H Y D A W A Y

With the weather warming up and flowers starting to bloom, it’s time to get out and enjoy the great outdoors! If you’re thinking about camping for Spring Break, check out this list of great spring break camping essentials to make your trip as seamless as possible:

Source: Frugal Family Home

Pre-Pack Fire Starters – or Use a Bundle of Sage!

There’s nothing harder than starting a campfire with wet wood or while being attacked by a swarm of mosquitos. To help your fire grow bigger, faster, make your own fire starters ahead of time! Use an old toilet paper roll packed with dryer lint to help turn a spark into ablaze. If the campfire smoke alone isn’t enough to keep the bugs at bay, burning a bundle of sage can help keep those pesky critters away as well. This a spring break must as we all know how those spring break bugs can be.

Source: HGTV

Use Bungee Cords to Clip Just About Anything

From hanging wet towels to holding your trash bags, bungee cords are an absolute must-have for camping. Hang your lanterns in your tent on a bungee cord for overhead lighting. Use a carabiner to attach just about anything to avoid losing it in your bundle of sleeping bags and gear. We use ours so we never lose our HYDAWAY bottles in our tents.

Source: Ars Spiritus

Turn a Water Jug Into a Lantern

The kids will love this this spring break camping essential. Take a large water jug (preferably one that’s a little frosted) and flip your headlamp into it to create an easy lantern. Later you can use the water to fill up your HYDAWAY bottles or wash dishes if you don’t have a faucet near your campsite. Don’t forget to hydrate while you’re out on a hike!

Source: Southern Living

Instead of Using Ice, Freeze Foods to Eat Later

Make soupy foods ahead of time and freeze them into ice packs! This way, everything in your ice chest won’t be covered in water AND you’ll have food ready for the second day. This works great for shorter weekend trips so you won’t have to leave camp to search for extra ice. Some great foods for this tip are soups and chili which will warm you up at night and are quick and easy to reheat over a camp stove. Some more great camping food can be found here.

Source: Field & Stream

Store Toilet Paper in an Old Coffee Can

If you’re in the backcountry, you never know when you’re going to find a real restroom. The best thing you CAN do is make sure you at least have some toilet paper handy. Keep it secure in a coffee can so it stays clean. Bonus! Hang it on a bungee cord as we mentioned earlier to have a designated bathroom area near your campsite.

Source: Life Hacker

Pre-Mix Your Breakfast

Never worry about breaking your eggs! Scramble them ahead of time and store them in an easy-pour bottle like an old coffee creamer bottle or an old squeeze top. The same goes with pancake mix! You can squeeze out just the right amount from an old ketchup bottle for perfect pancakes.

Source:  Peace and Projects

Keep Perishable Foods in a Plastic Tub

You’re not the only one out in the woods who wants to eat your food. Keep important meal essentials like bread and crackers, as well as utensils and tools that have touched food away from critters, such as raccoons and squirrels, by storing them in a tough plastic container with a lid outside your tent. This also helps protect your food from surprise rainstorms or random spills.

If you’re camping in a national park this Spring Break, check out our post about activities for the ultimate adventurer. Take some photos and post them with #MyHydaway to share your adventures. Have a great Spring Break from all of us at HYDAWAY!