My son, DIL and Granddaughter just went camping with some other families and he said the other families were not as experienced at camping. It got me thinking of what Camping tips & tricks I know and my fellow AtoZer know: When using things out of a cooler always replace them (their containers) it keeps the cooler organized. Pack some balloons we put them inside clothes while they hang to dry out it looks funny but they dry faster Duct tape you can use it for anything. When it rains hang your lightly soiled clothes out to let them get a good rinse before you wash or Dry them (not if the humidity is high) don't throw out old pans you can use them to put hot coals in and place behind your chair while you sit around the fire (in the pan it keeps the campfire area a little cleaner) Place a cheep plastic drop cloth down before to pitch your tent you can drive your stakes through it and it keeps the tent cleaner Always carry a couple blue (or green) tarps with you they are like duct tape you can use them for anything. I have camped for about 40+ years (from Sleeping bag only to a RV) and I have met many people who gave me tips & tricks and some I have given tips & tricks too Don't complain camp in the rain
bring a lantern for the table at night and a small one for the tent as well as flashlights.... bring plastic bags...things will get dirty! dress warmly at night so you can be comfortable sleep on an air matress Be friendly.with your camping neighbors. ..its part of the experience!
Bring lots of snacks. When sitting around the fire on a chilly evening, a great snack is instant hot chocolate with a splash of Bailey's. Save your dryer lint for a couple of weeks before your trip. Dryer lint is great for starting fires. My husband packs dryer lint into an empty toilet paper tube. Bring playing cards and your nook. Bring binoculars to see all those interesting wild creatures and plants. Bring flip flops for the shower if you camp at a site that has showers.
dollar tree shower curtains are cheaper than tarps and great for picnic table covers. We also take metal hangers...burn off paint if painted, great for cooking hotdogs, smores, and food that can be held over heat...but also great extra wire. I freeze gallon jugs of water to use in the cooler...then as it melts, I have fresh water for drinking and cooking. I also have the plug thingy that goes into the lighter and you can charge items off your car battery.
Always set up your tent for the first time at home so you know what you're doing and all the parts are there. Buy better, hardier tent stakes and a mallet or bigger hammer or rock pick to pound them in. Stop and set up before dark (my husband's suggestion he rarely follows). Make checklists - we have multiple copies we staple in a folder and take with us. That way you don't forget important stuff and you can note things you want to add or delete. Don't follow the crowd - get out in the wilderness. I precut and even precook a lot of stuff in advance so the prep and cooking is faster and less messy. Delegate so you aren't doing all the work. For example, once the kids were old enough they were responsible for setting up their tent and beds and then one helped me set up the kitchen, one got the fire going, one set up the tables and chairs. After that they could play. Everyone helped clean up. You never have enough light sources. I gave the kids a list of clothes they needed and then they had to bring it out to the living room and pack it in front of me so I knew they had what they needed. I pack snacks for the car separately and always have a small ice chest and handy plates, etc. for lunches if we are moving around. I have a separate bag for towels and swimsuits so they are all together in one place. We have permanent boxes for kitchen stuff, camping accessories, first aid, etc. so they are always ready and quick to pick up and go and we stay pretty organized. Have a spare tire or patch and pump kit or both - and basic tools - don't get me started on this one......arg! I always take extra blankets for cuddling around the fire or if it is too cold or hot for the sleeping bag. Check the propane tank before you go. Don't put things away wet when you get home and refill everything you need to before you pack it away. If you can, take a spare kid - you might be the only family that takes that child camping (or on vacation for that matter).
I just went on a 16 day camping trip with a college class as we adventured around the northwest and Rocky Mountain region of the US. I wanted to share some of my tips and tricks but you all already said mine!! I did want to ask, I'm going to be camping for a few days in Nevada for burning man, and I was wondering what kind of meals to bring on a trip like that. It will be hot, and windy, and dusty and I'm having a hard time thinking of good, healthy meals to bring that will survive.
Oh, and Koa's are a-ok! I loved being able to stay there ever three days or so to do laundry and showers.
Do not "store" your hairbrush at the bottom of your sleeping bag when you roll it up in the morning. You will forget and put your feet down there at night. You will think it is a porcupine, and then you will probably knock the tent down. Do not lean up against the front of a truck with a jacket on in the desert at night. The zipper will make a noise like a rattlesnake, and you will be standing there frozen while everyone else jumps into the truck. Don't shake the flaming marshmallow to get it off the stick. It will fly off and land in the dirt. You will step on it in the morning. Bring toilet paper. Leaves do not really work. That's a myth.
One can only imagine! No, bring toilet paper, always. All of those things I mentioned happened on one of our many camping trips, but the one that I remember most fondly was the rattlesnake one. It was so quiet and peaceful. My mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I were in Nevada under a beautiful blanket of stars. We were miles from the nearest paved road, just parked out on a dirt track that led to an opal mine. My son and his grandfather had taken off on their dirt bikes an hour before and we were waiting for them...and very quietly straining to hear the sound of the motorcycles. I leaned up against the grillwork and heard that rattling sound. We all heard it, and those two leaped into the truck, leaving me standing there, frozen stiff, trying not to move. They were trying to offer me advice, quietly, through the open window, and my sister-in-law wanted to get the flashlight and climb out the window and over the hood and shine it around and I was telling her not to do that, don't get out, don't make any movement, stop making sounds...... I leaned forward again...and my zipper made contact once more. That's when I realized what it was. My stomach hurt from laughing so much. What a incredibly beautiful night that was.
I laughed so hard at your advice!! Nice way to word it! Thanks for the laugh this morning!!:lol: ps. it is good advice!!
Don't plan a camping trip at a state park during the time when the state plans on shutting the government down, thereby closing the state parks.
My husband and I camp a lot and it appears everyone has covered a lot of our tricks and I have picked up some great tips too! Thanks!! If you are primative camping where there are no restrooms and showers ( my husband and I like to camp on the islands here at the local lake) we have one of the privacy showers tents for our "restroom" and we use one of those bedside toilets for senior adults with a bucket under it. I know it sounds nasty but it is the cleanest way to handle your business. Don't forget to take care of your own bucket after use! Also, take a can of the bombs used for your home for insects and set one off in the middle of your site. It will help take care of insect issues. Ping Pong balls work great if you need to secure a tarp. We have had high winds that rip the eyes out of the tarp so my husband put a ping pong ball under the tarp, puts a rubberband around it and then ties the rope around the ball then to the tree. It works great!! Contact billboard installers and see if they have any of the vinyl signs around they have taken off a billboard recently. they are very thick and work GREAT for under the tent and as a mat in front of the tent.
We bring glow necklaces for the kids at night. Make a list of what you run out of, or break, (batteries, gas cans, flashlights) and put it in your camping box so you will be able to remember what you need before the next trip. Sleep on a FAT air mattress. Keep the tent closed and no shoes in the tent. Heat extra water at dinner and use it to wash the dishes. Bring a plastic tote with soap and paper towels for the bathrooms. Some places dont have these things. We always bring the card game SET. SMORE bar! We have a smore bar one night. This can involve graham crackers, hershey's miniatures, nutella, marshmallows of all flavors, jam, peanut butter... sinful.
We used to use ping pong balls but they would crush (kids sometimes get carried away while using them) so we switched to golf balls Also since I am a shop teacher I made a fire "lean to" to feed logs into the fire, similar to this, but I used a welded one out of metal. As a log burns out the next one take its place.
