Best Camping Hacks You Need For your Next Trip

For those of you who love the outdoors, or maybe often find yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere with little supplies, some of these camping hacks may be incredibly useful. It is often fun to use your engineering methodology to find solutions to common problems like cooking food or making shelter for the night. Check out this video where you can see how make yourself a tiny grill or keep your clothes dry while hiking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77Ft2RYtEYs

1. Waterproof your backpack

Hiking can be pretty messy, so why not keep all of your gear safe and sound inside a cheap DIY waterproof backpack. You can use a plastic bag to line the inside of your backpack and keep all of its contents dry in case it rains or you happen to fall in a river.

2. DIY charcoal grill

Lugging a charcoal grill around while hiking just doesn't work, but if you have an empty tin can and some coals, you already have everything you need. By making vertical slits down the can and then bending these pieces outward, the base of the grill is formed. Now if you want, you can cover this with tin foil and fill it with charcoal, although you could probably make it work without the tin foil liner. Then you simply place some metal like a pan or grill on top of the hot coals and you have yourself a way to cook dinner!

3. Simple Fire Starter

If you are out in the woods at your campsite, but everything around it wet, you can use Doritos to get that fire going. Any tortilla chip will do, but with a quick light from a match or lighter they will continue burning for a long time and help those larger logs catch on fire, who knew?

4. Binder Clip Clothes Rack

This one is for the person who just can't seem to stay dry when they go outside. Whether you decided to take a fully clothed dip in the lake, or just got caught in a storm, it's important to keep your clothes dry while camping. If you need to dry off some garments, but you want to keep moving, then just take some binder clips and attach the wet clothing to your backpack. Not only will this allow you to keep hiking, but the added breeze from the movement will help dry off the clothes faster!

5. Ready-to-go coffee

Camping can sometimes involve restless nights on the cold hard ground, so coffee can be a necessity to many. If you don't want to carry around a large coffee pot, simply wrap up some grounds in a filter and tie it off with a rubber band. You can use these little coffee bags just like a tea bag, but if you like your brew super strong, be sure to leave the bag in for longer.

6. Sage leaf mosquito repellant

Everyone carries around their trusty sage leaves while hiking right? Well, if for some reason you do have access to sage leaves, then you can bundle them up around a stick and make a mosquito repellant torch. Simply light them on fire and the slow burning greenery will release a smoke that drives insects and mosquitos away. Although, be sure not to get that fire next to anything that could catch you on fire, just remember, stop drop and roll.

[Image Source: Pixels]

Being outdoors and enjoying everything the world has to offer can be some of the most freeing and relaxing times of our lives. Don't get stuck in the middle of nowhere with not enough gear. Remember to pack accordingly and maybe take use of some of these effective camping hacks.

SEE ALSO: Solar Powered Tent Brings Electricity to the Campsite