14 All Around Camping Tips for Everyone 

1. Learn about edible plants in the area.

This will provide something to do when out and about, as well as provide some additional food and flavor to the dishes you already have prepared. You could also end up with some interesting wild edibles.

2. Learn about the wildlife dangers in the area.

Are there bears? Wolves? Lime-Disease carrying ticks? Mosquitoes? A bunch of leeches in the lake? Poisonous snakes and spiders? Make sure you get abreast of any of those threats to your good vibed wilderness adventure. If anything catches you by surprise, you will be thankful you were educated enough to know how to handle the situation.

3. Bring cooking spices.

Spices are lightweight and make all the difference in some things. Cinnamon, Paprika, Salt & Pepper, Lemon Pepper, and a general Fish & Vegetable Seasoning along with a Steak Seasoning is what I recommend as being a lightweight flavor and morale boost. Trust me, you will be happy you brought it when you realize you could use it.

4. Plan your meals.

Based on your length of your stay, you should know how much food you need and how much of it will need to be non-perishable. Make sure you get the most bang for your buck on your first night in terms of food and energy. You are safe to have perishable foods the first night and morning. You also may want to consider what you will do if it rains during one of the nights.

5. Pack non-perishables.

Nuts, Trail Mixes, Dried Fruits, canned goods like Tuna, or precooked and prepackaged lentils or soups, crackers, noodles, rice, quinoa, etc.

6. Plan to be around water, and bring 2 water filters.

Not having water around makes the trip a little less enjoyable. Sometimes, it is part of the trip though. If you are around water and plan to get it from the area, make sure you have 2 types of filters, just in case one breaks or gets used up. If you are packing water in, make sure you bring way more than you expect to use, and that you set guidelines about using it.

7. Portable camping activities.

Bring something to pass the time, you will realize you have a lot of it when you are in the wilderness free of the common chores of everyday life. A pair of binoculars for bird watching or star gazing, a book, a speaker for music, deck of cards, a hacky sack, a harmonica, etc.

8. If you have a campfire, have a small one.

With the rampant fires across the globe, this one is important. Make sure you have small fires as they are easier to control. To ensure a small fire, have smaller pieces of wood and feed it only as you need it. You may be required to bring an axe to chop it down more, but it’s way worth it instead of overusing the wood for a campfire and potentially burning down another forest.  Always have a good sized reservoir of water nearby to dump on any stray flames, in case an accident was to occur.

9. If you plan on cooking, bring a camp stove.

Cooking over a campfire is a lot harder than you think.  Also, if you are depending on cooking over a campfire for dinner one night, you might want to have a backup plan in case it rains and the wood is all wet. This ties into the meal planning tip as well. As the sayin going if you fail to plan, plan to fail.

10. Pack waterproof and lightweight gear.

Its better to have waterproof stuff, than non-waterproof stuff. If a rain store were to hit, and you were underprepared; you would be spending awhile drying off your clothes. Bring a swimsuit and any waterproof clothing to help recover from any weather midhaps more easily. Plus if you are crossing and rivers or streams, it may help clothes dry off faster as well.  Sandals are good shoes to bring along as a lightweight change out of hiking boots.

11. Bring drink mixes.

These can come in handy, especially if you bring alcohol. But electrolyte or hydration mixes or things like Kool-aid or Emergen-C, etc. can all be quite nice when all you expected to have in the wilderness was only water. If you find things like wild mint, or cucumbers; you could make a more naturally flavored water from that.

12. Bring non-toxic soaps

Dr.Bronner’s is a multipurpose, non-toxic, eco-friendly and affordable soap that is perfect for camping. If you haven’t heard of it, I recommend you try it out at least once.  I use this in my kitchen and use it in the wilderness as well.

13. Pack out what you bring in.

The basic rule of enjoying the wilderness. Ultimately, its just about respecting your environment and the places you are visiting. Respect the environment, don’t dirty it; try to preserve it for the next person to enjoy.

14. Some kind of insect repellent.

Tea Tree oil Dr. Bronner's soap is a way to double with some form of insect deterent, but you may also want to get something else like mosquito repellent bracelets or other kinds of sprays. Small citronella/eucalyptus/tea tree oil candles in tin cans are a great little hack to provide a some controlled candlelight in the evening while providing some repellent. You can always bring extra citronella oil to add to the candle if you need to increase the strength.