It’s officially the best time of the year — camping season! If you love to go camping, here are some hacks that can make summer camping easier and more fun for you and your family! Try these camping hacks on your next trip, and let us know which ones you liked!

Tacos In A Bag

One easy camping meal for kids is tacos in a bag or “walking tacos.” You will need bags of your favorite chips, and all of the taco ingredients. Don’t want to waste more paper or have dishes to do? Simply heat up the taco meat over the fire or camp stove, and add it to your bag of chips. Then add toppings like shredded lettuce, cheese, salsa, olives, sour cream, or guacamole. You’ll have a quick and easy meal anyone can make!

Play Tic Tac Toe With Nature

Forgot your games and feeling bored? Grab four sticks, five rocks, and five pinecones. Use the sticks to create a tic tac toe board. Put two down parallel to each other and then two perpendicular across them, creating the board. Play tic tac toe. One team is rocks and the other is pinecones. The first one to make a row wins!

Keep Your Tent Clean

One trick to keeping your tent clean is to have a basket right as you enter the tent where all the shoes go. As people walk into the tent, make them take off their shoes. The mud, leaves, and other outdoor things will be confined to the basket.Have A Comfortable Sleep

If you have a yoga mat at home, consider bringing it with you! It will add an extra layer of padding under your sleeping bag. During the day you can do some outdoor yoga in the fresh air!

Bring Your Glow Sticks

Glow sticks are great for camping because they can help you see at night. When the sun goes down, crack your glow sticks and get ready for some fun. You can make headbands, necklaces, and bracelets out of your glow sticks so your family knows where you are at night. It will help you avoid getting lost. You may still want to carry a flashlight though if you’re venturing more than a few steps away from your tent.

Try Other Campfire Desserts

S’mores are a classic camping dessert. But have you thought about other types of desserts to try? Buy a pack of cinnamon rolls, and put those on the skewer over the fire. The cinnamon rolls will warm up and get toasty. Then you can take them off the stick and drizzle a little bit of the glaze on your bite. 

Another tasty dessert is a banana boat. Open one side of a banana peel and shove in marshmallows, chocolate chips, and other toppings you want. Put the whole thing in foil, and set it on top of a rack over the campfire. Once it gets warm, take it off and everything will be gooey, melty, and delicious.

Freeze Water Bottles

If you’re packing food in a cooler for your trip, consider freezing jugs or bottles of water ahead of time. Once frozen, place those in your cooler and then pack your food around them. The frozen water bottles will act as your ice for the first part of the trip, and as they melt you can use them for things like hand washing or washing dishes. 

Pack Your Clothes In Plastic Bags

One easy way to make sure you have enough clothes for each day you’re going to be gone is to pack that day’s outfit in a plastic zip bag. Label it with the day that it’s meant to be worn, and that will help you plan ahead. Keeping them in plastic bags also helps prevent all your clothes from getting dirty when you reach into the bag to get a new shirt. 

Shoe Organizers Aren’t Just For Shoes

A shoe organizer is a great way to organize all of your supplies at your camping site. Hang a clear shoe organizer up on a tree near your tent, and store your utensils, hand sanitizer, and other small items in it. They will each have their own compartment so they don’t get lost. Remember not to store food in it or near your tent. During the day keep your food secured in your cooler or car, and at night put all food and trash in a bear box. 

Mark The Trail

If you are planning to go out for a hike it might be a good idea to bring some trail marking tape/ties. You can usually put this on a small tree or branch to indicate your path. That way if you get lost, your family will know how to find you. 

Light The Tent

One way to light the tent up is to strap a headlamp to a gallon of water. The light won’t be directly in someone’s eyes like a headlamp usually is, and then you also have water in your tent in case you get thirsty during the night.