Let's hear yours,
Elliot

Rolande

When backpacking and trying to keep your load light-pack pillowcases (no pillows) and stuff them with clothes for a pillow at night.

Lisa

Good thread by the way! :)

here's a couple of mine:
-always bring warmer clothes than you think you'll need (in my part of the country this is KEY)
-for hiking, wear either 2 pairs of socks or put a piece of duct tape over your heel, prevents blisters
-an extra clean towel comes in handy
-tin foil can be used for tons of kitchen purposes, bring plenty
-an old shower curtain (vinyl) makes a great ground cloth for under the tent
-regardless of the forecast, always be prepared for rain and wind

The best way to keep meat frozen for up to a week is 20# dry ice in a large 54-qt. size cooler.

The best time to go camping is when you can!

Well, what I posted then I'll still post again, what every camper needs to carry with them is DUCT TAPE. There are so many uses and we have made so many quick fix repairs with the stuff it would be hard to list them all. For openers, I managed to let the awning on the little popup camper get away from me during a gusty wind blow and the wind wipped that awning in the air like it was just a bed sheet - of course, there's this awning rail thats attached to the end of the awning and it has some sharp edges and that rail punched a couple of holes in the aluminum skinned roof as it was whipping about. It was duct tape to the rescue - we patched the roof with it and it would be another three weeks before I could make the repairs on the roof. The patch job endured some hellacious rain storms before it was repaired but never leaked a drop! Another time before the camper roof incident we had a dead tree limb fall on the tent punching a hole through the fabric. Same deal, patched it with duct tape and it held until we got back home and could make a repair.

Another time the canoe paddle cracked under the stain of some heavy paddling (and just being old) and we taped up the paddle handle and it got us to where we could buy a replacement. AND, then, there was the time we were trying to make our way down the Chattooga River in a stretch of river that was sorta beyond our skill levels and we banged into a sharp edged rock (kind of hard) and that rock creased, dented and punchered a small hole in the bottom of our aluminum canoe. We took a rock and beat the metal back out and patched the hole with duct tape and it did not leak - again, made it through the rest of our trip!

There's an example list of repairs that can be made using duct tape that I have somewhere - I found it on the internet and I'll post it if I ever find it.

Dale

You can create hide and seek games, too with gps. hide a prize and either give coords to treasure hunters. Or, post a waypoint where something is and give the unit to someone to try to find their hat you hid in the great unknown. They just hit goto and follow the arrow. Fun for kids.

Now for the tip... if you ever plan to come out to the Mojave (Mo-Jive) please bring lots of water. No matter how much you bring, it never seems to be enough. Trust me.
You can bring jugs and jugs and you will meet people who are totally ill prepared and out of water. I give away water all the time to people out here. water.. water..

2. Be sure to bring an alternative method of cooking, so as not to depend on the fire for each meal.

2) Have cooking gear dedicated to camping.

3) Have a good flashlight.

4) Do not take a tent you have never put up before.

5) Take too many socks, and a spare pair of shoes.

6) Take tarps and rope. Lots of rope.

7) Save inner cardboard tubes from kitchen and toilet rolls, stuff with saw dust then pour full of paraffin wax and use as fire-starters.

8) Prescription medicine bottles and 35mm film containers make good storage places for prescription medicine and 35mm film.

9) No matter what the weather report is, plan on it raining everyday of the trip.

10) Take more beer, wine and distilled spirits than you think you could ever possibly drink.

LOL, good one. I'll have to remember that.

Use 1 tote each labeled KITCHEN, TENT etc then in permanent marker, write the contents on the lid so you know where to find and replace items. Each time you run out of something, put a sticky on each tote so you know what to replace.

Get rid of the camping stuff you never end up using (although you bought it the store or yard sale, just in case...)

When I know I'm going camping, I cheerfully ask the cafeteria ladies at work if I can take a handful each of condiments (this only works because I go a couple times a year.)

Freeze a couple 2 liter bottles 3/4 full of water and keep in the cooler. Most everything in the cooler is frozen or kept in individual plastic bags to avoid contamination.

Pack your clothes inside garbage bags, you'll be grateful when the rain hits and you have a nice, dry set of clothing.

Flip flops for the showers and use a plastic hanger to drape your towel, clothes and shower stuff on the curtain rod.

I use a small plastic pail when I go to the bathroom. It holds a small bar of soap, nail brush, sanitizer, paper towels and extra TP, just in case.

If you can fit it in with everything else, bring a rake to the campsite to smooth out the immediate tent site and also to eliminate any stones or foreign objects that might puncture the floor.

Keep your meats, dairy products and other perishable items in a separate cooler than your more frequently go to items such as drinks and snacks to minimize the opening of the cover. Freeze what you can ahead of time and put everything else in cold.

Hubby cut a 2' piece of used garden hose which he attaches to the campground faucet so when he fills the water jugs, he can set it on the ground instead of holding it as it fills. (1 gallon of water weighs approx. 8 lbs, we use 2 7 gal. jugs. Glad it's not my job!) He fills both jugs then sets them on a folding luggage cart secured by bungee cords and pushes it back to the camp.

First of all, we have the best first aid kit in the campground :) We always end up helping somebody!

Easy way to prevent blisters, wear your socks inside out. Socks are made with the smoothest side on the outside, put THIS portion against the skin and you reduce the friction that causes the blisters. When hiking we'll usually wear one pair inside out and the other pair is worn normally.

We save and use dryer lint as fire starters.

If you camp in areas where everything needs to be packed away each night to avoid unwanted guests (bears and friends), we pack our gear in see through plastic containers... Because when I can't find something, I throw a fit and start dumping things out and yelling a lot...

We also take tons of plastic grocerey bags. I'm not sure why, but we end up using them for everything from small trashbags to rain caps...

Happy Camping~~

Elliot

For easy cleanup, I make chili, soup and spaghetti sauce before the trip, seal each in a food saver, and just boil the bag in water over the fire or stove. Don't forget scissors, then snip a corner and pour.

Someone mentioned this above too...I can't seem to have enough grocery bags. They're handy for everything.

Oh, and for when you have dishes to do, those individual
Dawn Wash 'n' Toss Disposable Dish Pads. Great for doing dishes.

Aluminum pie pans and foil. Great for keeping food warm by the fire.

I save the nice plastic bags when I buy linens, comforters and pillows (they zip up). I pack my blankets and pillows in them so they don't get dirty.

That's all I can think of for now. I love hearing everyone's ideas!

Carry extra matches, there's always someone who wants to borrow matches. Keep them in a ziplock bag.

Tealight candles in small jars or tin cans can come in handy when you have limited matches. Light the candle and keep it lit, then use twigs to light a fire.

Take enough kindling and firewood to start a fire that you can then use to help dry wood collected on site.