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Cheap and Effective Camping Tips

Did you know that you had an arsenal of camping equipment in your house? It’s true… everyday items that we either discard or overlook can be a multi-purpose tool when you are sitting around the campfire. Which brings me to my first tip.

Do you save your dryer lint? I know I know.. what an oddball question. But in actuality you should! Dryer lint makes great tinder and stuffed inside old paper towel rolls it is doubly effective. Another convenient and low cost way to get your coals lit is to put a piece dryerlinttrapof coal in each spot in a cardboard egg carton. Then you can throw this in the fire. The carton will immediately light and therefore the coals will as well! Plus it is an easy way to transport coals if you don’t need a large amount.

Another issue that arises thanks to good ole mother nature is that your matches that you were planning to start the fire with get wet. We all know how effective wet matches are. So next time before you go paint a quick layer of clear nail polish over your matches, the result? instant waterproofing! When my family travels we use our travel trailer fridge but we also pack a small cooler to put in our SUV. Instead of stopping to buy ice we just freeze 8 or so bottles of water before we leave. This is enough to keep our drinks cold plus as they melt we have bottled water to drink as well.

And let’s not forget the most pesky of the campfire problems: mosquitos!!! Did you know that by rubbing the inside of an orange peel over your skin you have an instant mosquito repellent? Also by throwing some sage into your campfire it not only keeps mosquito’s and other insects away but also fills the air with a pleasant aroma.

We’d love to hear any quirky or frugal camping tips that you have!!

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Campground Etiquette: Beyond the Please and Thank Yous

I’m sure that anyone who has ever brought their RV to a campground has experienced the awful “neighbor”. The guy campground image with logowho thinks that everyone wants to hear “Pour Some Sugar on Me” at 2:30 a.m., or who wants to loudly smash every beer can he has just finished as if to announce some sort of grand achievement. Then there’s the lady who lets her children run rampant through the campgrounds, speeding around on bikes, running in between all of the RV’s, clearly suffering from sugar overload and supervision underload.

And while I’m sure we have all had our moments here are some tips to assure that you never become a habitual bad manners camper. The first is clear and concise, if it’s late keep the noise down. I know everyone is out to have a great time and hang out around the campfire but remember you are not the only ones in the campground. Many people enjoy the peace and quiet of RVing and want to catch up on well needed sleep. The second tip to remember is to never leave anything behind. This includes any and all trash, ropes for hanging lights, or whiny children. It is also considered in very bad manners not to mention very unsafe to speed through the campground. Always make sure that you follow the posted speed limit when entering or leaving the grounds.

I’m sure Fido is the best dog ever and would never bite but not all people are “dog people.” It is important to keep your dogs on leashes and close by whenever you are at a campground. It is also expected that you clean up after your dog so that people like me playing catch with my son don’t “find” your dogs mess and spend the next half hour cleaning my shoes 🙂 While we are on that topic make sure that your sewer connection is secure and no torn hoses. This will help prevent that oh so unpleasant smell from wafting into other people’s area.

The bottom line is treat people how you want to be treated. If you think it’s nice when people leave wood by the fire then leave some for the next person. If you don’t like to be woken up then don’t wake up others. More often then not people return time and time again to the same campground and form a sense of community. Follow these rules and chances are that you will be welcomed back with open arms!