MasterChef’s Brent Draper on Family Camping, Jayco Life & Campsite Cooking

With a 104k following on Instagram, culinary enthusiast and campsite scribe Brent Draper truly understands that social sharing flows both ways.

In fact, by chronicling his adventures, the former MasterChef contestant has found a few sensational campsite gems, thanks to fellow campers who follow him online.

“People are always asking us ‘when are you guys coming’.

“Everyone has their little places, their little river. They love where they live.”

Farm Stays & Simple Feasts: Brent Draper’s Recipe for Happy Campers

Brent and Shon, Jayco Vanbassadors, are fans of the coast, camping off-grid in their 2024 Jayco AT Off-Grid X family van to places like Moreton Bay. But they also rate farm stays highly.

“You find an amazing spot, set yourself up for the day. Everything is about what we are going to cook. It’s as good as it gets for me.”

That’s not surprising, given Brent’s penchant for creating campsite recipes on the fly—which he freely shares with his followers online.

“What people really want are simple, delicious meals. It is one of the biggest stresses for travellers, ‘what are we going to cook for the whole week’.

“A good easy meal that doesn’t cost the world and all the family will love.”

Family Van Life: 5 Months on the Road with a Baby in a Jayco Off-Grid

Brent, Shon and their two boys Alfie and Bowie recently spent five months camping with the 19ft 6in twin-axle all-rounder full-time, travelling through Victoria and up the Eastern Seaboard.

“Bowie was just four months old when we started [with the Jayco]. When we picked it up, we went straight to Red Rock. We close off the corner with the bunks and keep it nice and dark—it works perfectly,” Brent explains, a far cry from the good ol’ annexes from Brent’s youth.

More than just a cosy home, their van needed to be off-grid ready with ample storage for their day-to-day gear, offer a good weight carrying capacity for their (ahem, Brent’s) hobbies while still being light to tow and capable enough to handle the occasional prickly road. Hence, the 19ft 6in layout.

Catch and Cook: Spearfishing & Gourmet Campfire Meals

“We don’t like to leave the ocean. I love spearfishing, we try and tie that into our trips, getting a feed and cooking over coals with all the herbs and spices.

“Shon says I carry too many condiments but I never hear her complain at dinnertime!”

Among that, all the barbecuing gear. The pizza oven is another travellers’ luxury but that’s fitted to the DMAX.

“We’re always making pizzas … we just hook it up to the gas and enjoy restaurant quality pizzas in the middle of nowhere.”

A Taste of the Road: Sourcing Local Produce on Your Caravan Trip

True food connoisseurs, the Draper family enjoy delights from local markets, farm gates—and if they’re lucky, in a net or at the end of the rod, wherever they land.

“We are always trying local produce. Even if you don’t catch anything, you can still get the freshest food for a good price if you buy local.”

South Australia, boasting great seafood like squid and beautiful oysters, was notably a most generous host: “Alfie was the squid master [on our last trip], sometimes he’d catch four in a day.”

The 5-Minute Getaway: Keeping Your Caravan Ready for Adventure

Life has shifted a gear for Brent and Shon now that they’re deepening their foundations with Yeppoon. Driving that change, a new providore, Drapes Deli, ahead of their second establishment, an Asian-inspired bowls restaurant called Bowlo, opening soon.

Camping remains vital to their wellbeing in their busy lifestyle, with the Jayco now packed to go at a moment’s notice with not a second wasted packing or setting up.

“We now have it loaded and ready to go at any time, we know the panty has all the staples. We just set up a table for the crays. All the spices within easy reach.”

Another day, another sunset, as the saying goes.

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