
Camp Gear Rated is an independent review site run by Australian camping and 4WD enthusiasts. We research, compare, and recommend the gear that actually works in Australian conditions — from the red centre to the coast.
We started this site because we kept running into the same problem: most gear reviews were either written by people who’d never set foot in the Australian outback, or were thinly disguised ads from retailers. We wanted honest, specific recommendations from people who actually care about the gear.
How We Research and Evaluate Gear
We don’t accept free products or sponsored content. Our reviews are built on:
Hands-on community research — We aggregate feedback from Australian 4WD and camping forums including Expedition Australia, Patrol 4x4, and IH8MUD, where real owners share unfiltered long-term experiences. This gives us a pool of hundreds of real-world data points per product.
Detailed spec analysis — We go deeper than the marketing brochures. We compare compressor types, insulation thicknesses, actual measured current draw (not just peak figures), warranty terms, and what happens when something goes wrong in the middle of the Simpson Desert.
Price tracking — We monitor Australian retailer pricing across BCF, Snowys, Tentworld, 4WD Supacentre, and Outbax to give you accurate, up-to-date price comparisons.
Long-term ownership signals — We weight reviews from owners who’ve had products for 2+ years above first impressions. A fridge that performs well in week one is table stakes — we want to know how it holds up after 100,000km of corrugated outback roads.
When we make a recommendation, we explain exactly why. If a product has a known weakness, we’ll tell you about it — not hide it.
Our Focus
Our current depth is 12V camping fridges and portable power — the gear that matters most for self-sufficient Australian camping and 4WD touring. We’d rather go deep on one category and give you genuinely useful advice than write shallow reviews across everything.
Over time we’ll expand into camp kitchen gear, sleeping systems, recovery gear, and 4WD accessories.
How We Make Money
We’re upfront about this: we earn affiliate commissions when you purchase through our links. This doesn’t cost you anything extra — the retailer pays us a small percentage for referring you. Our current affiliate partners include Outbax and Outback Equipment.
Our affiliate relationships never influence our recommendations. We recommend products we believe in — not products that pay us the highest commission. If a product isn’t good enough to recommend, we won’t recommend it regardless of commission rates.
For full details, see our affiliate disclosure.
Get in Touch
Got a question about camping gear? Spotted an error in one of our articles? We’d love to hear from you.
Drop us an email at contact@campgearrated.com.au — we read every email and reply to most of them.