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Camping is a great way to calm the body and mind, have an adventure, and connect with nature. You get a unique opportunity to learn and develop new skills, build relationships, unplug from screens, reduce stress, and increase physical fitness. These are not just speculations but proven facts by researchers and experienced campers.
While camping is among the best ways to experience nature, the entire outdoor experience can be intimidating. If you are a beginner, I’m sure the uncertainty and risks of the outdoors seem daunting. Worry not; with some knowledge of camping and campsite hacks, you will have the best experience.
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The Top Four Campsite Hacks
There are plenty of campsite hacks you can employ to make camp life much more convenient. However, this list focuses on four of my favorite hacks.
Level-Up Your Table Game
For years, I would bring a folding table – like the ones you put out for a garage sale – on my camping and overlanding adventures. It wasn’t a full-blown eight-foot table, but at four feet, it was still a bulky addition to my gear.
I finally upgraded my table situation a few years ago with something much smaller, more functional, and convenient – the Tailgater Tire Table.
This table is compact, lightweight, and hooks over your tire for a stable, level surface, even if the ground underneath isn’t exactly level. It’s just the right size for food prep, eating a meal, or playing a game with my son.
I also use my Tire Table as a base station for a few necessities – my Inergy FLEX 1500 power station, Starlink, and coffee pot, to name a few. Though it’s small, it offers plenty of space for all my goodies and gadgets.
The best part is that I can put the Tire Table on any of my Jeep or Trailer tires – whatever is most convenient. Speaking of conveniences, it literally takes a few seconds to set up, so there’s no more fussing with complicated table legs that never seem to want to lock (or fold back down).
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – the Tire Table is by far one of my favorite overlanding accessories. It’s the first thing I pull out when I get to camp and the last thing that gets put away. It’s simply an incredible camping tool!
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Using Simple Lint Firestarters
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Most people tend to discard lint, only seeing it as trash. However, as a smart camper, keeping and carrying some lint during your camping trip may be among the ultimate campsite hacks. Lint is very flammable, and it could make it much easier to start fires.
The best way to exploit the benefits of lint is always to plan ahead. As discussed in the video below by Heath McConnell, some campers advocate making egg carton firestarters before going camping. Here, you will need to place dry lint in each carton compartment. You will then cover the lint with melted wax. The wax will cool and set, holding the lint in place. You can then cut out each part to create individual firestarters.
However, this may not facilitate the ultimate campsite hack. If you are looking for a less messy and simpler lint firestarter, your basic home cooking oil is the solution! Simply get a small glass jar, add some lint, and cover it with some oil. Add another layer of lint, pressing it to absorb the oil. Repeat this process until the jar is full. Once at the camp, you only need to pull off a small piece of lint and ignite it. It will burn for long enough to start a fire!
If you forget to plan ahead, simply carry some lint when going camping. The material is adequately flammable to help start a fire without building elaborate firestarters. When all your burnables have disappeared or are wet, look for some lint at the bottom of your pockets. You can ignite these to start a fire. However, using lint firestarters to start fires quickly is the best of campsite hacks.
Building a Pyramid of Rocks on Tent Pegs to Prevent Stumbling on the Pegs
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It goes without saying your tent is useless without tent pegs. The pegs secure your tent in place, providing the all-important protection against bad weather, especially gusts of wind.
While they are all so important, tent pegs can create a hazard at night. For whatever reason you have to come out of the tent in the middle of the night, there is a high chance you could stumble on a peg. Besides experiencing the all-so-annoying toe stub, you could fall and hurt yourself.
These risks can be daunting, but we have one of the best campsite hacks to help you avoid stumbling on tent pegs. After erecting your tent, collect rocks around the camp and build small pyramids over each peg. Each pyramid creates an obvious obstacle that is relatively easier to spot at night. Even when you run into the rocks, you will have some reaction time to right your movement before hitting the peg. The pyramid-building experience can also be fun, especially if you have kids around.
Don’t let a toe stub in the night ruin your camping experience when you could resort to such simple campsite hacks.
A Campsite Hack for Brewing Coffee Using a Coffee Filter
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Campsites are much different from your typical hotel rooms. You may not have the luxury of your usual coffee machine or French press due to space constraints. However, morning coffee is a must-have and possibly critical to a day’s experience.
Worry not; there are simple campsite hacks to help you have your regular cup of coffee. All you will need is to make a coffee bag, which is much smaller and more compact than an actual coffee machine. So, for your next camping trip, carry a few coffee filters to solve your coffee challenges.
To make a coffee bag, start by laying a coffee filter on a flat surface while you boil some water (your hand should be an ideal flat surface in most cases). Add one or two tablespoons of your preferred brand of finely ground coffee in the middle of the filter. Fold up the filter and tie it at the top with a string or cotton twine. Dip the bag into a cup of hot water and steep it until you achieve your ideal concentration.
This campsite hack produces quality coffee, helping you access your typical morning fix while deep in the woods or the middle of nowhere.
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Key Takeaways About Campsite Hacks
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- Using dryer lint is one of the best campsite hacks for starting fires. You can prepare oil-lint firestarters before your trip or simply use lint from the pockets of your clothes.
- Covering tent pegs with rock pyramids is among the ultimate campsite hacks to avert dangerous night accidents.
- A coffee filter can be tied into a bag to prepare quality coffee effortlessly.
FAQs
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Is Lint Safe to Carry and Store at the Campsite?
Lint is highly flammable, and as such, it always poses a safety risk. However, safe storage should help you prevent any adversities. All you need to do is store lint in a Ziploc bag and keep it away from potential sources of fire. Using a glass jar to store the oil-lint firestarter is also adequately safe.
Are Coffee Bags Reusable?
Yes. You can reuse the coffee bag a few times if you use quality coffee filters. We recommend using each bag two to three times. However, replace the coffee for each brew to get satisfactory results each time.
Who Comes Up With Campsite Hacks?
Camping hacks are mainly developed by expert campers, and they are based on years of trial and error. The developed tricks and solutions are shared community-wide to foster positive camping experiences. Therefore, hacks like those in this article may be your solution to becoming a pro camper.