Camping tips

[Ron Fogelson]

When setting up a camper with scissor jacks rather than use the hand crank to raise/lower the jacks use a cordless drill.  Need to attack a socket adapter, than put on the right size socket and you can do all four jack in less time than it would take to do one with the hand crank.

Pick a spot outside along the edge of your camp site and wash dishes on a table in a big tub rather than in the sink of your camper, the water saved from going down your tank will help ensure you won't have to dump as often.

Make Sun Tea for you and the kids it's better than drinking sodas all the time and gets the kids involved with helping provide something good for the trip.

Get some LED rope lights, you can hang them off the camper to light up the door way without having to use the light right next to the door, this helps keep bugs from taking over your camper at night when the kids are running in and out and forgetting to shut the door.  Or put them on the ground to light up a path way from camper to camper or out to your truck/car/boat any place you tend to walk at night.

Make a bucket light,,, "Seen this from another camper this weekend" take any drop light you know those that our Dads used to use to hang from the hood of the car/truck when they were working on them take off the cover and replace the bulb with a yellow bug light, drill a hole in the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket just big enough for the plug to fit though, throw the cord over a branch and pull up the bucket light to whatever hight you want and plug it in.  Lights up a good big of area without blinding you when walking around and the yellow light won't attract as many bugs.

Bring a rake with you, I know people don't want to do yard work while camping but this will let you to clean up around the fire pit, tables, or if tent camping clean the ground so you can see if you are setting up the tent on a rock or tree root.

Save your paper trash, put any paper/burnable items in a box or other bag from the rest of the trash, this will make great fire starting material for the nights camp fire.

If you fry fish or cook bacon, burgers or anything with grease set that off to the side and poor on your wood for the fire, it will help get it going without being harmful of cause the fire to flare up and the bacon grease or fish oil smells great when it's burned.

Bring along some chem lights, those things will keep the kids playing for hours and you can use them if you can't find a flashlight when walking to the showers or bathroom. Also if you want to do any night time jug fishing take your soda bottles or whatever kind you use and cut open the chem light and poor a little bit in each one, the bottles will be easy to see as they float around the lake.

As long as it's not against the law where ever you are spend time with the kids just brim fishing with bugs and or worms you help them find.  Teaching them how and where to look for bait is something they can use for a life time and pass on to their kids and than go looking for little brim.  When you find them they will bite all day and you can save the smallest fish for bait for your jug fishing trip with the chem lights latter that night.

I'm sure there are more and will add some as I think of them and hope you all do as well.

See You On the Water
Fogy

[Bassinkorea]

Great tips Fogy    especially helpful to me the "rookie camper".

[Jared LeBlue]

One of those pop up canopies is something that will make your camping trip a lot more pleasant. The go up easy and they provide shade along with protection from the rain. Great to have when you outside cooking. My father in law had one on our camping trip this weekend and I was impressed. Going buy one for the next trip.

Latch your ice chest if there is food inside and also throw your trash before you go to bed. Raccoons will make a mess over night.

Spray the kiddos down especially around their shoes and waist line with a good bug repellent. I missed this step this past weekend and my son is suffering from red bugs (chiggers).

Oh and here's one that may save you some trouble: before you unhook that camper and set it up make sure that your hose and electric cards are long enough to reach the power box and faucet. I learned that the hard way. Nothing like setting everything up and finding out you don't have enough power card. Yep re-hook everything move over and back about 5 feet. Boy you want to see someone mad.

[Ron Fogelson]

Yep we have one of those canopies as well Rattle, got it a few years back and it sets up and fold back up very easy, one person could do it but with two it's too easy not to use.  We also have the screen sides and when it gets cold the solid sides so we can pop in a heater and have a nice place to visit but not get all cramped up in the camper.

If your camper has an awning when you pull it out rather than set it level, set it up so one side is a bit lower so rain or dew will run off to one side.

If you use those folding chairs that comes in it's own case, once you open the chair slide the case between the back of the chair and the bars so when it's time to go home and pack up you have the case for each chair and don't have to hunt all over looking for them.

Make sure you have a bunch of zip lock bags in a few sizes, the fridge and coolers get full if you try and pack in a bunch of plastic containers, foil won't keep things from getting wet so put left overs or other food items in the zip lock bags.

Keep uncooked meat on the botton of the fridge/cooler so it won't drip on your lunch meat, cooked food, vegies, water or soda's

[Donald Garner]

Ron, Jared

Thanks for the camping tips.

[Jared LeBlue]

Here's a tip to make your own fire starters for camping:

items needed: card board egg carton - (must be card board not styrofoam.)
                    saw dust or pencil shavings - (if you do any type of carpentry or know someone that does getting a bag of saw dust will not be a problem. or go   down to you local school and see if you can get all the pencil shavings from when they empty the pencil sharpeners.)
                    wax- (you can buy some wax or just get a bunch of old candles)

Steps: 1. Take your saw dust or pencil shavings and pour them into the empty pockets of the egg carton. Fill them to the top.
          2. Melt your wax in an old pot (one you don't want to use to cook in any more)
          3. Pour melted wax over saw dust or pencil shavings until the pockets are saturated.

Now you have either 12, 18, or 24 fire starters. ( depends on what size egg carton you used.

How to use: Simply break off one pocket and place it under your wood. Light the starter with a match or lighter. It will light very easy and will burn for a long time.

[Lipripper]

Fogy and Jared great camping tips 

[bassn1]

Great Tips guys. Nothing fancy or expensive. Just pure common sense and experience.

[bassmedic46]

Thank you for those great camping tips.