Did you know you can find a lot of useful things to bring camping from your house alone? In many cases, household items can take the place of more expensive “camping specialty” items from stores. However, many of our readers are not sure what doubles in use for camping. We’ve put together an easy list to help you source the most useful items around your house that can also be used as a camping gadget. Here are some of our favorites:
10 Everyday Household Things to Bring Camping
1. White Rice Can Dry Out Electronics
White Rice is a must-bring if you’re known for being clumsy. Imagine your iPhone takes a dive into the river just as you are taking that perfect Instagram photo. You might think all is lost, however you’d actually be wrong! To hopefully fix it, simply place it in a baggie filled with rice in order to dry it out. This is a good trick for all electronics. An added bonus: you can always eat the rice if you have no mishaps.
2. Bandannas Are the Swiss Army Knife of Clothing Accessories
Bandannas are super useful in the outdoors and make a great addition to any camping emergency kit. If you’re planning on visiting a more sun-laden area, they function well to protect your head from sunburn. Another reason this makes a great thing to take camping is its uses for first aid. You can fold Bandannas which lets them double as eye patch in case a sharp branch pokes you! Or, they can be wrapped around appendages like a tourniquet, used as a storage pouch, or dampened for use as a washcloth.
3. Cornstarch Has More Camping Uses Than You’d Guess
To soothe sunburns and bug bites, mix cornstarch with water then apply it to the affected area. Cornstarch also makes a handy hair product: just sprinkle a little on your scalp to help absorb oily hair. Let the cornstarch sit for a few minutes and then brush it out. And, of course, a little cornstarch really helps thicken up gravy and soups. While you could bring some hair gel, biodegradable shampoo, and all-purpose flour- why not just bring cornstarch camping with you instead?
4. Aluminum foil Opens up a World of Camping Utility
If you’re planning on cooking over a campfire and don’t have the space to bring heavy pots and pans, you’re in luck. Aluminum foil is one of the best household things you can bring camping. It’s great for cooking. Wrap it around your favorite camping food dish and cook it over the campfire. Then when you’re done, crumpled up tinfoil works well as a pan or grill scrubber. Need even more camping functionality? You can shape it to use as a funnel for pouring fluids, food, or anything else you might need to.
5. Don’t Forget the Duct tape!
Everybody knows Duct-Tape is a multi-use item to bring camping. What can’t duct tape be used for? It can repair a tear in your tent or backpack, or cover up those pesky hiking blisters. Maybe you need to create a storage basket, or set up a quick emergency shelter. Even worse, what if you forget your little brother’s birthday and need to make him a wallet? Even with its many uses, Duct-Tape an easy one to forget so we recommend setting aside a roll in your backpack to bring camping with you.
6. Dryer Lint Makes an Excellent Fire-starter
What’s better than ghost stories around the campfire? With some craftiness, dryer lint makes a great fire starter. Dryer lint is also small, easy to compact, and readily accessible for nearly anyone. If you don’t have any traditional firestarters available, this is an important household thing to bring camping. To make your own portable fire starters, cut up an egg carton into single-egg compartments.
Fill each one with dryer lint, and seal with wax or Vaseline. Here is my review of that method:
7. You Might Need to Tie a Floss Knot
In the event that you need access to a durable string, you should definitely consider bringing dental floss on your next camping trip. What else are you going to use if your shoelace breaks? Also, floss is useful for repairing a tent, tying down a rain tarp, hanging wet clothes, catching fish, and a host of other things. And of course, if you happen to get a piece of food stuck in your teeth there’s really no better option than floss for removing it.
8. Safety Pins Will Keep Your Life Together
I always make sure to include Safety Pins on my list of household things to bring camping. It is one of the most useful and tiny things you can carry. Lightweight, cheap, and available in bathrooms everywhere, they make for the perfect accessory. Safety pins also can hold together a broken strap on your clothing, tent, or backpack, and they can also be used to get out a splinter.
9. There’s More in Store for Socks than Your Feet
Did you think that your socks were meant to stay on your feet? You’d be right…and wrong. In fact, socks have a variety of camping uses. Just try to use clean ones. Have a hot pot but don’t want to lug around potholders, your sock is a great alternative. Need to fend off some crazy squirrels? You can also use a sock as a weapon by filling it up with stones. Hopefully, your camping trip won’t require that, but it’s good to know.
Take these Things Camping!
It’s really easy to justify the expense of REI branded water bottles and emergency fire-starters, however in many cases it’s simply not needed. These household items to bring camping with you make every camping trip that much easier. Since you don’t need to go run to the store, there’s almost no excuse to go without these essentials. The Dyrt is always looking for new ways to revolutionize the DIY Camp Tool Industry. If you have any other ideas for casual items around your house that make for great camping gadgets, let us know!
