Well, since I came up with the idea - but it was after looking at noodlebuttsmom's thread, well, shall I start it off?

#1 when camping on the beach, take along talcum powder and dust yourself right before bed. It gets rid of that sticky gritty sand.

#2 Save those little individual packets. It becomes a game to see what we can find. From soy sauce and mayo to grey poupon dijon mustard (cookie place in Corsicana of all places), honey, lemon ( lemon on fresh caught fish grilled over a campfire), peanut butter, tabasco, even butter that doesn't need refrigeration AND doesn't get all melty all over stuff! The choices are almost endless, and you can save yourself tons of room.

#3 Repurpose bottles.
Do you need to take along that ginormous bottle of cooking oil or would a little squirt bottle work just as well? Think about how much and what you're going to be making before you go and take only what you need. Smaller containers = less stuff you gotta carry.

#4 I don't always car camp. Sometimes we go way out into the back country. Well, when you do you still want to be comfortable. Imagine paddling down a river all day and getting to camp, you're hot, you're tired, and you're hungry.... and having fresh baked brownies and beef stroganoff.

Go to walmart and look at the "just add milk" or "just add water" pre packaged stuff. For milk, before you leave, measure out the equivalent amount of dry milk, and put that in a small baggie with the dry ingredients for the brownies or cinnamon streusel or whatever. Then, when you get there, all you need is water and maybe eggs - which will keep for about 3 or 4 days without refrigeration... longer if you dip them in wax before leaving.

Now, that leaves you looking at meals. How about hamburger helpers? It saves time - especially when cooking over a camp stove. But what about the meat. You need to keep ground meat cool.. right?

Brown it, drain, rinse, and stick it on your dehydrator til crispy. It rehydrates great while the noodles are cooking.

GREAT TOPIC KATTELYN!!!!

Not sure if this forum (TFF) has a specific stand alone "Camping" section but I think it's needed. Not sure how to get this started but its a little buried in the "On the Road in Texas" area.

Tent Camping
1. Bring an extra tarp with eyelits and LOTS of parachute cord. I've been in tents that you THINK are water proof but they are not. The tarp is really handy to protect the vulnerable areas of your tent (door opening).

2. Did I mention parachute cord - GENIUS!!!!

3. Definitely feeling the "packets" of mustard vs. the bottles. Do you know how many "little" bottles I have in my fridge from camping?

3. Think about extra lighting. If you have electricity at your camp site, bring a string of Christmas lights. You would NOT believe how dark it is out there and the campfire and flash light only puts out so much light.

4. When I go to the grocery store (before camping), I always think of the "elaborate" meals. We always end up eating the simpler things - Hot Dogs.

5. My hubby is a big fan of pancakes. Bisquick makes the premade mix in a bottle and you just add water. No measureing, no mess.

Love this topic....keep it going!

Another one I didn't even think of.

Yes, parachute cord is wonderful stuff. But for sheer quantity of it, cheap, and in bright - easy to see colors. Go to home depot and get Masonry Twine. I get mine in bright fluorescent yellow. You don't want to trip over guide lines in the middle of the night, and even brown or black twine can be missed in broad daylight.

I hate tents. Really, I do. But, to fix leaks from the bottom, wrap one of your poles with duct tape so you have some always with you that you can peel off and reapply to wherever you need it.

Oh, an oldie but goodie.

When you're out in the boondocks and need to know when sundown is going to be, hold out your hand. The width of your hand between the sun and the horizon is one hour. However many hand widths between the sun and the horizon it is, that's your hours til sunset.

VERY GOOD stuff!

Thanks!

Nobody else has any tips they use for more comfortable camping?

Good post...I just found it.

1.When camping keep food in a Rubermaid container with a snap on lid and handles....keeps the coons out.

2.You would be suprised how many precooked meats you can find in small foil packs. They actually taste good when heated up with noodles. Perfect for hiking. Little to no trash.

3.I am crazy about the small containers they sell at REI...they can be used for about anything. Food, cooking liquids, meds, extra parts, ect.

4.Sock liners are a must when hiking. It helps wick the wetness away from your feet. Amazing difference!

Let me try to think of some more. These are pretty simple ideas. I'll try to think of some good stuff that I take for granted.

The best way to assure you will wakeup dry as well as enjoy your camping trips to the fullest, And eat like a king.
Sorry but the direct link doesn't work you will have to copy and paste into your browser.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2041383&id=1272349200#!/album.php?aid=2041383&id=1272349200

Doesn't work, but I sent a friend request. I can host the pic on my flikr account if you like

*sighs* Pictures of a camping trailer. How original.

Nope, too much stuff, and try getting a few days up a river and way away from all traces of civilization with that thing.

Believe me i served my time in a tent but not very convienient when spending 150 + days a year camping and fishing. These modern fifth wheels are very comfy and i know who last used the toilet and the shower. Different strokes for different folks thats what makes the world go round One thing about it we all like camping and i have shared many great meals, drinks and stories with both tent and camper folks (we love people not much on getting away from civilization and to lazy as well if it's over a hundred foot or so i WILL be driving)) You are welcome to pitch a tent next to us any time but be prepared to share some of your great cooking and recipes with us lol.

How do you keep your tent clean from dirt and debris that's tracked in?

Used to lay down a towel to wipe my feet off before I walked in and out. Even then had to have a dust pan and broom.

Now I have a hammock and its a non-issue. Anybody else have any better ideas?

I take my shoes off when entering the tent. Usually the rain fly keeps them covered from dew and rain.

A dishpan of water to dip your feet in and a rug or towel layed down to dry them works well. If it is sandy we put a vinyl tarp in front of the door which helps alot.

We bought one of those indoor/outdoor green carpets to put outside our tent when we car camp. It folds up into a small (?) box but is great for wet days.

Do you know how many time I have been "clothes-lined" by cord???? I'm sure the people camping next to me have because, believe me, they hear about it!

Another great item are Glow sticks. Break, shake and they last a long time. We tie these to our parachute cord.

Nope.... no idea.



Between the 4 to 8 guide lines on each rain fly, plus 4 on each hammock... having bright, easy to see cording is a must.

It is nice to see other's that like to tent camp-- I also have a travel trailer but tent camp anytime my wife is not going.She is good for only 3 or 4 night's a year in the tent.

1. The 1 thing that sounds kinda crazy that i have been taking camping for many years if a roll of stretch film [ shrink wrap] like you see on loading dock's that they use to bind stuff to pallet's. I can wrap it between a few trees and have a wind block or wrap it on some tree limbs and have a canopy.I get mine 24'' wide and there is 1000 ft on a roll.Its tears down real quick when you are ready to leave.

Dryer lint makes awesome kindling.
VERY large ziploc bag (5+ gals) are worth their weight in gold, especially for kayak trips.
Learn how to start a fire w a modified bullet and pistol. It works wonders.
I'll post more as I think of them.

big fan of lint also

Another gadget are expandable shelves.

The are made out of canvas.

All good stuff. Here are a few more.

1. Get one of these or the one coleman makes. It has a place to grill fish, etc. Look at the grills closely. More versatile than a two burner grill. One less pot or pan to deal with. http://www.academy.com/index.php?page=co...0224-40622-4000

2. RE: Guy wires. If you are staying longer than a single night, pick up a roll of surveyor's tape. It's cheap and brightly colored. Tie short pieces to mark your guy wires.

3. There is a $5 outdoor shower bag available at Walmart ( or maybe Academy) Fill it with water, and set it on the roof of the car for the sun to warm, before washing up.

4. If you are in an area where you dont feel 110% safe 24/7...not really dangerous, but just have a "nervous" feeling, take some light monofilament fishing line and string it about 8-10 inches off the ground around your perimeter...in short independent lengths. Be creative and tie a noise maker on each leg of it. This does 2 things. 1. It scares unwanted varmints ( except snakes) 2. It wakes you up and gives you time to hit the lights. I normally tie two to the rear tent stake guy wires...but ONLY in the rear. I never use more than 8 lb test because I dont want the tent to come crashing down. I just want to hear the intruder...especially if it's human.

5. As for tent floor debris. Remember the battery powered hand held carpet vacs? They are perfect.

OF, where do you mount your 50's for a proper FOF ?

Woops, Effective, not proper.

This has been a big help. BTW, I'm taking my girls camping for the first time. They are 5 and 2, any ideas. Noodle, I love your sig!