Start a Fire with WaterHere is a fun Campers or Survival project. Collect some kindling and leaves, dried tiny branches and fire starting materials. Take a round empty bottle like Pom Drinks, you can use it as a magnifying glass to pinpoint a ray of sunlight onto your collected leaves and other fire starting materials to start a flame.
Emergency Aerobed InflationWe use our Aerobed inflatble mattress when we go camping. One time, we forgot to bring the wall socket car adaptor that allows us to plug in the mattress for it to inflate. We jury rigged a pump with a soda bottle and a camping air mattress pump. It worked well enough to allow us a good night's sleep.
Camping Cooler TipsWe have done a lot of camping and usually go for a week at a time. It was getting costly buying bags of ice all the time for the cooler. Then my husband came up with some solutions.
Easy Camping FirestartersMy son used to be in Boy Scouts and they loved to make a fire at night during the summer. For fire starters, we took the cardboard from toilet paper and taped one end shut. Then he filled the tube up with dryer lint and taped the end shut.
Use Dried Fern as FirestarterWe are camping in Oregon and, as usual, it is drizzling. We found that last year's sword fern fronds make a good firestarter. They stay relatively dry under the new green fronds and are easy to pull out by the handful.
Dryer Sheets To Deter MosquitoesTake a box of dryer sheets along with you camping. Tear the sheet neatly in half and hang within 10 feet of your sitting area. If you use four or five half sheets surrounding your area, you will be mosquito free!
Solar Shower from Milk JugWhen you are camping where there are no shower facilities, try this. Spray paint gallon milk jugs flat black. Set it in the sun and, wah lah, shower water.
Campground Shower MatI save cereal boxes and use them to stand on after showering to get dry and dressed. Shower stalls are usually full of dirt off people shoes so I open boxes up where they are glued and keep a stack of them in the camper.
Packing Eggs for CampingCrack eggs into a jar or container and store in fridge or cooler. You don't have to worry about broken shells and will save on space because you have no cardboard container. They will come out individual as you need them.
Dryer Lint For Fire StartingSave the lint from the dryer in a plastic container. In the winter months when the wood for the fire gets a little damp, use the lint under the kindling to get it started. Works great!
Use Leftover Candle Wax for FirestartersI save our empty toilet and paper towel tubes, stuff them with waste paper and junk mail or even pine cones. Then I melt my small, leftover candle pieces in a old candle warmer just until it melts.
Corn Chips Make Great Campfire StartersPut that stale bag of Fritos to good use. Start a campfire with them.
Washing Clothes While CampingIf your going camping bring a 5 gallon bucket that has a lid, a new plunger, and some rope for hanging clothes. This works good for washing clothes.
Camping Tip for Storing Toilet PaperIf your planning a camping trip, use an empty, clean coffee container to store your toilet paper in. Be sure it has a lid, that way if it rains it won't get wet.
Tips For Forgotten Camping ItemsIf you forgot the filters for your coffee pot, tear off a piece of paper towel or use a paper napkin in the bottom of the basket. Add the grounds, and water and go ahead with your normal coffee routine.
Tips For Lighting A CampfireMy husband is the king of campfires! He makes a successful campfire by starting the fire with kindling and lighter fluid under wood pieces piled in a teepee fashion allowing air to get to the fire and ignite.
Heat Water For Camp Dishes While You EatHave water heating while eating. Put on rubber gloves and add bleach to dish water and rinse water.
Use Raft as Air MattressUse a blow up air raft, the kind used to float in a pool, as a bed when camping. The air raft carries flat and, when folded, it makes a small package. It is lightweight and it can be used as a float near the campsite if you are camping near water.
Tips from Years of Tent CampingCamping tips I've learned from years of camping in a tent at the race track!
Lighting Matches In Breezy AreasSay you're lighting a smoke or something in a breezy area. If you light one match or two and it blows out, combine the spent matches with the new one.
Make Hammock from Plastic Soda RingsAt our favorite camping spot, we've constructed a makeshift hammock out of plastic six-pack soda rings! It takes a little while to collect enough of these, but once you do, you can simply tie them together with thin fishing line.
Mouthwash As Insect RepellentTo get rid of flies or mosquitoes go to Walmart and buy the brown Equate bottle of mouthwash. Put in a sprayer and spray around the house, both on the ground and as high as you can get. Works well the next day, no flies or mosquitoes.
Keeping Ants Off Your Picnic TableTo keep ants off your camping table or picnic table, clean out four tuna or cat food cans. Next fill the cans about 1/2 full with water and put them under the table legs.
Fire Starters For ChristmasMake Christmas gifts by recycling egg cartons and dryer lint! Using a cardboard one-dozen egg carton, fill each hole generously with dryer lint. Using melted scented candles purchased at a yard sale, pour hot wax into each hole, filling 2/3-3/4 full.
Use Aluminum Foil as Pot ScrubberWhen camping, use aluminum foil as a pot scrubber. Simply wad it up into a ball.
Use Film Canisters for SpicesWhen camping, place spices in empty film canisters. Once you get the campsite set up, poke holes in the lids for shaker tops if desired. Film canisters are also good for storing fish hooks, etc.
Leave Camper Refrigerator Open When EmptyIf you have a camper, you know about the refrigerator odor that can occur after a camping trip. I have found that after emptying the refrigerator, if I leave the door open, all of the condensation will evaporate from the unit.
Use a Covered Bucket as a Camping ToiletToilet for camping or emergencies. If you have need of a toilet when there isn't one around or there is no running water, you can improvise one by using a covered plastic bucket and urinating into the bucket.
Backyard CampfiresAll you need are some sticks and a backyard and all of a sudden you have a party everyone wants to attend. Who doesn't remember roasting marshmallows on an open fire?
Use Bacon Drippings for Starting CampfiresTo start a campfire or charcoal grill, use old bacon drippings. You can use a paintbrush and spread the bacon
Use Freezer Baskets In CoolersI bought some freezer baskets at a garage sale to use in my upright freezer. I had a couple left over and thought of a great idea for them. I cut the corners off and then I folded the ends up and I use them in my coolers for camping.
Use Shower Curtains To Protect Inside Of VehicleI use old shower curtains to put in the back floor of my explorer for my dogs for when we go to camp and they get very wet. To clean, I just take it out and put it a on clothes line and rinse with a hose.
Disposable Camping ToothpasteWhen I go backpacking and don't have one of those tiny travel tubes of toothpaste, I'll make my own so I don't have to cart the large tube of toothpaste with me.
Use Coffee Cans For Camping Food StorageInstead of throwing away plastic coffee cans, wash them out and store them. Then when you are going camping use them to fill up with: flour, sugar, noodles, rice, cereal and other dry goods.
A Resting Place for Kids on a Camping TripIt's really nice is if you have a small extra tent you can put up on your site. If you have a child who needs some time to be alone or if they get bored, they can always go into the tent to play, color, read, whatever they need to do. This gives them some quiet time.
Clothespins for CampingWell I have a strange tip, but a good one. My husband and I camp. We had bags open with food in them and had forgotten to bring things to close them with so I grabbed a couple of clothes pins the kind with the spring you squeeze to open. They are fantastic, work great and the nice thing is that they are cheap.
Backyard Campsite AreaWhen my husband and I bought a new travel trailer, we constructed a site pad from old bricks we had collected for many years for the travel trailer to be parked on; we used fluorescent paint to mark the bricks that the back wheels of the trailer should be parked on...
Keep Cooler Odor Free with Baking SodaAnother great way to keep camping cooler fresh and odor free between uses is to wash and dry, then sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of baking soda inside before closing the lid.
Electrical Appliances For CampingIf you camp at camp sites with electric hookups and/or water, take 2 essential electrical appliances:
Wind Up Flashlights For CampingI purchased a wind up flashlight to use, never have to worry about if I bought enough batteries or if they will last long enough. A minute of cranking will last about 20 minutes and that's usually enough time to get to the shower house/restrooms.
Tips For A Great Camping AdventureBuild a good fire at night, it keeps the bugs away. Take all the ingredients for s'mores, a must have for camping. And don't forget the marshmallow sticks.
Homemade Mosquito RepellentUse equal amounts of pure vanilla and water in a squirt bottle. Works great for children too!
Baby Wipe Clean Up When CampingAfter a day of camping, spraying bug spray, and using sunscreen give your self a quick bath using baby wipes before you hop into your sleeping bag. Save the baby wipes and they can be used to wipe up the tent floor before you pack it away.
Cooler TipsIf you are bringing meat in a cooler that will not be cooked soon, freeze it before putting it in the cooler. Cans of concentrated juice can be brought along to help keep items cool as well, just be sure to put each can in its own ziplock bag in case it leaks.
Washing Hands at the CampsiteHere's a tip for washing your hands at a campsite when there is no faucet. Hang a one gallon milk jug to a low sturdy limb and make a hole in the bottom and plug the hole with a golf tee or a cork. Then fill the jug with water. Wash hands by removing the plug.
Making Ice Last LongerCover the ice in a picnic cooler with foil to help it last longer. Keep water in your canteen cooler by wrapping the canteen in foil.
Best Tips for Enjoying the BackCountry in the RainIf you spend any amount of time in the backcountry at all, it will rain on you. Remember this - rain is a good thing; without it there wouldn't be much backcountry to enjoy.
