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In any season of the year it is a good idea to go camping. With your friends, family, or partner, why not with your pets? If there is one thing we know about, it is adventure and nature. If you’ve come this far, maybe it’s because you’re going to do some of the best trekking in South America. Yes, the kind you sleep in at the campsite. Either that or you just go camping and don’t want to look inexperienced. Whatever it is, it’s a great plan and a lot of fun. Fun if there’s not a little problem that takes away your sleep… or your food! The excessive heat in summer or the cold in winter, the starving ants that get into all your dishes… you need the best camping hacks!
Although we know that they are particularities of nature and some anecdote is necessary to be able to put a name to the camping, there is a limit and for that reason, after you know the trekking preparation tips we bring you the best advice to camp and so the limits are set by you and not nature (although we love it sometimes it is very naughty). Here we go!.
Set the camp
Start the party! No music, no party? Then put your cell phone in a ceramic cup and give it to the playlist. Here’s another more elaborate camping hack: punch holes in the base of two plastic cups and connect them with a roll of kitchen paper. Punch a hole in half of the roll and insert your cell phone.
Although it is very good to move the skeleton to the sound of music, do not go to full volume in the middle of Machu Picchu. If you are going to do Salkantay Trek or the Inca Trail, hearing the silence at night is fantastic.
Light a fire
To cook, to have light or as heat. Fire is the solution for almost everything, and that’s why lighting a fire is one of the main camping hacks. It’s important to know if it’s allowed! Do not try to light a fire while your Torres del Paine Trekking, it’s forbidden! Once you make sure you can, we know that it is not always easy and that is why we give you some camping hacks to make sure that lighting a fire is not an impossible mission. After an intense day you deserve to be made easy:
- In an egg carton put a piece of charcoal in each compartment and start the fire.
- With a cotton ball and Vaseline (or hand sanitizer, perhaps the easiest option today).
- Put two large trunks crossing them at one end and add wood sticks and three branches. Add Doritos, they help the combustion (surprise!).
Lunchtime!
Once the fire is lit, it’s a piece of cake: some roasted vegetables, meat or fish. If you prefer to take your food with you, just warm it up and if you want to try something new, here is the king of camping hacks: cook an egg on the hood of your car. It may sound dirty and even crazy, but if it’s hot and the sun has warmed up your car, the egg will be done in a moment!
Aluminum foil is a great ally. It can be used to roast food, protect leftovers, wrap any food that might drip when cooked… for example a potato filled with cheese. Watch out for drool!
Scare off your enemies
Well enemies… They are ants, flies and mosquitoes and as they always bother at lunchtime and bedtime we can call them enemies, they are basic needs and they do not respect them! The classic way to end the uncomfortable visit of flies and mosquitoes is to put cloves in a half orange or lemon, but we tell you more!
To prevent ants from climbing up to the food plates, it’s as simple as putting small containers full of water (don’t waste beer on them) under the table legs. Ants can’t swim!
Not the beer with the ants, but the Vodka to scare away the flies is no joke. A few drops on the wrists, arms, legs, and ankles will repel the flies and their smell will scare them off. Better, this way there is no need to share.
You may have noticed that flies and mosquitoes have a very sensitive sense of smell. To scare away the mosquitoes you only have to throw some sage leaves into the fire. They don’t like their smell, they are very sybaritic.
Bedtime!
If it’s winter or simply cold, it’s a good idea to put a bottle of hot water in your sleeping bag before you go to sleep. To avoid that in the morning the contrast of temperature between inside and outside paralyzes you (and you don’t want to go out) you can sleep with the clothes of the following day in a hole of the bag and this way in the morning they will be warm. This is hour favorite camping hack!
What if it’s summer and it’s hot? To keep the tent cool, use an emergency blanket (the ones used in ambulances, yes) that bounces off the sun. At night the interior will be cool and perfect for sweet dreams.
After knowing these camping hacks it is time to put them into practice and spend a few days of disconnection in nature. Are you already looking for the agenda to plan your next camp?