We’ve got a great list of camping hacks for families designed to make your trip easier, and help you be prepared—no matter what!
As prime camping season draws near, families will flock to the wilderness for sleeping bags, lake swimming, and campfire food favorites. Part of the nature of camping is that certain tasks will be inevitably harder.
However, camping should be fun and never frustrating. Following are some helpful camping life hacks to make your next outdoor adventure one to never forget!
Top Camping Hacks for Families
Packing Hacks
1. Family Camping with Kids – Packing Checklist, Tips and Hacks
Here’s our complete Packing Checklist when we go camping as a family with kids. Get this free printable family camping checklist with everything you need to bring.
2. Camping Packing List Printable
Learn how to pack for a weekend of camping with this free Camping Packing List Printable! Planning ahead and being organized is key for a great trip!
Food Hacks
3. Free Printable Camping Food Checklist
Heading on a camping trip soon? This is the ultimate camping food packing list and to make your trip prep even easier, we’ve even got a Free Printable Camping Food Checklist for you to make sure you don’t forget any of those essentials.
4. 65 Best Non-Perishable Foods for Camping
Are you looking for Non-Perishable Foods for Camping or road trips? If you’re a camping or road trip enthusiast, then you know that food is one of the most important elements of any successful trip!
5. Free Camping Meal Plan Printables
These Free Camping Meal Plan Printables are a huge time saver for your next camping trip. Simply print, pack and add to your meal planning!
RV and Camper Hacks
6. Dollar Store RV Camping Hacks
Packing up your RV and heading out for an adventure? Make sure you take a look at these handy Dollar Store RV Camping Hacks before you leave town! These are some super helpful items to pack and hacks to make RV living a little more convenient and safe!
7. Tips and Hacks for RV Camping with Kids
RV camping with kids? Totally do-able. Actually, totally amazing. We have learned a whole bunch of handy Tips and Hacks for RV Camping with Kids and share them all inside.
Safety
8. Camping Safety Tips for Kids
Going on a camping adventure is a trip that the whole family will certainly love. However, when going on a camping vacation with kids, you need to take extra precautions to make sure that the campsite is child-friendly. Here are some key Camping Safety Tips for Kids to keep in mind so you can enjoy the great outdoors.
More Camping Tips and Tricks
1. Use Trash Bags to Keep Your Stuff Dry
As with all aspects of camping, weather can be the prime factor influencing whether its a fun family retreat or a nightmare. Rain in particular can quickly ruin a campout if you are not careful.
There is nothing worse than getting all of your clothes and gear soaked, so don’t.
Before you leave the house, line your backpack with a disposable garbage bag for instant water protection. It’s easy and cheap, and it certainly beats having to deal with wet socks!
2. Dry Your Shoes Out Overnight with Dirty Clothes
Whether through sweat, rain, or fun at the lake, it is easy to soak your shoes while camping. This can be incredibly annoying, especially when leaving them out overnight doesn’t seem to make an impact.
There is a great way to dry your shoes for the new day. Simply remove the soles and stick some dirty clothes into the shoe overnight. Remove the clothes from the shoes in the morning and add the soles for the day.
Speaking of dirty clothes, if you plan to do laundry while camping, start saving the plastic bread clips from your loaves of bread. They are much smaller and lighter than wooden clothespins, and work just as well!
3. Freeze Water in Plastic Containers instead of Ice
Taking ice camping can be incredibly annoying. It’s bulky to haul around ice coolers, and once the ice is melted, everything non-plastic in the cooler gets soaked. However, there are better alternatives to ice when camping.
Before leaving, fill some plastic containers such as gallon jugs or water bottles with water and freeze them. Line your coolers with these bottles for all of the benefits of ice with none of the mess.
Additionally, once the water in the containers melts, you have clean drinking water for your family.
Hauling drinking water can be bulky and space consuming, but this hack solves both of those problems at the same time.
4. Light Hacks for Camping
It’s all fun and games until the sun goes down, so you will need to have some good sources of light to take with you camping. Headlamps are a favorite of campers, but they have some drawbacks.
For starters, they only light up what you look at, and can be annoying to other campers if you accidentally hit them with the direct light.
However, you can easily create a lantern by placing your headlamp into a gallon jug, perhaps one that you hauled ice in as well. This hack lets you have the best of headlamps and standard lanterns.
Additionally, gallon jugs are incredibly light and easy to hang for light wherever you need.
For the artsy campers, you can also paint containers such as jars with glow in the dark paint for an easy DIY lantern.
5. Use Sandpaper as a Striker
If you have a plastic match case, it can be a pain if you forget to bring something to strike matches. However, this problem can be easily remedied.
Simply glue some sandpaper to the top of your match case for use as a striker.
Be sure to purchase strike anywhere matches to fill up your match case. Additionally, the sandpaper will help to keep your matches dry in wet and humid conditions, which can be a literal life saver.
6. The Versatile Corn-Chip
Corn chips are incredibly versatile food, serving as both a tasty snack and a firestarter! Crushed corn chips and Doritos chips can be used as kindling to start a fire and don’t take very many to be effective.
Additionally, corn chips can be turned into nachos, walking tacos, or even used as a breading for plenty of great camping meals.
7. Use a Belt to Hang Items up to Dry
Before going to bed at night, remove your belt and hang it around a sturdy branch. Then, attach some sort of hook to it to hang items up to dry. Pots and pans, socks, shoes, and more can be hung up.
Additionally, this can be a great way to hang up food or items that have held food to keep out of reach of campsite bandits such as raccoons.
8. Water Bottles are a Lifesaver
There are many ways to put more utility into your reusable water bottle for camping. For example, consider wrapping duct tape, rope, or paracord around your water bottle in case of an emergency.
Additionally, certain items such as compasses and firestarters can be attached to your water bottle.
The hook of your bottle can also be used to carry fishing kits, matches, first aid kits, or whatever else you may need at a moment’s notice.
You can also use recyclable water bottles to transport foods, such as pancake mix or egg yolks/whites. Typically, water bottles can hold up to 8 eggs, so it’s up to you to decide how you want to use them.
Water bottles can be a great ally while camping when used in the right way.
9. Get more Use out of Containers
There are many great ways to use containers that we take for granted.
Metal mint containers can be used to store essentials such as a lighter, and can be kept on your person easily. Tic-Tac containers can be used to transport spices for cooking.
Additionally, you can use a coffee can to keep your toilet paper dry, or whatever else you may want to place in it!
Camping can be a wonderful experience, but a challenging experience nonetheless. Fortunately, there are many camping hacks to make your life a little easier.
With the proper safety and preparation, camping can be incredibly rewarding and fun for the entire family.
With these hacks, you can turn your next camping trip into an unforgettable outdoor adventure.
Yummy Camping Recipes
- Smores Dip
- Taco Salad
- Camping Breakfast Skillet with Eggs, Bacon, and Hashbrowns
- How To Make Campfire Banana Boats
Fun Camping Activities
1. Free Printable Camping Scavenger Hunt
Kids love this Free Printable Camping Scavenger Hunt! Get this free printable PDF filled with fun things kids can look for while camping.
2. Printable Activity Bingo
24+ camping activities for kids to do in and around the campsite. This Printable Activity Bingo is filled with fun things to do when camping.
3. Camping Word Search Printable
It’s summertime and camping season is in full swing! Whether it’s a rainy day or you and the kids just need some down time after a busy morning of camping activities, snuggle in your sleeping bag or in the shade of a big tree and get to work on this fun Camping Word Search Printable!
4. Free Animal Tracks Printable Cards
These Free Animal Tracks Printable Cards are such a great way to get your kids outside and enjoying the great outdoors. There are so many fun ways to use these free printable cards, they are perfect for the little explorer in your life!
5. Free Printable Camping Taboo Game
Camping is a time to connect with nature, family, and friends. It’s also an opportunity to enjoy fun games that bring everyone together. One such great game is this Free Printable Camping Taboo Game. This game is a twist on the classic Taboo game, with a camping theme that makes it perfect for your outdoor adventures.
6. Free Printable Camping Bucket Lists
Camping is a fun activity for many outdoor enthusiasts. It’s a chance to reconnect with nature, escape the hustle and bustle of daily life, and create lasting memories with family and friends. But sometimes, planning a camping trip can feel overwhelming or monotonous. That’s where a Free Printable Camping Bucket Lists comes in handy.
7. Free Printable Camping Word Scramble Game
Are you planning a camping trip and looking for a fun, educational activity to entertain adults and kids of all ages? Look no further! A Free Printable Camping Word Scramble Game is the perfect solution. This activity involves a list of scrambled words related to camping that players need to unscramble. It’s a simple yet engaging way to keep minds sharp while enjoying the great outdoors.
Other Posts to Help You Enjoy a Family Vacation
- The Best Family-Friendly National Parks in the US
- Top States to Camp in the US
- Fun Road Trip Scavenger Hunt for Kids
