We're keen to hear about all the camping hacks that are great while caravanning and camping, and learn something new along the way. Read on as we share our favourite camp kitchen and leisure hacks and boy, do we have a lot of them!
We've got the best camping hacks for every aspect of your next camping trip: camping food, camping gear, camping essentials, camping entertainment ... basically any part you can think of!
Let's start with simplifying mealtimes, before the dreaded, ‘Is it dinnertime yet?' chorus sets in. When you're out on the road, keeping mealtimes quick, easy, and engaging can be a challenge. Lucky for you we have heaps of kitchen and food hacks, and we've rounded up the best for you. Did anybody say eggs?
Camp kitchen 101 to stay out of hot water on your camping trip
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Crack your eggs into an empty water bottle—they're super easy to serve, and you'll have no worries about broken eggs while on the move.
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Make breakfast eggs even easier by preparing everyone's omelettes the night before and refrigerate in a snap lock bag, small container, or water bottle (see above). Add whatever ingredients, herbs, and spices you like, label them for each person, and you'll have a simple, no-fuss, no-mess brekky in no time!
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Pre-mix your pancake batter at home and decant into an empty squeezy sauce or mayo bottle, and you're all set to make perfect pancakes without the mess.
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Looking to spice up those camping dinners? Store your selection of spices in empty Tic Tac boxes for minimal storage and maximum flavour.
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Make your grill non-stick in a hurry: cut an onion in half and rub it on the hotplate prior to cooking—voila!
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Wrap some egg and bacon rolls from the local bakery or supermarket in aluminium foil and heat over the coals on the fire (where permitted) for an easy and warming lunch for hungry tummies.
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We haven't forgotten that precious morning cup of coffee! Make your own easy coffee bags for your caravan or camping adventure by scooping your favourite coffee into a filter and tying it with dental floss. Simple, cheap, and you can still get your morning cuppa in a flash.
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Keep food cool on a picnic by filling a shower cap with ice and placing the food dish on top to create an ice-box effect. No bulky esky required!
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Prevent your precious wine bottles from rattling about in the caravan or the boot of the car by popping them inside your woolliest socks to keep them safe and cease the dreaded back-seat rattle. Nobody likes cold toes, so don't forget the socks can also be worn when you've stopped overnight—two birds with one stone!
Leisure ideas and fire starters (that don't require any extra batteries!)
Now that everybody's bellies are full using the hacks above, it's time to have some fun! Keep the little kids as well as the big kids entertained with these leisure hacks:
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Make holding your cards close to your chest easy for little hands and those in windy weather by using an old pool noodle as a card holder. Simply cut a piece off the end for each person, and carefully slice halfway through to create a slot to insert the cards!
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There's no better activity for the whole family than toasting marshmallows over the fire (where permitted), and who knew that corn chips are great for kindling?
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Here's another easy way to light a fire wherever you are—keep charcoal in an egg carton. Light the cardboard from the carton, which then lights the charcoal and will get the fire started.
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Snap up a couple of glow sticks and chuck them in your leftover plastic water bottles. Fill with water and you're ready to bowl in the dark! Reuse, recycle, and reduce campsite boredom all at the same time.
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Need to occupy the young kids while you have some much-needed mum or dad time? Send them out on a treasure hunt around the caravan park! This can be equally as fun for teenagers as it is for the young ones and encourages them to work together as a team. Just be sure to tailer the list of things to spot or collect according to your children's ages.
We hope these tips have given you new inspiration for things to pack on your upcoming camping trips (alongside essentials like a first aid kit, insect repellent, camp stove, fresh food items, eco-friendly rubbish bags, paper towels, and – of course – your tent poles, pegs, and sleeping bag!).
If you've heard of a camping hack that not everyone knows, let us know the life-saver tips you can't live without when you go camping in the great outdoors (from creating storage space to ways to save money on the road).
Start planning your next road trip to test out some of these hacks, and you can check out locations for your next stay with G'day Parks.
