Over 25 tips and tricks to help make any camping trip a success

Camping is all about having fun and taking it easy. To make your next camping trip a hit with the family, here are over 25 time-saving tips and tricks you'll want to try.

With time avid campers accumulate a lot of knowledge. They have expert tips and a lot of very helpful information to share.

• Take advantage of their years of experience and never be caught unprepared again!
• These ideas will make life simpler and easier for you, but also save you from unexpected expenses.

• Freeze salt water in plastic containers in your cooler; the ice will last longer.
• Roll your clothes instead of folding them; it takes up less space and the clothes will be less wrinkled.
• Keep your rolls of toilet paper in large coffee tins.
• Use clear storage boxes rather than big bags; this makes it easier to pack the car and find everything faster.

• Use mentholated chest-rub ointment instead of mosquito repellent to keep pests at bay.
• Place fabric softener sheets under the tablecloth to keep ants away.
• Burn sage in your campfire.

• Instant oatmeal
• Cinnamon
• A mix of baking soda and sugar
• Coffee grounds
• Lemon juice

• Place a tarp on the ground before mounting your tent for water proofing and better insulation. If possible, hang a tarp over the top of the tent (the cover must not touch the tent).
• At night keep all “windows” open, but closed during the day.
• Light a candle lantern about 30 minutes before bedtime.
• Don’t bring wet clothes into the tent.
• Take the sleeping bags out during the day and aerate them.
• Place the tent so that you avoid full sun exposure in the morning.
• Waterproof the outside of the tent.

• Dry wet shoes faster by heating sand over a fire; pour the hot sand into the shoes, filling them up until they are covered. Repeat. You can also fill wet shoes with newspaper.
• Bring extra trash bags and plastic sealable bags; they can be used to protect all your belongings, large and small!
• Wrap the ice in the cooler with fabric; this will prevent soggy food.
• Polish your shoes with wax for waterproofing.

• Cottons balls soaked in wax or petroleum jelly
• Corks soaked in alcohol

• Double up your sleeping bags by zipping them together for the coldest nights.
• Sleep in dry clothes you didn’t previously wear during the day.

• Plant solar-powered garden lights in the ground or hang Chinese lanterns in the trees.