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DIY Air Conditioner For Tents: 3 Easy Ways

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I know you didn’t know that the air conditioner was not invented for the sake of comfort, it was invented to control the humidity in a room full of papers that would shrink due to the humidity. Read the full thing here. Little did Willis Haviland knew that his invention would bring such great comfort to mankind, that his invention will make it to camping tents. It’s crazy, right?

Yes, of course, you need an air conditioner in your tent to maintain a proper sleeping atmosphere in your tent. Temperature drops in nature can be pretty harsh, and anyway who doesn’t like a little comfort while they sleep. Here is our article on how to insulate the tent.

I know there are a ton of tent air conditioners available in the market, but don’t you love the satisfaction of DIY items and all the money you saved and maybe some electricity. Who knows?

Imagine coming to a well-cooled tent after a long, tiring, strenuous day of mountain climbing or hiking. You will have to have a sound sleep to restore your energy and reward yourself by relaxing in your tent colled by your portable air conditioner. Who doesn’t want this feeling?

DIY for an air conditioner for camping tents might require some technique and some thinking, but it will give the results.

Let’s get started, shall we?

How To DIY An Air Conditioner For Camping Tents?

DIY Air Conditioner For Tents

Since we are talking about air conditioners, the DIY might be tricky, but not with our easy steps to follow. If you can cool your tent and save money as well, then why not?

1. Carry Your House Window Air Conditioner With You

This method has to be the easiest and probably very effective one. You cannot forget about the convenience of this method.

  • Just bring your small house window air conditioner with you on your camping trip.
  • Keep it on some elevated ground such as a stool or a stand.
  • Plug it into your RV or a generator. Here is how to ground your generator for camping.
  • Place it at the entrance of the tent with the zip open as much as needed to fit it and not leave the zip open wide.
  • Ans there you go the house cooler will do its job of keeping the heat outside and keep your tent cool.

2. Build Your Own Solar-Powered DIY Air Conditioner

Building this only takes you an icebox cooler, a small 10$ fan, and a modest solar panel that can be run on batteries as well. And also try to take the ice with you.

Step 1: Find the right icebox for the air conditioner.

  • You can either use the old one you have and no longer use it. Or you can easily buy a cheap icebox online.
  • Try to find one with a styrofoam lining ice chest and it is easily available for around 2-3$.
  • The basic idea is to prevent heat transfer from the atmosphere.
  • The cooler should be able to prevent the ice from melting and no other container will do the job.

Step 2: Mark out the holes for the fan and duct on the lid.

  • These measurements for the fan and the small duct should be exact or at least near to perfect for preventing the heat to enter the icebox.
  • You should be able to seal the holes after you fix them with the fan and the duct. Leave enough space to seal the hole.
  • The hole for the duct is easy to make but the hole for the fan should be able to hold it in the right place. The fan should not go fully inside the icebox.
  • Consider buying a fan with mesh covers in it, because they come with a frame around that can rest on the hole and stay in place.

Step 3: Drill and cut the holes

  • Now that you have marked these holes accurately, you need to cut them out.
  • You can either use a jigsaw or a drill to cut them out, or you can use a combination of both to make it easier.
  • The plastic lid can be a bit tricky to cut, but the right tools will get you through it.
  • First, drill a hole with the drill, and then the rest of it can be cut out with the jigsaw or a hand saw.
  • If you are using a styrofoam icebox, just a hot knife is enough to cut the holes out.
Requirements for building a DIY air conditioner

Step 4: Fit the fan and the plastic duct

  • If the holes are of the right size, both the fan and the plastic duct pipe will be fitted just fine.
  • If not you can use some kind of clay or duct tape to fix them right or seal the holes.
  • Sealing the holes is necessary, to prevent heat transfer.
  • Sealing with clay might make it a bit bulky.
  • Here is the amazon link for the duct pipe that can be useful to you.
  • The fan should be fitted with the face inside the cooler, this will bring air inside the cold surface and make it cool.

Step 5: Put the ice inside

  • The more ice you put the more cool air you get.
  • Using a whole block of ice is a practical thing to do.
  • Using cubes of ice will get the air in the touch with more ice and the ice will melt faster.
  • If you find carrying blocks of ice to the campsite is impractical, then you may also use frozen water bottles with water-filled instead of ice.

Step 6: Connect the fan

  • The last step is to connect the fan to the solar panel.
  • It is an obvious thing to mention about placing the solar panel exposed to the sun.
  • Make sure the chords of the wire are long enough to easily set up your air conditioner to the panel kept outside in sun.
  • If the weather has been cloudy, or the sun keeps hiding behind the clouds from time to time, then you can replace the solar panel with any kind of battery strong enough to run the fan.
  • A 12V battery is enough for a small fan.

How Does This Work?

This DIY air conditioner works on the mechanism of heat transfer. The fan brings in air and the air after coming in contact with ice, gets cool. This cool air then finds an escape through the duct pipe we attached beside the fan.
You just have to place the open end of the duct pipe towards you and you are good to go.

3. Mini Milk Carton Air Conditioner

Well, this sounds a bit weird, but it works like magic. It is portable and you can even carry it around when you go hiking or climbing. The steps to build are elementary, but the requirements may take you a trip to the nearest hardware store.

Requirements-

  • Computer fan
  • 12V AC adaptor
  • Empty milk carton
  • Cardboard cutter
  • Hot glue gun
  • Battery
  • Wire stripers

Steps:

  • Take an empty milk carton or any juice carton that has a round mouth like plastic bottlenecks.
  • Wash/ rinse the carton to get rid of the smell of the beverage.
  • Make sure the size of the computer fan that you use should be smaller than the carton.
  • Place the side of the carton up, that has the round opening.
  • Mark the hole for the computer fan to be fixed.
  • Keep the hole smaller so that it can stay put in the place.
  • Place the computer fan with the help of a hot glue gun in place.
  • Connect the computer fan with the battery and stick the battery on the base of the carton. (not the base in the correct position, but the original base)
  • You can disconnect the battery whenever not in use.
  • Put the crushed ice or the small ice cubes through the mouth of the carton.
  • And you are ready to go!
  • The working is same as the previous one. You can drain out the ice if left extra from the mouth. Isn’t it nice to have a personal air conditioner?

FAQs

Conclusion

I hope now you can consider taking some pain to build an easy AC for your tent when not compromise your sleep and comfort. Getting a sound sleep while you are on a camp is necessary.

Even if you are on a small camping trip with your family to a nearby campsite, and just want to enjoy a barbeque in the outdoors, wouldn’t it be nice to sit and chill in your air-conditioned tent?

If you have any new ideas on how to DIY AC for a camping tent, do let us know in the comment section. We would love to hear those.

Check out other useful guides on camping on our website.

Until then happy camping!

DIY Portable Toilet For Camping: Do It Yourself

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Want to hear some interesting about the portable toilet and its advantage? According to the Portable Sanitation Association, portable restrooms save 125 million gallons of freshwater each day, or 45 billion gallons each year. Americans use 100 gallons of water every day, and flushing the toilet uses more water than any other activity, including showering.

I don’t need to emphasize the fact of the necessity of a lavatory while we travel or go camping. You don’t have to worry about it if you have an RV or a camper with you. Some campsites do have a WC facility in the restricted areas, but what if you decided to go boondocking and in a tent?

Where there is a will, there is a way. Well, in this situation you would not require much encouragement, to DIY your lavatory facilities.

There are multiple portable toilets available in the market but why would go around and hunt for portable toilets when you can make one for yourself and at a much less price than the market one.

Let’s get started, shall we?

How To DIY Portable Toilet For Camping?

DIY Portable Toilet For Camping

It might sound to you that building your portable toilet is very difficult and requires a lot of skills. This article is here to prove that the previous sentence is wrong.

Some people think it’s disgusting and some also get amazed, but in case of emergency, a man has got to do what he is got to do. It is as much important as any other camping gear.

  • These are not only convenient but very pocket friendly too. Here are some advantages of portable toilets:
  • These costs literally under 20$ sometimes.
  • Are very easy to make and need very few supplies.
  • These can be used in severe emergencies like natural calamity and hence these are also called Emergency Relief System (ERS).
  • Are very convenient due to its portability and ease to use.
  • Conservation of water is a factor that is important to be looked forward to and also a necessity because there is not much water available while camping. Check out our article on how to refill your RV tanks.

1. Toilet In A Bucket

We will tell you how can use just a bucket to your loo advantage. This is very easy to use, carry, and requires very little material to build.

  • Material required
  • Empty 5-gallon bucket with lid
  • 10-13 gallon trash bags
  • Extra plastic grocery store trash bags
  • Big trash can with a tight-fitting lid (optional: if you have excess to a nearby dumpster or some sewage disposal system near your campsite, then you don’t need to carry this)
  • Absorption medium- sawdust, pine chips, peat moss, or newspaper torn into thin strips also works
  • Pool noodle or pipe insulation- ( for pool noodle, cut a slit through one side of the noodle down. pipe insulation comes with a slit in place)
  • Toilet paper ( of course)

Instruction to build the portable toilet:

  1. Lay the 10-gallon trash bag in the 5-gallon bucket
  2. Put a handful of absorption medium in the bottom of the trash bag.
  3. Insert the plastic grocery store bag over the absorption material, and fold it over the rim of the bucket.
  4. Slide the pool noodle or pipe insulation over and along the rim.
  5. Add some absorbing material to the bag.
  6. Your portable toilet is ready to go.

How to use a portable bucket toilet?

  • After using the toilet, close the plastic bag by closing it and drop it in the bottom of the 5-gallon bucket.
  • When the bucket is full, transfer all content to the large dumpster with a lid. The lid is important to control the smell of the excretion.
  • Sanitize the 5-gallon bucket and you can repeat it’s used.

Yes, they have ERP in markets. Here is the amazon link to the bucket style portable toilet.
If you just want the comfort of a commode and fine with the bucket then, here is the amazon link to a comfortable makeshift toilet seat.

2. Recycle An Old Chair Or Stool

This method is also straightforward to make, you may also see this as an alternative for the bucket, and it is good for short camping trips. You can finally get some use out of the old plastic chair/stool kept in the garage.

Steps:

  • Cut out a hole from the base of the chair/stool.
  • Insert a large trash bag into the hole and fold its end along the rim of the hole.
  • You can fix the trash bag and the hole with temporary clay.
  • Or you may also buy a toilet seat from a hardware store and fix it around the hole of the chair.
  • The trash bag will easily be fixed with the toilet seat on.
  • Fill 1/4th of the trash bag with absorptive material, and voila you are ready.
  • Don’t forget to change the trash bag and absorptive material after every use.
  • Dispose of the bags with poop in them far away in a sewage drain or a large dumpster with a lid.
  • Here is a simple guide to fix the toilet seat on a bucket or chair.

How To Dump A Portable Toilet?

How to dump your portable toilet waste
  • Make sure the excretion/trash bag is not in contact with water.
  • Do not store these bags for too long in your accommodation, this will create a stinky atmosphere around.
  • Remove the trash bag after every use and tie the top of the trash. The intention is it close the mouth of the bag so that no smell can escape.
  • Dispose of these off in a dumpster or a sewage drain system, if you have access to it.’
  • If you do not have a dumpster around, then carry a large dumping bin/bucket to store these used trash bags in a separate place. Make sure these bins should have lids on them.
  • You do not have to worry about clogged toilets anymore.

Tips And Tricks For Portable Toilets

Tips and tricks for use of portable toilets while camping
  1. Your RV toilet will also be considered as a portable toilet and it comes with a flush.
  2. But to avoid wastage of water try spraying water or cleansing liquid after you pee. The cleansing liquid will also take care of the smell.
  3. Never leave the lid of your portable toilet open. It attracts insects and flies and they will attract other wildlife like spiders and snakes. Check our article on how to get rid of spiders and snakes while camping.
  4. Leaving the lid open will also be the reason behind the foul smell around your campsite.
  5. Use a toilet liner for your toilet.
  6. Try to cut down on water wastes as much as possible.
  7. You can also clean/ sanitize the bucket with baby wipes and a disinfectant.
  8. In an RV toilet cleaning process also, baby wipes can be used.
  9. Don’t flush the wipes in the RV toilet, it will clog the drain.

Surprisingly, you can also rent portable toilets for outdoor trips. Here are some tips to keep in mind while renting a portable toilet, that will help you to save money and decide what type is best suited for you.

  • On average, a portable toilet costs for renting will take you anywhere from $50- $175 for a single day.
  • You should always know about the model and the type of toilet you need for your requirement.
  • A basic portable toilet is equipped with a few sanitary amenities like tissue paper, seat cover, holding tank, dispenser, and door lock and with “In Use†and “Open†indicators.
  • A deluxe flushing toilet has more sanitary amenities besides having the amenities of a basic restroom. It includes a hand soap dispenser, a mirror, and also a washing station. VIP self-contained porta potty has all the amenities that are listed above along with interior light.
  • The deluxe ones are equipped in a cabin.
  • More the facilities with the toilet more will be the price of it.
  • You can get a discount if you are a regular customer at the rental agency.
  • They will charge you more if you ask them to deliver it to you or deliver at a long distance.
  • Avoid ordering extra or more than your use to control hidden costs.

FAQs

Conclusion

I hope this article helped you in deciding what type of toilet do you need? If you need it or not? Also, the DIY of portable toilets is very easy with these hacks.

You should always be prepared for whatever type of emergency you face. What if you ate bad food? Oh, now you are worried about your food going bad. We have the solution to that too. Read our articles on how to pack bread, milk, and fish for camping.

If you have any new innovative ideas for portable toilets, that we may have missed, just let us know in the comment section. We would love to hear from you.

Check out other guides on our websites on camping.

Until then happy camping!

DIY Tent For Camping (Do It Yourself): 2 Easy Ways

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42 Million Americans,
Yes, 14% of the U.S population, go camping with each other. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of camping outdoors? Sleeping in sleeping bags, tents, campfire, barbeque maybe. Yes, the basic and primary idea of camping is living in a tent. Every camper should at least experience tent camping once in their lives.

It is undoubtedly very important to choose the right size and shape of the tent for you or your family to ensure there is no overcrowding in the tent, to ensure the tent does not fly away even in the slightest winds. There are a ton of tents available in markets, but we know how difficult is it to find ‘the perfect’ tent for you.

Well, what about building/stitching your tent? It is possible.

We will tell you why every tent camper needs to keep reading this article. Not everything goes as per our planning, what if the tent ripped off very badly and it is beyond repair, and you certainly do not have time, energy, fuel, and money to buy the same new tent at the moment.

What if you want to add something of your interest or something more comfortable to you to your tent. Or maybe you just want to see how creative you can get with your camping tent ideas?

Let’s get started, shall we?

Ways To DIY Tent For Camping

DIY Tent For Camping

It can be a very tricky job to build a tent of own, but let’s just say there is always a first time to something. Some people even find it difficult to set up a readymade tent, at least we are more skilled than those fraction of people.

DIY tents mean setting up or stitching it from scratch. As difficult as it sounds, it is effortless with our guide.

1. DIY Tent Using A Tarp

You will require basic camping gear and a toolbox with you to set up this type of DIY tent in just 6 steps.

Step 1: get the tarp ready

  • Lay the tarp on the ground properly.
  • Make holes that can be used to attach the ropes to the ground later.
  • Tarps are very important to set up because it will provide you with insulation from the weather outside.
  • Make sure the holes are small and not too big, to ensure the ropes fit the holes well, too big holes will give an easy way for insects and cold wind to enter your tent.

Step 2: Choose a location for the tent and lay the center post

  • It is very mandatory to choose an appropriate place for setting your camp, since, you are making it from scratch and you will have to take care of the ground beneath the tent, and several other factors.
  • You would be looking for a plain ground to lay your tent.
  • You will be required to install a center post for your tent, so make sure the ground is not too rocky, sandy, or brittle.
  • A strong center post will decide how long your tent can stand.
  • The center post should be able to handle the weight and tension of the tarp fabric.
  • You should also consider laying some of the other carpet or other tarps on the ground.
  • Ground insulation is important as it will save you from the moisture from the soil and maybe some insects like ants.
  • The center post is going to be the highest point of the tent.

Step 3: Hold the tarp on the center post

  • This is the most crucial step of all as you should be able to coincide the center of the tarp on the top of the center post.
  • This is important so that the weight of the tarp gets distributed evenly on the post.
  • Also necessary to ensure the right shape of your tent.
  • Ensure the center post is fixed properly on the ground.
  • Don’t fix the ends before the center, as it can mess the center of mass of your tent and the balance of the post.

Step 4: Secure the corners

  • Stretch the tarp such that it is laid down from the center pole with all its corners facing diagonally opposite.
  • You will be deciding the shape of your tent in this step.
  • Ensuring the shape and also space inside the tent is up to you, how much you want to stretch the tarp.
  • We would be making a shape similar to the Egyptian pyramids of our tent.
  • Secure the corners by tying them with ropes with solid rigid support on the ground.
  • You can install small wooden supports for your rigid support.

Step 5: Build a strong base.

  • When you are making a tent, make sure that you need to take care of that it built strong.
  • Make sure the small holes on the sides are well driven into the ground.
  • Make use of a hammer while installing the wooden rigid supports instead of a stone.
  • Make sure that both tarp holes are properly aligned at each corner so you can stay warm while camping without a worry of wind escaping inside the tent.
  • You can keep stones on the sides of the tarp if the ground is not even or if the tarp is not aligned with the ground.

Step 6: Tie the ropes

  • Just tie the ropes to the corners to the wooden rigid supports you installed before.
  • You can also keep heavy stones along the sides of the tarp to make it rainproof.
  • Make sure the ropes are tied properly so that strong winds cannot drive away your tent.
  • Stones will help it stretch better and prevent the wind to enter the tent.
  • Arrange your sleeping bag and other essentials to be kept inside the tent, you can make it as cozy as you want.

2. Stitch Your Customized Tent

We can also call it recycling old tents or you may buy the tent fabric and completely stitch it from scratch. The best part is you can just build the desired shape and design for your tent. You can build and customize the tent of your dreams!

There is a wide variety of tents available, but only you can incorporate every detail in your tent. Consider stitching your tent or at least design it and get it stitched by a tailor.

Some pros of stitching a tent:

  • It is cheap compared to a shop-bought tent.
  • If you decide to recycle an old tent of yours then it might as well be free of cost.
  • It is durable because you build it.
  • The quality of fabric and weight of the tent is also something you decide.
  • Space and the level of ventilation in the tent is also something you decide.

Step 1- planning and material.

  • You require to choose the right design and material for your tent.
  • Keep all the requirements in your mind while designing and planning for your tent.
  • The basis for your tent design should be on how many people you plan to accommodate in it, and whether or not you need to make it waterproof.
  • Making a checklist for your requirements and then planning is the right way to go.
  • The checklist would help you in deciding the amount of fabric you require and how many layers you want.
  • Roughly doodle the design on a paper and get going after you take it on a graph paper.

Material

  • Look for old cabin tents, they are big and rigid and provide more material for recycling.
  • Choose a tent that can be used to cut out more and bigger pieces for your tent.
  • Old tents can be found very cheap in old garages or recycling shops.
  • Consider dyeing your tent fabric to fade away the color and then you can make the color to the color of your choice.
  • Also, consider washing them once before cutting them for your use. Washing will get rid of all the dirt or previous fungus/bacteria that might be present in the tent.
  • Once you are satisfied with the smell and the hygiene of the fabric start opening the seams of the tent.
  • If you bought new fabric for the tent, then you can just skip all the steps mentioned above and get going with the further steps.

Measurements and stitching

  • You just need to measure the pieces you planed in the design layout.
  • Draw these measurements on the fabric and leave some extra fabric on all the sides that are to be stitched for extra seams and support.
  • After you are done with the measurements and cutting and you just need them to put them together as per your plan.
  • This all sounded very easy, right? It is easy but with these detailed and technique-rich steps mentioned here (enter link).

6 Factors To Take Care Of While Setting Tent

6 factors to take care of while setting camp
  • Location– the right location will ensure the stability of your tent and also your safety.
  • Proximity with water– make sure your tent is not too close to any water bodies.
  • Wind direction– The main rule is that the tent’s doors shouldn’t face the wind, as air could enter and inflate the tent, damaging its structure.
  • Cover the base– it is mandatory to cover the ground inside the tent. You do not want to seek the moisture from the ground. Always cover it with a tarp or some kind of rug.
  • Cleanliness- it is important to check if your tent has any moisture or mold growing on them. Make sure to get rid of it as soon as possible.
  • Maintenance– what we mean by maintenance is to check for any rips or stitches being opened. Carry a repair kit for your tent to repair the rips.

FAQs

Conclusion

I hope this article encouraged you enough to make your dreams of a perfect tent come true. It would be so nice to boast off your customized tent to your pals. You can also use this idea to make a gift tent for your camper friends.

If you have new ideas on how to make your tent or any new DIY for a camping tent, feel free to use the comment section below. We would love to hear your ideas.

Check out our other camping guides on our website.

Until then happy camping!

15 Camping Activities For Toddlers To Keep Them Busy While Camping

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We all agree there is so much to be prepared for when you go camping, you have to prepare everything beforehand and then get set for the trip. Parent campers have one more addition to their worry list named kids!

Just kidding! Camping is so much more fun with your kids and pets. They add extra joy to the trip. With the previous sentence being a fact, the next sentence is too.

Kids get bored easily, especially toddlers or preschoolers. They are always full of energy, so fidgety, and always driven to try out new things. Check ou tour article on camping with a dog.

Well, keeping them busy at home is not a big task as you are surrounded by toys, kid’s parks, and not to forget technology. You can not let your kid go out and about at a campsite as it can be a big threat to them.

The camping experience is new for some toddlers and their curiosity to explore a new habitat other than the home can lead to some trouble.

What do we do? We should find ways to keep them busy around your camp set up in your proximity. I do not need to teach the parents about how mandatory it is to always keep a watch on them. It is also mandatory to keep small kids engage as they do not have as many chores as adults do while camping.

There are innumerable activities to do with kids and for kids and they all are fun. It’s also easy for parents of toddlers or preschoolers as kids tend to enjoy anything and everything new and out of the house. The activities do not require much effort from parents as well, it could be as simple as a walk in nature.

The activities we are going to suggest are so interesting and based on a rule-

“More fun less fuss”

These activities will keep your kid busy and give you ample time to sit back and watch as your kid takes up new hobbies and get all creative and imaginative. Don’t we all love a creative little toddler?

Before we get started with the activities there are some important and practical preparations are required.

Things To Prepare Beforehand For Camping With Kids.

Tips for camping with kids

Since we are arranging activities for them, we also need to prepare the supplies and safety gear for kids.

  • Pack easy to eat snacks.
  • Pack bug and mosquito repellants
  • Bring sunscreen and extra wipes for the kids.
  • Carry extra pairs of clothes and layering for temperature fluctuations.
  • Plan and prep meals ahead.
  • Be aware of the campsite location.
  • Teach the kids about camping essentials.
  • Make sure to have a map.
  • Don’t let them go near the campfire.
  • Pack shelf-stable milk.

Well, to your surprise these are only 10 out of 35 tips for camping with kids.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Activities For Your Kids While Camping

camping activities for toddlers

Why is all this fuss about keeping toddlers busy? Well their boredom is different from adults and children

“Babies have mechanisms built in to prevent them from wasting time on things that don’t have sufficient amounts of learning value,” explains baby-researcher Dr. Celeste Kidd. “You could think of that as boredom.”(view source)

Anyways, these activities are fun to arrange and will make your camping memories worth remembering. Any kind of activity is productive for these kids as it helps them in building skills.

1. Crafts

With the advantage of being fun, doing crafts is also a very creative skill to learn. Doing crafts or origami gives the kids a sense of achievement. They take pride in something they made out of scratch and on their own.

It is a nice way to keep the kids busy in a productive way and also when you want them to stick to a table, inside the camp, or one place.

Fill a container with all sorts of craft material like crayons, papers, coloring books, origami sheets, playdough, and much more. Doing crafts when surrounded by nature will help in getting your kid’s creative juices to flow and grow their imagination.

You can also find innumerable videos on origami or crafts on youtube. Maybe you can teach them to make something new from origami and ask them to make something with paper cuttings for a camping theme.

2. Painting

Your kid is going to love this. You can just leave them with watercolors, brushes, and papers in your tent with scenery ahead. Ask them to paint the scenery in any way they want.

This can be an opportunity for your kids to build a new hobby or polish his/her skills if they are already into painting. This sounds like a grown-up job to draw live landscapes, your kid gets a sense of doing something they wish to do.

Make this activity interesting by letting them paint on rocks. They will never get tired of finding stones and painting them in into something new. These painted rocks can be taken back to your home as a memory and you can also use them as paperweights later.

3. Blow bubbles

You know what they say about bubbles- there is no dull way to say bubbles! Even adults can’t get tired of playing with bubbles. Bubbles are a great way to lift everybody’s mood. They never fail to cheer up kids.

You can buy it from the store or dollar store. You can help them to blow the bubbles and they can pop them. Do not let kids below 3 years play with bubbles as it could be dangerous if they ingest the soapy water.

Consider buying a bubble machine that will blow the bubbles for you. Kids will never get tired of chasing the bubbles around the campsite and you would never get tired of watching them run happily.

Playing with bubbles at a campsite is a bonus as it provides you with a lot of space than you would have at home. And now you don’t have to worry about the soap bubbles all over the floor.

4. Start or continue a collection

Tell me if I am wrong. We all collected something or other when we were kids. Having a collection makes your kid feel unique and differentiates him from his other peers. They feel it is so cool to show off their collection to their friends and tell a story behind each item in the collection.

You can introduce this idea to your kid and tell them about all the perks of having a collection. You can also guide them on how to start a collection. Campsites are a great place to start or continue your collection of stones or various kinds of leaves.

You will be able to spend quality time with your kids while searching for the items for collection around the campsite. You just require contact paper sheets if your kid wishes to start a leaf collection. Stone collection is relatively easier as you would only require a container to store.

Preserve your collected leaves between the contact sheets. It’s not necessary to complete your collection at the campsite you can go home and complete it.

5. Scavenger hunt

This game is a camping version of the treasure hunt. Parents will enjoy preparing their personalized scavenger hunt games and kids will enjoy exploring the campsite.

Preparing this game is super easy as you are just required to print some pictures of some things that your Kid would be able to find on the Campsite. Stick the print outs on cardboard or a stick. Send your toddlers in search of these items with the scavenger hunt and a pen in their hands.

The list could involve very random and obvious things found on a campsite like-

  • Acorn
  • Dry leaves
  • Backpacks
  • Small leaves
  • Large leaves
  • Smooth stones
  • Bird
  • Twig
  • Campfire
  • Ants
  • Squirrels
  • A bird on a branch

With this game in their hand kids are influenced to explore and observe the tiny things present in nature around the campsite. This will help them to develop their observing skills.

6. Build A Rock Tower

You won’t deny the fact that you have seen these random stone sculptures made with balancing stones one on one, on the roadsides, or anywhere rocky.

You can help your kids to collect all sizes and shapes of stones in a bucket and bring them back to the campsite. Start balancing these on another. You might require to guide them and balancing the stones, demonstrate for them if they don’t know how to.

Be safe around playing with stones, and always make your kids wear shoes all the time. Don’t let them roam around barefoot even on the beach. Building rock towers gives kids a sense of accomplishment that they have built something stable even if it is temporary.

7. Build A Stick Castle

You can get them to collect twigs and fallen sticks around the campsite and ask them to build a castle or home out of it.

Provide them with scissors and glue to make the castle. They can be very creative with the shape and structure of the castle they are building.

Always keep an eye on them if they are safe with scissors or not.

8. Enjoy The Rain

If you are out in the wild and nature with the kids, and it suddenly rains. What is better than this?

Why keep the toddlers under the tent bored and crying maybe, when you can just use the raining boots and raincoats you packed in case of emergency. This is that emergency, why waste the raining gear.

Allow your kids to dance, jump, walk, hop, and what not in rain. Just be careful if they have their rain gear on, otherwise, they might fall ill due to rain.

Let them have fun in the puddles, and float paper boats in the small water streams. You can teach them how to build mini dams out of stones and soil to stop the tiny stream in front of you.

some activities for kids to do while camping

9. Ask Help From Them In Cooking

As we mentioned earlier kids love doing what adults do. Ask them to help in preparing the meals such as while preparing foil food packets or wrapping the pre-cooked potatoes for cooking in the campfire.

If you don’t know about pre-cooked potato meals at a campfire, read our article on how to do it. These meals help a lot if you are traveling with kids, as they are so easy to prepare.

Ask them to help in setting tables for meals. Don’t let them be near a campfire.

10. Shoot The Cups

This game is perfect for some fun game activities. Also, this would be great if there is more than one kid on the campsite.

Bring squirt guns and arrange a tower of decomposable cups on the table. Divide the kids into teams play in the individual point system. Ask them to shoot the cups with water guns. Whoever drops more cups gets the point.

Your kids can get competitive or grow bonds with the other kids.

11. Bring A Frisbee

Bring any type of sports equipment to the camp that can be played in an open ground. Equipment like ball or frisbee works best for beach camping.

Something they can play without much technique and enjoy. You can also turn the dining table into table tennis when not in use.

12. Boards Or Card Games

One of the best time pass and fun activity to do while outside in wild. If you want your kids to go far away from the campsite and glue them at one spot, bring out the board games and card games.

These games are fun when played with many people, and you can make some good memories while playing with family.

Board games develop thinking skills in them. You don’t need to get worried about the card games, you can play UNO or trump cards with them.

13. Sing Songs Around The Campfire

What’s better than singing your favorite songs around the fire. You can sing your toddler’s favorite songs while you roast marshmallows in the fire.

You can also play games like rapid fire or Chinese whisper around the campfire. This can be such a fun and quality time with the family. Letting your kids sing in front of everyone can even boost their confidence. Who knows?

14. Storytime

Trust me, this is the most favorite part for every kid. Stories are like spoon-fed food their curiosity. Kids love listening to stories, and every time can be storytime, you don’t need to wait for bedtime.

You can tell them how you started camping? Or how was your experience as a kid about camping? Or any fictional story also works for them.

You can also encourage your kid to tell any stories they know, this might be their foundation for imagination and public speaking. We should always look for positive things in the bigger picture.

15. Kids Love Pets

How exciting would it be if your pet and your kids are both enjoying camping? Sounds fun right? The pets will play with your kid or vice versa. Your pets also take care of the toddlers very well.

Remember the frisbee you packed for camping, now your kid and your pet are taking care of it.

The list is never-ending, but we tried to list down some of the best activities.

FAQs

Conclusion

As much as they sound, they are even more fun to play. You can just sit back and sip tea/coffee or read a book, while they are busy satiating their curiosity or driving the energy boost they have.

If I had a choice if would try every one of these activities. In this super urbanized world, we are running out of quality time and kids playing in the outdoors and enjoying themselves.

I am sure you have more ideas and plans to do camping with the kids. Feel free to write them in the comment section below. We would love to hear those.

Check out more guides and camping related everything on our website.

Until then happy camping!

What Clothes To Sleep In While Camping? – Perfect Guide

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Sleeping outside has health benefits! If you don’t believe us you might take a look at the facts. Here are 5 benefits of sleeping outside.

Well, this shows regular campers and hikers are in the best of their health. Talking of health, good sleep is the most necessary and relaxing activity to look forward to at the end of the day. No, this is not a guide on how to get sound sleep while camping, we have another article on that topic.

Comfort is the crucial luxury we all want to seek while sleeping, clothes play a major role in making you comfortable while sleeping, especially when you sleep outside in a bag.

Using sleeping bags depends upon when and where you go camping. The weather decides the number of clothes you would require while camping. Clothes provide an extra insulation layer from the outside temperature and trap your body heat inside your body.

You are fine with just normal pajamas you sleep in at home if you are an RV person. If you are a backpacker then you have to think about controlling the weight of your backpack and pack wisely.

We are here to solve your problems with What Clothes To Sleep In While Camping? And to break some myths maybe.

Let’s get started, shall we?

What To Wear In A Sleeping Bag?

What Clothes To Sleep In While Camping

“Humans spend 1/3rd of their lives sleeping.”

That is why we should never compromise our sleeping time and comfort. We talked about weather will decide that what should we wear while sleeping in a sleeping bag.

We have a guide to guide you according to the climate of your campsite.

1. Normal Chilly Nights

These are the days when the weather is just fine all day long but as soon as night falls the temperature starts to fall. That is temperature dropped more than you predicted.

  • Sleeping bags already comes with warm insulation to your body from the ground, and prevents heat flow from your body to the ground.
  • Wearing a full sleeves t-shirt and pants will give you enough warmth for the night.
  • Do not wear too many clothes as this will isolate your core from getting warm from the sleeping bag.
  • Wear hats/beanies and socks to keep the extremes of your body warm.
  • Keeping your head and feet warm is important as this is the area from where you lose most body heat.
  • Choose your socks wisely, the fit of the socks should not be too tight as it will hamper your blood circulation in your legs which will go cold easily.
  • The fabric of the clothes in use also plays an important role in keeping you warm. Fabrics like cotton will get cold after getting damp from your sweat.
  • Fabrics like wool or polyester are preferred, as they will keep you warm even after they are damp.
  • There are socks and hats specially designed for camping.

2. Snowy Cold

Keeping yourself warm during the brutal winters of the US can be a mammoth task. You can suffer from hypothermia if you were not smart about your clothes enough. It’s always better safe than sorry.

  • The main goal should be trapping your body heat inside your body.
  • Sleeping bags are not that efficient at midnight (unless it’s an electrical one).
  • Layering will help you with keeping your core warm.
  • There is no hard and fast rule for layering yourself during winters. Layer as much as you think is required for you.
  • You can be as layered inside the sleeping bag as you were outside of the sleeping bag.
  • You can always increase or decrease your layers on the clothes if you feel too hot and sweaty. Trust me the last thing you want on a winter night is sleeping with sweat.
  • Increasing the layers would not hurt you in a sleeping bag, just not too much to sweat.

The layering can help until the sleeping bag and your clothes are not compressed down. You can lose a ton of heat because of conduction through the ground.

The layers will be of no use, therefore don’t leave your sleeping bag on bare ground.

3. Moderate temperature

According to me, this is the best time of the year for camping or outing. The spring or autumn time, when it is not too cold or not too warm.

  • You are just fine a normal t-shirt or boxer/ long underwear.
  • This will be a base layer of warmth.
  • You can add socks for extra warmth if you want to.
  • The sleeping bags with 30 degrees label will provide you the warmth with the base layer.
  • Just ensure to wear breathable material and stay away from sweat.
  • Wear fresh dry clothes.

4. Hiking season

If you are from the hiking community then you will have to think about the weight of your backpack and the clothes you will require for the hiking trip.

  • Carrying separate clothes just for sleeping is the right idea but it is not a practical idea.
  • It will just increase your bag weight.
  • Here is a trick or a thumb rule to follow: Sleep clean, hike dirty.
  • You can think of wearing the same clothes you want to go hiking in the next day.
  • A t-shirt, lightweight pants, long underwear, gym shorts, or sweatpants are preferred for sleeping and hiking as well.
  • It is important to change clothes before going to sleep.

Sleeping Naked In A Sleeping Bag Is A Myth?

Sleeping naked in a sleeping bag is a myth

To answer your question, YES it is a myth. Whoever told you to do so does not care about you or either has never been to a camping trip and definitely not slept in a sleeping bag. You should not take advice from them.

Insulation is the only way to stay warm while sleeping outside.

The absence of clothes will be the absence of a base layer of warmth. Putting on clothes will only add up the warmth.

99% of the situations that might occur while you are sleeping during camping, you would want to face them with clothes on.

Wildlife emergencies like an encounter with a bear or a bugler can happen anytime. Trust me, this is the last thing you want, to face them naked.

What Not To Do While Sleeping In A Sleeping Bag?

These are the list of don’t while sleeping outdoors in a sleeping bag.

  • Avoid wearing ill-fitting clothes like tight socks or pants with tight elastic bands. This will hamper the blood flow in your body parts and it will lead you to feel cold even faster.
  • Don’t wear damp or moist clothes.
  • Damp clothes will compromise the insulating power of your sleeping bag.
  • Don’t sleep in the clothes you cooked in. Wondering why? Check out our article on how to keep bears away from the campsite for the answer.
  • Too much layering will harm you as it breaks out sweat and it will make you cold at night.
  • Avoid sweating in the sleeping bag. Decrease the layers if needed.
  • Changing clothes is very important before sleeping because the clothes you wear all day long is already sweaty and damp.
  • Always change into fresh and dry clothes.
  • Don’t leave your sleeping bag multiple times at night. The sleeping bag also loses heat faster than it gains.
  • When you leave your sleeping bag, the temperature drops very quickly.
  • Never leave your sleeping bag unattended, as some crawling friends may visit your bag for warmth. Check our article on how to get rid of snakes during camping.

FAQs

Conclusion

I hope this article helped you with clothing problems while sleeping on a camping trip. Think of it in this way- warmth and health are more important than fashion clothing while you are outdoors.

You do not want to get hypothermia while on camp and destroy all the fun you could have when you are healthy. I think adjusting according to the climate is the key to your sleeping comfort.

If you have any good suggestions or new ideas you are free to use the comment section. We would love to hear those.

Check out our articles and guides on our website.

Until the happy camping!