1. Forgot your lantern?

Tryna casually hang out but keep shining your light in other people’s eyes? Simply attach a headlamp to a water bottle, nalgene, or clear vessel and voila, a makeshift lantern! So please, put down those glow-sticks….seriously.

2. What’s grey, sticky, and one of our favorite things here at Hipcamp?

Duct Tape! If you haven’t experienced all the camping glory that it has to offer, or think you know all possible uses, read on! We wrote a whole blog post featuring the wonders of duct tape. You don’t need to bring a whole roll either; just wrap a good amount (like 5 feet) around your waterbottle or a lighter.

3. Prevent mosquito bites

We all know one little pest far too well during time spent in the wilderness – the infamous mosquito. So, one hack that we swear by is simply adding sage to a campfire, as these flying vampires cannot stand it. Not only this, but it adds some nice aroma to any campfire and it’ll help align that chi of yours.

4. Cracked eggs getting you egg-ravated?

Why would you sacrifice eggs (and bacon for that matter) on any camping trip? All you have to do is pre-crack your eggs into a mason jar, Nalgene, or even a heavy duty zip-loc bag and bring them with you. Just make sure you insert the jar into a wine cooler before you pack it into your bag. If it’s in a zip-loc, you can always freeze it as well! This saves you from having to bring a bowl and whisk to scramble your eggs.

5. Prevent ticks from ticking you off

Never fear, combine 1 part tea tree oil to 2 parts water in a spray bottle and spray onto your shoes and socks. That will keep those buggers away!

6. Strike anywhere matches

You can store matches in jars, tic tac boxes, or any old containers, and be able to strike them with sandpaper. Did someone say a match made in heaven?

7. Easy fire starter

If you brought eggs in an egg carton, just fill them with coals, close the lid, place them in the fire and you’re good to go! Now you won’t have to hunt down kindling for your morning breakfast– those eggs will be cooking in no time.

8. Don’t carry extra weight (even if it is fluffy)

For those who can’t sleep without a pillow under their heads, we have the perfect solution for you. Instead of carrying a pillow along with all of your other gear, (or trying to shove it inside of your backpack) just leave it at home… Instead, use the stuff sack that comes with your sleeping bag. Bundle a down jacket inside of the sack and we guarantee you’ll never feel more comfortable!

9. Carry dryer sheets

Studies are showing that keeping a dryer sheet in your pocket will help repel annoying gnats! Not to mention you’ll smell fresh all day long.

10. No kindling? No problem

Aside from an egg carton, other great kindling options are doritos and dryer lint. You’re probably more likely to bring doritos than accumulate your bits of dryer lint from home, but at least the lint can actually serve a good purpose. And doritos, well, you’ll be spared from eating them (nothing wrong with doritos, but if they’re that flammable, that’s a little worrying).

11. Sew what? Floss like a boss

If you ripped a big hole in your pants while trying to get past that thorny bush, use dental floss to sew it up. It’s a convenient and sturdy alternative to string or thread. The wax makes the binding very strong, it’s easy to thread through the eye of the needle, and it smells good! Just make sure you carry a needle with you; if you don’t have one, you could try a piece of metal or a paper clip (if you happen to carry one of those when you camp, which we kinda doubt).

12. No tent needed

Hate setting up tents and carrying them around? Don’t want to share a tent with someone else? Want to fall asleep under the stars? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should invest in a bivouac sack or shelter. Mostly used by backpackers and mountain climbers, this compact, lightweight, waterproof shelter fits over your sleeping bag for insulation and protection from the elements. Bivy sacks are more similar to sleeping bags in appearance, while bivy shelters have that hoop (as pictured above) to provide more breathing room.