Incredible Camping Hacks
Now that summer’s in full effect, it means campings on the horizon.
If you’re worried about needing to buy a ton of camping supplies you can relax. Using supplies you’ve got laying around your house you can turn tons of items you’d otherwise throw away into awesome camping and survival tools.
Check out this list provided by our friends at Buzzfeed.
1. Use foam floor tiles for a softer, more comfortable tent floor.
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.
See how she did this here.
5. Familiarize yourself with what the poisonous plants look like.
6. Bring a tick deterrent.
7. Glue sandpaper to the top of your match holder.
Be sure to buy strike-anywhere matches.
8. Repurpose a coffee can to hold and protect TP.
9. Make crescent rolls over the campfire.
For maximum yumminess, fill ‘em with stuff like marshmallows and Nutella. Or wrap hot dogs with them.
Get the directions here.
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.
Use a lighter to seal up the ends.
14. Make travel coffee bags out of coffee filters and dental floss.
Place a scoop of coffee grounds into a coffee filter and tie it up with dental floss. When you’re ready to brew, just make it like you would make tea in a teabag!
15. Need your coffee? Bring a few of these.
They’ll keep you from going into caffeine withdrawal.
17. Make single-use soap leaves from a bar of soap and a vegetable peeler.
You can also rub soap on mosquito bites to relieve the itchiness.
18. Use an empty laundry detergent dispenser as a hand-washing station.
Just fill it up with water.
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.
Get the full recipe here. You can also find powdered eggs at most grocery stores (if you don’t shudder at the thought).
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.
You just have to light the carton and the fire will catch on to the charcoal.
27. Make pocket-sized oil lamps out of travel-size or hotel toiletry shampoo bottles.
Get the directions here.
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.
Aged cheddar, Parmigiano, and/or Gruyère will keep for at least a week unrefrigerated.
30. Add bundles of sage to a campfire to keep mosquitoes away.
31. Try roasting Starburst.
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clarkandsuz.blogspot.com
Sounds crazy, but it’s actually delicious. Crunchy on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside. Roast it until it’s bubbling.
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.
Get the full details here.
34. If you’re going to be hiking, use this biodegradable trail-marking tape.
35. Keep the kids busy with a scavenger hunt.
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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.
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.
Get the instructions here.
And Don’t Forget Camping Essentials
Some of our most popular products are also perfect for camping.
Like the LifeStraw.
This is one of the most powerful and compact water filters on the market, and it’s great for both camping and survival use.
Click here or on the image to learn more about the LifeStraw
Awesome
Great ideas! The foam floor tiles will also give you a bit more protection from the damp ground and a bit of insulation when it’s chilly, too. Maybe putting some under the tent as well to keep the tent floor from getting a hole in it from rocks or twigs would be good, too?
Just a note for those new to prepping: If you are going to freeze water to keep your food cold, make sure it is in its original container as milk or fruit juice or tea jugs can hold contaminants even if they are washed and bleached. Also, before freezing the water, pour a bit out of the jug into a clean, empty water jug so that the jug doesn’t split or pop the cap when it freezes.