Camp Like A Pro: The Best Camping Hacks
Summer is almost here. WHOOP! Camping time!
Before you pitch your tent, make sure to check out this amazing list of camping hacks (trust us, we’ve done this before).
Go through each of them and impress your friends and family. They’ll think you’re a camping pro.
- Point a head lamp into a jug of water for an instant lantern.
Our favorite camping hack, simple and effective.
2. Repurpose a coffee can to hold and protect Toilet Paper.
You always need toilet paper on a camping trip, better conserve it wisely.
3. Use a belt and hooks to hang up pots and pans.
For those who still want to enjoy a nice meal while they’re camping, this can be handy!
4. Use foam floor tiles for a softer, more comfortable tent floor.
When you go camping, that doesn’t mean you have to give up comfort!
5. Use Tic-Tac boxes to store spices.
For the camping foodies out there.
6. Use Chips to light a fire.
Easy way to start a fire.
7. Make travel coffee bags out of coffee filters and dental floss.
If you’re a caffeine head and always need coffee to start your day.
8. Add bundles of sage (herbs) to a campfire to keep mosquitoes away.
One of the perks of camping, but this trick will get rid of all those little bugs.
9. Bring microfiber towels — they’re super absorbent and lightweight.
Bring towels on your next camping trip, you’ll always need them.
10. Make pancakes with pre-made pancake mix using shortening and dry milk, which don’t need to be refrigerated.
Pancakes are always nice, even on a camping trip.
11. Put a battery-powered votive candle into an empty peanut butter container to make portable lanterns.
Be the MacGyver on your trip.
12. Cotton pads dipped in wax are a crazy easy way to make portable fire starters.
Another easy way to start a fire.
13. Freeze gallon jugs of water and place them in your cooler.
They’ll keep your food cold, and you’ll have plenty of water to drink for later. Other things you can freeze to use for later: pasta sauces, chili, and pesto.
14. Solar Charged Stereo Cooler.
Use the sun to power your music with the solar powered stereo set up in a cooler for convenient transport. Cool, isn’t it?
15. Shoe Organizer into Campsite Kitchen Organizer.
To keep track of all your cooking supplies (and keep them off the ground), use a shoe organizer.
16. Cook Orange Cinnamon Rolls in Oranges
Another tip for the camping foodies: Place cinnamon rolls into orange rinds and cook over a campfire for a sweet orange treat.
17. Portable Charcoal Grill
This aluminum lasagna pan and a wire rack will give you a make-shift grill when a campfire just won’t do.
18. Waterproofing Matches
As long as you use strike anywhere matches, you can give them a coat of shellac and you’ll still have working matches even after a rain.
19. Glow Jars
Break open glow sticks in jars for awesome lights! Why? Just, because.
20. Tarp Stick Trick.
When hanging a tarp, raise the main line through the grommets and put a small but thick stick in the loop to help secure it without wearing out the grommets.
21. Natural Whistle Amplifier.
The woods are definitely not a great place to get lost, which is why you should teach your fellow campers that the tops of acorns can be used to make a very loud whistle. Hold the acorn cap to your lips, covering all but a small triangular opening with your thumbs, then blow.
22. Easy Eggs.
A normal 16-oz water bottle can actually hold up to 9 large eggs. Instead of bringing them along still in their breakable shells, pre-scramble them and pour them into a water bottle. Not only will they be way easier to transport, but all you’ll have to do at camp is pour them out into a pan over the fire.
23. Wrap Meat In Cabbage Leaves.
Cooking meat over a campfire is always tricky, as it can easily burn. To avoid choking down a charred burger, wrap your meat in cabbage leaves while they cook. The leaves are dense and moist, making them the perfect non-stick barrier to protect your meal.
24. Safe Tick Removal.
Ticks can turn a fun camping trip into a painful nuisance, but you can always go back to the fun if you know how to remove them. Soak a cotton ball in liquid hand soap and then place it on the tick for about 20 seconds. The tick will attach itself to the cotton ball instead of you, so you can safely remove it.
25. Alleviate Mosquito Bites.
Mosquito bites are another major nuisance when it comes to spending time outdoors, but as long as you have a stick of deodorant, then you shouldn’t fear. Applying bar deodorant to a mosquito bite will help make the itchiness go away much faster.
26. Perfect Match.
Ensure that your matches won’t get wet by keeping them in a small Tupperware container. Glue a piece of sandpaper to the bottom of the lid so you can easily light the matches when you need them.
27. Campsite Sangria.
Sangria is always good, even when you’re camping.
Here is a nice recipe we found: Fill a mason jar with grapes, sliced peaches, and sliced strawberries, and then fill it a fourth of the way up with vodka, and the rest of the way with wine. Chill the jar in the fridge overnight, and then bring it with you along with more wine, a bottle of Fresca, and a pitcher.
28. Make a spoon of a plastic bottle.
Forgot to bring a spoon? No worries, if you have a plastic bottle and a knife then you can easily make one. Cut around one of the bulbs at the bottom of the bottle, and then cut a narrower slit up that side of the bottle. MacGyver part 2.
29. Single-Use Soap.
You’re going to want something to keep you clean out in the wilderness, but bringing an entire bar of soap is wasteful. Instead, use a vegetable peeler to make single-use soap strips and bring enough of them in a bag.
30. Vacuum seal your food before you leave.
A trick I learned from my dad!
31. Pace Count Beads.
Tracking your pace count enables you to know how far you’ve traveled (without a GPS). Which is essential when trailblazing…or lost.
32. Wood Ash Dish Soap.
Mixing wood ashes with fats and oils left in dirty cookware will make a very basic type of soap that works well in the field. Yet another MacGyver trick!
33. How To Pack Your Bag?
This photo is useful to pack the best way.
34. Fill a cardboard egg carton with charcoal for a quick and easy fire starter.
Preperation is so important!
35. The Needle-Leaf Compass
If you’re lost and need a compass… just use a needle. Rub the needle on your clothes. Place the needle on a leaf floating in water. The needle will point north.
Sources
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/camping-hacks-that-are-borderline-genius
http://www.mixer2mower.com/genius-camping-hacks-every-camping-fan-should-know.html
http://www.swifty.com/travel-tips/9929/23-mustknow-camping-hacks-that-will-make-you-an-expert-of-the-outdoors#slide/0
