Ah, camping. The great outdoors, the campfires, the food you’d never eat in civilised society: it’s a wonderful experience.
That said, things can get a little bit tricky when we are left to the mercy of Mother Nature. These 47 fantastic camping hacks you can use to make your camping experience as wonderful as possible!
2. Point a head lamp into a jug of water for an instant lantern.
3. Paint the inside of a jar with non-toxic glow-in-the-dark paint for an easy DIY lantern.
4. Make tin-can sandwich bread as a portable food option.
5. Familiarize yourself with what the poisonous plants look like.
Check out this video:
6. Bring a tick deterrent.
7. Glue sandpaper to the top of your match holder.
8. Repurpose a coffee can to hold and protect TP.
9. Make crescent rolls over the campfire.
10. Use Tic-Tac boxes to store spices.
11. Invest in a two-person sleeping bag.
12. Get these seat hammocks for car camping.
13. Cut up a straw and fill the pieces up with antibiotic ointment or toothpaste for single-use packets.
14. Make travel coffee bags out of coffee filters and dental floss.
15. Need your coffee? Bring a few of these.
16. Make candle stakes for romantic nighttime lighting.
17. Make single-use soap leaves from a bar of soap and a vegetable peeler.
18. Use an empty laundry detergent dispenser as a hand-washing station.
Just fill it up with water. (greatwildoutdoors.com)
19. Use a belt and hooks to hang up pots and pans.
20. Make campfire cones!
21. Pack a mini first-aid kit into an old prescription bottle or Altoids tin.
22. Make pancakes with pre-made pancake mix using shortening and dry milk, which don’t need to be refrigerated.
23. Put a battery-powered votive candle into an empty peanut butter container to make portable lanterns.
24. Make a portable washing machine with a plunger and a bucket.
Get the directions here.
25. Make an easy-to-carry fire starter with a cardboard-only egg carton and match light charcoal.
26. Corn chips for kindling!
27. Make pocket-sized oil lamps out of travel-size or hotel toiletry shampoo bottles.
28. Forgo the meat marinade and put the rosemary right on the coals.
Once the coals are uniformly gray and ashy, cover them with fresh rosemary branches. Your meat and vegetables will be flavored with the taste of savory herbs.
29. Bring cheeses in waxed packaging as well as hard cheeses.
30. Add bundles of sage to a campfire to keep mosquitoes away.
31. Try roasting Starburst.
Sounds crazy, but it’s actually delicious. Crunchy on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside. Roast it until it’s bubbling. (clarkandsuz.blogspot.com)
32. Forgo pasta for a quick-cooking alternatives like polenta, quinoa, or couscous.
Polenta is especially versatile because it can be shaped into patties and pan-fried for a sweet or savory meal. Get a recipe for grilled polenta cakes.
33. Cook cinnabuns (the canned kind) in a hollowed-out orange over a campfire.
34. If you’re going to be hiking, use this biodegradable trail-marking tape.
35. Keep the kids busy with a scavenger hunt.
Write the items down on a paper bag so they have a receptacle for the items.
36. Use a bucket and a milk crate as an emergency toilet.
37. Cotton pads dipped in wax are a crazy easy way to make portable fire starters.
38. Bring microfiber towels — they’re super absorbent and lightweight.
39. 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.
40. Make emergency light sources out of an Altoids tin, cardboard, and wax.
41. Use sage to repel mosquitoes.
Place some sage in your campfire and the smell is sure to ward off any pesky mosquitos.
42. Liquid soap + cotton balls = no ticks.
If you or one of your fellow campers is having trouble with a tick, place the soap-soaked cotton on the tick for 20 seconds. The tick will eventually stop chewing and will come away with the cotton ball. If the tick was attached for a lengthy amount of time you may want to consider keeping it in a container so that you can test it for Lyme disease later.
43. Use an acorn cap as a whistle if you get lost.
It’s remarkably easy to get lost whilst camping. Here’s a full tutorial on how you can transform an acorn into a whistle!
44. Use a stick to secure your tent.
By placing a stick in the main centre line you ensure the pressure is even throughout, which will stop the grommets being pulled out.
45. Use the rest of the chips for nachos.
Nachos are easy to pack, light and simple to make. Plus they’re incredibly tasty. (buzzfeed.com)
46. Use compact, microfibre towels!
These towels are incredibly easy to store and dry within an hour of use. Buy them here.
47. Make sandwiches with this campfire panini press.
References:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/camping-hacks-that-are-borderline-genius
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/30-brilliant-camping-hacks-wish-knew-earlier.html
Last Updated on April 23, 2019
