25 Camping Hacks That Are Truly Genius

25. Mosquitoes are one of the few things that can truly spoil a camping experience. Deal with these nuisances by burning sage near your campsite, as sage is a natural mosquito repellent. 24. Speaking of plants, learn to recognize and distinguish poisonous ones. Poison ivy, for example, can cause bad itching, irritation, and sometimes even painful rashes. 23. Need fire kindling material? Try a bag of Doritos. This popular snack is flammable and will keep your fire going strong. 22. If you want to spare your snack but still need a little help with starting the fire, use cotton pads dipped in wax. 21. Doritos and cotton dipped in wax will do the trick when it comes to starting a fire. However, if you want the ultimate fire starter, fill a paper egg carton with matchlight charcoal and then light the whole thing up. 20. Those who cannot imagine a camping trip without their daily portion of hygiene are recommended to create single-use soap leaves. Just grab a vegetable peeler and peel a bar of soap with it. This will prevent you from losing the entire bar and will give you enough soap to clean yourself. 19. But soap can be used for more purposes than just washing. One of the old Boy Scout tricks is to put your valuables into a soap bar. No thief would look for your money in a soap bar. Unless, of course, they're watching this 18. Food preparation is an inseparable part of every camping trip, and aluminum foil is something that no camper should be without. Wrap your meats and place them over a fire. They will come out nice, soft, and juicy. 17. You've probably tried roasted marshmallows, but what about roasted starbursts? What may sound a little bit crazy is actually one of the most delicious things you will ever try when camping. 16. Need a grill to cook those tasty hot dogs? All you need is a metal rake and somebody to hold it for you. 15. Forgo bottled marinades and instead put some aromatic herbs such as rosemary directly on the fire. These will smoke your steaks with natural flavor. 14. If you get lost in the woods, use your watch as a compass. In the Northern Hemisphere, align the hour hand with the sun. The point halfway between the hour hand and the 12 will be the north. In the Southern Hemisphere, align the 12 with the sun. 13. Want a little more comfort while camping? Place foam tiles under your sleeping bag for softer bedding. 12. Save space by using Tic-Tac boxes for your spices. 11. Create single-use packets for things such as toothpaste, ointments, and shampoo by cutting a plastic straw into roughly two-inch pieces. Fill those pieces with the things you want and seal the ends up with a lighter. 10. Looking for a place to put your kitchen tools? Just wrap an old belt around a tree trunk and put some hooks on it. 9. Can't live without music? Take a ceramic mug with you and place your cell phone inside it. This will work as a natural sound amplifier so you don't have to carry those large speakers around with you at all times. 8. Having clean water is a must. If all you have is a container with dirty water, put the end of a piece of cloth in it and stick the other end in an empty container. After some time, the water will filter itself through the cloth, leaving all the dirt in the first container. 7. Freeze plastic jugs of water and put them in your portable cooler. They'll keep your food cold and once they melt, you'll have water to drink. 6. If you camp in cold weather, one of the things you'll appreciate is warm clothes, especially in the morning. Therefore, put tomorrow's clothes in your sleeping bag with you when you go to sleep. 5. When camping for a long time, a portable washing machine comes in handy. Take a large plastic bucket, cut a little hole in the lid, put some water and laundry detergent inside, throw in the dirty clothes, and just start stirring it with a bathroom plunger. 4. Out of matches but need to start a fire? You probably know that you can ignite dry material using a magnifying glass in the sun, but that's not all. Even eyeglasses or any other curved glass object can do the trick. 3. Camping with kids? Keep them entertained with a scavenger hunt. 2. Don't underestimate the importance of the ability to make knots. Every seasoned camper knows there are dozens of different types of knots, each with their own specific function. Learning at least the basic ones can make your camping surprisingly easier. 1. Be sure to bring a frisbee with you. Not only can they be used for fun and games, they can also serve as a plate, a cutting board, an emergency shovel, or even a water container. Enjoying our lists? Be sure to click that subscribe button in the top right corner so you don't miss out on new ones every Monday through Friday. Share them with your friends and help us consistently conciliate curiosity. And if you want even more lists, check out these two videos here or just head to our website at list25.com