Exploring new areas, sleeping under the stars, and spending time by the campfire are all things that are fun to do with friends and family. Ticks and mosquitoes, carrying tons of gear, and finding light at night are all chores that come with the camping experience. Luckily, there are camping hacks you can use to minimize stress.
Create Ambient Light for Your Tent
When you are in your tent at night, your eyesight isn’t quite good enough to read before you go to sleep. However, you can quickly make an ambient light with just a headlamp and a gallon jug.
Fill your gallon jug or water bottle with water. Strap a headlamp onto the jug with the illuminated side facing the jug to create a soft glow.
Make a Pillow in a Pinch
Carrying a pillow with you camping takes up extra space. Roll up any extra clothing and use that as a pillow.
Ward Off Mosquitoes with Sage
Spraying yourself with bug spray can be smelly and it isn’t always the best choice for the environment. Throw some sage into your campfire and it’ll ward off mosquitoes. Alternatively, you can carry some citronella candles with you but these do take up more space than a small bag of sage.
Remove Ticks with Cotton Balls and Liquid Soap
A tick can cause problems such as Lyme disease. When you remove a tick, it’s removed completely. Soak a cotton ball in liquid soap. Press the soaked cotton ball on the tick for about 20 seconds and it should fall away.
If the tick has been on for a while, it might be a good idea to keep it in a container in case you need to test it for Lyme disease later.
Repel Ticks with Tea Tree Oil
If you want to repel ticks, tea tree oil is a useful tool. When you are getting ready to go camping, grab a spray bottle and mix 2 parts water with 1 part tea tree oil. Spray this mixture on your socks, shoes, and pant cuffs to stop ticks from climbing up.
Make “Tea Bags” for Coffee
To make coffee to go, you can make bags of coffee that you can use just like you would a tea bag! For these, you’ll want to fill a coffee filter with a scoop of your favorite coffee grounds. To tie them shut, just use dental floss.
Bed Rolls
A sleeping bag directly on the ground doesn’t always make for the most comfortable sleeping situation. Instead, try carrying a bed roll with you. A bed roll is a sleeping bag and a sleeping pad rolled up in canvas.
Bring Some Corn Chips Along
Corn chips can make for a great snack while you’re camping but they’re a great fire starter! When you are setting your campfire up, try throwing some corn chips in with your kindling.
Line Your Bags with Trash Bags
The downside to cloth and canvas bags is that when it starts to rain, they don’t always work well at keeping their contents dry. So, when your bag gets wet, you typically have to deal with everything in it being soaked as well.
You can quickly waterproof your back by lining it with a garbage bag. This way, when it starts to rain and your bag gets wet, the materials inside are protected from moisture.
Silica Gel Packets to Protect Your Pans
Pots and pans can rust when they are frequently exposed to moisture. Silica packets are used to absorb moisture. When you are storing your cookware, throw a silica packet or two in them to prevent rust.
Make Your Own Toilet Paper Holder
Toilet paper is another item that should be protected from moisture. Use a plastic coffee can to keep your TP dry. Cut a slit in the side to pull the toilet paper through so you don’t have to take the toilet paper in and out of the can.
Use Microfiber Towels
Instead of your standard bath towel, grab some microfiber towels. Not only are these towels very absorbent, they also dry quickly so you don’t have to worry about carrying damp towels around.