Camping hints!

[Daveinthebush]

I am sure that all of us have a favorite hint or two.

Here is one to start:

When out last time in 10-20 degree weather I found a real easy way to keep the feet warm at night.  NO, it was not a hot tub!  But I wish.

I had 2 sets of boots, one pair with 2 sets of felt liners.  At night I would warm one pair of liners over the lantern to remove the frost and then put them on, over my socks, in the sleeping bag. Warm all night!!

What have you got ladies and gentlemen! :-)

[Lead pot]

I put a rock from the fire ring in my liners,it dryes them and keep the feet and sleaping bag warm.Lp.

[Daveinthebush]

Water proof matches. I usually take strike-any-where matches and dip them in hot wax.  It keeps them water proof until use.  

Another method is finger nail polish.

When going on long snowmachine trips, I prepare kindling, small sticks and some larger pieces and wrap them in newspaper.  Then I put the whole bundle into a small trash bag.  When we stop and need a fire, I have the dry kindling and startings of a fire all set.

You guys must have some hints? :shock:

[Frog123]

I carry some trioxane bars in a folded up esbit stove. This fits inside a military canteen cup with the canteen on top. I put some envelopes of Liptons "cup-of-soup" in the bottom of my canteen pouch and place the canteen and cup on top of this. In the little carrier on the front of the pouch that's designed for water purifier tabs I place "water proof" matches" in a case. With this set up I can have a hot cup of soup in about three minutes.

My matches are the big "strike anywhere" kitchen matches with the heads dipped in gulf wax.

An easy fire starter that I keep in my backpack is a roll of cotton gauze coated in parrafin wax. I unroll the gauze, "paint" it with the melted wax, then roll it up while it is still warm and soft. When I need to start a fire I unroll a piece, cut it off then light it.  The whole roll can be used as an emergency torch by placing it on the end of a stick and lighting.

Another good fire starter that I like to carry in my pocket while hunting is a piece of 0000 steel wool with a little oil on it. I put about 2" x 4" piece in a small zip lock bag, the kind Eagle Claw uses for their fish hooks and sinkers . The primary use is to wipe my gun down after hunting especially if its been damp out. If needed I can take the two AA batteries out of my minimag flash light and touch the steel wool to it to create an intense hot fire to get my tender and kindling started.


Frog


Those who prepare for trouble seldom encounter it.......

[olter]

A couple of my nieces showed us this one. The lint  accumulated from the dryer is saved into empty egg cartons. They pack the lint into the egg socket. I have enlarged by using the empty tp rolls and pack with lint.

[TCShooter]

Here's another twist on Olter's idea of lint:  take the lint in the egg carton and add parafin wax to it.  Break the carton into the premade sections and use one or two of them to start the fire.  Works like a charm and they burn for quite a while.

[Hud]

My Dad and I used to have a contest on how much stuff we could pack into our survival kit. It all had to fit in a pocket sized metal Band-Aid box.  

First we soldered the bottom rim so that the box would hold water.

Here is the list of stuff I had in mine;

1.   the box itself, is a cup or pot
2.   4 bandaids
3.   1 saftey razor
4.   2 saftey pins
5.   2 needles, 10ft thread
6.   several hooks,jigs, weights.
7.   20ft fishing line.
8.   thin stainless lock back knife
9.   tweezers
10. 20ft. wire
11.  4 nails
12.  2 types of matches
13.  0000 steel wool
14.  candle
15.  metal match
16.  pencil
17.  note paper
18.  6ft electrical tape (wraped on outside of can)
19.  18" square piece of aluminum foil
20.  2 quarters
21.  9 asprin
22.  3 cold tablets
23.  9 vitamins
24.  6 Halazone tablets (water purifier)
25.  2 tea bags
26.  aniseptic ointment
27.  2 Pepto-Bismol tablets
28.  whistle
29.  list of rescue signals
30.  20 ft of cord (wrapped on outside of can)
31.  2 .22 cartrides
32.  1 or 2 cartridges of the pistol or rifle we were using.
33.  1 ziplock bag
34.  $10 bill
 
I may also try to fit in a charge card.  
It all has to be packed just right!

Hud

[kevin.303]

we used to make these handy firestarters in cubs. first you cut a long strip of newspaper about an inch and a half wide roll it up and tie a string around it. dip the whole thing on paprfin wax. these light easy and burn for about 5-10 minutes

[Curtis]

I had heard the old saying "if your feet are cold put on a hat".  Sounds silly, but I tried it and it works.  If I sleep in my toboggan hat, I stay much warmer all over.

Curtis

[lakota]

I have one of those Food Saver kitchen vacuum sealers. I take one of the bags and I put 8 or ten strike anywhere matches and 2 orange flannel and wax firestarters I got from Cabelas, I vacuum seal them in the bag and they remain water proof until use. It all seals into a nice little compact package. I keep these packs in my fishing vest, back pack and hunting day pack-you never know when you may have to build a fire. This Food Saver thing has almost unlimited potential for Outdoors use. I read some where that a guy vacuum packed his rifle so it wouldnt get wet on his raft trip into his hunting area.

Scott.

[Daveinthebush]

I remember once in Shaktoolik where a group of mushers came through and they had had to leave one musher back one village for a medivac.  The provisions for that musher were stored in the school where I was working and the group gave me all of the extra provisions.  As I went through the stuff, everything was vacumn packed. Batteries, matches, toilet paper, Tampax...........you name it.  Never did find a use for the Tampax but everything else was useful and dry.

This could be a good topic.  How to pack stuff. :grin:

[TCShooter]

My wife is a kitchen gadget junkie and has been wanting one of those vacuum pack things for awhile.  Never could see a real need for it before but may have to rethink this and weigh the benefits  

[LCSNM]

I remember once in Shaktoolik where a group of mushers came through and they had had to leave one musher back one village for a medivac.  The provisions for that musher were stored in the school where I was working and the group gave me all of the extra provisions.  As I went through the stuff, everything was vacumn packed. Batteries, matches, toilet paper, Tampax...........you name it.  Never did find a use for the Tampax but everything else was useful and dry.

This could be a good topic.  How to pack stuff. :grin:

Tampax is good for wounds or bullet holes

[Daveinthebush]

I try to avoid wounds and bullet holes.  Although I watched a guy try to fillet his hand this weekend. :roll:

[lakota]

I love it when B.S. like that happens. Being the paramedic in the group, all heads instantly swivel in my direction.

[1911crazy]

I  fixed many deep wounds/slices with adheasive tape till we get to an area where we can get the right attention.  And i have done it by wrapping bandaids tight too even where stitches would be required too. And it held and healed good too.  I always carry steri strips now. BigBill

Funny I went to a local pharmacy here and asked for big gause and all this stuff being a tree cutter and working alone in the woods at times you just never know what can happen. The owner of the place gave me a weird look??  Nothing wrong with being ready??

[Larry Gibson]

When tent camping or with a trailer, if your remote "unlock" button on your PU or car turns the lights on, park the vehicle where it will light up your tent or camping area.  That way at night when you have to "go" outside or you think there is an animal or prowler around you can just hit the button instead of fumbling with a flashlight.  With a tent, except a very heavy canvas one, the headlights light up everything outside and there is enough light coming through the walls that you don't need the flashlight at all.  When everything is alright just hit the lock button and go back to sleep as the lights will turn off automatically.

Larry Gibson

[1911crazy]

Adapting to cold weather tatics and camping trailers; Its 20 degrees out and I just hate cold boots in the morning?? I found that by putting my hunting boots up off the cold floor and near my woodstove at night I had warm boots in the morning. And don't put them too close to the heat to hurt the water proofing.  Putting the cooler on the floor at night also saves the ice from melting too.  I also use zip loc bags of ice for my cooler and pop one on the roof of the trailer at night to refreeze it to reuse the next day.  We can adapt its the little tricks that make the difference when we are in the wilds away from all the comforts we are so used to having??  It ain't the same but it sure is close.                      BigBill

Hunting in Vermont before I bought my trailer we slept in my suburban with snow on the ground and a 1/2" of ice on the floor in the truck. We cooked and ate outside thats as close to winter camping as I'll ever get.  To some camping is like going to a Holiday Inn with no room service they sure miss out don't they?  So what are your two best friends when camping and hunting in the outdoors??      Toilet paper & a compass I never go out without them!!! Of course that was the old days now we added a two way radio and GPS too.

[INresponse]

Here is a variety of ideas.

While hunting I placed the tent next to the truck for two reasons.  First, I had the courtesy light activated by the keychain and second, my fear of a cow walking up and stepping on me was minimized.  

Wal-mart sells a rain suit that rolls up into a small tote-bag about 6 inches long.  It packs well and works great to stop the wind and keep you warm on cold days....not much rain here in the desert.

A road flare works wonders for starting a fire in a hurry.  

Growing up we used to put our feet in bread wrappers before we put on our winter boots, to keep our feet dry.  I used this idea last year hunting when I wasn't sure how the old boots would work in the snow and water.  Still worked, my feet stayed warm and dry.

Beef Jerky, either home made or store bought, makes great snacks or meals anytime.  Either eaten out of the bag or cooked into stew, just add water and vegatables for a hot meal.

Finally, keep a 5 gallon jub of water on the front seat of the truck so the sun can shine on it all day and warm it up.  Pour some into a sprinkling can and you got yourself a warm shower to wash up in the evening....quick rinse, quick lather and a final rinse will make for a good nights sleep.  A plastic tarp tied up will block the wind and give you privacy.

[.22 coyote]

A Nalgene water bottle or two filled with very hot water makes a great sleeping bag warmer.  So do a couple of those air-activated hand warmers: one at the feet and one up at the neck.

I carry a couple of large sanitary napkins for dealing with a heavy-bleeding wound.

IÂ’ve used the VBL (vapor barrier liner) concept in my boots a few times during some cold, snowy adventures, but I do it a bit different.  I put my foot in a plastic bag, and then put my wool socks over them so that the perspiration from my feet donÂ’t wet my socks.  My feet stay warm, but not dry.  By keeping the insulation dry (socks), my feet stay warmer even though they look like prunes when I get home.  Now this assumes a water-proof boot.  If the boots are subject to leaking, then another bag on the outside of the socks would be in order.

I keep a very small (~2”) lock-back folding knife and an LED key chain pinch light tied together with a small piece of cord in my pocket so that I always have a blade and light with me.  Countless times it has been used to find my headlamp in my pack or tent when darkness has fallen while IÂ’ve been exploring around camp or visiting another camp.

A Nalgene water bottle on the dashboard facing south can be used to make “sun tea”.

A small piece of closed-cell foam makes a good sit-pad for cold, damp, or rough surfaces.  It also protects the seat of oneÂ’s pants from abrasion, and can be useful as part of oneÂ’s Emergency Kit for slowing conduction losses during un-planned time in the bush.  Add a few air-activated hand warmers and one of those “pocket-sized” reflective blankets and itÂ’s not a bad start for un-planned bivouacs.

A small collection of plastic bags can be useful.  I keep one 55 gallon, two 13 gallon, and about six 1 gallon bags with me for:  left-over pre-packaged food, trash, pack covers, ground cloths, emergency poncho, sitting on damp or muddy ground, table cloth, separating dirty or wet clothing from clean and dry, making ice packs, protecting books, maps, & electronic gear from water, emergency “gloves”, collecting many quarts of water at one time from a stream that is some distance away so that I can wash dishes, bath, or filter it at camp, and I use them for storing the small game I collect while hunting.

In the vehicle I keep a package of disposable washcloths that are marketed for bed-ridden folks and sold in pharmacies.  They are thick and large, so I only need two to get a “complete” bath.  Whether IÂ’m returning from a backpacking adventure or car-camping, theyÂ’re used for a sponge bath to refresh and lessen the odor impact I might have on other folks when heading for a store, restaurant, or other public place on the way home.

[cdnclub45]

I agree with the road side flare or fusee.  We carry them on our snowmachines for emergencies.  Its 10 minutes of super hot fire starter.  That sulphur stinks like heck for the first 10 minutes though.

[stimpylu32]

I moved this to the top and made it a Sticky so we all can add our ideas and it can be found easier , so far there are some real good ideas .

stimpy

[bilmac]

Tidy cats cat litter comes in a 4 gal bucket with a lid that is hinged and closes pretty tight. I put my grub in them and the mice don't wake my in the middle of the night anymore. They also make a low table of sorts.

I carry mousetraps in my tenting gear.

I would suggest hunters think twice before purchasing the Cabella's Analak tent. They are made of non breathing material. To keep condsensation under control they have screened vents with no way to close them so the wind blows through.

I use a solar shower to carry my wash water - hang it outside the tent door. If you did a little fiddling with the hose, you could have running water inside.

Military duffle bags carry bedding and other soft stuff well. Nylon bags work best because it is easier to slide rolled sleeping bags in.

If your sleeping bag is too cold and pileing on more blankets isn't helping, put on some dry clean socks, long handles and if you're really cold a long sleeved Tee shirt. Sometimes the bag is just too big to heat up.

[DCRthe3rd]

Wow, sorry guys , but I started camping in a trailer the other year "no more tents for me" so my tips will be different , put a cup of water in the microwave , nuke it til its hot , then dump it over your propane tank and feel it with your hand , you will notice the tank is warm where there is no propane and cold where there is propane. This way you can tell what level the propane is at in the tank.

[SmokeEater2]

I'm probably the last guy on the forum to find this out..but just in case, On a recent 11 day camping trip I lined my cooler with one of those disposable foil emergency "blankets" from Wally world,put the ice and food in and folded the top of the blanket down before closing the cooler lid and the ice and frozen meat held the cold about twice as long as the cooler by itself normally did.
 I picked up a pair of those Sierra Designs (other brands make 'em too) goose down booties and a wool watch cap and keep them in my sleeping bag stuff sack w/ the bag. On cold nights the two combined make a world of difference keeping me warm.

[INresponse]

On a recent 11 day camping trip I lined my cooler with one of those disposable foil emergency "blankets" from Wally world,put the ice and food in and folded the top of the blanket down before closing the cooler lid and the ice and frozen meat held the cold about twice as long as the cooler by itself normally did.

In the car, truck, trunk, trailer, etc. you can set the cooler in the middle of a large comforter or old sleeping bag and wrap it up to help keep it insulated.  One bag of ice lasted for a 4 day drive across country in 70 to 80 degree weather in the back of my Avalanche where it is usually warmer than outside temps.

[bilmac]

In the desert,Arizona, we wrapped  a foil barrier around the outside of the cooler and it made a world of difference. You need something a little tougher to put outside, a space blanket would probably work. We were able to get hold of the wildland fire emergency shelters that had been used as demonstrators, and they were excellent.

[Sameeee]

to keep warm and cozy in your sleeping bag on a cold night. take a rock from your campfire and wrap in layers of fabric enough to keep it from burning you but will allow heat through, and put at the inside foot of the sleeping bag. will keep you nice and warm,

here is an easy  Windshield Shade Solar Cooker
http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Windshield_shade_solar_funnel_cooker

[bulletstuffer]

Camping in the heat of summer.

Freeze a couple of cases of water bottles to use instead of buying ice for your cooler.  Keeps everything cold and dry for 5 plus days in a good cooler while leaving it in a hot car with 90+ degree heat.  Take the frozen water bottles out and you will have cold water to drink when it thaws.  This is perfect for any summertime travel, hunting or camping trips. 


If you need water faster and all the bottles are frozen,  place the bottle in the front window of the car and the sun will give you water pretty quick.  When you come home the water does not go to waste as cubed ice or ice blocks would and it lasts longer.


Good luck,


Bulletstuffer

[blind ear]

store stove fuels and gasoline downslope from the campsite. ear