30 genius camping hacks you need this summer

Make a candle from an orange - Cut an orange (or grapefruit or lemon) in half, eat the middle portion, except leave the center stem intact, pour kitchen oil into the peel just below the tip of the stem, and you've got yourself a delicious-smelling candle that'll burn for hours.

(Photo: Flickr/CC BY-SA 2.0)

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Keep your matches dry in a baby food container or mason jar - The only thing worse than forgetting matches is bringing them and getting them wet. Glue black sandpaper to the inside of the lid and you're ready to start a fire!

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Substitute expensive fire-starter for a dozen charcoal eggs - Put match light charcoal in the holes of a cardboard egg carton and you've got yourself a cheap and easy fire-starter. Alternatively, you can put dryer lint inside.

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DIY laundry machine - Pack less and keep your sweaty, muddy, sandy clothes clean by bringing a bucket, laundry detergent, and a plunger—just not the one you used in your toilet!

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Pack your eggs in a bottle so they don't break - Camping is meant to be rough, too rough for fragile eggs, so cut the extra stress and pack your eggs in a bottle. This way you can easily pour them out onto a pan as well.

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Make an omelet by boiling eggs in a zip-lock bag - Add cheese, chives, tomato, salt, and pepper and poach until set.

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Waterproof your shoes - Rub beeswax compound around your shoes and blow-dry it until you can no longer see any white marks. You now have waterproofed shoes that won't get stinky after hiking.

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Smoreos - This hack is entirely dedicated to your taste buds: twist open an Oreo, put a piece of chocolate and a roasted marshmallow in the middle, smush together, and witness your life change.

(Photo: Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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Pack your kitchen utensils in a shoe organizer - The last thing you need is forks and knives getting lost; the shoe organizer is a perfect tool to keep everything where it should be when you need it.

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Keep mosquitoes away with sage - Throw bundles of sage into the campfire to keep those pesky bloodsuckers away.

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Forgot your speaker? Use two cups and an empty paper towel roll - Lay two plastic cups on their side and make incisions in them so that you can fit the ends of the paper towel roll into them. Then make a slit in the roll where you can slide your phone in, and you've got yourself a battery-less speaker.

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Keep your toilet paper clean in an empty coffee can - Create a toilet paper holder that will protect it from water and dirt by placing it in a clean coffee can, cutting a slit in the side, and feeding the roll through it.

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Glow-in-the-dark lanterns - Paint the insides of mason jars with glow-in-the-dark paint (even better if it's the kind that recharges in the sunlight) and enjoy cool colorful tent lighting without worrying about charging batteries or lighting wicks.

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Make your own grill from a tin can - Snip the can down the side 9-10 times, leaving an inch at the bottom, and spread open the pieces to look like a sun. Then drape heavy duty tin foil over it, drop in some charcoal, and lay a grill rack over it. Hot dogs for days!

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Use foam floor tiles for a heavenly slumber - It's easy to feel like the Princess and the Pea with all those twigs and rocks underneath you, but an easy trick of laying down foam floor tiles (like the jigsaw pieces they sell for kids) will ensure you wake up feeling refreshed.

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Pancake batter in a bag - Who says you can't have delicious brunch while you camp? Mix batter together and store it in a baggie in the cooler. When you're ready to cook, snip the tip of the bag and you've got an easy pancake batter dispenser.

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Make an easy natural tick deterrent - Add one part tea tree oil to two parts water, throw the whole thing in a spray bottle, and spray liberally on your shoes, socks, and pant cuffs.

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Use biodegradable trail-marking tape to stay on trail - You won't hurt the environment, and you won't get yourself lost in the woods; it's a win-win.

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Keep kids entertained (and out of your hair) with a scavenger hunt - The list could include: something smooth, a pine-cone, two types of leaves, a beautiful rock, something fuzzy, something that looks like a treasure, and so forth.

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Freeze gallon jugs of water to use as ice packs - Then when it melts, you have drinkable water!

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Make single-use soap slices - Avoid the struggle to store wet soap by scraping off slivers with a razor and packing single-use slices.

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Make your own hand-washing station - It can be hard to keep your hands clean when almost everything has some sort of dirt on it, but an empty laundry detergent dispenser and some hand soap on the side makes for an easy fix.

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Use deodorant as itch relief - Mosquito bites are inevitable, but the itching and scratching doesn't have to be.

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Put banana boats on the menu - Slice a banana down one side and throw in chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, and crushed graham crackers, then wrap it in foil and place it over the fire. In a few minutes, you'll have a delicious, gooey, semi-healthy dessert.

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Bacon and eggs in a bag - Make a hearty no-mess breakfast by laying bacon strips along the bottom of a paper bag, cracking a couple eggs on top, folding the bag over, attaching it to a stick and cooking it over hot coals for seven to ten minutes.

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Make rolls on a stick - Crescent rolls, cinnamon rolls, any kind of rolls! Wrap them around a stick and cook them over the fire.

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Microfiber towels - Easy to pack, quick to dry, and there's always something to wipe. Just do it.

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30 genius camping hacks you need this summer - Make the most out of your limited camping time with these incredibly clever hacks you’ll wish you thought of first.

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No kindling, no problem: use Doritos! - These oily corn chips work as a replacement for expensive fire starters since they light easily and last for a little while. And they double as a snack!

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Use empty Tic Tac containers for spices - Cooking food without a kitchen doesn't mean you have to sacrifice flavor! These little containers prevent spillage and they don't take up much room at all.

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Make your own lantern with a headlamp - Pack light and attach a headlamp to an empty water jug from the day, with the light facing inward, to fill your tent with ambient lantern light.

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