Camping has become a great outdoor adventure from a pitch up tent to RV camping and the new Glamping (luxurious camping accommodations). Camping has surely captured the heart of every person young and old. We have compiled a fun list of camping hacks and safety tips to use on your next camping trip.
Camping Hack: Burn Sage to Keep the Bugs Away. You can burn sage in the campfire to help repel mosquitoes.
Camping Hack: Doritos Kindling Hack. Doritos contain starches, chemicals, oils, and flavors that make it great to start a campfire. Use a handful of Doritos chips to get your fire started.
Camping Hack: Use Gallon Water jugs as Ice Packs. Instead of putting ice in a cooler and finding your bread or other food soggy and drenched in water, fill gallon water jugs with water and freeze them overnight and place them in your coolers to keep food cold. Once the water melts you can use it as drinking water.
Camping Hack: Bring Baby Wipes, Hand Sanitizer, and Unscented dry shampoo. Sometimes you may be near a campground that has no lake or stream, the water may be too cold to take a dip in, or you may have no access to any public restrooms, baths, etc. If you cannot live without a shower or have little children; bringing baby wipes can be a great alternative to cleaning yourself or when going to the bathroom. Remember safe hygiene practices by using hand sanitizer before and after bathroom breaks and before cooking and eating. Instead of having a bad hair day out in the woods, you can also use unscented dry shampoo when nature will not cooperate with washing your hair.
Camping Hack: Keep Your Toilet Paper Dry. Reuse that plastic coffee canister and put a roll of toilet paper in it to keep it dry. Add a slit on top of the lid for easier usage and to prevent waste.
Camping Hack: Use Glow Sticks to See. Besides a campfire, a fun and friendly way to help the kiddos see at night is by placing glow sticks in bottles. They can carry these glow stick bottles to help them see as they are walking to their tent or restrooms.
Camping Hack: Use Foam Floor Mats. Beneath the tent you can lay foam floor mats down to have a softer ground to sleep on and it can also insulate the floor from having cold air rise inside the tent.
Safety Tip 1: Use Campfire Safety.
The National Park Service recommends keeping campfires at least 15 feet away from your tent or camper, trees, or anything flammable. Make sure your campfire is contained and that children and pets are kept at a safe distance. Always have someone keep an eye on the campfire. Do not forget to place a bucket of water nearby to put out the fire completely in case of extreme weather conditions, or when you are planning to leave or go to bed. You can use sand and dirt to extinguish any hot coals that remain in the campfire.
Safety Tip 2: Check for Bugs and Ticks. Check for ticks daily and remove them right away. Protect yourself and your family from bugs and insects by properly using bug repellent. The CDC recommends wearing long sleeves, pants, and light color clothing keeping skin less exposed to insect bites. Remember to avoid areas with large insect habitats and always pack a First-Aid Kit.
Safety Tip 3: Properly Store Food. Campsites are home to many animals and insects and the food you bring can smell and attract all types of critters. Make sure to keep all food in sealed containers in a cooler, do not store any food in or near a tent, and zip up tent flaps as you enter or exit it.
Have fun camping this Summer and see how many new camping hacks you can try or share a few of your own camping hacks in our comments section below. Have a great Summer from Paroubek Insurance!