35+ Camping Tips, Tricks & Treats
51 Comments 
Summer holidays are just around the corner and if you have a camping trip or two on your agenda, you might just find a new trick or two in this bunch!
I’ve put together a list of projects and ideas to help around the campsite, a list of must-have home remedies (for poison ivy, mosquito bites, etc.), plus a bunch of fun ideas for cooking you might want to try this year…and don’t miss the old-timer’s fishing weather poem and dependable rope knot examples at the bottom of the page.
Lots here and I’ll be adding more goodies to this page as I find them so you may want to bookmark it for future reference. Enjoy!
To start things off, here’s a recipe for removing mildew from tents:
Step 1: Mix 1/2 cup of Lysol in 1 gallon of hot water. Wash your tent with the solution (use a sponge) and let it air dry.
Step 2: Mix 1 cup salt and 1 cup concentrated lemon juice in 1 gallon of hot water. Wash again with this solution and let it air dry.
Although visible stains won’t be removed, it does kill the mildew.
General Maintenance Suggestion:
Remember, after use your tent should be thoroughly aired-out before being stored. Even if you camped in perfect weather, dampness from the ground, from condensation and from respiration will provide enough moisture for mildew to take hold. It will also last longer if you avoid storing it in its stuff sack. Instead, hang it up or keep it in a large and breathable storage bag.
Source: I published this previously here on Tipnut (January 25, 2007) from an online source that is no longer available.
Next is a batch of DIY projects and a few tips…
mel-designs.typepad.com
Clever Night Lamp: Make this with a plastic milk jug filled with water and wrapped with a headlamp.
flickr.com/photos/listorama/
briangreen.net
Build A Mobile Kitchen: Make things easy by packing essentials in a box just for trips, includes a checklist to download.
outsidemom.com
pinterest.com
Newspaper Logs: Make your own firewood with this trick using newspaper & water.
tacticalintelligence.net
pioneerliving.net
Try spraying “Original” Listerine around the campsite to repel mosquitoes. You’ll find more suggestions here.
Tipnut.com
tipnut.com
Are wasps making their presence known around the campsite? Make a trap with a jar, some jam and a bit of juice. See instructions here.
tipnut.com
tipnut.com
Make your own ice packs with liquid dish detergent or fill empty juice boxes and milk cartons with water and freeze. More ideas found here.
Tipnut.com
pinterest.com
Laplander Stove How-To: Slits are cut into a log then stuffed loosely with bark, twigs, pitch wood, etc.
tomahawksadventuretravel.blogspot.ca
popularmechanics.com
DIY Laundry Kit: Made with a 5-gallon bucket (& lid) and a new toilet plunger. Hang clothes on a rope to dry.
didyasee.com
jjmatheshikes.blogspot.ca
Duct Tape Stash: Wrap a couple feet of duct tape around a lighter to always have a stash on hand without the bulk.
fieldandstream.com
skruben.blogspot.ca
Gear Checklist: Free pdf printable on a single page listing assorted supplies to check off (Shelter, Cooking & Meals, Toiletries, etc.).
nwtripfinder.com
Quick Tip: Save the ashes from the campfire to use in the garden.
How To Make Waterproof Matches & Fire Starters
*First published March 26, 2007 and moved to this page for better organization
Here are different methods to waterproof your own matches and make fire starters, you should use wood stick matches rather than the cardboard sticks.
Although they’re waterproof, make sure to store them in a sealed, waterproof container. Ziplock bags, old prescription bottles, film canisters and small tins should work just fine.
Waterproof Matches
Method #1
- Dip the first half of the match in melted wax. You can use old candle stubs or canning wax/paraffin wax for this. Dry, then dip the other half to completely seal the match.
Method #2
- Dip the first half of the match in clear nail polish. Dry, then dip the other half to completely seal.
Fire Starters:
- If you want to pack away some fire starters for camping or ‘just in case’ you get stuck in the bush when backpacking or biking, fill the holes of an empty egg carton with sawdust, or dryer lint, or fabric scraps. Pour melted wax over each and let cool. Store in sealed ziploc bags.
- To make waterproof ones, tightly roll newspapers or fabric scraps about 1 1/2 inches thick and 3 inches long, wind string tightly around the roll to hold the roll together. Completely submerge in melted wax. Dry then store.
After dipping the matches and rolls, lay them on a sheet of clean wax paper to dry thoroughly. After they are dry, place them in the waterproof container (or ziploc bag) and store away until needed.
Quick Tips:
- Nut Shells: Don’t toss away peanut shells or shells from other nuts. Store them year round in a big tub and take them camping. Toss the shells in amongst the kindling and they’ll act as wood chips.
- Lemon & Orange Peels: Save your peels from citrus fruits like lemons and oranges. You can toss them in the fire to give a nice, fresh smell.
- Alcohol Soaked Corks: Soak wine corks in rubbing alcohol (stored in a sealed glass jar). Toss a couple corks under the wood before lighting the fire.
- Candle Ends: Use the ends of candles by placing a couple in the middle of a wood pile and start the blaze with a little kindling.
From around the ‘net…
jjmatheshikes.blogspot.ca
Made With Recycled Bits: These are made with egg cartons, dryer lint, shredded paper, bits of twigs and old candles.
everynothingwonderful.com
sewmanyways.blogspot.ca
Good To Know: First Aid & Remedies
Regular household vinegar can help with poison ivy (and oak), see more recommendations here (including a lard salve recipe).
A dot of mustard can help relieve the pain from a bee sting. See more suggestions here.
Pack a few bags of tea, they will come in handy if you get sunburned. See recommendations and more remedies here.
Recipes & Cooking
kidsactivitiesblog.com
Orange Rolls: Uses refrigerated roll dough and bakes in halved orange rinds.
trulysimple.com
ljcfyi.com
Fire Roasted Nachos: Ingredients are assembled in a foil pan, wrapped in foil then held over the fire for a few minutes to melt the cheese.
familyfun.go.com
ninthandbird.com
Gourmet S’mores: Suggests making these with (one or two of) peanut butter, Nutella, coconut, strawberries, pineapple, dried apples, candied ginger, banana slices.
mnn.com
munchinwithmunchkin.com
Omelets In A Bag: Ingredients are mixed together in a Ziploc bag then cooked in a pot of boiling water.
therunawayspoon.com
bonappetit.com
Hobo Eclairs: Cooked on a broomstick! These are made with Pillsbury crescent dough and served with whipped cream.
elizabethannedesigns.com
scoutingmagazine.org
Pancake Batter Idea: Prepare pancake batter at home and store in a plastic squeeze bottle for convenience.
realsimple.com
simplybephoto.com
Mushroom, Sun Dried Tomato and Mozzarella Dip: Cooked in a cast iron pan and served on a warm piece of toasted bread.
acommunaltable.com
lakelandgear.com
Also see:
- 25+ Snack Mixes & Munchies: Lots of goodies in this collection, many can be made ahead of time and packed in plastic pails to be munched on later around the campfire.
- Quick Tip: Campsite coffee got you down? No need to settle! You can buy stainless steel french press pots (I use one at home) and the coffee turns out delicious every time! Here’s how to use one. You’ll need to grind coffee beforehand (at home) or if you prefer buying it, make sure it’s coarse ground.
- 13 Recipes From Sunset.com: Dutch Oven Braised Beef & Summer Vegetables; Pinnacles Scramble; Berry Camping Cake; Chili Lime Corn On The Cob & More.
- 50 Things To Grill In Foil: From Food Network, ideas include Jalapeno Poppers; Jerk Chicken Wings; Quesadillas; Mussels; Coconut Shrimp & more.
Campfire Banana Boat Recipe
*First published August 9, 2007 and moved to this page for better organization
Remember this childhood treat? Here’s how to make them:
- Peel back one strip of the banana peel (keep the peel attached on the other end).
- Slice the exposed banana in half lengthwise, but do not slice through to the peel on the other side.
- Fill the split banana with mini-marshmallows and Smarties (or chocolate chips or chocolate bar pieces).
- Fold the peel back in place and wrap the whole banana in foil.
- Place on the grill of a campfire.
- Once the chocolate and marshmallows are melted (you’ll have to keep checking–don’t overcook), remove from heat, grab a spoon and eat the hot gooey goodness between the peel.
Newspaper Fish How-To
*First published August 14, 2007 and moved to this page for better organization
Here’s a campfire favorite that can also be done on the BBQ. Doesn’t everything seem to taste better when cooked outdoors 
?
What you’ll need:
Fresh Fish
Seasonings
Newspaper – soaked in water
Directions:
- Gut and clean the fish then season the inside (you can also brush a light layer of oil on the outside if you like). Roll it up tightly in a couple sheets of wet newspaper.
- Place the wrapped fish directly on hot coals of a small campfire or on a hot grill. Cook for approximately 10 minutes on each side.
- Remove from heat and open the package, many times the skin will peel off with the newspaper.
- Cooking times will vary with the type and size of fish being cooked as well as how hot the heat is.
Tips:
- Keep the head and tail on if you like. Use at least 2 sheets of newspaper when wrapping.
- If you don’t like the idea of cooking the fish in direct contact with the newspaper, wrap in a wet paper bag first.
- If you prefer, you can wrap with dry sheets of newspaper (tightly), and give it a good dunk in a pail of fresh water.
- Watch that the newspaper doesn’t get too dry and start on fire before the fish is done. Remove from heat before this happens, spray some more water on it and wrap another layer of wet newspaper. Return to the fire and finish cooking.
Seasoning Ideas:
Depends on the type of fish being cooked, but some tasty suggestions:
- Lemon Pepper
- Onions, Cilantro, Salt & Pepper
- Lemon Slices (or wedges), Salt & Pepper
- Lemon Slices, Fresh Dill
- Lemon Slices, Rosemary
- Creole Seasoning
Fishing Weather Poem
When the wind is in the East,
‘Tis neither good for man or beast;
When the wind is in the north,
The skillful fisher goes not forth;
When the wind is in the south,
It blows the bait in the fishes’ mouth;
When the wind is in the west,
Then it’s at the very best.
Author Unknown
Dependable Rope Knots, Hitches & Slings
*Source: Practical Helps For Farm & Home (1945)
Click To View Larger Size
- Bowline: Gives a loop that will not slip under strain, and can be easily untied when strain is released.
- Running Bowline: Passing long end through loop makes good slip knot.
- Bowline on a Bight: Makes comfortable emergency sling to sit in.
- Square or Reef Knot: For joining ropes together.
- Double Blackwall Hitch: For hitching rope to a hook for hoisting.
- Fisherman’s Bend: For fastening a rope to a ring or anchor.
- Wall Knot: Used to prevent unstranding and act as a stopper.
- Sheepshank: For shortening a rope or to pass by a weak spot.
- Timber Hitch and Half Hitch: For lifting spars. Can be easily loosened when strain is taken off, but will not slip under a pull.
- Clove Hitch: For fastening staging to upright or securing loose ends.
- Rolling Hitch: For hauling spar or large cable.
make homemade tinder/fire starters with cotton wool balls and either vaseline or baby oil – don’t make the balls too soggy. take 1 ball, pull it apart slightly then light. these work fine with emergency fire lighters. make them in advance and store them in a ziplock bag.
Dryer lint works good and recycles the link too. Pack into paper egg cartons.
Crunchy Cheetos are also a great fire starter. A great thing to keep in the pack as you can eat it and lite a fire (takes just a few for a good blaze).
It is not recommended to pull ticks off with tweezers, you may risk decapitating them causing further problems with infection…a public health nurse says soak a cotton ball with dish soap apply to tick and let sit for a few minutes if the tick does not back out you can slowly slide the cotton ball back and the tick will slide right out too and be stuck to the cotton ball
I tried this method about a week ago and it did not work.
The tweezer method is the one suggested on medical sites like Webmd:
“Use fine-tipped tweezers to remove a tick. If you don’t have tweezers, put on gloves or cover your hands with tissue paper, then use your fingers. Do not handle the tick with bare hands.
Grab the tick as close to its mouth (the part that is stuck in your skin) as you can. The body of the tick will be above your skin.
Do not grab the tick around its bloated belly. You might push infected fluid from the tick into your body if you squeeze it.
Pull the tick straight out until its mouth lets go of your skin. Do not twist or “unscrew” the tick. This may separate the head from the body.
Do not try to smother a tick that is attached to your skin with petroleum jelly, nail polish, gasoline, or rubbing alcohol. This may increase your risk of infection.
Do not try to burn the tick while it is attached to your skin.”
When dealing with ticks, we just lit a match, blew it out then placed the hot end on the ticks rear. After a few seconds, the tick just backs off. Grab it and mush it with a shoe. Works every time.
I use the blown out match method too. Works great.
actually the suffocation or burning methods are NOT RECOMMENDED as they increase the possibility of infection with whatever virii/diseases they may be carrying. The idea is that if burnt or suffocated with soap/vaseline they regurgitate a bit of the “saliva” and blood and then release.. this is NOT GOOD if there’s anything in there harmful to you. Granted with deer ticks the possibilities are less, but the #1 way is the fine tweezers taking care to get the head.
Bryan is right. Putting substances on ticks will make them regurgitate and their stomachs are where the diseases are found. Tweezers are good but instead of sqweezing them, which could also make them regurgitate, take the flat side of one prong of a set of tweezers or a small knife and slide it between the tick’s main body and your skin (getting as close to the head as possible). Then gently lift/pop them off your skin. That method is less likely for disease transfer.
putting gas on them works well
If you will dust liberly inside clothes with Johnsons Baby Powder you won;t have any ticks or chjggers.
Pete, I wish I had read your post sooner. Being from the north and now a snowbird..didn’t have a clue about Chiggers. OMG!I didn’t know what the heck was going on. It was as bad as swimmers itch( the only thing I can compare it too) But it lasts much longer and you don’t have a clue how/where/ or what you got into.. Once we mow it’s ok. Had my friend not warned me of spiders and chiggers..( had to look them up) I still would be in th edark.. the only remedy I got on them was to bath n bleach water( can’t remember the ratio) and YES I know bleach is bad..but preferable to amputating the affected area! ANYWAY..thanks for the tip:-)
I put Neosporin pain relief around the tick and then put vasaline over it. Wait for a few minutes and then use a tweezers. Kids don’t feel a thing and it pulls right out.
That is not proper. The tick regurgitates when you do it that way. Web MD says to grasp the ticks head with tweezers and pull off. Don;t burn or put anything on the tick. Best wishes.
Actually, anything that causes the tick to “back out” on its own will also cause it to regurgitate into the wound, something they automatically do. Personally, I’d rather just pull the little bugger out than have him spit up under my skin. Just saying.
Also for wasp or bee stings, cut an onion in half and put it on the stings. It will take the swelling out and help with the sting.
meat tenderizer works too…make a paste with a little bit of water and apply to bite/sting
Make the onion juice with your knife before you put it on the sting. It will also pull the poison out on it.
Sorry, but the water in the bag to repel flies is a myth and has been proven not to work.
Put a penny in the bag. This works here in Texas!!!
The penny works great I use it in my dorm room where there is no air conditioning. It keeps all the bugs out.
It is used everywhere on the beach food huts in Puerto Rico.. Works like a charm.. weird to have flies everywhere but the table and the food. They hand them around the tables and from the umbrellas.
I’ve been successful in using the tweezer method, just use a steady firm hold, try not to squeeze the tick with the tweezers. Each time I was able to get the entire tick off intact.
Great outdoor tips, thank you for sharing!
I was told by my vet not to worry about getting the tick head out, that once you get the body, the head will soon die and either drop off or then you can easily remove.
That’s not true. My mom is a nurse and I am a CNA a tick regenerate similarly ta a starfish that can grow it’s leg back If the head is still intact the body will regrow.
Hopefully by attaching your and your mothers’ titles to this completely and utterly false statement you haven’t damaged people’s view of this vital profession. A basic web search and/or high school biology course will illuminate – starfish are echinoderms with distributed rather than centralized nervous systems, while ticks are very small arachnids that do in fact have a brain (albeit primitive)…in their head….removal of which causes death. If you want to draw a parallel between starfish and ticks, the appropriate one would be pulling the leg off the tick, not decapitation….incidentally, pulling the leg off a tick also won’t result in any kind of regeneration.
WHAT? zombie ticks regenerate an entire body when you have just a head left? I’m sorry but you are spreading falsehoods
Glad to see our health care providers also have the ability to use correct grammar.
A tick of any kind, one legged, two noses, or even a freaky starfish tick that can grow parts back ….needs to not attach itself to me or mine! I’ve never seen one, southern Cali must not have many? Thank you for mini bio lesson Marcy…I bet you teach?
We used a dryer sheet for repelling flies- some days it worked, some days it didnt…
If you wash your waterproof tent in Lysol, it will destroy the waterproof protection.
If there is one tip I have picked up in my years of camping that I recommend to everybody it is this:
Make blocks of ice at home in your freezer a day or two ahead of time.
It is so easy, take some tupperware containers and pour some water in the bad boys, pop in the freezer, wait and your done. The blocks of ice will last you two days, maybe three.
Loose ice is good in addition to the blocks but you won’t have to worry about a warm cooler. The block will keep for a few days and also keep any water that may have melted and is in the cooler super cold. The larger the block the longer it will take to melt away.
Happy camping!
Lauren
We use empty milk cartons. Fill them up, freeze them, then put them in your cooler. You can either use them as a block or take a hammer and bust them up.
I freeze gallon ziplock a 3/4 full and line the walls of the freezer.
Freeze bottles.of water. They will keep everything cold and provide drinking water when melted.
Fire starters made with dryer lint, a cardboard egg carton and melted wax works really well. On a camping trip where we had rain all day and very wet wood, the egg carton fire starters stayed lit long enough to have a roaring fire in just a little longer than usual.
When making ice for using in drink coolers or just to keep things cold, I use my Food saver bags. I make a bag, fill it with water (about 3/4 of the way to allow for expansion)…seal it….and then lay it flat on a cookie sheet in my freezer for at least a day. You can then use it in the bottom of a cooler or float it in a drink cooler to chill the drink without watering it down….the beauty is you can reuse them over and over…
Please do NOT use the camp cooler/boiling water/cook corn method. Boiling water releases nasty chemical stuff from the interior. Besides, by the time you boil that much water…. you could have cooked corn in any number of ways.
My grandfather passed down the tradition of “Garbage can Stew” It is awesomely hilarious to see all the strange looks you get by cooking your meal in a garbage can!
you need a mettle garbage can that does not leak! We have a large normal size can for big groups and we have a smaller can for small groups. Very important that the can does not leak..My grandfather and I spent a great deal of time at the store filling up different garbage cans until we found one that didn’t leak. (haha good times) He later welded it together to prevent further leaks, not too sure how “healthy” that is but we rarely use this cooking method so I don’t really worry about it.
You will also need enough empty cans to fill the bottom of the garbage can, the men of the family always said beer cans made the food taste better (now that I’m older I think it was just an excuse for them to drink beer haha)
Preparing to cook: rub dish soap on the outside of the can about half way up, fill the empty cans with water and place on bottom of garbage can, then put a screen over the cans so no food falls down.
Now fill her up: anything can go in, our favorites is whole potatoes, whole carrots, corn on the cob, cabbage (cut into forth), sausage,and brats. We have even have done a seafood one where we put corn, a bunch of crab legs and shrimp. Pretty much anything that can be steamed cooked can go in. Anything that takes longer to cook should be placed at the bottom where there is the most heat.
Put the top of the can on and place it right on the fire pit, usually for the big can it would take about a hour but check on it because times and the types of food you put in may very.
Sounds interesting as long as the drunk chefs remember to rinse the can well after washing it with the soap.
~
I think she meant that you are to rub the dish soap half-way up the garbage can, which will be sitting in the fire (this helps to clean off the soot/ash really easily. It also works well for any non-cast iron pot you might use to cook with while camping.).
Then you put the aluminum cans (of whatever your preference) filled with water in the entire bottom of the inside of the garbage can. You put the screen on top and steam cook the food.
No soapiness in the food at all!
We love ice tea when we go camping..I make at home the tea mixture and pour into double gallon zip lock bags and freeze flat( leave some space for expansion) We use one cooler for just the meat. The meat is also frozen and then double wrapped in newspaper or brown bags. you can put the frozen zip lock bags of tea into the meat cooler or use with other items which need to have ice. As it thaws drink the tea.Saves space money and you have something you may love to drink as we do. I also make some of our meals such as stew and hearty soups ahead of time cool and freeze using the same idea. We have gone camping and still have things frozen after ten days.
Thanks! Great Idea!
Do not grab the tick around its bloated belly. You might push infected fluid from the tick into your body if you squeeze it.
With the help of my sister, I tried out the laundry bucket idea this weekend with my husband. We were going to a friend’s house that evening, so I washed a pair of jeans for both of us to wear in case it got chilly. It worked incredibly well; much better than I expected it to! I plan on using it at home too, but only for very small loads/delicates and hang them on my drying rack. Such a money saver!
i can’t find anything on this laundry bucket idea – can you help?
I freeze water bottles, helps keep things cold and always cold fresh water on hand for those hot days
if you have a tupperware drink container (like the old oblong ones with the lid that snaps on and the cover for over the hole) you can put 2 dozen eggs in (do it gently) and you can put that in your cooler. In the morning you can make beautiful over easy or sunny side up eggs. On the last day you use whatever broke for scrambled eggs. It is cool how each egg stays separated and just plops into the pan.
Great ideas!!!! Love it! My family loves to go camping and I’m always looking for new things to try and different remedies. Thanks for sharing! I will “stop by” again!!
Doc told me Sea Breeze for chiggers. Works pretty well…..