Boondocker's Camping & Hiking Tips & Tricks

Boondockers Camping and Hiking
Tips-&-Tricks
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Those special tips and tricks you stumble upon can make your outing a lot more enjoyable (its always more pleasant learning from anothers mistakes). As a bonus your camping buddies will be amazed at the fact that you actually know what your doing. Even seasoned veterans may learn a thing-or-two...
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* Test your new camping gear BEFORE going camping. Sometimes a piece will come with a missing or broken part, or has some special instructions you didn't think of. Out in the boonies is no place to find this out...

* I hope your DEET DON'T LEAK. I bought a new waterproof, Aleution deck bag made by Watershed for my sea kayak, the first time I used it my Deet insect repellent leaked and melted the rubber waterproof, ziploc style seal. This was some strong military stuff, I had put the bottle into a ziploc bag (in case it leaked) and stowed in the my new deck bag, well, it leaked, melted the protective ziploc bag and the rubber seal of my new $115.00 deck bag. It may also ruin the polyurethane waterproofing on your backpack or something else you really don't want to throw away...

* Snow is a good insulator, so, if snow-camping, bury your water-bottle in the snow overnight, it'll keep it from freezing. Its no fun if you have to wait for your ice to melt before making that first cup of coffee in the morning...

* Buy or make a "footprint" for your tent. This is a waterproof nylon or plastic ground-cloth to go under your tent, it keeps your expensive tent's floor from wearing out. Make sure its not too big, you don't want too much rain-water running under your tent. While your at it, make a note to pick-up small rocks and twigs before setting your tent up, they usually surface at night (right under your sleeping bag) when its too late to do anything about it...

* Make a Milk Jug Sink out of the bottom of a discarded 1 gallon milk jug for backpacking. Just cut it off to the height you want with a knife (draw a line first), with a little luck, you will have a stuff sack (food or clothing stuff sack, etc) that will fit down inside it so it will only take up a minimal amount of space in your pack...

* Make sure to bring a plastic table-cloth to use at established campgrounds (those tables can be pretty grungy). And, if you forgot to bring those handy spring clamps to hold it down, just use a few pieces of Duct Tape to keep it from blowing away...

* The first thing I do when I set-up camp is to take a plastic grocery sack around and pick-up trash left by the previous tenants. Then I hang it chest high from a tree with a piece of twine running thru the handles to use as my "camp trash bag". It all goes home with me, of course...

* Be sure to sharpen your pocket knife and any other knives or cutting tools before you embark on your journey...

* A pair of sandals or light shoes are really handy around camp, they can dangle from pack straps if backpacking, they're easy to remove when entering the tent and feel great after that long hike in heavy boots. Once, while backpacking in Yosemite, I got blisters so bad that I just couldn't wear those boots anymore, its a good thing I had a pair of tennie-runners handy for the return trip...

* Your campsites fire-pit may or may-not have a grill or grate for you to cook on. Its best to bring one of your own, just in case...

* Spare Tent Poles can be used to rig a rain shelter for cooking during a rain-out if there are no trees present to lash your tarp to...

* DON'T FORGET THE DUCT TAPE!!!

* Always carry a spare garbage bag, it'll make a dandy rain coat, you never know when that storm will blow through, its also good to store your dirty clothes in...

* Carry a stove when backpacking and be sure to select foods that are quick-cooking...

* Pick up a pair of cheap, lightweight Teva-like sport sandals at your local Walmart or other department store for camp shoes, the expensive sandals are rather heavy, but the cheepo versions are quite light...

* Just your basic Tuna-Can candle lantern. You can make a very inexpensive candle lantern out of a used tuna can and a votive candle. The next time you open a can of tuna (6oz. size), only open the can about 2/3 of the way around, then bend the lid up, vertical to serve as a reflector, now cover the reflector with a piece of foil for more reflection. Great for reading and especially good for lounging around the hotspring at night...

* Consider a ground-cloth Inside-Your-Tent. If your expecting (or experiencing) a lot of rain it might be wise to lay out a ground cloth inside your tent, with the edges folded up to keep you and your gear dry. That ground-cloth or tent footprint used outside is mainly for protecting the floor of your expensive pack-house, rain water will often run over the edge of the footprint and puddle under your tent and could leak through a bad seam...

* If you must have a campfire, gather small dead wood from wooded areas away from camp...

* Buy (or make) a sleeping bag stuff-sack lined with thin fleece. At camp, just turn it inside-out and stuff it with clothing, it makes a great pillow...

* Re-package food into ziploc bags to cut down on space needed, they pack well in a large ditty-bag or camping-box. Just make sure you label them well and include any instructions (how many cups of water does this oatmeal need?) with the bag, I cut-out the instructions from the box and include it in the bag...

* A small whisk-broom is a handy item for the tent, it makes it easy to sweep-up the dirt, sticks and stones that always manage to sneak in. A remnant of carpet is nice in front of the tent also, just scrape your feet on the carpet before entering...

* Keep food out of your tent and pack when at camp. Of course you should be worried about bears and food. But, also think about smaller critters when not in bear country, chipmunks will gnaw their way thru your expensive tent or pack to get at any tasty morsel of food. If they do, just patch the hole with Duct Tape...

* Carry your wash-cloth, tooth-brush and soap in ziploc bags so you don't get everything else wet while camping or backpacking...

* Water bags are lightweight and can come in handy at camp. Those 1-gallon or larger, bladder style, water bags can be hung from a tree and cut down on all the trips to your water source. Just hang it from a tree with a hank of rope (I hope you brought rope) and, if placed in the sun, you can even have warm water...

* Remember where everything goes? Make it a habit to pack your gear the same every time. That way you know where stuff is at. If it starts raining you'd better know where your rain pants are, and fast (this goes for toilet paper, too). Its also nice to have large ditty bags to hold smaller ditty bags, one for food bags, one for dirty clothes, one for personal hygiene, etc.

* Those 12 volt, low-pressure/high-volume, inflators are great for pumping up your air mattresses, rafts and other inflatables. They're a lot faster than the 12 volt tire pumps available at auto stores. Most items don't need a lot of pressure, if they do (like some rafts) you can top it off with a hand pump.

* The old adages "Bring it in - Take it out" and " Take only pictures - Leave only footprints" still apply (even more so) today...

* Block ice will last a lot longer than cubed ice in the camp cooler. You can extend your ice by freezing some of your food before leaving home, schedule your menu to serve thawed food first. Many Foil Cooking Packets can be frozen and labeled with a magic marker so you know what's-what...

* Be sure to bury human waste (fish and game entrails, too) at least 6 inches deep and away from camp...

* Use biodegradable soap when camping (I like Dr. Bronner's Castile soap), be sure to dispose of wash water properly (at least 100 feet away from water sources)...

* Give kids their own flashlights (mini-mags are nice) labeled with their name and a attach a lanyard so it hangs, that way if they need to go to the privy at night they'll have it handy. Its also handy in the tent for reading and making hand-puppets. Don't forget to bring extra batteries...

* Its always good to have a few hanks of light nylon rope on hand (decoy line is nice), use it for a clothes line (great for drying wet stuff as well as airing out the sleeping bag), guy lines, etc...

* When hiking in cool weather never wear cotton as it can KILL. Cotton looses its insulating properties when it gets wet, from rain or sweat, inviting hypothermia. Its better to wear wool or synthetic fibers when exerting yourself, you can loose a lot of heat when a cloud cuts off the warmth of the sun's rays...

* Drink BEFORE you get thirsty,

* Save those plastic clips that are used for bread bags, they make great clothes pins. You can store about 50 in a plastic film canister (35mm size)...

* For a clothesline, use that hank of rope you remembered to bring. Lay it out, doubled, tie one (doubled) end to a tree, wind it up (twist it) and then stretch (tightly) and tie the other end to another tree or maybe a rock outcropping. To use, open-up a twisted section and insert your wet article in through the opened section laying it over the bottom main line, the top line will keep it from blowing or falling off. For heavier items, like sleeping bags, be sure to use a heavier rope...

* If your tent is a free-standing design, crawl into it before doing any staking or loading it with your gear, take your sleeping pad with you and lay down to check it out for protruding rocks, roots and high/low spots. Its easier to move the tent empty than after you bed down and find there's a rock sticking you in the back...

* To make washing-up easier, put your bar of soap into an old sock or nylon stocking. Hang it near the washing jug or faucet, just rub your hands on the moistened sock and your clean, a rinse is all that's left...

* One of my favorite tips is to use Frisbees for paper-plate holders, get the size of cheap, inexpensive Frisbee that fits your paper plate size. After dinner you can work off all that food with a game of, you guessed it, Frisbee...

* Try using a head-lamp instead of a flashlight, this leaves both your hands free to get stuff done...

* When the rain gets so bad you have to dig out your rain pants, before putting them on, slip a plastic bag over your muddy boot before you put your pant leg on, put it on the other boot for the other leg. It keeps the inside of your rain pants dry and mud-free...

* If its going to be a cold night, don a stocking cap before hitting the sack, they say that 80% of the body's heat is lost thru the head...

* At home, when your sleeping bags aren't being used for awhile, its a good idea to store them outside of their stuff-sacks. You can buy or make large bags out of muslin material to store them in. This keeps them loose and doesn't compact the bags insulation...

* If there's a chance of frost in the morning, be sure to get the mornings water the night before at established campgrounds. The campgrounds water faucet may be frozen, leaving you javaless until it thaws...

* When packing your tent make sure you pack it (in its stuff sack) in the order it will be removed, the first thing in should be the last thing out. Put your poles in on the side first, then the rain fly in the bottom, the stakes and guy lines in their own bag, and finally the tent. You'll naturally want to remove the tent first and lay it out, then the poles, stakes and finally the fly (in the bottom)...

* When you rip the grommet right out of your favorite tarp, can it still be used? Sure, just take a small, smooth, round stone (marble size) and lay it in from the edge of the tarp, fold the tarp over the stone and tie your line around (just under) the stone, sealing the stone inside the fold. Your tie line can't slip off over the stone...

* There's no need to pay for expensive water bottles for camping, hiking or backpacking - just save retail water or juice bottles (lots of sizes to choose from). If your worried about their durability, you can wrap them up with Duct Tape...

* Save your gallon size bleach bottles to use as bailing aids if you boat, canoe or raft, just cut the bottom off with a sharp knife, make sure to leave the cap on. You can tie a rope to the handle and the boat so it won't get lost...

* Be sure to carry photos of your children when you go camping, just in case they get lost, or maybe they should carry a picture of you, in case you get lost...

* Its a good idea to check the buttons on your clothing when going camping or backpacking. I lost a button once on my pants and had to tie my pants on with some twine. I carry a needle and thread, but I didn't have any spare buttons in my repair kit... I do now!!!

* Its best to camp or backpack on weekdays when its not so crowded, avoid weekends and holidays...

* If backpacking or even car camping be sure to carry repair parts for your equipment, like parts for your lantern and stove. Of course you carry extra mantles for your lantern, but think about other parts also, its usually the generator that goes on lanterns and stoves, a spare fuel cap is handy also (when the rubber seal ages and cracks it can leak giving you a little side-flamage). Be sure to have the necessary tools to dismantle your stove out in the boonies...

* Speaking of spares, don't forget extra batteries for flashlights, cameras and other electronic gizmos, make sure you replaced that spare bulb that got used the last time out also...

* On returning home from camping or backpacking be sure to air out your equipment before storing it away (even if it didn't rain), especially your sleeping bag and tent. Once mildew sets in on waterproof coated fabrics its virtually impossible to get rid of. Open them up and stretch over a clothes line out in the sun, turning occasionally, so they don't fade...

* If you are prone to getting blisters apply some Duct Tape to your heel (or other foot part) prior to donning your boots. the slick outside of the Duct Tape will reduce friction (heat) so there will be less of a chance of getting blisters. Of course you can use moleskin or other blister aids, but you already carry Duct Tape anyway, and its much cheaper...

* If you brought any canned goods on your camping/backpacking trip make sure your remembered to bring a can-opener. I use the one on my Swiss-Army knife, plus I have one of those mini, military p-38 openers (just in case) stashed somewhere...

* Be sure to check your first-aid, survival and repair kits for completeness, you may have forgotten that you used a bandage or maybe some aspirin, or maybe you used some Duct Tape from your repair kit. Also check for outdated items, like medication...

* Don't forget your hiking staff! Your third leg can be your fishing pole case, a trekking pole, or a branch picked-up along the trail. They're especially handy when crossing a stream, rock-hoping or just to take a load off your aching knees...

* Place heavy items close to your back when packing your pack. When heavy items are sticking out away from your body it can throw you off-ballance when you least expect it, like when scrambling over boulders or crossing a stream...

* If you have a lot of room to fill, you probably will! Its easy to fill-up a large back pack with all their pockets and dividers, its hard to leave extra room un-filled, the only problem is it will be really-really heavy, really. When shopping for your new back pack buy the size that you will be using on a regular basis, not for that one time you might use it. Those large expedition size packs look impressive, but think about hauling it, fully loaded, up a steep trail. Unless you really need all that extra room on a regular basis, its best to think small...

* Point That Strap! Ever try to thread a sleeping bag or accessory strap with cold hands, its even hard under ideal conditions. Most accessory straps come with blunt, straight cut tips, making it extremely hard to insert through the ladder-lock or cam-style buckles on the other end. The key is to cut the blunt end at an angle (45 degree or more) so it slides right in. Once you've made your cut with a pair of scissors hold the cut portion over a flame (briefly) to melt the cut fibers so it doesn't fray. This works on synthetic webbing straps (nylon, polypropylene, etc) but not for cotton webbing as found on some older military packs (cotton doesn't melt, it just burns).
Once you've tapered the strap end its easy to thread it through the buckle...

* Fresher is Better... Always start the season off with a fresh can of white gas for your stoves and lanterns. Every time you open the top of a can of gas you let air in which degrades the burn quality of the gas. This can even cause dark smoke and can clog your stoves generator. Fresh gas also makes them easier to light...