Best Hacks and Tips for Camping Anywhere
A camping trip is one of the most fulfilling holidays you can take – a real opportunity to bond with family and friends. It’s a great chance for you to take your children out of the city and introduce them to a whole new world amid nature. A popular pastime for over a century, camping has evolved over the years to become easier and more accessible. With new camping hacks being dreamed up on an almost daily basis, what are the best camping tips and tricks out there? Whether you want to learn new camping hacks simply because it’s nice to try something different, or you need them for more practical reasons, such as saving space in your backpack, we will identify a few of the best hacks and tips for camping anywhere. These can be useful at a campsite, or deep in a forest. After reading about our best camping tips and tricks, you’ll never look at a jar in the same way again, a belt’s primary use will no longer be to hold up your trousers and you’ll have a second life for your plastic bags.
What are the best camping hacks and tips?
From re-purposing a Tic-Tac box to using a belt to hang up your pots, here’s some great tips for your adventure.
Use your old Tic-Tac boxes for spices
The issue with spices is that you rarely need the entire jar or bag on your camping trip, yet they take up vital space and weight. A great way around this is to save up old Tic-Tac boxes so you take a travel-sized amount of your favourite herbs and spices away with you. Using a bit of tape, you can label each herb and tape them together too, to locate them easily.
Prepare food before you set-off
A great idea to save you time when you’re camping is to prepare your food for the first couple of days before you leave. You can chop your veggies, scramble your eggs and even whisk up your pancake mix. These foods can then be transported in travel size containers, so that when it comes to eating, you won’t have to keep the happy campers waiting long.
Loosen up your belt for your pots and pans
A belt is only for holding up trousers, right? Wrong! Loosen your belt and secure it to a tree along with some hooks… et voila! You have your very own drying rack and storage point for pots and pans. Trees are also great for tying up a drying line too or a hammock should you be sleeping under the stars.
Re-use plastic bags rather than throwing them out
We all hate single-use plastic bags, right? Well now you can open up that drawer which has been filled with bags over the years and give them an exciting second life! Not only can you use plastic bags for carrying wet togs and clothes and for wrapping individual picnic items in the backpack in case of spillages, but a plastic bag can come in handy to temporarily patch a tent or anorak if they get a tear, or even as waterproof socks if you’re caught in a deluge out hiking. After all, nobody likes soggy feet!
Start your campfire with ease
Never struggle to start your campfire or barbecue again, with a pre-made fire-starter kit. Use a cardboard egg box filled with lumps of charcoal and, hey presto, we have fire. If that takes up too much space, try dipping cotton pads in wax or using Doritos – both are great ways to get campfire started.
Don’t get bugged by insects
Love camping, but don’t love mosquitoes? Well, one simple camping trick to deter the pesky insect is to put a bundle of sage on top of your campfire. Not only will the mosquitoes leave you alone, but you’ll have a lovely aroma for the evening. Another trick to stop ants from getting on to your food is to put small, water-filled dishes under the legs of your table, which act as a moat without a drawbridge.
Let there be light
When the light fades, you might want to harness some of your own light so you can see where you’re going. If you have a headlight, this can also be turned into a lantern by strapping it around a jug of water. If it has a red light setting, use that, as this will be much gentler on the eyes of you and your fellow campers. A non-toxic glow in the dark paint added to the inside of a jar also makes for a great hand lantern. Also, bring a few glow sticks and tie them to the guy ropes of your tent, or any equipment left outside your mobile, so no one trips over them.
Stay warm throughout your trip
You never know when the temperature might change or if you’ll suddenly get soaked through, so have an emergency blanket, which will keep you warm should the weather turn cold or wet. On the flip side, you can also use this to reflect the sun on super-hot days, to remain cool.
What are the benefits of knowing camping hacks and tips?
Here’s why we think it’s handy to have a few camping hacks up your sleeve for your next trip.
Saving on materials
If you love the idea of having all the camping gear, but don’t think you can justify the use of materials, then camping hacks are the perfect way to get the best of both worlds. Not only do you get all the snazzy gear such as your new lantern for the evening, but you also have a headlight and a bottle of water for the day.
Creating extra space
Space is generally at a premium when packing for your camping trip. Every crevice counts and if you can save on space then why not? Bringing smaller containers of the kitchen essentials is a great camping tip which saves you space without compromising on your dietary needs.
Being prepared for every eventuality
Often you come up against new challenges when you’re camping, which is one of the reasons it’s such a fantastic holiday. Camping tricks and tips like waterproof, plastic-bag socks and an emergency blanket aren’t just helpful, they could be the difference between an adventure and a disaster.
Being able to camp anywhere
Camping with your family is one of the greatest pleasures there is, with many campsites offering superb facilities. But what about when you want to take your happy campers off-piste, as they say? A few camping hacks can make a night away from the campsite in the wild possible. Knowledge is power!
Improving your skill set
Not only is it cool to know some camping tips and tricks, but you are also helping build a problem-solving skill set, which could come in useful for other eventualities. By picking up these skills, you’ll be better prepared to adapt everyday items for great new uses.
Useful info regarding camping hacks and tips
Here are some questions related to camping hacks, which may help you when you next head to the open air on holiday.
Is there a camping hack for bedding?
One great way to make a tent more comfortable is to use children’s foam flooring tiles inside the tent. Not only will they keep the sleeping space warmer in a tent, but they also are brilliant for if you’re holidaying with a dog. You can also make a makeshift pillow by filling a pillow case (or even the bag your sleeping bag came in), with clothing.
What is one simple tip I need to know?
If you’re planning to be anywhere close to water, then you might want to ensure you’ve corked your keys. This simply means putting a cork on your keys. So, if they drop anywhere, particularly into a lake or river you might be navigating, you’ll be able to find them more easily.
Are there any time-saving tips?
Yes, one way to ensure you don’t have to keep unpacking and repacking your backpack is to pack bags within bags. Simply have a bag for socks and underwear, this way you can put that to one side rather than having your items all over the tent. Similarly, a bag for toiletries etc. These will then all fit nicely into your backpack and save time.
How can I be more eco-friendly?
One way to be more eco-friendly is to cut down on plastic waste. That means reusing items such as plastic bags and each camper having their own refillable water bottle. You could also bars of soap or shampoo (in a reused plastic bag) instead of liquids in plastic bottles.
I need more space, what can I do?
Towels tend to take up a lot of space, so make one or more of your towel collection microfibre towels, which dry quickly, are lightweight and roll up to be very compact. Shoes also take up space, so try tying these to the bottom of your bag by the laces, so that you have more room inside for other things.
Test out these camping hacks on a camping holiday now.
