301 Camping Hacks
Camping tips and tricks so you don’t die in the woods.
1. Transport eggs in a water bottle. Rather than carrying the around a carton, crack them into a water bottle and keep them cool. Then, when you need to make eggs, you can just open the plastic bottle and pour them out. Just make sure your thermos is a good one. A great thermos can keep your eggs cool for days.
2. Bring tarps for above and below your tent. You’d think your tent would be enough to stop rain, but often times it isn’t. Tarps will lower the chances of waking up in a pile of water.
3. Invest in a Therm-A-Rest. They’re lightweight, thin air mattresses that will change your camping experience for the better. Especially if you have a bad back. Many will self-inflate and take almost no room to pack.
4. Create a packing list beforehand. Sit down and think of everything you’d need. That way, when you’re rushing out the door, you won’t have to think about whether you’re forgetting stuff.
5. Use a shoe organizer in your tent to keep all your toiletries and supplies from scattering. It’ll keep everything in its own pocket, so you’ll be able to find it late at night when you’re sleepy.
6. Prepare food beforehand. Trying to cut raw meat and cook it over a fire will result in dinner at midnight. Pre-cook everything, just use the fire to heat up your food. It’ll make everything faster and easier.
7. Buy a water boiler. They’re small, camping thermoses that use gas to heat up water quickly. Trying to boil lake water over a stove can take way longer than you’d expect, so these are great for early morning coffee.
8. Bring a deck of cards for down time. Once you set everything up, you’ll need something to do between meals if you don’t want to be active.
9. You’ll almost never regret bringing too many tarps. If it rains, you’ll want a shelter to cook and hang out with everyone.
10. If you put a tarp above a campfire so you can cook in the rain, put it halfway over the fire to cook so smoke can still escape. You don’t want to suffer from smoke inhalation in the middle of the woods.
11. Bring a lighter instead of matches. Matches can get soaked in the rain. Lighters use gas. Matches are fun to light, but lighters are more reliable if you’re camping. BBQ lighters are extremely useful.
12. Bring lots of socks. You’ll probably blow through at least 2-3 pairs a day. Especially if it’s raining. Wet socks mean a miserable camping experience. Dry socks are heaven.
13. Even if the item you’re bringing says it’s waterproof, that’s not always the case. Most things are just water resistant. So, try not to get your stuff too wet.
14. Before you leave, make sure you let someone know where you’ll be staying. A location on the map is good, GPS co-ordinates are better. People get lost in the woods all the time. This makes your rescue easier.
15. You can never gather enough firewood. Logs don’t last as long as people think. Whoever is in charge of gathering wood should try to create a humongous pile on day 1.
16. Make sure to put a tarp over your humongous pile of firewood. If it rains in the night, even for an hour, then your wood will extremely hard to light on fire.
17. Weather reporting is unreliable. Bring some rain gear even if it’s supposed to be sunny all week. A front could develop in only a few hours. You don’t want to have to drive home early because you forgot the umbrella.
18. In addition to a flashlight, bring along a headlamp. This makes working in the dark a lot easier. They come in red or white. White is brighter, but red can be used at night without waking up your friends and family.
19. Not enough icepacks? No problem. Just freeze some food you’re planning on eating in a few days. This will help keep everything cooler for longer.
20. Bring an extra roll of toilet paper. You might think one is enough, but then your friend drops it and it rolls down a hill and ruins everything. Thanks a lot, Glenda.
21. Baby wipes are a good idea to bring along in case anyone gets diarrhea. Then they won’t use all the toilet paper cleaning their butts.
22. You can wrap the ingredients for a shepherd’s pie in tin foil and freeze them ahead of time. Then just throw your tinfoil contraption onto some hot coals and let it cook a while.
23. Avoid building your tent in the dark. Always try to set up camp before the sun goes down. Even if you’re a pro tent builder, you might accidently put it over some chipmunk’s hole that you couldn’t see because it’s dark out.
24. If it’s your first time going camping in the woods, try to bring along someone that’s done this before. They’ll know all the little tricks.
25. Instead of bringing water, bring a water purification machine, or tablets and a strainer. Then you can make your own water. Much lighter.
26. You know how a Swiss army knife has a million little gadgets on it, but all you ever use is the can opener? Well camping is what this thing was made for. Get an official one. They’re 100x than the cheap knockoffs.
27. Always bring bug spray even if your friend swears “The bugs are done this time of year.” Bugs are unpredictable and people are often wrong.
28. Bring a roll of duct tape with you. Then if something cracks or breaks you can fix it. Duct tape can also be used as a bandage in an emergency.
29. If you’re gonna cheap out on something, don’t make it the sleeping bag. A top-quality sleeping bag will keep you warm, comfy, and away from bugs and animals. You probably won’t sleep as well in the woods, so you’ll want all the help you can get.
30. Bandanas can be used for other things than keeping the sun off your skin. You use them as rope, an oven mitt, a sock, and many other things.
31. When bringing rope/paracord, make sure you get at least 100-150 feet. Avoid cutting it unless absolutely necessary.
32. Bear spray. Even if your area is just harmless black bears, you’ll want bear spray. You might wander into an area with cubs, or the bears might smell your food and get frisky. It can also be used as protection against weirdos you run into in the middle of the forest.
33. Store your tent in a waterproof bag. Setting up a tent in the rain is annoying enough. Setting up a wet tent in the rain is grounds for divorce.
34. Apply lots of sunscreen, especially early on in your trip. If you get mega burned on day one, then the rest of your week will be miserable.
35. Bring a bottle of hand sanitizer and use that than instead of soap. Water is precious when camping, and you might not see a lake or stream for several days. Make sure to apply hand sanitizer before you eat anything with your hands. You don’t want to get sick in the forest.
36. Avoid cotton clothing. It doesn’t insulate you if it’s wet AND it takes longer to dry. Very stupid fabric. Synthetics all the way. Or wool maybe. Grandma is always bored. Get her to knit you an outfit.
37. Try to leave your campsite in a better condition than when you found it. People who leave their garbage in the woods are the same ones that talk during movies at the theater.
38. When hunting for firewood, use sticks and dead logs that have already fallen. Cutting down a new tree is dumb because you’ll uglify the forest, and fresh wood doesn’t burn as well.
39. Shake your boots/shoes out in the morning. Spiders might have crawled in the during the night. You don’t want to be bitten first thing in the morning.
40. When zipping closed your tent, zip from the bottom up. This prevents snakes from wiggling their way into your tent.
41. Most noises you’ll hear during the night are just trees blowing in the wind. It’s really just howling and growling you need to be concerned with. Sleep with a flashlight and some bear spray.
42. To avoid animals bugging you during the night, make sure to change out of the clothes you cooked/ate with. And clean all your dishes. Bears can smell food from 20 miles away.
43. Make sure your campsite is located significantly far from the highway. Otherwise you’ll be listening to trucks all day and night.
44. Plastic Ziploc bags are wonderful. Bring as many as you can. You can even put your clothes in the big ones. Don’t cheap out the bags. Buy the high-quality ones. Otherwise the seals could break and then the bears will smell your food.
45. Avoid setting up your tent close to a river unless you’re on high ground. Rivers can flood in the night. Try to be at least 200 feet from water.
46. Be careful with floodplains or empty rivers as well. A flash flood can happen quickly and then you’ll be drowning in mud saying, “Why oh why didn’t we go to Disneyland?”
47. Bring a pocket flashing in addition to your giant flashlight. You might need the tiny one to find the big one. Bring backup batteries for both. Backup batteries are good idea for everything if you’ll be camping for more than a week.
48. Vacuum-packed food, or dehydrated food can save a lot of space in your bag. Dehydrated vegetables, instant rice, and powdered milk can be used to create a nice soup.
49. Try not to leave any food in your car. Animals might try to break into your vehicle. They won’t succeed, but you’ll need a new paint job.
50. Be careful with electronics. If you leave them in the sun for too long, then they’ll overheat and melt. Many iPhones have died this way. And if you lose your phone then people can’t track you if you’re lost. (GPS)
51. Bring a satellite phone if you’re really going off the grid. If there’s a medical emergency, you’ll want the ability to reach the authorities. You never know what could happen.
52. Take a refresher course on first aid and CPR before you go camping. Even knowing the bare minimum can help save a life if you’re in a dire situation.
53. Bring shampoo and conditioner that’s safe for the environment. If everyone used their regular products, then the animals would consume an unhealthy amount of chemicals. Camping shouldn’t cause destruction!
54. If, for whatever reason, you lose your shoes in the woods, you should fashion a new pair using rope and forest stuff. Bark, leaves, etc.
55. If it’s really cold out and your friend doesn’t have a good enough sleeping bag, you might have to cuddle together to preserve warmth. It might be awkward but it’s better than dying!
56. Don’t put your toilet paper on the ground. It will get wet. Nothing is worse than wiping with wet toilet paper that’s covered pine needles, dirt, and possibly bugs. There could even be spiders in there. Gross.
57. An easy way to start a fire is by using an egg carton filled with kindling. Unless you’re in the middle of a hurricane, it’ll light in two seconds.
58. Did you bring bug spray, but are still someone covered in mosquito and bug bites? No problem. Just apply some stick deodorant to the bites. This will reduce the pain and itchiness.
59. Need to clean things, but want to preserve water? Poke some holes into the lid of a disposable water bottle. Now you’ve got a squirt bottle that pours out water like a shower.
60. Bring a nail file with you. It may not feel like the most important tool for camping, but a hang nail can ruin an experience for even the most advanced campers.
61. Bring an old-fashioned disposable camera to create memories. While you can take great photos on your phone, the print versions are an easy way to make a scrapbook of memories.
62. If you’re using your phone to take photos, go online and create a picture book of your time camping. The memories can stay on your windowsill forever.
63. Always put out your fires completely. Wind can reignite tiny sparks and blow them onto dry grass. You don’t want to be responsible for a forest fire on a campground. Use soil and water to smother it.
64. Bring more than one bathing suit. They don’t dry as fast as you’d think, given how small and lightweight they usually are. Putting on a damp bathing suit to go swimming in the afternoon can be quite uncomfortable.
65. Avoid cooking meat when it’s late at night. The smell of cooking meat can attract animals from miles away. And not the fun ones.
66. Use a bigger tent than you think you’ll need. A four-person tent is perfect for two people. They expect everyone to be side-by-side and tiny. This leaves no room for stuff.
67. Practice pitching your tent in your backyard. This will make it much easier to do once you’re on the site. If it’s raining or cold, you’ll want to have practiced before with no pressure to ensure a quick pitching.
68. Bring extra sweaters to sleep in. If it’s cold out and your sleeping bag isn’t down, you could end up extra cold. There’s nothing worse than shivering while trying to fall asleep.
69. Sleeping socks. These will change your life. You know how people wear special clothes to bed, called pajamas? You can do that with your feet too. Buy the comfiest pair you can. Only use them for sleeping. Don’t get them wet!
70. Mosquitos annoying you? Bring some dried bundles of sage. Toss them into the campfire. Bugs hate the smell of burning sage and will find another campsite to annoy.
71. Avoid loose ice cubes in your cooler if your food isn’t sealed in plastic containers. Otherwise the ice melts and will seep into your packages of meat. Super gross.
72. A better method for bringing ice is to fill some jugs 95% full of water. Freeze those. Your giant ice cubes will keep the food cold, and then turn into potable water after they melt.
73. If you’re not picky when it comes to pillows, bring a comfy sweater and pack it full of clothes. Sure, your pillow will get smaller as you use the clothes, but you’ll save space.
74. Save all those silica gel packs that you find in beef jerky. Their purpose to absorb excess moisture so the food doesn’t go bad. You can store these with your camping supplies, so things don’t rust or grow mold.
75. A backpack has two main purposes: Carrying things and keeping them dry. If your backpack isn’t the best quality, then add an extra liner with plastic bags, or you could even sew in your own material.
76. Bring at least one lightweight long-sleeved shirt. You can wear this at the campfire. It’ll be warm, but at least you won’t get bug bites.
77. If you do get a bug bite that’s particularly annoying, clean it with rubbing alcohol before applying your favorite homemade remedy on top of it. Oatmeal, basil, honey. All sorts of things will do the trick.
78. Pack a book incase you have some down time. If you can’t play games on your phone and kill the battery, a book is a great option to pass the time.
79. If you’re looking for friends to bring camping, invite the most useful ones first. Nurses, engineers, fire fighters, etc. You know. People that can save your life in the middle of the woods.
80. Buy little soap slips to use to clean your hands in a pinch. If you aren’t near a bathroom with soap and water, they sell little packets of soap slivers you can use before meals. Washing your hands with soap is critical to killing bacteria.
81. Prepare for the worst in terms of weather. Always bring options for hot and cold, including a rain outfit. Even if it takes up extra space.
82. Beef jerky is great to bring camping, but it doesn’t have a lot of calories. You’ll need more calories than usual since you’ll be hiking around a lot. Check the nutritional info!
83. For a cute dessert, bring apples and some caramels. Cut the apples in half and scoop out the seeds in the middle. Fill the scooped-out part with caramels and close the apple. Wrap it in tinfoil and leave it near the fire coals for 30 minutes. It’ll be like apple pie.
84. Bring an experienced camper with you for your first time if you know one. The learning curve on camping is steep, so if you can go with someone who’s been through the trials and tribulations beforehand, use their expertise.
85. Paint your tent poles with glow in the dark paint so you can see them while setting up in the dark. This trick could save time, energy, and frustration if you’re in a jam after hours. Why stop at poles? Paint the cooler too. You don’t want to be stumbling around in the dark looking for a tasty beverage.
86. Put your garbage and food high in the air with a pully system. Attach it to a rope and pull it high in the air so if wild animals come, they won’t be rummaging around in your tent. They’ll go for the food in the tree.
87. Even if you’re an experienced camper, picking an area with a park ranger can provide benefits. They can tell you where the waterfalls are.
88. If you don’t want to bring water purification tablets, or a machine, then bring a TON of water. Double the amount you’ll think you need. People spill it, or underestimate how much they’ll need to cook dinner.
89. Always pack for an extra day. Even if you don’t get stranded, an extra set of everything might come in handy if the weather is bad.
90. Break in your hiking boots/shoes before you go camping. Otherwise you could end up with blisters on your feet for an entire week.
91. A first-aid kit, while useful, doesn’t have to be top-of-the-line. Really all you need is bandages, a splint, rubbing alcohol, and scissors.
92. Don’t go camping with people you hardly know. They might turn into psychos when they get off the grid.
93. Don’t forget about snacks. Meals are fun, but you’ll be burning a lot more calories if you’re trudging through the woods all day.
94. Nuts and peanut butter make great snacks because they’re high in calories but not too heavy to carry. Number one rule of camping is buying the lightest version of everything.
95. Read up on some basic knots BEFORE you go camping. You don’t want to be waving your cell phone in the air and hunting for data in an emergency. Simple knots are often good enough. Especially for tying up the boat.
96. Even if you run out of water, avoid drinking from a dirty puddle. Keep moving until you find something better. A dirty puddle is filled with bacteria and parasites.
97. Wear long pants when walking through any area that might have ticks in it. Most people never fully recover from Lyme disease. Check your body for ticks every night.
98. Bring your phone but keep it turned off. One of the best parts of camping is staying off the grid and enjoying nature. If you get bad news, or a nasty email from your boss it could ruin your trip.
99. Bring a pair of flip flops so you don’t have to put your shoes on every time you leave the tent. Never walk around the forest in bare feet. You could slice your foot open.
100. If the park has a ranger, then let them know when you’ll be back. You can also write down your camping plans and put them in your car. If you go missing, then people will be able to know right away.
101. Want people to find you when you’re lost? Get yourself a hurricane whistle. These are the loudest whistles available for sale. Blow on one of these suckers and people will come running.
102. Bring lots of garbage bags. Thick ones. With the ties already on them. This way if you need to sleep with your garbage around, you can tie it in a tree.
103. Don’t bring any unnecessary gear. You’ll be walking a lot with it on your back. Board games are fun, but a deck of cards is like 50 games.
104. Bring one of those brushes with soap in the handle. Clean your dishes every night. Make sure to toss the wastewater far from camp.
105. Don’t eat anything you find in the woods unless you’re 2000% sure it’s not poisonous.
106. A frisbee doubles as both a plate and a form of entertainment. You can also use it as a fan. Or a ninja throwing star to whip at bears.
107. Run out of fire starter? Use your carb-based junk food. You didn’t need those calories anyway.
108. Before you go camping in an area, search the internet for problems. Twitter is great for this. If someone ran into coyotes last week, maybe it’s a good place to avoid.
109. Animals will try to eat anything if it smells good. Toothpaste? Food. Shampoo? Food. Keep it sealed!
110. Did you remember to buy a crank charger? You can use these to power your electronics. They don’t need a battery. Just your wrists!
111. A sheath knife is useful for things other than looking cool. You can use it for protection, hunting, gathering, and throwing at trees when you’re bored.
112. If you like to drink, then bring hard liquor instead of beer. Beer is heavy. Hard liquor is light. It also has less calories. Everybody wins except the Budweiser shareholders.
113. Never toss cigarette butts into the woods. Stomp them out.
114. Bring a large hat. Yeah, they look a bit goofy, but it’ll protect you from the sun, and also bugs. Bugs are super annoying. People who say they hate camping really just hate bugs.
115. If you’re camping in colder weather, make sure to buy clothes and gloves that are rated for much colder. Cheap gear never holds up.
116. Avoid bringing children on camping trips with lots of hiking. They’ll get bored and want to stop and play a lot. Why? Because they’re kids! Only bring children camping if you have lots of entertainment.
117. A cooking fire is built differently than a heating fire. Chimneys for cooking, and teepees for heat/fun. Learn the difference!
118. Powdered hot chocolate is a nice snack, and light to carry. Then you can say you had hot chocolate made with lake water, AND you didn’t die.
119. If you’ve got room for it, bring a fire log. You never know what the wood will be like once you get into the bush. Kindling is great, but it doesn’t have that sustained burning power you need to keep warm or cook dinner.
120. Skip the ankle socks. Ankle socks are for staying cool and looking cool. In the woods you want to protect yourself from bugs, and poison ivy.
121. If you’re bringing wet wipes to keep your butt clean, make sure they’re the environmentally friendly ones that dissolve after a few days. People who leave litter in the forest get coal in their stockings.
122. If you don’t want to sleep in a tent with other people, consider investing in a quality hammock. Make sure to get a mosquito net and put a tarp over it in case it rains.
123. If you’re bringing snacks and hanging out in a group, bring enough to share. Nobody wants to watch you gobble down the fun stuff by yourself.
124. An empty tin can be turned into a cheese grater. Just poke it full of holes.
125. Fill a plastic bag with water. Hang it from a tree. Poke the bag full of holes with a fork. Enjoy your shower.
126. If you cut your matches in half, you can double up your matches.
127. Saw the handle off your cutlery and they’ll take up less space.
128. Paper plates can be folded into bowls. Use your forks to pinch together the four corners.
129. Bring some water shoes if you want to go swimming. This way you won’t step on a shell or rock and slice your foot open. If you slice your foot open in the middle of nowhere, you’re a dead man.
130. Most people love to bring duct tape camping. Unfortunately, it comes in these giant rolls. The solution is to unroll it and re-wrap it over something way smaller. Like a pen or pencil.
131. Did your shoes get super gross while hiking through the woods? Throw them into a laundry bag and then wash the bag. Just set it to cold if you’re worried about damage.
132. You only need one frying pan if it’s big enough. Just push stuff to the side with your wooden spatula.
133. Lose your spatula? You can make one with a piece of dead wood. Just burn the edges to sanitize it.
134. You can craft a lot of stuff/tools in the forest. All you need is a wood, rocks, a knife, and lots of duct tape.
135. If you’re not bringing a water purification device, then bring at least three extra days of water. Start rationing it the second you think you might be lost.
136. If you’re lost in the forest, you’ll need to find shelter and water. Food is important, but you can survive for weeks without food. You could die in a single night without shelter.
137. Take a basic first-aid course BEFORE you go camping. Relying on YouTube to set a broken bone is a recipe for disaster. There’s no data in the mountains. Even less in the woods.
138. Don’t bring any food camping that you haven’t eaten before. You might have developed an allergy to it. It happens. In my early 20’s I became allergic to strawberries. Why? Because God hates me.
139. Don’t bring any food that’s low in calories or has zero calories. Especially diet soda. It makes you hungry and it’s heavy as balls.
140. Save your dryer lint and roll it into tiny balls. Useful for two purposes. Throwing at people that make too much noise, and starting fires. Dryer lint is extremely flammable.
141. Camping doesn’t have to be super expensive. You can get away with a lot of cheap gear. Just make sure you buy a nice tent, backpack, and sleeping bag. The rest is window dressing.
142. If you’re camping in the cold, then a double sleeping bag can be a prudent investment. You’ll save space, money, and conserve body heat!
143. Tie your belt around a tree. Presto. You’ve created a device for hanging things from. Never leave any cooking stuff on the ground. You’ll get ants. Or worse…
144. Bring a bar of soap instead of liquid soap. It’s lighter and lasts longer. It also doesn’t spill when you knock it over in the dark.
145. Got your bar of soap? Okay great. Now instead of using it normally like you would at home (lots of waste) we’ll be using a vegetable peeler. Peel off tiny bits of soap. A single bar can last weeks this way.
146. Did your shoes get wet? Dry them out overnight by hanging them from a tree and stuffing them full of dirty clothes. Wind blows on the shoes, and the clothes absorb the moisture.
147. If your feet at cold at night, even when you wear socks, try this: Heat up some water over the campfire. Pour it into your best water bottle. Put the water bottle in a sock. Put the sock in your sleeping bag. Presto. Warm feet.
148. Never keep any food in your tent. Squirrels and even chipmunks have been known to chew through tents to score a bag of peanuts.
149. If you want to keep your food extra safe, buy some bear cannisters. These won’t necessarily prevent a bear from finding your food, but they’re almost impossible for a bear to open. They get bored and run off.
150. Want to take great group photos out in the wilderness, but there won’t be anyone around to take the photo for you? Build your own tri-pod using sticks you find in the woods.
151. If your phone gets wet, then turn it off immediately. Open the case and put the phone in a bag of rice. The rice will absorb the water and hopefully fix your phone. Throw some silica gel packs in there as well.
152. Spray your tent zipper with a can of WD-40 before you leave. If you don’t lubricate it every so often then it can get jammed. If it’s jammed, then animals will get in.
153. Bring a healthy supply of bread tags and chip clips. These can be used for many purposes. They’re awesome for hanging clothes out to dry. (You never want clothes to touch ground.)
154. If you bring alcohol that’s high proof, you can use it as fire starter. Hand sanitizer work for this as well since most are at least 60% ethanol.
155. Small things you want to keep dry at all costs, like matches, should be stored in plastic mason jars with silica packets in them.
156. Avoid bringing anything made of glass. You could trip and shatter it.
157. Instead of marinades for your meat, stick to dry rubs. Bring an all-purpose rub for your chicken, fish, and beef. Or make your own! A little bit of spice goes a long way.
158. Want to bring liquid shampoo or your favorite body wash? Don’t bring the big bottle. Get yourself those tiny travel-sized ones from the dollar store.
159. If you carve a hole into a bucket with a lid, you can use a plunger to create a portable washing machine. Be conservative with the soap, and don’t forget bears think soap is food.
BEARS THINK EVERYTHING IS FOOD.
160. If you’re bringing a French press to make coffee, bring a big one. You never have too much coffee. Someone always wants a cup. You won’t get as much sleep when camping, so coffee is useful to stay awake.
161. Make sure to ask everyone in your camping group if they’re allergic to anything. An allergic reaction in the middle of the forest can be deadly. If you’re camping with new people, bring some Benadryl just in case.
162. Store your toilet paper in a can/container that’s exactly the size of the roll. Keep a silica gel packet in the container. Moist TP is horrible.
163. If you bring a Bluetooth speaker, then you’ll have to bring something recharge it. If you listen to music all day, the speaker won’t last a night.
164. The amount of water you’ll need is mostly dependent on how hot it is, and how much hiking you’ll be doing. Different trips need different amounts of water. Plan accordingly, or DIE IN THE WOODS. (Don’t make your mother sad.) Plus, if you bought this book and then actually did die in the woods, it would make for terrible reviews.
“One star. Bought book, still died. Will make haunting the author my top priority.”
(This joke was funnier when this was still a book.)
165. Prepare your pancake mix ahead of time. Mix the ingredients together and store them in a water bottle. It will stay fresh for 2-4 days. Freeze it and it it’ll last even longer.
166. Most foods (especially meat) should be frozen before you bring them camping. This will kill bacteria and keep them fresh longer. They also become giant ice cubes to keep everything else frozen.
167. Avoid camping during popular hunting seasons. If you are camping, make sure to wear lots of orange so you aren’t mistaken for an animal.
168. If you want a persistent light/heat source, but it’s going to rain and you can’t build a campfire, then bring a giant candle with you.
169. Microfiber towels can be used for drying dishes, drying stuff, drying you, and even as a pillow. They’re highly absorbent, but you can wring the water out. They dry super fast.
170. If you’re bringing kids with you, make sure to bring a book of mini games. Kids don’t need much to be entertained, but they do get bored quickly. So, it’s best to have a steady supply of games they can play.
171. Hiking through the woods? Bring some bio-degradable trail markers. NOT FOOD. Nothing that vanishes after a single rainstorm. You want it to dissolve in a few weeks. After you’ve gotten lost and found your way back.
172. Pasta takes forever to cook over a campfire. It also takes up a lot of space and the calories it provides aren’t very nutritious. Save the pasta for home!
173. If you love coffee, try roasting your own coffee beans over the campfire. It only takes a few minutes and tastes insanely good. Just make sure to bring a hand-held grinder and a French press.
174. If you’re going to bring cheese with you, make sure it’s hard cheese, like parmesan, or Grana Padano. These won’t melt if it gets hot. They also add a lot of flavor in tiny amounts.
175. If you’re going to be doing a lot of dishes, consider bringing a drying rack, or fashioning yourself one out of branches and a cooler lid. It’s no fun to HAVE to do dishes right away.
176. If you can’t fit it into your backpack, then it’s probably too big.
177. If you can’t carry it for 15 minutes without breaking a sweat, it’s probably too heavy.
178. Not all pans are created equally. Never use a non-stick pan over a campfire. You’ll burn off the non-stick part and the smoke from the chemicals will give you nightmares and possibly lung damage. Cast iron pans are great.
179. Try not to bring many single-use items. Why bring a fork and a spoon when you can just bring a spork?
180. Instead of making your favorite foods, look up some camp recipes. Why reinvent the wheel when experienced campers can help? Some meals are a total nightmare to try and make at the camp.
181. While canned goods are safe and tasty, they can be heavy. Instead, try to find the dehydrated versions of your favorite foods. Vegetables, fruit, meat, you get almost anything.
182. Instead of one person being in charge of firewood, have two. One finds the heavy logs, and one focusses on kindling. You’ll need lots of both.
183. If there’s a lot of lightning, then sleep in the car. Standing next to a tree can be dangerous. Lightning strikes can flash boil the water in the tree, which creates steam. Then the tree explodes because the steam takes up more room than the water.
184. Get a book of wild plants and study it before you leave. Learn to identify poison ivy and poison oak.
185. A book of wild plants is also a handy guide on what’s edible and what’s not. You don’t want to eat the wrong mushrooms when you’re three days march from a hospital.
186. If you’re bringing kids, bring some glowsticks for them to wear at night. It’s a fun game for them, but really it’s so they don’t get lost in the dark.
187. Slice a banana in half, load it full of chocolate and marshmallows and roast over the fire. Trust me it’s great.
188. If you don’t like sleeping on the hard dirt, then bring some foam tiles for the bottom of your tent. These can be annoying to carry, but totally worth it for the sleeping experience
189. Everyone should bring at least one awkward thing they don’t really need but would love to have. Think of it like their one item from Survivor. Camping is supposed to be fun, not a masochistic adventure in misery.
190. Bring a compass. Sure, you have a map, but do you know which way is north when it’s pitch black out and you’ve tumbled down a hill and hit your head on a log?
191. A nice camp stove will change your life. They can turn any wilderness site into a regular kitchen. Watch out, they’re pretty heavy.
192. Always bring two methods to start a fire. Lighters are easier, but what happens if it breaks on the trip? Good thing you brought matches!
193. Don’t let kids poke at the fire. They find it a lot of fun, but it can be very dangerous. You don’t want to be the jerk that burns down the godswood, do you?
194. Buy yourself a metal folding shovel. Keep it in your trunk. It’s great for camping, and you never know when you’ll get snowed in.
195. Logs will usually burn for about two hours. So, if you want your fire to blaze all night, then you’ll have to supply your campfire with adequate wood. Choose someone to get up each night and keep the fire going.
196. Solar powered lights are a fun way to light a perimeter around your campsite. You can get a lot of great solar powered gear these days. Just for “thing” + “solar powered”
197. Keep a camping journal. Write down all your thoughts. What should we have brought? Left at home? What can we do better next time?
198. Test out your tent before you go camping for the first time. You might not like the feel of sleeping on the ground. You might also find holes. Even brand new stuff can be broken. Or too small. Or woops they gave you a smaller sleeping bag than the box said.
199. Try to get a tent with a double-door layout. You’ll have more room for your stuff, and it’ll be easier to keep the bugs out of your sleeping zone.
200. On the flip side, if your tent is small, you’ll have more options at the campsite. It’s a lot easier to set up a tiny tent on a hill or mountain. A giant tent could be impossible.
201. If you’re a big fan of sunsets or sunrises, then make sure to plant your tent in the right spot. Especially if you’re only there for a night or two.
202. Know which way the wind is blowing before you decide to keep your campfire running all night. You don’t want to wake up in the middle of a grey cloud, coughing your lungs out.
203. If you’re gonna park your tent under a tree, make sure there aren’t any broken/dead/dying limbs on it. A midnight windstorm could knock some tree down onto you.
204. If you have your choice of campsite, hang around a bit before choosing. First see how noisy your neighbors are.
205. If possible, store your liquids on the outside of your backpack. This way, if they spill, you won’t get anything else wet. Alternatively, you could just seal them in Ziplock bags, but that doesn’t work so well for water jugs.
206. If you’re afraid of blisters, then go on several large hikes a few weeks before you go camping. This will give your feet time to toughen up.
207. You can turn regular matches into waterproof matches by dipping the tip in nail polish.
208. Knowing how to make a great campfire isn’t just about cooking dinner. A campfire will scare off animals like bears and wolves.
209. Running from a bear is sometimes necessary. Be careful. They’re faster than you and can climb trees as well as Spider-Man.
210. A common saying for bears is: If it’s black, fight back. If it’s brown, lie down. Brown bears will chase you and maul you to death. Black bears are skittish. They’ll usually run first.
211. That being said, black bears are very inquisitive. They’ll travel miles just to see what a particular noise or smell is all about.
212. If you get lost in the woods and it’s super hot out, avoid travelling during the day. You’ll spend more energy and need more water. Travel at dawn, dusk, and night (if possible.)
213. All bird eggs are edible. (In case of an emergency.)
214. To test if something is edible, first rub it on your skin. Wait 15 minutes. Does it itch or burn? No? Rub it on your lips. Wait. Then taste it? Is it bitter? Does it make you gag? Don’t eat it. Your body will try to defend you from poisonous things.
215. If you’re lost in the woods, then staying put is generally the best strategy. If people know where you are, then someone will come looking when you don’t return. Especially if you left your travel plans with the ranger. Blow on your whistle!
216. Always bring a paper map of the area you’ll be camping in. Keep it in a waterproof bag. Don’t rely on a phone map since you could easily lose your phone, or it could get water damage.
217. When you’re camping you should assume that everything you bring will be exposed to water at some point.
218. Rainwater is far safer than any water you’ll find on the ground. To gather some, simply tie some plastic bags onto branches like a hammock.
219. Most red berries you find in the wild are poisonous. Raspberries and strawberries are fine, obviously.
220. Ceramic mugs, while nice to drink coffee from, shatter easily. They also don’t keep your coffee warm. Instead, get a steel thermos mug. Useful for keeping liquids warm, and also cold!
221. Don’t store dirty laundry in your backpack. Dirty camping laundry is often damp and gross. Bring a special laundry bag.
222. Ladies, just because you aren’t expecting to need any feminine products doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bring them. If I had 10 bucks for every time someone asked me for a tampon in the middle of the forest, I could buy the entire forest.
223. Don’t bury any used tampons in the woods. It can attract animals. Instead, use a Ziplock bag wrapped in duct tape. This seals the smell and conceals the insides.
224. When portaging a canoe, wear a backpack, or something with shoulder straps. This lessens the pressure on your shoulders.
225. If you want everyone to feel refreshed and ready to go in the morning, organize a polar bear protocol. As soon as they wake up, get everybody to jump in the lake. Hand out awards for anybody that does it every day. Cleans you, and awakens.
226. A tube of lip balm can be handy for more than just dry lips. You can apply it to bug bites, wounds, start a fire, or even fashion it into a candle.
227. Got some binoculars? Bring them along. Great for birdwatching, spying or making sure your campsite is clear of bears after a long day of hiking.
228. If you want to bring a board game, get yourself one of those 10-in-1 contraptions. It’s chess, it’s checkers, it’s all of the above!
229. Never sleep outside in the grass. Don’t let your friends do this either. No matter how drunk they get.
230. Sharpen your knives before you go camping. Knives lose their edge over time, especially if they’re being used a lot. Buy yourself a whetstone. Take five minutes. You can even do your kitchen knives.
231. If you need to drink water from a stream and you have no way to purify it, drink from as far upstream as possible. It’ll be less contaminated.
232. If you get lost, then ditch everything you don’t need. Board games, dead electronics, etc. No reason to carry it and slow you down. Plus, they can act as markers if someone is trying to find you.
233. Foil packets are great for cooking almost anything. Meat, potatoes, veggies, etc. Just chop it up, season it, wrap it in tinfoil, and toss it onto hot coals. Should take about 30 minutes.
234. Campfire nachos are also amazing and super easy to make. All you need is nacho stuff, a cast iron pan/Dutch oven, and smoldering coals.
235. Avoid cooking anything over direct heat. You’re just going to burn it and ruin your pan. Indirect heat is the way to go. It takes a bit longer but doesn’t scorch your food.
236. Empty cans should be rinsed out when you do the dishes. Think about a can of tomato sauce. You never get it all out, even with a spatula. Clean your cans, or bears will come help you do it.
237. Giant black garbage bags are useful for things other than holding garbage. You can turn them into a tarp, a rain poncho, use them to collect water, and even catch animals (to eat.)
238. Eight drops of bleach can be used to purify water. Stir it around and let sit for 30 minutes. Make sure to filter the water first. If you don’t have a real filter, you can use your shirt to strain out most particles.
239. Bring a few extra tent stakes. Someone always loses one. Or they break, or it’s so windy you need extras. They’re almost always needed.
240. Tweezers are useful for removing splinters. You’ll be dealing with lots of wood (campfires, picnic tables, games, etc.) So tweezers often come in handy.
241. Instead of cooking spray, bring olive oil. Olive oil can be used to calm bug bites, cook with, and can be turned into salad dressing. Who knows, maybe you’ll run out of food and be eating salad for a week.
242. If you must drink non-purified water, get it from a running source. Still water, like from a lake, is extremely dangerous to drink. It must be filtered and purified.
243. Bring a flint and steel with you and learn how to use it beforehand. Lighters and matches are unreliable. A good flint and steel can last for years.
244. You’ll be surprised how much it rains when you first start camping. At home you don’t notice it because you’re indoors most of the day. Like at night. But in the wilderness, you’re always outdoors, even with a tent.
245. Hard alcohol can be used to clean a wound before bandaging it. You don’t want a gash to fester.
246. Avoid buying a tent with metal poles. Metal poles can attract lightning. Instead go with hard plastics.
247. Don’t violate the burn bans. It’s for your protection, and the protection of everyone else in the area. Forest fires are no joke.
248. Have a plan for if someone breaks a limb. Know how to treat it, and how to safely get this person back to civilization so they can receive proper medical treatment.
249. If you’re worried about ticks, make sure to check your groin, armpits, and scalp several times a day.
250. If you burn easily, you’ll need to reapply sunscreen more often while hiking than sitting around a pool. This is because you’re sweating more and wiping your brow/touching things.
251. There are lots of great camping apps available. Download a few before you head out. If it’s raining and you’re stuck in your tent, at least you can learn some survival skills!
252. Kids are bored? Send them on a scavenger hunt. There are so many fun things to collect in the woods. Unique leaves, pinecones, wildflowers, bugs, seeds, rocks (colorful, smooth, etc.)
253. You can use eyeglasses to create a fire. Collect some dried grass and kindling. Use the eyeglasses like you would a magnifying glass to burn ants. (That was for description purposes only, don’t be cruel.)
254. Build your campfires on flat, clean areas, at least 15 feet away from anything. No tents, no trees, no buildings. Don’t start a forest fire.
255. Instead of bringing an axe and a hammer, buy a hammer-axe! It’s an axe on one end, and a hammer head on the other. Saving space is critical while camping. Less stuff, less work.
256. Each section of things you’ll need should have its own packing list. Don’t just have a simple list that says clothes. You’ll end up forgetting stuff. Itemize it like, shirts, pants, hat, socks, etc.
257. Don’t forget to get bring camping things for your pet. Although dogs are much easier to take care of in the woods. They can drink puddle water no problem. Some even prefer it!
258. Want to add some healthy fat to your diet while camping? Bring some coconut powder. When mixed with water it turns into coconut milk. Curry chicken in the woods! What a world.
259. Baked beans don’t need to be dumped into anything special before you reheat them. Just hold the can over the fire with some tongs. You’re not cooking, you’re just reheating.
260. It’s a lot easier to reheat food while camping than it is to cook it. Consider pre-cooking a lot of your meals, and then freezing them.
261. Never waste any food while camping. Bring a special container for leftovers. Seal it, put it in the cooler, and keep that cooler far from your tent. (Because bears.)
262. It might sound like I’m being paranoid about bears but they’re out there. There are thousands of them. They’re just super good at hiding. You won’t see them until it’s too late. PFB. Prepare For Bears.
263. When buying graham crackers for ‘smores, get the kind that’s coated in chocolate. They’ll last longer. Regular graham crackers get mushy after a few days in the woods.
264. Line your cooler with frozen bacon. Not only does everything stay frozen longer, you get to eat bacon all week. Who needs to win the lottery?
265. Instead of bringing a meat/fish marinade with you, freeze the meat/fish in a plastic bag with the marinade on top of it.
266. If you’re going to bring wine, consider pouring it into a plastic jug beforehand. Suck the air out with a rubber vacuum stopper. It’ll keep just fine, and you don’t have to worry about the glass breaking. Then you’d have two problems, broken glass, and all your stuff is covered in sticky liquid.
267. If, for whatever reason, you do have to bring a glass anything with you, wrap it in socks. Then put the sock into a plastic container. After you use it, you can wear the socks.
268. Use bungie cords to tie everything together. Everything looks sturdy until you take a tumble down a hill. Make sure to secure anything on the outside of your vehicle as well. Don’t want to show up at the campsite without stuff.
269. If you need to lock anything up at your campsite, get yourself a heavy-duty bike lock. They’re almost impossible for anyone, or animal, to open unless they have special tools.
270. If bringing expensive electronics, you’ll want to buy a dry bag. You can get small ones for your phone. Cost you 10 bucks but keeps them safe.
271. Looking for good cheap buckets to bring water back from the lake? Get some drywall buckets. Most people will just throw these out, but they’re amazing for camping.
272. If you can’t sleep in the heat, then bring a battery-powered fan. Most of these have electrical hookups as well. So if you’re at a campsite with electricity then you can use it all trip.
273. Another trick to staying cool at night is filling a water bottle with ice/cold water and sleep with it. Make sure the cap is screwed on tightly, or you’re gonna have a bad time.
274. Camping chairs are the only acceptable chair to bring with you. Lawn chairs are a disaster. They’re heavy, they suck, and you’ll hate them.
275. If you can find room for it, a tiny fire extinguisher is handy to bring with you. Especially if you have kids. Kids like to poke at fires with their hotdog and marshmallow sticks. One tiny ember flung in the wrong direction can burn the forest down.
276. If you’re grilling meat in the woods, then be careful what you do with the leftover fat. It can start a fire if you dump it in the wrong place. It can also attract animals, so be wary.
277. A good axe can turn anything into kindling.
278. Instead of newspaper, bring an old book you’ve been meaning to read. Rip the pages out as you read the book. Use those to start the fire.
279. If your wood is really wet, then bust out the lighter fluid. Everything will burn if you toss enough gas on it.
280. Having a tarp beneath your tent protects it not only from animals, but from sticks, and rocks as well.
281. If something pokes a hole in any of your gear, you should repair it right away. Otherwise the hole could get much worse. Holes are what duct tape is for. Tape it on both sides of the hole, and then tape it again.
282. The first thing you should do after arriving at the campsite is pitch your tent. The second thing is preparing your bedding. You don’t want to be blowing up an air mattress at midnight after drinking all day.
283. When building a campfire, place the largest logs at the bottom. Use progressively smaller logs as you build upwards. Make it look like a tipi.
284. Be aware that as a campfire burns down, your structure will collapse. So you’ll need something to move the wood around with.
285. Know why hotdogs are so popular for camping? Because they’re pre-cooked. It’s hard to get sick when food is pre-cooked. You can get pre-cooked sausages as well. Roast them over the coals and get the fat dripping. You’re not so much cooking them as you are heating them to perfection.
286. If you forget your camp fork (long metal for roasting stuff) you can make one with a stick. Just make sure to sanitize the end of it before you stick the meat on. To sanitize, clean with water/soap, then dunk into alcohol.
287. To sanitize a camp fork, just stick it into the fire and let it roast for a few minutes. Be careful, it’ll be super hot. Don’t touch the end of it or you’ll burn your fingers.
288. Forge the plastic cups. They’re fine for water, but the suck for coffee. Stick with steel. Steel keeps things warmer and colder for longer.
289. When taking your camping gear out of storage, be sure to check it for mold. Mold is gross and unsafe. Especially if it’s your tent. You’ll have to clean it, sanitize, or throw away.
290. An easy way to clean mold out of your tent is to use Lysol wipes. Once you’ve wiped it down, boil a large pot of water. Let the water cool a bit, then dip a rag into it. Wipe down the tent.
291. If you rub paper products together long enough they’ll turn into toilet paper. Toilet paper is really just super thin paper.
292. Splash pants are useful if it’s going to be raining. You don’t want your jeans to get soaked on the first day.
293. If you wear contact lenses, bring a spare set in case you lose one in the water. They can fall out easily if you’re canoeing or rafting.
294. If you to want to look fabulous, but don’t want to bring mascara, tint your eyelashes at a salon before you leave. It’ll dye them darker so you don’t have to apply makeup in the morning. (Best for people with blonde eyelashes.)
295. Instead of bringing your regular toothbrush, invest in a fold-out toothbrush. It’s smaller, and there’s a case around it so it doesn’t get dirty.
296. Camping can bring out some funky smells. Make sure you have an adequate supply of deodorant and/or perfume/cologne.
297. If you’re bringing lip balm, make sure it’s the one with sun protection. Contrary to popular belief, it’s easy to burn your lips.
298. Bring a razor if you’re camping for more than a weekend. You might want to shave your legs/face.
299. Blowing on a fire will help ignite it. Don’t want to blow? Use the frisbee. It’s not just for playing with and eating from.
300. If camping with a large group of people, assign each one a number. Have everyone rattle them off like paratroopers about to jump out of a plane. “One, okay.” “Two, okay.” If someone is missing, you’ll notice quick.
301. Have someone bring a simple musical instrument to make campfire songs more enjoyable. Also, bring a list of campfire songs.
Thanks for reading.
