1. Use inexpensive standard leather utility work gloves when working with a campfire

Here’s Why

You can pickup hot coals and burning wood and not get burned. Obviously, you have to move quickly and deliberately when doing so, but it is much easier and more efficient than using a fire poker. Fire pokers have their place when needing to make “aeration” holes in the campfire and large pieces of wood need re-arranging, but the gloves will do a lot of the other things that are needed when tending a campfire. When baking potatoes, corn or other items in the campfire coals, the gloves are great for turning them over when needed. Sure you are going to get ashes an soot on the gloves. Just dost them together initially and then slap them against a piece of firewood and they are ready to go again. It takes a long time to wear a decent pair of them out and they are less than $5 brand new.

2. If you have a free-standing metal fire bowl that come with a grill – use the grill when camping

Here’s Why

When I purchased our backyard portable, metal fire bowl it came with a grill that I did not intend to use at home. So, I stored it in the garage. When I ran across it during camping season, I wondered if it could fit into our camping scenario. The grill itself has a 1/2 inch pipe fitting that has a set screw in it. I wondered if I could locate something that would be long and fit into it. I found that a 4 foot piece of reinforcing bar (rebar) would be perfect. Now, at our campsite fire ring, I take a small sledge hammer and drive it inside the ring. Then I simply move the grill up and down to raise and lower the temperature.

3. Raise your garbage bag into the air by tying a rope around it and pulling it up off the ground

Here’s Why

Racoons and other night creatures are on the prowl at night while you are fast asleep. Leaving your trash bag on the ground is only inviting disaster. Tie a rope around the top of the bag, loop it over a relatively high limb (10-12 feet) and pull it up into the air. It is important to get it up to at least 8 feet at minimum. We had a racoon get up on its hind legs that ripped access holes in the bottom of the bag once because is was too low.

4. Before you turn in at night, take the time to place an inexpensive tarp over any gear that is outside

Here’s Why

Besides the obvious reason of the possibility of rain, dew will put a moisture layer on all surfaces. In most cases, this dew dries off soon enough. But, if you are early risers like we are, it’s nice to have the gas stove and other gear containers nice and dry. In addition, any metal items that are susceptible to rust and other oxidation should be kept dry for obvious reasons. Over time they will deteriorate. It also helps to ensure that your firewood remains dry, so cover it too.

5. Take a bag of Lump Charcoal with you make campfire cooking even more efficient

 

Here’s Why

Even though lump charcoal is not inexpensive, a little goes a long way especially when used in conjunction with your campfire. Cooking on a campfire is always a matter of timing. Cook on it too soon and there’s not enough coals generated and the flames are usually high. Cooking on a campfire too late and there is not enough heat. However, if you have a few hot coals going, you can always add some lump charcoal to those coals and in about 15-20 minutes, you have some nice evenly heated coals that you can use to cook on.

6. Start you fire a little easier with commercially available fire starting pine sticks

Here’s Why

A box of these pine wood fire starters is relatively inexpensive. The name brand that I use is Fatwood. You only need 4-5 sticks to start a fire. So, a box of them lasts for quite awhile. We always keep a few sheets of newspaper on hand when camping for starting fires. So, balling up a single sheet of newspaper, then stacking a few sticks of Fatwood around it, and finally, placing a few split logs of firewood over that and lighting it will always get a fire going unless it is pouring down rain or your wood is soaked. The pine smell and soot only lasts for a short while and we have never detected the pine resin taste in our food.

7. There is a big difference between garden type water hoses and drinking water hoses

Here’s Why

Sure, when I was a kid, I drank from a regular garden water hose, the typical green ones. I didn’t know any better and I was usually so thirsty that I did not really care that it tasted a bit like plastic. However, there is a BIG difference between the water taste that comes through a garden type water hose and one that is made for drinking water. These are usually located in the camping section of large discount department stores or can be ordered online. They are generally made for RV campers and can be found at RV supply companies. They don’t cost all that much more that the quality garden variety and normally you don’t need too long of a length to get by.
Which brings up the point that a water filtering container like the ones made by Brita, make your drinking and cooking water tasted much better than the water that comes from a campsite spigot. We always carry ours with us and keep it topped off so it is ready when we need it.

8. A Thermos Brand 48 oz Wide Mouth Stainless Steel Thermos is a purchase you won’t regret

Here’s Why

It keeps liquids warm and cold for a very long time. It is tough. You can drop it, bankg it and aabuse it and it only gets a few dings. I call them character marks. You can fill it up with cubed ice, fill the space with cold water and the ice will still be there a couple day later. It keeps warm soups and beverages hot for a long time too. It has a nice handle and a carrying strap. It comes with 2 cups. An inner one and the outer one. It has a nice dispenser built into the screw off lid. You could drink from the dispenser if you needed to. The dispenser lid screws in and ends up facing the correct direction every time. So does the outer lid. Put it on with the high impact plastic tab facing right or left, give it a one quarter turn and it is locked in place. For around $40 or so, it is a cost effective piece of outdoor equipment.

9. Bite the bullet and buy high quality batteries in bulk

Here’s why

Duracell and Eveready batteries have a 10 year shelf lifespan now. That, in itself is incredible. So, if you buy in bulk which is expensive in the short run but more cost effective in the long run, it only makes sense to buy a large quantity of them. Keep some in your home, some in the bug out bag (BOB – everyone should have one), and a supply with your camping gear. An extra supply of AA batteries and several LED flashlights are usually all the light you really need for the most part. So, lighting-wise, it is easy to be “ever ready”.

10. Have at least 1 Good Quality Knife with you if possible

Why you need one

If you are anything like me, you never seem to have enough knives. There are so many uses for them and none of them do everything. I still have not located the perfect knife that does everything. I have had my Swiss Army pocket knife for many years now and it does a lot. But, you can’t cut, for instance, a watermelon with it and it is not much for food preparation unless you are in a strict survival mode which most us are not. It does not work well for cleaning fish either. With all that said, the “Light My Fire” with integrated Swedish Firesteel. The knife is under $25 and is made by the Mora company a Scandinavian knife manufacturer. The blade is made of Sandvi 12C27 stainless steel with a Scandinavian grind (basically a saber or flat grind that has no secondary bevel). A polypropylene sheath with clip. It has a 3.9 inch blade length and is 8 1/2 inches long total. The blade keeps a good edge if used properly and is very sharp. I recommend this knife for general camp cooking. It works great with cutting meat and vegetables. It is long enough for most camp cooking jobs but not so big that it is unwieldy. It is easy to clean and moisture is not a problem. My BOB knife is an old German bayonet that cost me $40. It is tough and is used for general camp use (beside cooking). These types of knives can be found a flea markets and military surplus stores. I am not a knife collector per se, so I can’t see paying several hundred dollars for a knife.

11. Collapsable Plastic Dish Washing Pan and 5 gallon paint bucket

Here’s Why

Space is at a premium when you go on a camping trip for any length of time. There is lots of gear that goes with you. A collapsible dish washing pan takes up less than 2″ of height when collapsed and works well as a regular dish pan. An inexpensive 5 gallon paint bucket or two take up space, but you can stack them together and put smaller items into the top one. We take 2 with us. Once is used for miscellaneous water where we leave the hose end in it and do some had rinsing from time to time. The other is used strictly for dish rinsing.

Another item that is really convenient is a foldable, metal dish rack with plastic drainage tray. Both of these fold nearly flat and are great for air drying dishes, bowls, and utensils.