I’m not a fan of cheaters. I think games aren’t even worth playing if you have to cheat. Camping is not included in these games. I look for ways to enjoy the outdoors with ease. I think about ways to cheat mother nature with the technology of man. I look for ways to make the outdoors even more enjoyable. The easier I can “rough it” the better.
Candle in a Can
An easy candle and flame producer is the tuna can candle. I have used these numerous times. One use for them is, of course, lighting. Keeping an at least decently-lit campsite makes for a much safer and more enjoyable campsite. Another great use is for starting fires. Place the lit can under a small pile of tinder and the fire begins! To make one of these campsite candles, start with a well cleaned used tuna can. Using a small handy tin can be easier as there may not be a tuna smell to try to get rid of with these, but tuna cans are readily available and are easy to pack out to a campsite. Coil a strip of cardboard cut just wide enough to fit in the can, on its edge. Then melt enough candle wax to fill the can up to the top of the cardboard. The amount of wax will vary based on the size of tuna used, 1lb of wax will make a few candles. While the wax is still fluid place one or two candle wicks down into the wax and let it cool. The wicks will help get it started a little easier. This campsite candle will serve you well for lighting and starting fires. When I make these candles, I normally make several and store them up so I can grab one or two while packing for a camping trip.
Kids Playroom Flooring Tiles
Too many times I have cleared the ground to set up a tent only to find a hole in the floor of my tent from a stick I missed. Sometimes after some pressure is placed on the ground sticks or rocks will protrude through and make holes in your tent or possibly jab you in the back. A great cheat to address this issue is foam flooring tiles for the kid’s playroom. They are super lightweight when packing out to a campsite and a great way to have a much more comfortable night’s rest. Clear the ground as you normally would before setting up a tent, then piece together the foam tiles, lay them on the cleared ground and you are ready to set up the tent. These foam tiles will protect your tent and your back.
Playing with Fire
Starting fires at the campsite can be a time-consuming chore. When the material is damp or wet after recent rain, fires are difficult to start. This hack is certainly not a hack but a cheat! The Bernzomatic TS4000 is the perfect campfire starter. This torch has enough flame pressure to burn thru most dampened wood and tinder to get the fire started fast. I have yet to find a safe alternative that is faster. I have recently started carrying this torch with me each time I go camping. It just makes sense not to fumble around wasting time with the fire. No need for rich lighter pine or even tiny tinder to get your fire going. This torch will easily start larger wood kindling and even full-size firewood.
Caffeinate the Campers
For me, coffee is on the verge of life-saving. I need the warm goodness in the morning or my day is shot. Whether I’m waking up to an alarm clock on a workday at home or in a tent listening to the birds chirping, I need the coffee. There are so many options for campsite coffee that it can be overwhelming. I have found a simple camping hack for campsite coffee. Filling tea filter bags with coffee makes great sense for a cup of campsite coffee. Just drop the filter bag into a boiling hot cup of water and let it steep. The amount of coffee used in each bag will need to be fine-tuned to find out what works best for you. The best part about this hack is the ability to prepare several of these filter bags at home, drop them into a larger container, and carry them out to a campsite. There is no need to carry a camping coffee pot or maker if you prefer not to do so. No need to carry normal basket-style filters that are prone to bending easily. No need to fumble with trying to brew a pot early in the morning when you aren’t even fully awake yet.
Get It While It’s Hot
Dutch ovens, sturdy steel grills, steel kettles are all great to cook with on an open fire. Dutch ovens meals are some of my favorite meals when camping. Just bury the Dutch oven in the fire and coals and let it cook. The issue is getting it out of those coals. That’s where this hack comes in, use heavy-duty welding gloves. When you are wearing this type of glove you can grab almost anything out of a fire and it’s hard to tell if it’s hot or cold. They work so well for this I have started keeping a pair in my kitchen at home so I may grab a hot pot or pan out of the oven. I have to stash them out of sight as they do not coordinate with the wife’s kitchen décor. Throw a set of these in your camping chuck box and you are all set. Using these gloves will give you great stability when grabbing a hot piece of steel out of the fire instead of trying some makeshift insulator that could slip and burn you or slip and spill your food onto the ground leaving you without a meal.
