This post is in collaboration with Jellystone Park Camps-Resorts. Yet all opinions and hack concepts are mine.
School’s out for summer! Well… almost. You know what that means… CAMPING. So grab your tent, your “pic-a-nic basket” and all those things you almost threw away and head to Jellystone Park for the week!
That’s exactly what we do every summer. It started when my wife and I were first married. She had never gone camping, while I had gone several times a year growing up. I was determined to show her how fun it could be. Beginning in 2004, we went camping at Jellystone Park. Here we are today, four kids later… and we still go (with a much bigger tent and a much wiser mind!
We’re PREPARED now… because we’ve got a handful of kids to keep a watchful eye on. We can’t “wing it” like we used to.
What does being prepared to look like as a parent? Oh yeah… that’s the best part of camping- you can act “like a kid.” Wash off in the lake, eat hot dogs (three days in a row), make a fire every day…it’s pretty much every dad’s dream.
On that note, here are five hacks that turn everyday items (that your wife almost made you throw away) into camping must-haves. Yep… “smarter than the av-er-age bear!”
Yogi Bear and Jellystone Parks are offering you the chance to win a 7-day/6-night trip for 5 to the Jellystone Park of your choice in the U.S. or Canada. Enter today! Then remember to come back here & follow these camping hacks… they’ll come in handy.
Hack #1: NEW DRYER SHEETS
No need for clean laundry in the wild! However, I can still use these dryer sheets to fight off the mosquitos and avoid getting West Nile or Malaria… and to lessen the power of my earthy aroma. Bugs, however, hate the smell, so tuck them under three sides of your ball cap to keep them away.
Hack #2: OLD DRYER SHEETS
How many times do you pull a shirt out of your drawer and find an old dryer sheet in there? Tell me I’m not alone here. Next time it happens, save it. When you’re prepping to go camping, take those old dryer sheets to wash your hands. Just spread some dish soap on them (I used a paintbrush) and let it dry. Cut it into strips and store them in an old gum or candy container. When you need to wash your hands, just get it wet, and you’re all set.
Hack #3: LANYARDS
Ever wonder what to do with all of those annoying lanyards from your days hitting the office or out-of-town conference? I’ve got it…
Grab a Hanging body loofah, hanging hand sanitizer bottles filled with soap, conditioner, and shampoo and put them on your lanyard. Put it around your neck until you get to the shower then hang them on the handle. Your stuff never touches the floor, and you won’t leave anything behind.
Hack #4: PILL BOTTLE
The next time your medicine runs out, don’t toss the bottle. I repurpose the bottle for a watertight match keeper. Just cut off the striker paper (cut it from the matchbox) and glue it to the lid. Fill the bottle with matchsticks. You’ll be ready to make a fire at a moment’s notice.
Hack #5: MAKEUP PADS
You know that eleven-year-old container of Vaseline that’s been sitting in the back of your drawer from when your first baby was born? Now you have a reason to finish it. Grab some of your wife’s makeup remover pads (she won’t even notice) and wipe the petroleum jelly on it. The cotton is flammable, but with the petroleum jelly on it – you’re good for 20 seconds or more until you can add that kindling. Store them in an old container.
Hack #6: TORTILLA CHIP TINDER
Most people think that they need to learn how to use the hand or bow drill for a fire, or even breaking your back looking for small pieces of kindling on the ground. Instead, I use the TWO-TO-ONE METHOD for starting a fire: Two chips for me…one for the fire. Use your pill-bottle matchstick to light the chips on fire.
Have fun, happy camping and here’s one more reminder to Head over to enter the sweepstakes to win a 7-day/6-night trip for 5 to the Jellystone Park of your choice in the U.S. or Canada: Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resorts, RV Campgrounds – all part of the Jellystone Park® Camp Resorts Sweepstakes
Disclosure: This post is in collaboration with Jellystone Park Camps-Resorts. Yet all opinions and hack concepts are mine.
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