Camping is fun for the whole family. The little ones get to play in nature, while the grown-ups get to take a break from a hectic everyday life and just relax and fill their lungs with fresh air. However, it’s not only sunshine, rainbows, and marshmallows. Going camping is a difficult logistical challenge and the hassle often makes one wonder if the whole thing is even worth the trouble. There are tons of things that need to be ready, packed, and put in the car (or the RV, if you’re more of a professional camper). And that’s just half the work. Once you get there, you have to set everything up while the kids are running around looking ready to wreak havoc everywhere.
But kids or no kids, there are a number of difficulties that can and do arise when you’re spending quality time with Mother Nature. So, here are a few tips on how to handle these issues more easily and enjoy your time a bit more.
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1. Use Bins to Stay Organized
Loading up the car full to the brim often means that soon enough you can’t find a single thing in there. So, instead of arriving at the campsite and burning daylight all day long trying to get settled, it’s best if everything is neatly packed into transparent boxes.
2. Bring Sandpaper for your Matches
Matches can be a tricky little thing among all the stuff you would be bringing. They are small, and easily get wet, lost, or broken. That’s why you would do well to coat your matchbox in sandpaper. It serves both as protection for the matches and helps light them.
3. Make Spoons out of a Plastic Bottle
Rather than haul all that heavy cutlery, almost any bottle can easily be turned into about five spoons. All you have to do is cut the lower part of the bottle into vertical strips. Then the bulges at the bottom can easily serve as spoon heads.
4. Remove Ticks With a Wet Q-tip
Have you ever been woken up from a deep and peaceful sleep by the unnerving bite of a tick? The little critters are extremely hard to get rid of, but the best way to do this is by dipping a q-tip into some oil and putting pressure on them. It will make the tick unlatch as it searches for air. Of course, you can try to prevent ticks altogether by using tick repellent during the day.
5. Use a Coffee Can as a Toilet Paper Holder
When nature calls, make sure you’re ready. Don’t risk getting your toilet paper wet, burnt, or snatched away by some pesky forest animal. You can easily convert an old coffee can into a proper toilet paper holder amidst all that greenery.
6. Use Tic Tac Boxes for Spices and Ingredients
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As with most heavy containers for light items, you don’t have to bring it all with you. Leave the jugs behind and put your spices and ingredients in Tic Tac boxes. They’re not only lighter, but they also allow you to bring only as much as necessary for a few days’ travel.
7. Chips as Kindling
If you can’t find any twigs or branches to start a fire, or if the weather has been wet, most types of snack food make for remarkable kindling. We personally recommend potato and tortilla chips, but it’s ultimately up to you which piece of chip you are most willing to sacrifice for the greater heat.
8. Put a Hot Water Bottle in Your Sleeping Bag
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If you have trouble making your feet warm, which makes it harder to sleep, then the answer is simpler than you think. All you have to do is pop a bottle of hot water at the foot of your sleeping bag, and it will warm your feet in the blink of an eye.
9. Make Popcorn in a Tin Foil
Believe it or not, making popcorn while camping is far from being a complicated snack. So long as you have a good grill and some tinfoil, you can listen to those kernels popping in unison with the logs, while enjoying the starry forest sky.
10. Make Your Own Portable Shower
Let’s now address the elephant in the room. As fun as camping can be, the lack of personal (body) hygiene is quite bothersome for some people. The way to remedy this is by using an on-the-spot shower for a quick scrubbing.
11. Put Your Eggs in a Bottle
If you don’t want to bother with cracking and beating eggs for an omelet at the crack of dawn, you can just pour your eggs into a bottle. The traveling and sloshing around will do the whisking for you, so the only thing that’s left for you is to season and fry them.
12. Repel Mosquitoes With Sage
Ticks aren’t the only insects that will do their best to make themselves a nuisance. Their flying, bloodsucking cousins are eager to feast on you as soon as you touch down. While some chemicals can be useful repellants, a good way to achieve the desired effect is to toss some sage into the fire and let the smoke do its thing.
13. Use Frisbees as Plates
If you’re having a hard time worrying about the brittle plates you have to bring along, simply wash any frisbees and readily utilize them as dishes. Moreover, they don’t tip over as easily. Who’s to say that the food will taste any differently?
14. Compact Cooking Set
When it comes to cooking ware, though, it’s not as easy to replace with plastic items. But if you do intend to do some serious cooking, the best way to be ready for that is by bringing along compact pots and pans, i.e. a cooking set where all elements fit in with one another.
15. Dry Your Shoes With Newspapers
And lastly, the most important way to stay safe from the elements is by keeping your feet dry. Thus, the fastest way to dry your footwear is simply by stuffing it with newspapers. The paper will soak up the moisture, making your shoes good to go in no time.
So, that’s all, folks! Whatever you do, we urge you to stay safe, dry, and clean by looking out for your shoes and feet, repelling pests with sage and oils, and to have your supplies lightly packed and ready. What are your thoughts on all this? Please leave a comment and let us know.
