Camping Hacks for First Timers

It's summer again! yay! Even though there is not much time left for your camping adventures here are a few useful tips and tricks. This is meant for first-timers.

1. Don't leave in the middle of the day. Car rides are hot and the worst during the daytime. Your legs sticking to the leather seats of your car and then you decide to turn on the A/C, but then it gets cold and no one is happy. So leave early morning or right after work when there won't be much traffic on the highways and it is not as hot.

2. Finding a spot for your tent. This is a hard one because once you arrive at your camping site you will want to set up your tent. Choose an area that is flat, you don't want to wake up with an aching back or find that you are on a tilt. Tilts are bad because once it starts to rain it will go right underneath or in your tent and no one wants a wet tent.

3. Packing. There are many necessities to pack for camping.

-rope to dry your swimsuits and just in case if you need to tie your kayak or canoe down. Rope can also save your life.

-Whistles. Noise scares predators away and not only that but if you are in trouble you can blow your whistle and someone will help you out.

-Flashlight. This is one of the most important things to bring. It gets dark when you go camping and when you need to look for your pajamas or go to the bathroom at night. Flashlights are the best thing to bring.

-Bug Repellent. This is pretty basic knowledge. Mosquitos are notorious and they bite. Then there are ticks, which are unpleasant.

-Matches/lighter. These are also important to pack. You want to sing and make marshmallows and make food. You can't do that without fire and in order to make fire, you need the matches and lighters. That also includes bringing wood and old newspapers.

-Sunblock. Especially if you have the complexion of a piece of paper. You do not want to burn and you also want to avoid getting skin cancer.

-Camp stove/fuel. You gotta have these to boil water for brushing your teeth or to have your morning tea/coffee.

-Duct tape. Every scout believes that duct tape saves lives and yes, it definitely can so don't go anywhere without this.

-Floaties. You can't have fun without floaties, enough said.

-Buy some Sporks. Spoons/forks are the best so you don't have to bring more utensils.

-Road trip snacks. You need these in order to keep you going and to have fun.

-Use pencil boxes to keep your utensils in.

-Create night bowling by using water bottles, water, and glow sticks.

-Hair ties. put your hair up in french braids so it's out of the way and it will be less of a hassle and this way you won't need to bring a hairbrush.

-Pack two bathing suits.

4. Pancakes. An easy way to make pancakes is if you bring the batter already prepared, use an old ketchup bottle and clean it out and fill it with the batter and then you have an easy non-messy way to pour the batter onto your pan.

5. Medication. Some of you people out there need to take some medications and a great way to carry those on your trip is using old tic-tac containers or putting your pills in a portable pill casing.

6. Carrying your matches in a jar. This prevents your matches from getting wet and then not working.

7. Toilet paper. If you use an old tin can you can slice a hole in the side of the container and then you can rip out piece by piece without getting the roll dirty.

8. forgot a lantern? But you have a headlamp and an old milk container. Fill the milk container with water and then on the outside of the container wrap your headlamp around it and voila you have a lantern.

9. Melting ice. When you have a cooler for your camping this can be a problem because your ice is melting and all your food is getting kinda gross and wet. Well, there is a solution. Fill up water bottles and freeze them then stick them in the freezer this way you have drinking water as well as ice.

10. Mesh Laundry bags: hang your dishes in one of these to dry them easier.

11. Water guns. When it is hot outside and you have to walk a bit to your beach fill those water guns and spray each other for fun.

12. Baby wipes. Most of the time there is nowhere to wash your hands after using the outhouse, so wipe your hands with baby wipes and ta-da problem solved.

13. Orange tape or stake lamps or fun glow sticks. You need to mark where the pegs to the tent are so you don't trip over the ropes on your way to the bathroom. tie the tape around the rope or stick the stake lamps right by the pegs.