And turn off your lantern after you get into your tent, will ya? We’ve seen HBO; we don’t need tent-shows.
Do I have to turn off the bow-chicka-wow-wow music, too? Sheesh!
Since I’m here at home right now, making candles, I remembered this:
If you’re camping, and have two candles in a jar that are down so far it’s hard to light them, you can place both jars in a pot of hot water and melt the wax in the jars. Then ou can take a piece of butcher’s twine to use as a wick, and combine both jars. Presto, new candle.
You can also try your chances at heating the jars themselves, but they may crack.
We often do this with those stupid citronella candles at camp that are in those little tiki glasses. Of course, if you’re using the ones in the metal buckets, you can heat those on the edge of the campfire or on the stove. However, since they are galvanized, try to stay upwind.
P.S. Don’t use any synthetic ropes for your wick. It won’t end well.
Geez, I can’t believe I forgot this one.
We often have corn on the cob when we go camping. What we always do is take a mesh bag, tie a rope on the end of it, put a rock in the bag along with the ears of corn. We then throw the bag in the lake and leave it there until it’s time to cook. At that point, we simply take the corn out of the bag and place it on a rack above the fire.
The corn steams inside the husk, and when the outside of the husk is all brown, we take them off the fire. At that point, you simply peel off the hust, all the corn silk comes with it and presto! steamed corn on the cob.
We like doing this so much, we do the same at home. We’ll soak the corn in the sink (husk still on) and then put them on the grill. We’ve been doing it this way for years now. Every time I see someone laboriously husking corn prior to cooking, I always recommend this method.
Duct tape and parachute cord come in handy for first aid, gear repair, shelter rigging, S & M, and birth control.
Here are some tips I can offer for backpacking:
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Bring a cheap pair of flip-flops to wear in camp after you’re done hiking for the day, your feet will really appreciate it after being in boots.
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Timing is everything, the same section of trail can offer views and serenity that range from breathtaking to meh depending on when you visit.
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Put some antacids and salt packets in the first aid kit. Some of those backcountry meals can go down a bit rough, and hyponatremia can be a problem in really hot weather.
Except if you’re camping in cactus county…trust me on this. :mad:
I have an addendum to that: if you’re the kind of person who pays attention to plants when they’re in bloom, find out what the seed pods/dormant plants of the ones you like will look like. That way, if you’re in a place during the “meh” view, you can note what will be there, and come back when it’s blooming to see it again!
Before taking a new poncho/raincoat/waterproof backpack into the field, run a stress test in your shower. Very few things are as annoying as waiting until it’s started raining to realize that you’re ten miles away from your car, your poncho has a gigantic leak right over the back of your neck, and you’re out of glue/repair supplies.