Best Guide for Camping in 2023

Camping connects you with the quiet majesty of nature, allowing you to recharge your batteries and relax with family and friends. For some, “roughing it” is all part of the fun — but why not allow a bit of homespun ingenuity to make things easier for you on your next camping trip?

Here are some of the top camping hacks to take along for the weekend. These camping tips and tricks are crafty, and they are also easy to implement. Best of all, many of them will save you space, time, weight and money.

Planning Your Camping Trip

The best camping trips start with good planning. It is not like you can just jump in your car and go. You have to take weather and time of year into consideration. Plus, you will probably have to book a campground well beforehand unless you plan on backcountry camping. Everything you do to plan your trip before hitting the road will make the camping experience easier and less stressful. So let’s get started.

What kind of camper are you?

We like to break camping down into different types of styles. Some people prefer roughing it as much as they can and others prefer a bit of comfort on their camping trip. By determining what type of camping experience you want to have, you will be able to plan the perfect trip.

Tent Camping: By far the most popular as it usually involves camping in a tent at a campsite or a national park where they have facilities like bathrooms and water.
Car Camping: This is popular in North America as it lets you drive you car into the campsite and the set up is really easy. Sometimes you camp in a tent on the gound, sometimes on top of your car, and the more adventurous just sleep with a blow up mattress in the back of their SUV.
Trailer or Camper: Campervan travel has become increasingly popular and it involves either towing a camper or actually driving a campervan where all the amenities are inside.
Backcountry Camping: This for the hardcore campers and hikers out there. This is where you hike in, carry all of your gear, food, and water (or a water purifyer to purify water from lakes) and you are camping with no facilities. This is the type of camping you usually do when you have a bit of experience.

Picking a Campground

When it comes to choosing a campground it is always recommended to do it in advance. When picking your campground, there are a few things you should consider when choosing one that is right for you:

What is the best time of year to visit? High season or low season?
What amenities are available? For example are there washrooms, do they have running water, do they have fire pits or do you need to pack a camp stove, do you need a picnic table?
What regulations does the campground have? For instance, is there a no fire policy, are there any closures or if you have a dog, are pets allowed?.
How far ahead of time do you need to book to get the campsite you want?

Camping Trips and Tricks

MAKE A LANTERN OUT OF A HEADLAMP AND A JUG OF WATER

All you need is your headlamp and a gallon water jug or a large water bottle. Any translucent bottle will do, but the coolest effect comes from the type of plastic that is not entirely transparent but rather a slightly cloudy color allowing you to see water sloshing around inside.

When it gets dark, strap the headlamp to the side of the jug so the beam is facing inward. The water container transforms into a glowing orb that casts light in all directions! This effect works because the water in the jug spreads the glow, which is dispersed further by the milky plastic of the container.

This makeshift lantern works great anywhere you need ambient light. Whether you need to look for something inside your tent, clean up the picnic table or start a campfire, your night just became a lot easier.

GLUE SANDPAPER INSIDE THE TOP OF YOUR MATCH HOLDER FOR EASY LIGHTING AND WATERPROOFING

Matches are an indispensable item when camping, but it seems all too often, things go wrong with them. They get wet, the case gets soggy or the strike pad wears down until it is smooth. This camping hack ensures your matches will be ready to strike when you need them.

Buy fine-grained sandpaper, preferably with adhesive on one side, to stick it to the matchbox. If not, some glue will do the trick. Attach the sandpaper inside the lid of a small waterproof container that will hold your matches.

The sandpaper will provide a large, coarse surface for striking, and the waterproof container will protect it. No more soggy matches or wet or worn-out strike pad!

LINE YOUR BAG WITH A GARBAGE BAG TO KEEP THE CONTENTS DRY

Weather is everything when camping, and a seasoned camper knows you can never be too prepared for Mother Nature’s fickle moods. Once you are warm and dry inside your tent, there is nothing to worry about — unless you struggle to get warm or dry because your bag and all of its contents got soaked in the rain.

This trick offers the ultimate cost-to-benefit ratio: a single trash bag in exchange for warmth and dryness. Line the inside of your backpack with a trash bag before placing all your items into it. For the cost of a trash bag — somewhere between a nickel and a dime — you have dry clothes and a dry sleeping bag for your trip, guaranteed.

Avoiding wet clothing is crucial for your comfort and safety. Wet clothing can cause you to get chilled very quickly, which can lead to illness, so take this simple step to avoid this issue!

USE SILICA GEL PACKETS TO KEEP YOUR CAMP COOKWARE RUST-FREE BETWEEN USES

You know those silica gel packets that seem to appear in every product? They are quite useful for sucking up moisture, especially in items that tend to rust. Buy a pack of them, or collect them from whatever packages you buy, as they may save your cookware.

In an ideal world, you would dry your cookware completely and store it in a moisture-free environment between uses. But weather changes, basements grow damp, and sometimes dishes must be dried in a rush before you stuff them in your bags — and that is where silica gel packets come in.

Using these packets keeps moisture from rusting away your cookware between uses. It is disappointing to pull out your favorite bowl or skillet and find it spotted with rust, and this little trick will prevent that altogether.

USE GALLON JUGS OF WATER AS ICE PACKS IN YOUR COOLER

Bringing ice on a camping trip can be difficult. It melts quickly and becomes a watery mess, meaning any nonplastic food packaging will soon become soaked and soggy.

As an alternative to pouring ice into your cooler, freeze gallon jugs of water and put them in instead. They will not crack when frozen, and these jugs have built-in room for expansion in freezing. As the ice warms and turns into water, you will have drinking water ready without having to haul extra. Have smaller space? This hack works with individual bottles too!

There are two things to remember when packing water for a camping trip: water is essential, and it is also heavy. Therefore, pack more than enough drinking water, but try not to pack water that will go to waste — like ice that will soon melt and become undrinkable. This hack addresses both points simultaneously by allowing your ice to become extra drinking water after it has done its job of keeping your food cold.