Ah, family camping trips—a beautiful opportunity to bond, enjoy nature, and test how long it takes before someone threatens to sleep in the car. Whether you’re an experienced camper or someone who thinks “roughing it” means no WiFi, these 19 brilliant hacks might just make your next trip slightly less of a disaster.
1. Bring Glow Sticks to Put Inside the Tent Zippers
That way, when your kid wakes up at 3 AM needing to pee, they won’t scream, “I’M LOST!” like you’ve abandoned them in the wilderness.
2. Pre-Crack Your Eggs into a Bottle
Because nothing ruins the camping spirit like reaching for eggs and realizing the carton has turned into a scrambled crime scene in your cooler.
3. Use Doritos as Fire Starters
They’re flammable, they smell delicious, and honestly, it’s the only time in history where a bag of chips actually lasts longer than 10 minutes.
4. Freeze Gallons of Water for Your Cooler
It keeps your food cold, and when it melts, you have drinking water! Unlike that time Dad thought he could “just boil lake water” and got intestinal distress for two days.
5. Pack a First Aid Kit (A Big One)
Because someone in your family will trip over a root, touch a questionable plant, or think they’re Bear Grylls and try to wrestle a raccoon for a granola bar.
6. Use Tic-Tac Containers for Spices
You’ll feel like a gourmet chef in the woods right up until you realize your kids only want hot dogs and marshmallows for every meal.
7. Bring Baby Wipes (Even If You Have No Baby)
Because at some point, someone is going to say, “I don’t need a shower, I went in the lake.” Spoiler alert: They need a shower.
8. Turn an Old Coffee Can into a Toilet Paper Holder
Nothing builds family unity quite like one roll of damp toilet paper being passed around like The Lord of the Rings.
9. Make Your Own Lantern With a Water Jug and a Headlamp
Or, you know, just give your kids flashlights and let them blind you every five seconds for fun.
10. Pre-Make Camping Meals in Foil Packets
Because nobody wants to be chopping onions in the middle of a forest while being swarmed by mosquitoes the size of small birds.
11. Bring Extra Trash Bags
Because nature is beautiful and shouldn’t have to suffer because you thought a single plastic bag would be enough to hold a week’s worth of family snacks.
12. Store Matches in a Mason Jar with Sandpaper on the Lid
Otherwise, get ready for the timeless camping tradition called “Mom holds a wet matchbox while Dad mutters about survival skills.”
13. Keep Shoes Outside the Tent in a Plastic Bin
Because stepping on a rogue pinecone at 2 AM while half-asleep is an out-of-body experience.
14. Pack a Hammock (for Escape Purposes)
It’s not really for relaxing—it’s for hiding from your family when things get tense over who lost the only lighter.
15. Bring Extra Socks
Because one kid will lose theirs, one will soak theirs, and one will somehow get theirs covered in mystery goo that nobody wants to talk about.
16. Make a DIY Hand-Washing Station with a Water Jug and a Bungee Cord
Because there’s a fine line between “building immunity” and “my child just ate a handful of dirt for the third time today.”
17. Keep Kids Busy with a Scavenger Hunt
Tell them to find things like a cool leaf, a round rock, or 15 minutes of silence so you can drink coffee in peace.
18. Bring Extra Tent Stakes
Because you will forget where you put the originals, and nothing says ‘family bonding’ like a tent collapsing at 4 AM.
19. Don’t Forget the S’mores Supplies
Because if you forget marshmallows, your kids will start an uprising, and honestly? They’d be right to.
Final Thought
Camping with family is an adventure, a test of patience, and a guaranteed opportunity to regret not booking a hotel instead. But with these hacks, at least you’ll be prepared for the chaos.
Now, who’s ready to not sleep for three nights and call it “fun” anyway?
