Whether you're going on an overnight hike or a multi-week wilderness adventure, these budget-friendly backpacking tips will help ensure you're ready for your next trip.
Mosquitoes
For a natural mosquito repellent, use sage. Just bring some in a plastic bag on your trip, and throw it in the campfire to keep the mosquitoes away.
Tell Time Without a Watch
Figuring out how much time is left to hike in the afternoon can be tricky sometimes. You don't want the night to fall and get lost getting back to your campsite.
For an easy way to figure out how much time is left, use your fingers. Put your hand up in the sky and place it right below the sun. Count the number of fingers it takes to reach the horizon from the bottom of the sun and multiply that by 15 (each finger equals 15 minutes).
That will be your total number of minutes left (ex. four fingers x 15 minutes = 60 minutes left).
Make the Most of Your Water Bottle
There are several tricks you can use involving your water bottle, which is one of the items you use the most anyway.
A roll of duct tape fits perfectly around most water bottles, so leave it on there if you need to use it. This can come in handy if your tent or another important item rips. Just grab the duct tape to repair it, and you'll be good to go until you get home.
If you're looking to make a quick lantern, your water bottle works well for this. Fill it to the top with water and then put your headlamp around it. You'll be able to see around your tent at night with ease with this trick!
Breakfast Hack
If you like having eggs for breakfast each morning but don't want to deal with them getting crushed each time you pack up, there's an easy solution.
Crack your eggs before you leave your house and put them in a water bottle. You can hold up to eight eggs in each bottle, plus you'll have a quick, protein-filled breakfast each morning. Just make sure to keep ice around them if you don't use all the eggs.
Check out the infographic below for more clever backpacking tips from Just Roughin' It.
