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15 Hacks To Make Camping Life That Much Easier

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Brandon

I love doing hacks out in the wild, and I find that these camping life hacks will make your next camp so much more easier and 10x more fun too.

If that’s something you’re interested in learning then I would recommend you keep reading this article.

Let’s get right into it, we shall make your next camping trip your BEST one yet!

 

1)  Custom Phone/Ipod Speaker

You don’t need to purchase those expensive Ipod speakers just yet, a ceramic mug works wonders and a perfect choice if you don’t have the funds for anything else.

ceramic-coffee-mug

2) Pack Efficiently

When you pack your car and backpack, start worth the least-used items first. That way when you arrive at your campsite, everything you need is right there and ready to go.

==> These organization ideas will make your life even easier

 

3) Warm Your Clothes Up

This is a good idea and better recommended for winter camping, however any seasons a good idea, considering that it’s almost cold in the mornings no matter what season you are experiencing.

Place the next days clothes inside your sleeping bag overnight, you can wake up and put them on without a care in the world 🙂

 

4) The Zipper Hack

Oftentimes when you are wearing gloves all the time, or it’s simply just too cold while you get changed, pulling your zipper up can be a real hassle

Place a keyring on all your zippers (or something similar), this is so much more easier and something I do with every new piece of gear I get.

zipper

5) Pack Easy Firestarters

Camping in the wild can be stressful enough as it is, and lighting a fire might seem impossible after a few failed attempts.

I tend to find it so much more easier by grabbing some circular cotton pads, dipping them in wax, then storing them in a small plastic container.

When you need to use them later on, take 1-2 pieces out, light it up and you’re away laughing.

Turns out the kids birthday candles make good firestarters too.

 

6) Protect Your Matches

People underestimate the power of these little suckers, which is why I wish I found out about this hack earlier. The standard matchbox ALWAYS gets smashed or wet.

By using a small plastic box, you are eliminating the need for this to happen. You can then proceed to glue some sandpaper onto the inside of the box for an all-round, smash-less, waterproof firestarter.

 

7) Portable Washing Machine

This is a good one for all you body odor averse individuals 🙂 Bring along a 5 gallon bucket and a plunger. Be sure they are both completely clean though, purchasing them brand new might be a good idea first.

Cut a whole through the lid of the bucket, just big enough for the plungers handle to fit through.

Place some water and detergent inside the bucket, along with some dirty clothes. Proceed to clean the clothes by using elbow grease, do it for as long as it needs to be until all your clothes are clean.

 

8) Soap Box Trick

This is an old boy-scout trick but will still work in any public campsite where you might be gone for the entire day with no one watching all your equipment.

I like to put all my valuable items in a plastic soap box, NO ONE seems to bother looking in it because who would ever think there will be anything good in it, right?

Use this to your advantage!

 

9) Cook Anything In Tin Foil

I might have mentioned this 1 or 2 times already, but that’s because it works, and it works perfectly.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of meals that can simply be placed in some tinfoil and cooked over the campfire. This is the easiest way to cook your meals for the day.

food in tinfoil on campfire

10) Cook All Hotdogs at Once

You will need a clean rake just to make sure you keep your hot dogs dirt free. This is an essential if you don’t have a grill but still want to cook all of them at once.

Poke the ends of the rake into your hotdog, hold it over the flame until cooked.

 

11) A Cork And Your Keys

This one is AMAZING, which is why I want to share it with you. You will never lose your keys in the water again. Attach them to a cork and essentially the cork and your keys will float in the water.

 

12) Essentials in A Small Tin

If you’re like me (or rather how I used to be), you will lose your lighter, tweezers, pocket knife, you will find that all small essentials are easy to lose when out in the wild.

However, by having all these small items in a small tin, it will greatly improve your chances of keeping them safe.

 

13) Simple Hand-Washing Station

An empty laundry detergent dispenser lying on its side, filled with water, makes a perfect hand-washing station and so much easier than any other method I’ve used.

 

14)  Keep Kids Distracted

I find that making a distraction kit (make your own by going to the dollar store and grabbing a bunch of cheap toys etc, etc) will make your life a lot easier while out camping especially when you’re cooking meals and/or getting the campsite ready.

When your focus is back on the kids, then you can take the toys off them and play an outdoor game together.

 

15) Illuminate Paths And Hazards

A lot of kids are clumsy (oh and adults too), it is only necessary to illuminate dark paths and the tents guy lines. Tie some glow sticks to your guy lines for a ‘hazard indicator’.

While a glow stick in a bottle is a great way to remind people where the main paths are when they make their way back from the toilet at midnight.

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Conclusion

Camping can be hard, but it can also be very simple and a lot more fun when you implement these techniques.

I like helping people, and by doing these hacks above you will make your entire camping trip the best one yet.

I really do hope you found these little hacks helpful, and if you did please show the love and leave a comment below.

What was your favorite one, and what one will YOU try on your next trip?

4 thoughts on “15 Hacks To Make Camping Life That Much Easier”

  1. Teresa Davis says:
    October 12, 2016 at 8:29 am

    We have two young boys and will likely be taking them camping at some point. There are some really useful tips here! Packing efficiently applies in all situations with kids (wish I would have thought of that when we traveled this summer) and the portable washing machine idea is tremendous! And warming your clothes up is ingenious – I may start putting my clothes in the bed as winter approaches…LOL You obviously speak from experience and I really enjoyed your article!

    Reply
    1. Brandon says:
      October 13, 2016 at 8:32 am

      Hey Teresa, thank you for the comment! I’m glad you found these tips helpful, and you are correct – packing efficiently SHOULD be applied to all areas of our lives. Haha, we should try that one day.

      I’m happy that you liked it.

      Take care,
      Brandon

      Reply
  2. Mohammad Makki says:
    October 12, 2016 at 9:04 am

    Gotta hand it to you Brandon, I thought I would know most of these. Turns out they’re mostly new! I wish I had thought of these hacks over the summer. I almost wanna go camping again just to try them out.

    My favorite one is the zipper one. It’s just brilliant. You don’t even have to be camping. It’s a life hack. But on my next camping trip, I’m gonna make it a point to try out the cotton pads. Fire has never been my strongest suit so I love an easy firestarter. Thanks for the list Brandon! I’ll be sure to refer to it on my next trip.

    Reply
    1. Brandon says:
      October 13, 2016 at 8:36 am

      LOL Makki, I’m always happy to help you buddy.

      Yes, it is a life hack so it can actually be done at any time. The firestarter hack will almost 100% help anyone that find it hard starting a fire so I have no doubts that it will work for you too.

      Kind regards,
      Brandon

      Reply

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