Here Are 10 Camping Hacks Every Family Should Know

 Here Are 10 Camping Hacks Every Family Should Know

I'm here struggling to open a can of stew without a can opener and I've briefly wondered, is there even a list of camping hacks every family should know to spend days outdoors like a king?

Well, I did some teeny bit of research and came across a few tips to ensure a worry-free camping adventure! I’ve wondered how veteran campers ward off the dark and found out that they use glow sticks and string lights as an alternative. Other tips include pre-cooking your food, placing dry firewood under the car, never forgetting colourful chalks, putting spices in mini dispensers, and making use of fans and portable heaters. Some tricks even shocked me, such as using pool noodles on various DIY amenities, tin can portable stoves, single-use pack of treatments and putting pancake mix and eggs into squeeze bottles.

Light It Up

Bonfires are the spirits of outdoor camping – its just incomplete without that warm, comfy atmosphere. So to safeguard firewood essential for that dream campfire, placing them under the car can help them stay safe and dry.

Yet on some days, creating a fire is just not possible – especially if the winds are blowing strong or the air is so humid you can actually feel droplets in your face. Hello, technology!

One certain trick to light up the dark is by using glow sticks - just crack them up and you'll definitely have that colorful camp of your dreams. Or you can use string lights, for a battery-powered night light. Aside from not being too bright, it also serves as nighttime entertainment for the kids – perfect for passing time while you heat their favorite pork and beans. Such a good diversion, phew!

Expose the Chef Within

Some people have difficulty managing the food while outdoors. Ahem, me... So to help with this predicament, I've searched far and wide and found several tricks to help my family's camping journey!

You may be having the same troubles, especially when carrying many bottles of spices that take up space. Cheers to the inventor of mini dispensers - such a handy device that can store several things in small amounts. Garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, herbs and other seasonings can be carried quite easily in these portable dispensers.

And don't even get me started on making breakfast while outside - pancakes and eggs may be easy to cook at home but it's another topic when camping. I'd often wondered why I haven't found this ingenious hack earlier on. Shocks! Just put the eggs or pancake mix in a bottle and squeeze them into a pan. You'll find that the early birds of the family will have no trouble concocting a tasty breakfast on their own.

For the ultimate camping hack regarding food that most people neglect due to excitement - pre-cooking dishes and placing them in secured zip locks! Just pop them in a bowl, or re-heat them for a few minutes. Bam! Ready to cook sustenance to give you more time to explore the outside.

Say Goodbye to Hot and Cold Nights

Some nights bring forth winds that are cold enough to make your teeth chatter. Brrrr.

You can avoid this by making use of man's great invention - portable heaters! You won't need to worry about freezing off your fingers while you sleep, nor do you need to worry about having frozen eyebrows. And most of all, you can sleep comfortably in your tent without feeling the frosty air creeping in.

On the contrary, there are nights where its too hot you may wonder if you're camping in the deserts. I hate these kinds of nights - where you wake up in the middle of your long-awaited rest sweating like a porous pitcher. Well, this struggle is no more if you bring portable fans that won't take up a lot of tent space, it'll be a big bonus if they can be hanged on the roof of your canopy.

For the Kiddos

When camping, it can be hard to handle kids especially those whose curiosity knows no bound. When you fail to keep an eye on them for a brief moment, they'll either explore outside your camping zone, or cry out loud due to restrictions. Oh dear...

I've found out one good way to keep them occupied while still giving them a task to make sure they're not left out - through the use of colorful chalks. Making them mark trees in the vicinity while still under your watchful stare can show that they too can contribute to this camping adventure. A spot where they can draw to their heart's content using nature-friendly chalk can also lessen their boredom, and may even let them home their skills like Picasso!

Not comfortable with bringing huge boxes of first-aid kits and tubes of antibiotics?

Well, I might just have the trick for you - antibiotics for one time use. Just put each liquid in a straw and seal it by searing it with fire. This single-use medicine is not only portable but will ensure that all the emergency necessities are covered. Phew.

Another thing that surprised me was the existence of portable stoves made of tin cans

You'll just need a big can from your leftovers (make sure you clean and wash it first!) and another small one. By making a hole fit for the smaller can in the bigger tin, you can make a stove where only charcoal is needed!

Finding yourself tripping over hardly-visible tent wires? Gosh, you're not the only one.

By using pool noodles and putting them on the bottom ends of tent lines, you can see them clearly and have a visible signal of where to avoid. I've struggled with these for years, turns out the remedy can be found in everyday hardware stores.

Convenience Above All

Don't you hate it when you spend a fortune on your camping trip only to find out that there are a plethora of hacks that will not only make your journey comfy but also affordable? Or when you purchase devices that can be substituted to a more effective DIY material? Because I hate when this happens, that's why I made sure to find some alternatives to help me in my outdoor adventures.

Camping is more than just roasting marshmallows and campfire songs- this was a passing thought I had while trying to keep up the bonfire. I've come to realize that you and I have a lot more to discover in this part of the world, you know?