Camping life hacks
Discussion
eatcustard said:
They are TIPS not HACKS ffs
But...OpulentBob said:
Over to you... What are your camping secrets, inventions, and essentials?
I think tips were allowed under essentials perhaps, I don't think it was restricted to hacks per se, but hey, I know nothing, sorry it upset you so much.Foil backed bubble-wrap insulation makes a big difference if you put it under airbeds if you're camping when it's a bit chilly. Light and easy to roll up.
Those Kampa-karzi toilets are great for kids/wife when they want a wee in the night but don't want to trudge to a distant toilet block.
Don't bother with freezer blocks in your cool box, just freeze a cheap bottle of mineral water solid before the trip and pack around it.
There are some brilliant rocket stoves and "bushcraft" bits of kit out there these days which are a viable alternative to bottled gas stoves. A Kelly kettle will boil water for 4 cups of tea faster than a gas hob and camping kettle. Try to gather a decent box of dry twigs/sticks in the days before the trip. Once lit, most of these things do "secondary burn" so are virtually smokeless if going right.
Those Kampa-karzi toilets are great for kids/wife when they want a wee in the night but don't want to trudge to a distant toilet block.
Don't bother with freezer blocks in your cool box, just freeze a cheap bottle of mineral water solid before the trip and pack around it.
There are some brilliant rocket stoves and "bushcraft" bits of kit out there these days which are a viable alternative to bottled gas stoves. A Kelly kettle will boil water for 4 cups of tea faster than a gas hob and camping kettle. Try to gather a decent box of dry twigs/sticks in the days before the trip. Once lit, most of these things do "secondary burn" so are virtually smokeless if going right.
Chorizo.
When you start to cook it it sweats out oil, so no need to have oil/butter to fry things. Fry some chorizo for a few seconds to release some oil, bung your egg on top, and shove the result in a bun for a tasty breakfast.
A length of paracord or similar, doubled up and then twisted together makes a great washing line, string it up between 2 tents/trees/vehicles, and pinch the corners of your towel between the twisted cords to holt it in place.
Wet wipes
Stove top espresso pot, no need to resort to instant coffee just because you're away from home
When you start to cook it it sweats out oil, so no need to have oil/butter to fry things. Fry some chorizo for a few seconds to release some oil, bung your egg on top, and shove the result in a bun for a tasty breakfast.
A length of paracord or similar, doubled up and then twisted together makes a great washing line, string it up between 2 tents/trees/vehicles, and pinch the corners of your towel between the twisted cords to holt it in place.
Wet wipes
Stove top espresso pot, no need to resort to instant coffee just because you're away from home
TheExcession said:
OpulentBob said:
a family friendly music festival
Is that the Beautiful Days Festival? My tickets arrived today.One item I always take camping now if a proper pillow - it makes such a difference to sleep quality.
A decent cool box stuffed full of bagged ice and ice packs can last a few days if used cautiously, great for ice in the cider or G&Ts and will keep milk, sausages, bacon etc going for a few days, just don't open it often and only briefly.
Heavy duty bin/garden bags and roll of PVC tape can be useful for emergency ponchos in the event of poor weather. Take coloured tape so the kids can decorate them.
Mini swing bin liners as over socks into wet boots are good if it turns into a mud bath.
Lots of ear plugs.
I'll post up more when they come to mind.
Edited by TheExcession on Wednesday 20th July 19:50
Type R Tom said:
One of these
and a length of these
Instant day light inside the tent, makes getting ready for bed so much easier and much cheaper than the ready made version, assuming you can do a bit of simple wiring!
I've just ordered some of these, £7 delivered including a switch. Thanks for the idea.and a length of these
Instant day light inside the tent, makes getting ready for bed so much easier and much cheaper than the ready made version, assuming you can do a bit of simple wiring!
I bought these ones
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00H8WI1E0/ref...
You get 2 and they take 8 aa batteries which equals 12v therefore you need 12v led strips. I had some from another project left over but there are load on ebay.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_tr...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00H8WI1E0/ref...
You get 2 and they take 8 aa batteries which equals 12v therefore you need 12v led strips. I had some from another project left over but there are load on ebay.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_tr...
micky metro said:
could do with them lights too, can you post a link please.
I orderedLights 5050 waterproof warm white 150 LED ones from http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172217578338?_trksid=p20...
Battery holder. The 8 AA Version from http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180814661762?_trksid=p20...
Switch http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251390016446?_trksid=p20...
I've already got some cable. Somewhere....
I love camping, but one aspect that I don't like when the weather is nice is waking up in the morning to find the hot sun has raised the temperature inside the tent to "very uncomfortable" causing you to start the day hot and sweaty in your sleeping back and having to get out the tent as quickly as possible as even opening both ends of the tent doesn't help. The sun also has a habit of waking you up really early as it's so bright.
One year I bought several of those emergency space foil blankets (from the pound shop), gaffer taped them together, then put them between the tent and flysheet. Next morning, woke up much later than normal after a restful sleep in the shade created, at a pleasant temperature and could laze about for a while with no need to instantly get out of the tent.
One year I bought several of those emergency space foil blankets (from the pound shop), gaffer taped them together, then put them between the tent and flysheet. Next morning, woke up much later than normal after a restful sleep in the shade created, at a pleasant temperature and could laze about for a while with no need to instantly get out of the tent.
Bungleaio said:
micky metro said:
could do with them lights too, can you post a link please.
I orderedLights 5050 waterproof warm white 150 LED ones from http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/172217578338?_trksid=p20...
Battery holder. The 8 AA Version from http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180814661762?_trksid=p20...
Switch http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251390016446?_trksid=p20...
I've already got some cable. Somewhere....
I think I'll reduce the amount of LED's by half and switch out the battery for a 12v gel type to get about 8 hours use out of it.
[quote=C&C]I love camping, but one aspect that I don't like when the weather is nice is waking up in the morning to find the hot sun has raised the temperature inside the tent to "very uncomfortable" causing you to start the day hot and sweaty in your sleeping back and having to get out the tent as quickly as possible as even opening both ends of the tent doesn't help. The sun also has a habit of waking you up really early as it's so bright.
One year I bought several of those emergency space foil blankets (from the pound shop), gaffer taped them together, then put them between the tent and flysheet. Next morning, woke up much later than normal after a restful sleep in the shade created, at a pleasant temperature and could laze about for a while with no need to instantly get out of the tent.
[/quote]
Agreed about this being the fundamental 'issue' with tents...resolved by either doing what you've done
or doing what I did and buying one of Decathlon's Fresh'n'Black range...
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/air-seconds-xl-3-freshb...
One year I bought several of those emergency space foil blankets (from the pound shop), gaffer taped them together, then put them between the tent and flysheet. Next morning, woke up much later than normal after a restful sleep in the shade created, at a pleasant temperature and could laze about for a while with no need to instantly get out of the tent.
[/quote]
Agreed about this being the fundamental 'issue' with tents...resolved by either doing what you've done
or doing what I did and buying one of Decathlon's Fresh'n'Black range...http://www.decathlon.co.uk/air-seconds-xl-3-freshb...
Quickmoose said:
Agreed about this being the fundamental 'issue' with tents...resolved by either doing what you've done or doing what I did and buying one of Decathlon's Fresh'n'Black range...
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/air-seconds-xl-3-freshb...
I like the look of that, how well does it work in hot/sunny weather? or doing what I did and buying one of Decathlon's Fresh'n'Black range...http://www.decathlon.co.uk/air-seconds-xl-3-freshb...
RizzoTheRat said:
I like the look of that, how well does it work in hot/sunny weather?
Like a dream...I mean very few things in life are perfect...
-ve's = Needs a sizeable, plastic foot pump to lug about. The seams bleed a bit of light, the porch area doesn't have a sewn in ground sheet, surface water gets in when the 'door' is open, or when you open the 'door', it feels a bit weird sat in black pod, your camping lights have less of an effect at night.
+ve's = The vents and reflective fly sheet are simply brilliant, cool ground air sucked in pushing warm air out the roof, absolutely zero 'oven effect', I spent a week in the hills above Monaco, and it was a real retreat from afternoon sun. I have a Cree torch which you could hold up against the black inner tent, and hardly any of it got through?! I'd say it's about 95% total black out, you can see where the sun is by a small patch of weak light, but in no way does it illuminate the whole area like a traditional tent. Which means in reality, you wake up when your body wakes up (unless noise), not when the early sun hits your face. Super easy to put up and/or put away. 1 man job, 3-4 minutes each way.
I also took it to LeMans, and nearly everyone who saw it, asked about it and then wanted one...
The only addition I've bought is a separate tarp to a provide additional outside space/protection.
Type R Tom said:
One of these
and a length of these
Instant day light inside the tent, makes getting ready for bed so much easier and much cheaper than the ready made version, assuming you can do a bit of simple wiring!
Just wanted to say thanks for this suggestion.and a length of these
Instant day light inside the tent, makes getting ready for bed so much easier and much cheaper than the ready made version, assuming you can do a bit of simple wiring!
I was at a 12h mountain bike race last weekend and it's always a bit of a problem having halfway decent lighting for the tent or gazebo we use. This year there were no such problems as I'd bought two 5 metre strips of these lights which were then attached to some twin core and cigarette lighter plugs then plugged into the leisure battery on my van.
It would be fair to say that it was like daylight in the event shelter and that was just using one of the strips of lights
The battery drain was minimal as well so no worrying about that either!
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