Paynesville, Minnesota's

Crow River Trail Guards

MY BEST CAMPING TIP: The “fire hose.” If you like a campfire, this is the best, simplest, and cheapest device you could think of. This is one of those "why didn’t I think of that myself " deals! I learned it from guides on an American Lung Association BWCA winter camping trip with no mosquitoes. All you need is a three or four foot piece of 1/2 inch plastic or rubber hose. Hold one end down in the coals, stick the other end in your mouth, and blow! No more need to get down on wet ground to stick your head in the smoke and heat to get that stubborn fire going. It might not sound like much, but trust me - your camping friends will be impressed! By the way, surgical tubing works the best, especially in the extreme cold.

  ONE MORE QUICK CAMPING TIP: "Refrigerator Towel." This is handy for warm weather wilderness camping where you don’t have a cooler or access to ice. You can keep fish fillets or other perishable food items cool by placing them in a plastic bag, wrapping that with a wet cloth, and setting in a cool, shaded spot. I like to set them down in the shade behind a rock, moving away leaves to get right down to the cool, damp earth.

If you remember your 9th grade IPS class, you know that it takes calories of heat to change a liquid into a gas. It’s called the refrigeration effect. That is what happens here as the moisture in your towel dries off. The calories of heat are drawn out of whatever that liquid is in contact with - here being your package of perishables. You can keep those items around 20 degrees cooler than the air temp, depending on the humidity.

This also works well in your pack, as long as the compartment they are in can breath.

NOTE: Always use caution with perishable foods. This method gives only marginal protection in warm or hot conditions.

More Tips to Come Someday,so Keep Checking Back!