40+ Camping Hacks for Anyone Looking to Enjoy the Great Outdoors

Forgot to carry a liquid fluid to let start your fire? Don’t scratch your head about what to do. Instead, prepare a safe spot for lighting the fire by laying out some wooden pieces to keep the fire going. There are multiple alternatives to start your fire.

For example, you can ignite a fire using a handful of corn chips, a fried chips bag, or dry noodles pack. Amazing? Yeah! Don’t worry, if you don’t have either of these. Just use a bottle’s popped-up cork and let the fire begin!

When enjoying the great outdoors, a few shower products can pile up in your backpack. When taking a shower becomes a necessity, you can fill up a plastic bag or container with shower products and hang it on a tree. Then, poke that container with some holes in the bottom.

That’s it! Your DIY shower is all set. Also, you can use take another plastic bag and make a hole. Then, insert a small pipe so that you can use it for a longer time instead of wasting a lot of water.

Mosquitos are unwanted guests when it comes to the outdoors. Thus, if you’ve gathered around a campfire, it’d work like magic to get rid of mosquitoes if you added some coffee grounds or sage to the fire.

Thus, the smell of coffee or sage in the smoke will force mosquitoes to leave. Alternatively, you can apply tea tree, lavender oil, or peppermint on your skin and clothes to keep mosquitoes away.

To keep ants at bay, mint leaves or plants are essential. All you need to do is spread out some leaves or sprinkle oil droplets around, but this might not work if it’s on the ground.

But don’t worry – spray a solution consisting of three parts water, one part lemon juice, and half vinegar. Such camping hacks keep ants away. Also, you can lay out a powder of black pepper, cayenne, or cinnamon on the area where you wish to sit, in order to eliminate ants.

When it comes to matches, they’re an essential item for camping. However, a soggy atmosphere can make the case moist or the strike pad become damp. Thus, this camping hack ensures that the matches will do their job whenever you need them!

Attach the coarse sandpaper with adhesive, to make it stick to the matchbox. Attach it to a small waterproof container’s inner side of the lid; it’ll help keep your match safe from getting wet. This way, you’ll get a waterproof match holder!

Instead of a cotton-filled pillow, stuff your sleeping bag with clothes. Pillows are one of the things people love carrying while traveling, but the amount of space they take up in a bag can be problematic.

So, here’s the hack for you! Stuff your pillow with some of your softest clothing. Also, ensure that socks aren’t tightly balled up, and sleeves are unrolled, so no pressure points are created. Shape up your pillow as you like and save much more space in your bag.

To make ice packs for your next camping trip, freeze jugs of water. Small ice packs melt quickly, making food items soggy and soaked. Always remember when filling water for camping; it’s an essential thing to carry, and thus, packing more than adequate drinking water is good, but packing water with weight is a waste.

With this camping hack for the great outdoors, you can simultaneously allow your ice to become your extra drinking water while keeping your food cold.

People always browse for smart camping hacks, and here’s one of them: Cut your straws into smaller sections to store spices and other items, and seal the other end by melting it with a candle.

To store more ingredients, cut a longer length of the straw, close the other end, and there you have it: an ultra-portable, waterproof selection of spices in the middle of the woods!

Are you a foodie? If so, then this camping hack is definitely for you! Instead of worrying about carefully packing eggs without breaking them along the way, shell out all your eggs before your trip and store them in a bottle!

This will save your trip from getting messier and more troublesome after the eggs break. From now on, have your favorite food item anytime, anywhere. Thank us later, guys!

Depending on how many days you’ll spend outdoors, you may need to organize your outfits by the day so you can grab them quickly. Heading out in the middle of the summer involves a lot of dirt, meaning you must take plenty of clothes with you – just in case you need them.

You can start by outlining what clothes you wish to wear each day. Then, place these clothes in an oversized item for a particular day and roll them together. This makes packing easier and allows you not to pull out other clothes while finding the right outfit.

Colored tape makes it easier to distinguish between fishing rods. If you’re a fan of going fishing while camping, an extensive collection of rods must be crowding your house. And why not? It’s a great outdoor sport and gives you something mouthwatering to eat.

However, it becomes a headache to identify which fishing rod you want to use if you’re in a hurry. That’s where colored tape plays a part. You can use it to label your fishing rods with ‘light’, ‘medium’, and ‘heavy’ labels.

For those up for camping outdoors, you can make your own travel coffee bags. Most people love to sip coffee every morning, even when they’re not at home.

You can start by picking up different coffee filters and spreading them on a table. Next, mix a scoop of coffee into each filter before wrapping up the top with dental floss to keep the coffee inside.

People who are pretty particular about cleanliness and hygiene don’t need to carry a whole room of soap. It’ll only result in weighing your bag down.

What should they do instead? Get a vegetable peeler and one bar of soap before heading out. Now, shred small soap slices to store them in a bag that’ll save a lot of space and allow you to maintain hygiene without carrying any extra weight.

Whenever you’re up for a long camping trip, the most critical and hectic task is the food. Our palette is always in search of some sumptuous food. Thus, it’d be convenient if you make a menu planning everything. Printables are the best when it comes to organizing your camping meals.

You can even mention which food item everyone loves to eat. That way, you can categorize accordingly and enjoy your flavorful meal without the hassle of asking everyone what they want to eat.

Laundry baskets are perfect for storing your fishing catches. Also, they can give you the opportunity to keep your delicious catch to one side while waiting for other members of your camping party to join you.

Make a laundry basket your go-to equipment without breaking your bank account. This will be one of the most incredible camping hacks to keep you, and your tummy, happy!

Have you ever wondered how bulky those charcoal bags are? It’s possibly one of the last things that people think of while going on a camping trip.

Instead of taking a whole bag, you can carry charcoal in an egg carton. Next time, when you have a vacant cardboard egg carton, add one charcoal into each gap and you’ll have enough charcoal for your outdoor camping.

Silica gel packets help absorb moisture in things with rust. Ideally, we store our cookware in a dry and moisture-free place between uses. However, that’s not always possible when camping. This is where silica gel packets come into action.

These packets keep moisture away. So don’t feel disappointed if you see your favorite skillet or bowl with a rust coating, just do this little trick to get rid of rust from your beautiful culinary set.

To save more space, you can think of a pool float as a stand-in camping bed for a good night’s sleep. One of the fantastic benefits of using an inflatable pool float is it offers a soft mattress compared to you sleeping on hard flooring.

One more usage of using this pool float is you can use them in layers of foam blankets or mats. These sleeping beds can be deflated and inflated when required. If you want to have a nap in the car, you can add a pool float to the back seats.

Many people find it challenging to start a fire when camping in a moist atmosphere or in winter. It can take minutes, or even hours, to start a fire, and sometimes people get frustrated when they make so much effort and get nothing. But don’t be disheartened!

Here’s a quick hack for you – dip corks in antiseptic or cotton swabs in wax, and you can store them in a zip lock or air-tight container to use as easy and brilliant portable fire starters.

Another level of camping is riding a bike and listening to rejuvenating music while heading on a camping trip. Bikers sometimes find it difficult when their headset gets loose. The best part is bike repairs are not as challenging as they look.

Here’s the solution for you – flip your headset cap if your headset gets loose on your bike. If it’s attached at the bottom, you can undo the screw and flip your headset cap upside down to get things tight and back on track.

For making your cookouts easy, marinate your meat in sealed bags and freeze them for effortless storage and cooking. For easy heating, you can make breakfast burritos and sandwiches covered in aluminum foil. Also, you can use aluminum foil for cooking vegetables, cheese, and macaroni.

Mix pancake batter in an old ketchup squeeze bottle and then squeeze them on a hot grill. If you’re a coffee lover, you can make cold brew concentrate instantly by mixing it with boiled water. The next morning, you can enjoy sipping a hot cup of exquisite coffee.

Want to protect your tent from rain? A tarp is a one-stop solution and an all-purpose tool when it comes to camping. It offers shelter from the rain and shade from the sun.

So don’t forget to bring an extra tarp for wrapping your tent, preventing it from touching the ground, and helping to keep the inner side of your tent dry. You can also keep items dry by keeping them in dry sacks.

The worst thing about winter camping is when your toes get cold. Keep your toes all toasty and warm with sock liners. You can wear these sock liners over your socks when going to sleep or walking a trail.

Moreover, you can put a hand warmer in your sock rather than using it just for your hands. Also, tuck it into your sleeping bag before going to bed. Once you want to sleep, you’ll find your sleeping bag all cozy and like a warm cocoon that you’ll love to burrow in.

Are you a pet lover? Of course, you are! While going camping, you may worry about your furry friend. Ensure your pet’s leash is easy and accessible to find by hanging the leash from a hook. You can easily find these hooks in most DIY stores, and they can be effortlessly screwed into a branch or tree.

If you have a hammock lineup or clothesline, you can even hook it there. Your pups can freely roam around and still stay contained within your campsite via ziplines. You can create your own by using spring clasps and nylon ropes.

Arrange your items systematically using a shoe rack with transparent pockets so you can easily see where you’ve placed your things. You can store things like sunscreen, bug spray, and flashlights.

You can even roll it like a towel and tie it with a string to keep everything together. With rope or clothesline, you can organize your camping essentials and hang your stuff using a carabiner.

Make a separate shower lanyard for keeping your shower kit all organized and ensuring it won’t touch the ground. Make these shower lanyards using hanging squeeze bottles which you can reuse afterwards.

If you have a restless tot who likes to run around, place a bear bell on their shoes so you can hear their movement when they’re not close to you.

If you’re a fishing enthusiast, you’ve probably experienced your sunglasses slipping from your hands and falling into the water. Are you thinking of using lanyards to protect your sunglasses? But what when they fall off too?

Here comes the savior – take an old cork; drill a large hole for your lanyard right in the middle. Attach the cork to your sunglasses’ lanyard, and your glasses will never sink in the water again!

Spending time in nature can become troublesome when you realize bugs are biting you! Many of us have found ways to prevent our skin from bug bites or prevent them from getting into our tents.

Still, these annoying bugs will often find a way to enter your tent, and you risk getting bitten by these terrible bugs, which can sometimes ruin your camping experience. Luckily, a stick of deodorant can lessen your itchiness. Just rub it on the bite and you’re good to go!

Plastic sleds are the best for moving things around. You can use them to transfer things from one place to another without worrying about lifting heavy items.

These plastic sleds can save a lot of effort and time. Load things you need onto the sled and keep it safely in a place with short bungee cable ties. That way, you can slide your heavy stuff along the ground and save hundred of trips between your campsite and car.

Cooking over a campfire is an unmatched experience for those who love culinary adventures. Plenty of people love bringing food with them on a camping trip because they don’t want to worry about cooking.

Not everyone is an expert in such cooking techniques, as it takes a bit of practice. So to stop your meat from burning, you can wrap cabbage leaves around it and enjoy your delicious meal!

Make your camping trip more comfortable by using foam floor tiles as your tent floor. You won’t find these foamy floors anywhere on a campsite, and thus, it’s advisable to carry them with you when you’re leaving your home.

These foam tiles are soft and will give you a bed-like feeling as if you’re sleeping in your bed at home.

You might come across a visibility problem if you’re camping at dawn or night. It can become difficult for campers to travel during the night and to see clearly while in their tents.

You can solve this problem by simply pointing your headlamp towards a jug of water which will turn out to be an instant source of light and act like a lantern. It’ll light up your entire tent with ambient light.

You often starve for food during camping. To avoid this, make tin-can sandwich bread as an option for portable eats. This tin-can sandwich bread will fill your empty stomach and provide you with instant energy.

It tastes fantastic and doesn’t acquire much space when you carry it with you in a bag.

This is the most critical camping hack that everyone should keep in mind. Always carry a tick deterrent with you while going camping, especially in the woods.

There are many insects in the woods whose bite can harm your body. Therefore, always carry a tick deterrent and apply it to the cuffs of pants, jeans, shoes, and socks to eliminate itching and redness.

Always carry seat hammocks whenever you’re going out car camping. A car hammock’s rectangular fabric has super adjustable side straps and corners which you can hook and wrap to the vehicle.

Once you’re done setting up the hammock, close the car doors, jump into your hammock and enjoy the ride in a comfortable car hammock!

Are you suffering from cold feet at night? If you are, fill a bottle with hot water and put it in your sleeping bag to keep your feet warm. Always bring Nalgene bottles whenever you’re camping outside. These are indestructible and can sustain hot water for long hours without melting!

If you have kids, remove the hot water bottle before they go to sleep. If you don’t want to sleep with a water bottle, pack the sleeping bags’ bottom with dry clothes. They’ll absorb the moisture at the bottom of the bag and keep your feet warm.

Microfiber towels are super soft and light in weight. These towels are super absorbent and dry easily, as you won’t get much time to dry your clothes whenever you’re on an outdoor camping trip. People prefer carrying these towels while camping because they’re light and require less space in a bag.

These towels work best on stains, grease, and smudged dirt when the towel is wet. The towel works extraordinarily well when you rinse and squeeze it out, as it requires absorbency to pick up a thick layer of dirt.

Camping and hygiene don’t always mix. Now, this hack for soap pouches makes it possible to maintain hygiene during outdoor camping trips.

Make dozens of pouches with one towel. Cut them using scissors, and sew them into small pouches so you can easily store a soap bar. Make one for each family member and carry them with you while going camping in order to maintain hygiene.

Outdoor camping brings you fun and joy but can sometimes deteriorate your health if you don’t maintain proper hygiene. Thus, it’s important to take care of your hygiene so that you can enjoy your camping trip. If we talk about hygiene maintenance, how can we forget that soap and water go hand in hand?

Having a hand wash station right before your base camp is suitable for sanitary purposes and will also save your sanity. Washing your hands before and after meals, and when returning from camping, is important.

Make single-use-sized toothpaste dots on a non-stick baking paper sheet or a paper plate and let them set. Either dissolve it with water or chew them for some time, so it becomes a squeaky clean fix to brush your teeth.

That’ll be a space-saver if you have a lot of things in your backpack. Maintaining hygiene is an integral part of our life. We shouldn’t forget it, even during camping days.

Those who spend a lot of time outdoors camping, including backpacking, canoeing, and fishing, should keep a repair kit. The kit varies according to the type of trip, but there are a few items you should always carry for outdoor camping.

Some of them include paracord, duct tape, multi-tool, and zip ties. A piece of aluminum tube can be a trip-saver, as it can slide over a broken tent pole. A lightweight magnifying glass will allow you to see what you’re doing while repairing something. And  thin wire is the most crucial and valuable thing you can carry.