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41 Camping Hacks That Are Borderline Genius

These tips and tricks will guarantee you'll be a totally happy camper this summer.

1. Use foam floor tiles for a softer, more comfortable tent floor.

2. Point a head lamp into a jug of water for an instant lantern.

3. Paint the inside of a jar with non-toxic glow-in-the-dark paint for an easy DIY lantern.

4. Make tin-can sandwich bread as a portable food option.

5. Familiarize yourself with what the poisonous plants look like.

6. Bring a tick deterrent.

7. Glue sandpaper to the top of your match holder.

8. Repurpose a coffee can to hold and protect TP.

9. Make crescent rolls over the campfire.

10. Use Tic-Tac boxes to store spices.

11. Invest in a two-person sleeping bag.

12. Get these seat hammocks for car camping.

13. Cut up a straw and fill the pieces up with antibiotic ointment or toothpaste for single-use packets.

14. Make travel coffee bags out of coffee filters and dental floss.

15. Need your coffee? Bring a few of these.

16. Make candle stakes for romantic nighttime lighting.

17. Make single-use soap leaves from a bar of soap and a vegetable peeler.

18. Use an empty laundry detergent dispenser as a hand-washing station.

Just fill it up with water.

19. Use a belt and hooks to hang up pots and pans.

20. Make campfire cones!

21. Pack a mini first-aid kit into an old prescription bottle or Altoids tin.

22. Make pancakes with pre-made pancake mix using shortening and dry milk, which don't need to be refrigerated.

23. Put a battery-powered votive candle into an empty peanut butter container to make portable lanterns.

24. Make a portable washing machine with a plunger and a bucket.

Get the directions here.

25. Make an easy-to-carry fire starter with a cardboard-only egg carton and match light charcoal.

26.

27. Make pocket-sized oil lamps out of travel-size or hotel toiletry shampoo bottles.

28. Forgo the meat marinade and put the rosemary right on the coals.

29. Bring cheeses in waxed packaging as well as hard cheeses.

30. Add bundles of sage to a campfire to keep mosquitoes away.

31. Try roasting Starburst.

Sounds crazy, but it's actually delicious. Crunchy on the outside, warm and gooey on the inside. Roast it until it's bubbling.

32. Forgo pasta for a quick-cooking alternatives like polenta, quinoa, or couscous.

33. Cook cinnabuns (the canned kind) in a hollowed-out orange over a campfire.

34. If you're going to be hiking, use this biodegradable trail-marking tape.

35. Keep the kids busy with a scavenger hunt.

Write the items down on a paper bag so they have a receptacle for the items.

36. Use a bucket and a milk crate as an emergency toilet.

37. Cotton pads dipped in wax are a crazy easy way to make portable fire starters.

38. Bring microfiber towels — they're super absorbent and lightweight.

39. Freeze gallon jugs of water and place them in your cooler.

40. Make emergency light sources out of an Altoids tin, cardboard, and wax.

41. Make sandwiches with this campfire panini press.

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CORRECTION: Item #3 was swapped out when it came to BuzzFeed's attention that the previously listed hack did not work. Apologies to anyone who felt duped by this egregious error.