Clever Camping Hacks

When it comes
to ingenuity, it’s hard to beat all of those avid campers out there who
continue to come up with clever ways to make camping more enjoyable. Here are
a few tips you may want to try yourself:

Convenient Caffeine

If you just can’t start your day without a steaming cup of Joe,
here’s an easy way to bring it along on your next camping trip: 
make several “coffee bags” (similar to tea bags) by putting a scoop of coffee
in a paper coffee filter and tying it up with dental floss. Just steep each
one in hot water as you would a tea bag and enjoy!

A Shoe-in for Storing
Cookware

Instead of constantly digging through your supplies to find that
spatula or meat fork that you need, bring along an over-the-door plastic shoe
organizer and hang it up at your campsite. The pockets will make it easy to
store — and find — your cookware items.

Simple S’Mores

If the kids just can’t wait until that nighttime campfire to enjoy
the taste of s’mores, here’s an easy way to keep them satisfied: Make a
s’more snack mix by mixing together two cups of mini marshmallows, two cups
of bear-shaped graham cracker treats and one cup of chocolate
chips.

Make Flies Fly Away

There’s nothing more annoying than having flies hanging around
when you’re trying to enjoy a meal. Next time, try this: Fill a spray bottle
with a mixture of half pine-scented all-purpose cleaner and half water, then
spray it on your table and other surfaces. Flies apparently hate the scent of
pine.

Keep Your Keys

If you’re planning on going boating or participating in other
water sports, here’s a simple way to make sure your keys don’t fall out of
your pocket and end up at the bottom of the lake:  Attach them to a
cork and they’ll float right to the surface.

Light Up the Night

For an easy way to make a lantern, fill a plastic gallon jug with
water and then strap a headlamp around it with the light pointing in. Voila!
Instant lantern.

Nice Spice Storage

Instead of bringing along all of your individual bottles of
spices, save space by using rectangular plastic breath mint boxes to store
them. These tiny boxes will take up very little space yet you’ll still be
able to see which spice is inside each one.

Garbage in, Garbage
out

Here’s another space-saving idea: bring along a collapsible
laundry basket, then place a garbage bag in it when you reach your campsite.
It will make it easier to stash your trash.

Cheap Tricks

Check out the plastic storage containers at your local dollar
store to find some compact, inexpensive (and waterproof) ways to store your
camping staples like playing cards, first aid supplies and food
ingredients.