Best Camping Tips
We all like to get outside and enjoy the natural beauty around us. Sometimes this means getting away from the devices and home comforts that consume our time and space. While sometimes this also means a little more preparation is required, we’ve put together a list of 13 of the best camping tips to make your experience more enjoyable.
1. To judge the temperature of a fire, cautiously hold your hand, palm side down, over the fire at cooking height. Count the number of seconds you can hold that position and you will have an indicator of how hot the fire temperature is:5 seconds = low
4 seconds = medium
3 seconds = medium-high 2 seconds = high
2. To clean messy BBQ grills, use 1/2 an onion to scrape off grease and burnt on food pieces. You use the 1/2 onion like you would a scouring pad. I didn't believe it would work myself until I tried it!
3. You may want to coat the outside of your camping cooking pots with bar soap before putting them on the fire. This makes the soot clean off easily!
4. Take plenty of heavy duty aluminum foil on your camping trips. You can make so many things from aluminum foil, including sauce pans, lids, bowls, and even water bowls for your pets!
5. Use powdered milk for cooking on camping trips, as it is easier to store, lighter to carry and cheaper than regular.
6. Getting your on-the-road oatmeal is fast if you turn regular oatmeal in a blender before leaving home. Blending makes the oatmeal the same as "instant."
7. When getting ready for a camping trip, fill large coffee cans with chili, stew or soup, and freeze. It adds to the coldness of the food in the cooler, plus you can set it at the edge of the campfire to heat, right in the can! Serve up in bowls and then dispose of the can. No big pots to wash and worry about!
8. For a quick meal while camping, brown ground beef, add sloppy Joe sauce, and freeze it in a freezer bag. Throw it in the cooler (it will help keep other food cool too) and then warm it up in a pan over a fire or on a grill. Can also be done with taco meat; just bring along your shells or tortillas and other desired toppings!
9. To cook hamburgers more evenly and avoid the sydrome of well done edges and rare centers, make a tiny hole (about the size that your index finger could fit through) in the middle of your burgers. During grilling, the hole in the middle will disappear but the center will be cooked the same as the edges!
10. Add a few ice cubes to aluminum foil packet dinners or vegetables to prevent them from burning and keep them moist!
11. Using a few corn chips as fire-starters is economical and efficient. Simply light them with a match and toss a few on the campfire or barbecue! Works great!
12. Campground Health & Beauty Tips:
* Brush your teeth with baking soda.
* For mouthwash, chew a few juniper berries, parsley stalks, fennel seeds, or mint leaves.
* For a dry shampoo, use cornmeal. Massage in and brush out.
* For tired feet, soak your feet in a cool stream and massage with peppermint leaves or oil.
* Use the abrasive strip on a matchbook for a nail file.
* Add a few drops of citronella essential oil to your sunscreen or lotion for a natural insect repellent.
* Soothe insect bites with apple cider vinegar, honey, or baking soda mixed into a paste of water.
* Apply honey to any skin blemishes.
* Highlight your hair by rinsing it with chamomile tea, lemon juice (for blondes) or rosemary tea (for brunettes).
* Wild berries make nice lip stains. Mix together with petroleum jelly or aloe vera gel for a natural lipstick. (Make sure the berries you use are NOT poisonous though!!)
13. Natural Sunburn Soothers:
* Vinegar (dilute 1 tablespoon in 1 cup of water) * Plain yogurt
* Club soda
* Mashed apricots
* Baking soda mixed into a paste with water
* Buttermilk
* Tomato juice
* Witch hazel
* Gin
* White wine
* Cucumber juice
* Aloe vera gel mixed with a little vitamin E oil * Cornstarch mixed into a paste with water