On a camping trip with a friend from the Sunshine Coast I was blown away by the set ups many people use - most would cost more than my yearly wage.
We had borrowed a swag, thrown old camping chairs in the car and forgotten all about anything but the essentials.
It took us less than 10 minutes to set up, and as we walked through the grassy campsite, we looked on in awe.
Surrounding us completely was an array of shiny set-ups with all the bells and whistles.
To say we felt inadequate was an understatement, but this is how we have always done it.
My childhood was made up of camping 'horror stories', which now make for great stories.
I remember a particularly hot and sticky camping trip with my parents in the middle of nowhere. It was five people crammed into one tent. W-e lost all our plates and cutlery when the sea washed them out.
All of us scrambling to recover even one knife is etched into my mind forever.
These days you're more than likely to find a kitchen sink attached to each extravagant set-up.
Camping has become more popular than ever as people seek out the classic Australian experience.
Figures from Tourism Research Australia show national overnight camping, caravan, and RV trips reached 12.3 million for the year ending June 2018.
Warren de With, the owner of Rod and Rifle camping and fishing store in Katherine, says the sky is the limit when it comes to camping.
"Less people are roughing it as the price for good quality gear comes down," he said. "You can make yourself as comfortable as you want."
He says he has seen an increase in people spending more money to make a weekend or an extended road trip more like home.
Grey nomads, John and Pat Palise have spent six years travelling around Australia.
Fed up with spending up to an hour setting up their "luxury" rooftop tent atop a trailer, they traded in for something smaller.
While their set-up still includes a kitchen sink, it only takes about one minute to be ready and functional.
"We have gone for basic compared to the other people we see at campsites," Mr Palise said.
"Some of the camper-trailers are worth up to $70,000. We had a friend who was travelling and their fridge was worth $3000."
While amazed by the array of top of the line camping trailers and tents filling each park, they said people are missing out on the real experience.
"It is all about luxury these days," Mr Palise said.
"They like the luxury of a home, but at the end of the day all you really need is a bed, a chair and a cover."
