11 Camping Hacks to Make Your Next Camping Trip Great

Camping is a form of recreation that entails spending extended time outdoors, typically at least overnight. The act of camping differs from the typical wilderness day trip because campers will set up a home base (or camp) to sleep in overnight, usually without many of the amenities present in permanent dwellings like houses.

Camping trips often involve activities like cooking simple backpacking foods over a fire (like hot dogs, s’mores, and non-perishables) and hiking trips during the daytime. (Here’s how to make s’mores.)

Depending on the group’s preferences, camping trips can range from rugged tent expeditions (like backpacking to a remote location and building a temporary shelter for sleeping) to options with more indoor amenities like car camping or traveling in an RV.

A camping experience involves being in the wilderness for extended periods, without access to the creature comforts of civilization. Here are some great tips to make the most of your camping essentials without adding too much weight or bulk to your supplies.

1. 1. Get creative with your water jugs. A water bottle is an essential piece of camping gear, but it has many uses other than basic hydration when you’re off the grid. Strap a headlamp to the outside of a plastic gallon jug of water—with the light facing in—to create a makeshift lantern. Alternatively, fill a small bottle with hot water and put it inside your sleeping bag to keep yourself warm on cold nights. Use a jug or Mason jar to hold premixed foods like scrambled eggs or pancake mix.
2. 2. Make a DIY bag liner with trash bags. You don’t need fancy equipment to keep your gear dry. Instead, pick up some sturdy contractor bags from the local dollar store and put them inside your backpack to insulate your possessions from lingering moisture on the ground or an unexpected rainstorm.
3. 3. Make a packing list. Preparation is the most effective camping hack, and it starts with making a list of essentials needed for your camping trip. Especially when backpacking, pleasant and efficient camping boils down to keeping your load as light as possible while also ensuring you have everything you need.
4. 4. Pack microfiber towels. A microfiber towel is an excellent piece of camping gear for cleaning up everyday messes. In addition to being lighter and more absorbent than a traditional towel, it’s a space-saving alternative to a whole roll of paper towels.
5. 5. Pare down your first aid kit. Traditional first aid kits can be bulky. If you know you won’t need all the supplies found in a classic one, repurpose old prescription containers to pack basics like bandages, antibiotic ointment, or cotton balls.
6. 6. Peel soap for single-use portions. A bar of soap can quickly become messy and unwieldy on a camping trip. Rather than deal with soapy gunk that you need to clean up after every wash, use a vegetable peeler to create slim, single-use soap slices that you won’t need to worry about repacking.
7. 7. Repurpose clothes as pillows. The best camping pillow doesn’t take up too much room in your pack. Rather than carrying a dedicated pillow, fold up some soft clothing and stuff it into your sleeping bag’s nylon case to make a comfy pillow after you’ve rolled out your bed.
8. 8. Speed up your shoe-drying time. Hiking in wet boots can be challenging. If you find yourself with damp shoes at the end of the day, remove the insoles and stuff some dry clothing inside the boots. In the morning, your shoes should be dry. Hang the wet clothes from the back of your pack so they can dry as you go about your day.
9. 9. Use a laundry detergent dispenser as a handwashing station. If you’re going car camping and have the space to spare, fill up a washed-out liquid detergent dispenser with water from a brook or stream to make an accessible backcountry sink.
10. 10. Use foam floor tiles to pad your tent floor. If you don’t have a dedicated sleeping pad, use foam floor tiles to create more cushioning for your sleeping bag—assuming that you have the space to do so.
11. 11. Use sage as an insect repellent. Sage is a natural insect repellent. Throw a bundle of dried sage in with your fire kindling to ward off pests.

Prepare for any outdoor journey by grabbing a MasterClass Annual Membership and committing Jessie Krebs’s wilderness survival course to memory. As a former United States Air Force Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape instructor, Jessie can teach you everything you need to know about packing for a trip (neon is the new black), purifying water, foraging (crickets: the other white meat), starting a fire, and signaling for help (forget SOS).