There’s nothing quite like taking a break from the modern world, heading out into the wilderness, and getting in touch with nature. A weekend spent among the pines of Colorado might leave you dreaming about being a hermit and one night under the Texas stars is enough to get you looking at Fort Worth houses for sale.
Except… there sure are a lot of mosquitoes out here. And, dang it, people keep tripping over the tent lines. Oh no, now we’re out of toilet paper!
Enjoy the greatness of the great outdoors without falling victim to the little things with these helpful camping hacks.
6 Easy And Helpful Camping Hacks
Repel bugs with household objects
One of the biggest annoyances on any camping trip is the insects. Fortunately, there are plenty of things around your house that you can use to keep them away. Burn sage in your campfire to repel mosquitos. Sprinkle grits on the ground and you’ll never see ants again. Hang dryer sheets around your campsite to make gnats stay away. Who woulda thunk?
For more relief from bug bites, try our DIY Bug Repellent (recipe found here) AND Rocky Mountain Oils Bug Away Roll-On 10ml and Bug Away Essential Oil..
Build a charcoal grill on the cheap
Head to any dollar store and buy a disposable aluminum cooking pan (one of the larger, deeper ones preferably), a cooling rack with roughly the same dimensions, and a bag of charcoal. Fill the pan with the coal, get ‘em burning, then drape the cooling rack across the top. Presto, instant grill! Perfect for everything from hot dogs to filet mignon.
Keep your TP dry in a coffee can
Of all the creature comforts of home, none is more missed when roughing it outdoors than the bathroom. One helpful trick for when nature calls is to store your toilet paper in a plastic coffee container. Not only are coffee containers the perfect size and shape, and not only will they keep your toilet paper clean and dry regardless of the weather, but you can even cut a slit down the side of the can to create a convenient TP dispenser.
Freeze water jugs to use as ice
Instead of filling your cooler with bag ice, buy one-gallon water jugs and freeze them. Don’t worry, they won’t bust; the jugs are designed with room to expand. One or two of these will keep all your food and drinks cold, and they’ll actually melt slower than ice cubes. As a bonus, once they do melt, you’ll have a couple extra jugs of clean drinking water.
Protect your tent with pool noodles
Yes, I’m talking about those floppy foam tubes they sell at the dollar store. No, I’m not kidding. Since they’re hollow, you can cut them into smaller pieces and run tent lines through them. This provides not only some much needed padding, but also a brightly colored warning sign to keep people from tripping over the hard-to-see lines and bringing the whole tent crashing down.
Harness the power of the sun
Solar-powered stake lights are a great alternative to candles, lanterns, or battery-powered lamps. Just stick them in the ground and let them soak up some sun. But that’s not all they’re good for. Those plastic stakes can easily be broken off, and the light and solar disc placed into a mason jar to create a handy portable lamp. With a little technical know-how, you can even wire up your own solar-powered phone charger!
See more camping hacks and tips here.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.