CAMPING HACKS AND TIPS

There are tons of camping hacks and tricks out there so we thought we would share a list of our favorite 20.

These may not change your life, but they just might save some time or impress your friends on the other side of the campfire.

1. WARM YOUR SLEEPING BAG WITH A WATER BOTTLE.

Some people were born with cold feet. To cope while camping, fill your water bottle up with hot water and throw it in the bottom of your sleeping bag before bedtime.

2. PACK THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SLEEPING BAG WITH DRY CLOTHES.

If snuggling up to a bottle of hot water goes against your better judgment, try some dry clothes instead. They will soak up any moisture in the bottom of your sleeping bag and keep your favorite feet warm.

3. MAKE YOUR OWN LANTERN.

After sunset, turn any translucent jug of water into a translucent jug of ambient light. Just strap your headlamp to your water bottle with the light facing inward and tell your scary story that isn’t scary at all.

4. LINE YOUR PACK WITH A HEAVY-DUTY GARBAGE BAG.

Use garbage can bags to help keep your stuff dry. Line your backpack with a plastic garbage bag and fill ‘er up.

5. KEEP ONE PAIR OF YOUR SOCKS SAFE.

Learn to love sacred socks. Sacred socks are clean, dry socks that live in your sleeping bag for sleeping purposes only. It’s a beautiful thing.

6. STUFF SACKS MAKE GOOD PILLOWS.

Pillows are for peasants. Rough it like you mean it by stuffing some clothes in your stuff sack and using that as a pillow.

7. TRY LINT FOR A FIRE STARTER.

You can also bring some lint with you as a lightweight fire-starter. Unless you’re saving that lint for something really important.

8. USE DORITOS AS KINDLING.

Fire won’t start? Not a problem! Skip the expensive fire starter sticks and reach for a bag of Doritos or Fritos instead. These dense, oily corn chips are easy to light on fire and will last for a long time, making them ideal kindling for starting a fire. Plus, they double as an emergency snack if you get cravings.

9. HANG YOUR CLOTHES UP WITH BREAD TAGS.

Start stockpiling your bread tags. They make great clothespins and they’re kinda shaped like slices of bread, which is helpful.

10. MAKE A NEW GROMMET OUT OF A ROCK.

Lose a grommet on your tarp? Twist a rock in the same corner to make a new anchor point.

11. CANDLE WAX MAKES GREAT ZIPPER LUBRICANT.

Keep your zippers zippy by applying a little bit of candle wax from a very un-lit candle.

12. KEEP YOUR DOWN SLEEPING BAG FLUFFY BY DRYING IT WITH TENNIS BALLS.

When drying a down-filled sleeping bag, include a few tennis balls to preserve loft.

13. PUT YOUR DROWNED PHONE IN A BAG OF RICE. CROSS YOUR FINGERS.

Drop your phone in the river? Put it in that bag of rice your vegan friend brought. Leave it in there for two days and it just might save your phone.

14. MAKE YOUR OWN SELFIE STICK WITH A REAL STICK.

Want to experience life from a stick’s perspective? Attach your GoPro to a stick!

15. USE THAT STICK TO MAKE A TRIPOD WITH YOUR TREKKING POLES.

You can also make your own tripod with some trekking poles and that stick that you made friends with earlier.

16. OR JUST BRING A SMARTPHONE TRIPOD.

Alternatively, you can just bring a tripod for your smartphone. You’ll look way cooler than the guy with the stick.

17. USE EMPTY TIC TAC CONTAINERS FOR SPICES.

Camping food doesn’t have to be bland. Common spices such as salt and pepper, or even cinnamon, can be siphoned into Tic Tac containers. These containers are the perfect size for just a little bit of spice, don’t take up much space, and can be securely sealed to prevent any spillage.

18. COMPACT COOKING SETS ARE NOT JUST FOR BACKPACKERS!

Even if space isn’t an issue, compact cooking sets and mess kits can be a handy thing to bring to a campsite. Cooking sets are durable, multipurpose, and easily stack, which makes cleanup and re-packing easier.

19. BRING WIPES

Whether an outdoors-specific brand like Epic Wipes, classic Wet Naps, branded baby wipes or even those flushable toilet wipes that you’re really not supposed to flush, moist towelettes are musts on any camping trip. They keep you fresh, energize your spirit with a backcountry shower or sweat-wipe and maintain sanitary conditions around the camp kitchen and pit privy. Buy in bulk.

20. IGNITE AN EGG CARTON WITH CHARCOAL INSIDE FOR AN EASY START

If you need to start charcoal briquettes you can place a dozen briquettes in a cardboard egg carton, light that carton, and by the time the cardboard is completely burnt away the briquettes should be sufficiently lit. You MUST use a cardboard egg carton and NOT polystyrene.

BONUS TIP: BURN SAGE

Here’s a great camping hack: add sage to your campfire to repel mosquitoes. They don’t like the smell of sage, so it’s a natural bug deterrent. It’ll keep them from ruining your campfire fun, but the smell will also linger on your skin and clothing as added protection after it’s done burning. While most humans enjoy the earthy smell of sage, mosquitoes do not. So that means you get to take in a nice aroma while enjoying a bite-free environment. As an added bonus, ticks also hate sage and will stay away from the smell, too.

Have a favorite hack that makes camping better? Please share in the comments below.