Camping Tips and Tricks

Coming off the Memorial Day weekend, let's hear everyone's words of wisdom when it comes to camping.

Here are some of mine...

• Don't wear flip flops when emptying your black tank
• If using the bathrooms, make sure your stall flushes and has toilet paper before you sit down
• Give the light timer in the bathroom more time than you think you need
• Always have bacon on hand. Great griddle prepping
• Make sure to have extras fuzes
• Always check your tire pressure before hitting the road

 

OP...I keep a couple rolls of TP in all my cars at all times...I'm over 50 y.o. It's mandatory equipment.

 

Don't forget the keys to your camper, especially when the trip home to get them is 4.5 hours one way

 

For backwood/non trailer camping: Costco baby wipes instead of TP. Use less volume, sealed pkg with flip top lid that actually works (no ruined rolls), multiple alternative uses. I even use to wipe down the cup holders when one of the Ms Spillies is aboard

 

Gather as much fire wood as you think you will need for the night into a pile. Then make the pile three times bigger.

 

Bring extra water to put out your fire.-
I reuse the 20liter water cooler jugs just for firewater.

Grease your trailer bearings- i have done bearing changes enroute in Lordco parking lots twice now, not cool.

 

Been there done that....twice, although luckily I wasn't far from home when I realized I forgot the keys.

 

I have an A frame so it folds down. I cant always check whats in it...

so clean linens, bed sheets/covers are nice when its cool out.
Back up booze in the pocket shot form.
Lighters and Matches
empty cardboard boxes for make shift floor covering when wet outside.

 

If you are going with others, never assume they are bringing anything important, even if they specifically say they will bring it. That goes for food, cooking utensils, gas cans, water, beer, firewood, toilet paper, quarters for showers, anything.

Last time I went camping my sister in law said don't bring food, we got it, and don't bring cooking stuff. I got there starving after a 4 hour drive. Set up my stuff then went to see what food they had. Nothing yet, their sister was bringing the food and running late. It was noon and I eat at 11am, she didn't show up until 7pm. To make matters worse, when she left 2 days later (we were staying one more night) she took the plates and utensils. We had to cook burgers and build a spatula out of beer cans, no plates. We cooked those burgers on a spare piece of used aluminum foil over our fire. Made for a funny story but wasn't funny then.

 

Camping with my wife's parents is the opposite. They ask us to bring our own food (which is totally reasonable and I would do anyway) then provide all the meals and force us to take all the food we brought with us back home plus whatever else they send us with.

 

I like that plan a lot more.

 

I'm done with RV type camping. Had 2 and just got tired of the upkeep and realizing they are expensive but cheaply made. Rather rent a nice little cabin and I'm currently thinking about tent camping.

 

I bought a collapsible bucket to put out the campfire.

I doesn't take up hardly any room.

 

Make a list before every trip.

Mark off every item, as and only as, it gets put into the vehicle.

Take the list on the trip.

Also: when going with other vehicles, especially off-road or on water, take a second set of vehicle keys and exchange these with another person in another vehicle. Losing keys in sand or water sucks… but it would suck worse if you don’t have a spare set in your buddy’s vehicle.

 

Bring a spare key for the truck

 

I can relate to this, I love my in-laws but they will buy a crap ton of absolute junk food (which no-one eats) then make us take it all home for the kids. We then have a pantry full of stuff that we can't get rid of.

 

My wife will eat it.

But her mom mostly makes pretty healthy meals in my opinion.

 

When camping in cold weather, climb into your freezing sleeping bag with your normal clothes on and cover your head, you will warm up in 30 seconds, then change into your PJ's.

Bring extra home depot bucket for middle of the night emergencies in the tent to avoid frostbite on your buttcheeks.

 

Gotta be a better way Lol. If you're alone I get it, but guests or family in the tent............

 

A bucket huh? We have a screw top large generic bottle we got on Amazon to pee in. She has a special bottle contraption that fits her neither regions and then pours it into the screw top bottle. Usually drinking a lot when staying in the RTT and these things have been priceless. Then when you climb out in the morning and pour your pee out people look at you side ways and kids ask whats that. You say just flushing our toilet.

 

Funny… I usually do the opposite. Shorts and flip flops when I dump the tanks.

I keep fresh water and soap ready to clean off my legs and hands and a bag for the flip flops. Then I swap over to whatever shoes I want to drive in. I find it much better than dealing with stains on my boots and then having to drive for hours smelling it!

 

For backpacking:

• Get fitted for a pack by a professional. Most REIs and local outdoor shops have someone on staff who can help you. The weight needs to be borne by your hips, not your shoulders.
• Walking in the city or on pavement ≠ hiking rough terrain with a pack. When preparing for a longer trip, hike locally with your pack and full gear. Or get some ruck plates. Either way, put some miles on your legs with weight in your pack. You don't want to get 5 miles into a hike that you didn't train for and realize your legs, knees, and/or feet aren't up to the task.
• When packing your sweet pack that you were professionally fitted for, center the heaviest gear (water bladder, food, etc) as close to your back as possible. Pack the lighter stuff in around that.

Don't forget:
• hand trowel, baby wipes, ziplock bags
• all the parts to your water filter system!!
• food/gear hanging tools (my favorite kit for hanging food)
• lighting (my favorite headlamp)
• bearspray

 

Exactly I don't even use TP. Who wants to walk around with a dirty ass? Flushable butt wipes FTW.

An on the same subject, anymore I don't even like going into public toilets as they seem to get destroyed very quickly. Like what do these peoples home bathrooms look like...really? how did you get shit up there or over there? Anyway so I bought a portable toilet and now don't have to worry about it.

 

Blue Nalgene here. Repeat several times during the camping trip..."don't drink out of the blue Nalgene"

 

if you are on a rtt, make sure all the straps are velcroed down. used my rtt for the first time and two nights in a row, we kept finding out the velcro weren't sealed correctly. fortunately, our sleeping bag saved the night.

 

Sheep skin works well to cover a cooler during the day to provide extra insulation for the ice. And the sheep skin can be used as added insulation on a camp chair to keep your backside warm while sitting by the campfire. Then use the sheep skin as an extra blanket to keep your feet warm.

 

For cold weather camping, toss in hand warmers into the sleeping bags 10 mins before going to sleep. Especially if you have small kids camping. Safer than a space heater/Mr. Buddy and you can toss in one more in the early morning hours when you get up to pee. Keeps them nice and toasty with no complaining about cold.

 

Someone must be looking to…<checks post history> yep!…sell something in the marketplace. Lol

 

Good knife and Fatwood fire starters