--Camping Tips and Tricks--

[JetGirl]

Toilet paper. I'm just sayin'.

 

[laws1785]

We began, years ago, creating a list of choice campsites for every campground we visit on a regular basis. Really helps make the whole trip more pleasant.

 

[SavageEagle]

Toilet paper. I'm just sayin'.

Maple leafs. Or Oak leafs. If you can find them before, your buisness, sassafras leaves are the softest. There is some kind of bush or weed that has the HUGE leaves, but I forgot what it is. You can't miss them though.

Who needs TP?

Also, if you have girls in Girl Scouts, check out their camp before they go. My daughter just attended one down by Beanblossom and it was CRAPPY! They sat in their "cabin" home most of the week, went bareback riding on a horse... around two circles smaller than a quarter acre and that's it. Also did a climbing wall. Once. Played Volleyball. Once. Oh, and ONE campfire. They had no say in anything. They were forced to stay indoors 60% of the time. They earned 3 merit badges.

My Boy Scout camp, Old Ben Scout Reservation, we spent 3% of the time in the mess hall to eat. We slept in tents we pitched ourselves, shot guns, worked with leather and wood, did an obsticale course, canoeing and swimming, and on and on and on. We earned at least 6 merit badges every year if not more... just a camp.

My point, ALWAYS check out the camp first, then decide.

 

[SmileDocHill]

foil dinners

wrap beef, veggies, and almost anything in foil and let it cook in the coals. To see what I'm talking about goto Cracker Barrel and get their campfire dish. I had one and had a flashback to boy scouts. I've never had a restaurant get that one right like that before.

 

[JetGirl]

Who needs TP?

ME!! Weren't you listening?

Also, if you have girls in Girl Scouts,

Not anymore...but I was a GS leader for seven years. Six really short ones and one reeeeeeeally long one!

 

[hotfarmboy1]

wrap beef, veggies, and almost anything in foil and let it cook in the coals. To see what I'm talking about goto Cracker Barrel and get their campfire dish. I had one and had a flashback to boy scouts. I've never had a restaurant get that one right like that before.

Oh yeah good ole hobo dinners! Those are the best on a cold night! I also liked making pizza in a mess kit in the coals of a fire. I've shown people how to do it since and they were amazed lol.

Another tip, especially if in a cabin. Always be sure to have a pocketknife with you in your bag when you go to sleep. Cause there are times you might wake up saran wrapped and duct taped in your bed, lol. And no it wasn't me, it happened to a couple other guys in the troop though. Oh yeah, if someone asks you if you want to go on a snipe hunt, just say no, lol. They didn't scare me, but got some of the other younger guys really good one night, haha.

 

[Bigum1969]

Oh yeah good ole hobo dinners! Those are the best on a cold night! I also liked making pizza in a mess kit in the coals of a fire. I've shown people how to do it since and they were amazed lol.

Please post your campfire pizza recipe

 

[SavageEagle]

Foil packs are the sheet! They are the end all, be all of campfire cooking. Mmmmmm... I have a sudden urge to go camping...

Annie, leaves are just as good as TP. As long as you don't pick the poison ivy... Also, and this is something you can use ANYWHERE, GRASS, the stuff your yard is made out of, (not the funny stuff) CAN BE USED AS A NAPKIN/WASH CLOTH!!!! It'll even take oil and grease off your hands!

Imagine that one?

 

[hotfarmboy1]

Please post your campfire pizza recipe

haha, I'm surprised you guys have never heard about how to do it, its actually pretty easy. At one camporee I even did a video on how to do it and won 2nd prize over the rest of the district. Only help I had was borrowing a camcorder, and my scoutmaster pressing rec and stop.

Its pretty simple really.
For the crust I like to use the Jiffy brand pizza crust mix, but any of your boxed homemade pizza kits will do. Just try to find one that you just add water, that's the easiest.
Make up your dough, normally one of those kits will make a few pizzas the size of the mess kit, so either have multiple people there, or be prepared to have extra.
Grease the bottom of your mess kit either with butter, pam, or equivilent so that the crust won't stick as bad. Starting with your ball of dough, don't need it to be too big unless you want a real thick crust. Spread it around the pan with your fingers till it covers the whole bottom of the pan. If you wanna do cheese filled crust (yes its possible) leave some extra along the edges and work it out beyond the pan being careful not to rip it off. put in your cheese around the sides ( string cheese works best) and roll it up and pinch it tight so that it will be inside the pan.
Spread your pizza sauce around your crust however thin or thick you want it and add your toppings, for me its normally pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, (if I have it), onions and green peppers, and of course plenty of cheese. At this time put on any other seasonings you may want, garlic, italian seasoning, etc. Put the cover on your pan (the other half of the mess kit). Swing the handle around so that when tightened it will hold it closed. Tighten handle in place. Use a shovel and set some hot coals off to the side of the fire to set it on, if they are still bright hot and burning it will probably burn the bottom, get the ones that are just glowing so it will cook through better. And then put some on top as well.
Check after 10-15 mins, and see if you need any longer or if its done. If not done then put back on for however long you may need. After its done to your satisfaction. Let cool off to the side for a few minutes, then use leather gloves, and probably a pair of pliers to loosen the nut for the handle. Hopefully it won't be stuck too bad in the pan, but if you put enough butter/pam on the pan it should be ok.
Use a spatula to remove from pan, or eat straight out of it if you want.

Enjoy!!

 

[SmileDocHill]

campfire dinners: Don't go cheap on the foil, It is amazing when the foil seals well and everything cooks within its own juices, it is a dried up paper weight when a hole gets punched in the bottom and everything dries up.
Have you guys tried the campfire dinners at Cracker barrel? I am in no way tied to them, don't really like the place but my wife does so I go there often. Now that they have these I'll go as often as she wants (the lie here is the implied suggestion that I had any say on the matter.)

 

[Stimp]

Buy permetherin in the garden area and mix it in a windex bottle to the potency of the spray can in the camping area. Then you have enough to flea dip the dog and keep ticks and mosquitos off you for years. Plus it doesn't stink and make you feel all greasy like deet. I spray it on every thing, folding chairs deer and turkey blinds, hunting clothes, tent, hammok, the dog, the porch, shoes, pants, and hats. Chem warfare is where it's at. When it comes to ticks, kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out.

Thermacell for deer hunting when you have to sit still or those twilight hours in camp especially on fishing trips to the north woods. Permethrin and Thermacell, here's to true men of genius.

Do you just mix it with water? and what is the potency again?
Sorry for making you repeat

 

[SavageEagle]

What's funny is I was just out talking with a guy about camping today. He knew little to nothing of camping too. I got a chance to see his nice hiking pack and let me tell you what... I know most of us know this, but for those who don't, how you pack your hiking pack can really make a difference.

First, if you know what things you need and have a good checklist, that's the place to start. Don't guess about what you may or may not need. Know what kind of area you will be hiking in and what kinds of things would be in that area. Without knowing that, you could happen upon wetlands when you packed for the woodlands. Anything you don't NEED, don't bring. Chances are you won't need that copy of Guns and Ammo, or that tire iron... (Yes, this was two things in the guy's pack that made me laugh!)

Weight is everything. If you plan to carry your pack, a 40lbs pack will feel like 80 by the time you get to your 5th-6th mile.

Second, organization is KEY when filling your pack. Anything you might need while you are hiking goes in the easiest access pouches. Multi-tool, camera, flashlight, energy bar, water bottle, map, compass, pens, paper, all should be located in outside pouches, pockets, top of pack. Set these aside. Extra clothes, canoeing shoes, food, anything that you won't be using until you stop to rest or camp goes in first on bottom.

Once all this has been packed in, only then should you attach your tent and/or sleeping bag.

This guy didn't even pack his truck right. I could have easliy repacked it and had 3/5th's of that truck bed left to fill....

Just a refresher for those of us who know, a helpful hint for those whom don't.

 

[jeremy]

Buy permetherin in the garden area and mix it in a windex bottle to the potency of the spray can in the camping area. Then you have enough to flea dip the dog and keep ticks and mosquitos off you for years. Plus it doesn't stink and make you feel all greasy like deet. I spray it on every thing, folding chairs deer and turkey blinds, hunting clothes, tent, hammok, the dog, the porch, shoes, pants, and hats. Chem warfare is where it's at. When it comes to ticks, kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out.

Thermacell for deer hunting when you have to sit still or those twilight hours in camp especially on fishing trips to the north woods. Permethrin and Thermacell, here's to true men of genius.

Do you just mix it with water? and what is the potency again?
Sorry for making you repeat

DO NOT PUT THIS ON YOUR SKIN!

Use only on your gear or your clothing and do not handle gear or clothing while wet from application...
It is bad stuff OK.

 

[Jack Ryan]

DO NOT PUT THIS ON YOUR SKIN!

Use only on your gear or your clothing and do not handle gear or clothing while wet from application...
It is bad stuff OK.

Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

DO NOT PUT THIS ON YOUR SKIN!

They used to sell it in the camping area in an aerosole can to use in the manner I'm describing. They probably still do. I read the can, in fact I bought one can, use their ingredients lable to calculate out the mixture. I don't remember exactly what it was but it's different any way depending on what strength you find. I marked it on my bottle I mix it in.

Just recently I was at Tractor supply and found permetherin is the active ingrediant in their termite insecticide. It is a large bottle of concentrate. In the same store in the dog medicine and shampoo area they have an insect/tick/flea type shampoo for dogs that permetherin is the active ingrediant.

It seemed to work out about the same as what I was using before so the last mix I made I just did it the same way.

Every label always said DO NOT PUT THIS ON YOUR SKIN! but it's not like it's toxic nuclear waste. They used it for years on dogs and it's one of the two active ingrediants in Advantage flea and tick for dogs with the deliberate intent that they absorb it in to their skin for total body protection. It is also a common inseticide many pest control companies use all over and inside homes as well. Just don't use it on your skin. I wouldn't use it on a baby blanket or anything like that but other than that I spray a lot of it.

Use the dog for a mosquitoe deke. Cover their eyes so it doesn't get in their eyes and spray a little misting on their head and face to cut them a break from the mosquitoes. Do it little while before you go out to the porch and the skeeters will already all be dead. The most common place for a dog to get bit is on the face.

Yes mix it with water.

 

[tom1025]

Always take a tarp it has numerous uses. Road flares are awesome fire starters. And if you are car camping bring an axe.

 

[met eng gun nut]

Dryer sheets in your tent will ward off bugs if placed in there early enough

 

[briand212]

Leatherman...... good lord dont forget your leatherman

 

[qwerty99]

Don't forget about banana boats! (like a s'more stuffed inside a banana and cooked over the coals)

 

[gus1989]

Don't forget about banana boats! (like a s'more stuffed inside a banana and cooked over the coals)

This sounded interesting. I googled it and will definitely try it out this fall. Thanks!

 

[Tommy2Tone]

Going camping at turkey run this weekend...any tips. Not necessarily camping tips but more specific to turkey run.