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5 Camping Hacks for City Slickers

5 Camping Hacks for City Slickers

December 29, 20131938Views1Comment

Just because you live in the city doesn’t mean that you can’t have an enjoyable camping experience in the great outdoors. Even those from the city can become expert campers with just a few city camping hacks. Here are five different camping hacks to help you have a fantastic trip even if you don’t know the first thing about the outdoors!

1. Use Doritos as Kindling

Doritos
Photo from Tamas Pap/Unsplash

Sometimes when it is or has been raining, finding small dry kindling to get the fire started is almost impossible. But most city slickers will have some kind of packaged snack food in their car, we can almost guarantee it. When this is the case, you can use some of their Doritos as kindling. It will keep the fire going long enough to prime it for larger pieces wood.

2. Freeze Soda Bottles

Another great camping hack for a smooth outdoor experience is to freeze a couple of liter water bottles and put them in your cooler. You’ll find that the contents of the cooler will stay cool without getting soggy from melting ice, and your drinking water will also be nice and cool for the next day or two. It’s perfect for a quick weekend camping trip.

3. Water Jug Tent Light

Forgot a lantern? Nothing to worry about! You can light your whole tent by strapping a head lamp on a full jug of water. Oddly, this creates a great natural lantern that will put out plenty of light in the immediate area that you need it. This is a great option for lighting various areas of camp at night to avoid accidents in the dark.

4. Clothes for Sleeping Bag Insulation

Camping gear feature
Photo from Karson Chan/Unsplash

For those camping in the colder months or higher altitudes, you don’t have to pile on the sleeping bags in order to stay warm at night. One trick to keep insulated is to line your sleeping bag with your extra clothing. It fills the extra space in the bag so cold air can’t, and as a bonus, your clothes for the next day will be toasty warm when you put them on!

5. Waterproof Backpack Liner

If it took you any effort at all to get your city slicker friend out on a camping trip with you, chances are good they are highly concerned about their stuff getting dirty/wet/broken. Help them nip any anxiety in the bud by lining their pack with a garbage sack. Everything inside will remain moisture and dirt-free, even if it’s pouring down rain. An extra bag can also be secured over the outside for the extra paranoid, and extra trash sacks are always handy to have around.

For more city camping hacks, check out Take a Hike in the Big City!

Featured Image from Jon Flobrant/Unsplash