Camping is one of my favorite summertime activities, so it only makes sense to investigate more and more inventive ways to enjoy the fun. In my years, I’ve found a couple useful things to do to improve my trips, but I also dug into a couple helpful websites to grab at some new ideas.

I used some information from an article featured on MatadorNetwork.com and life hacks featured on LifeHack.org, which is a great resource for all things life-hackable.

Protect the TP

Toilet paper is a fragile thing, so protect the tissue with an old coffee container. The cylindrical shape fits the toilet tissue perfectly, no matter if the container is plastic or tin. Just insert the TP, close the lid and cut a slit in the side of the container to let the toilet paper flow out. You can also cut some holes in the container and string some wire or twine through the holes so that the TP holder can be hung from a branch.

Make a tiny emergency kit

Camping sometimes involved packing compact, but you still need to be ready for emergencies. Pack a mini kit in a tin or container full or small essentials, like a small lighter or matches, a pocket knife, some bandages or gauze, some string or whatever else.

Spice it up

Most people like a little spice in their lives; being a part of the great outdoors doesn’t mean you have to give that up. Camping often involves packing conservatively, so tote along your spices in used Tic Tac containers. They’re the perfect size, sealed up against some of the elements and are easy to use.

Bring microfiber towels

This isn’t so much a life-saving hack as a helpful hint, but bring along a couple microfiber towels in case the situation calls for a towel. Microfiber towels dry fast and are pretty compact.

Kindle it

According to my researched sources, Doritos can be great kindling. Your Doritos are typically dry and ready to use in a wet accident in which your wooded area is soggy.

You like your keys, right?

You never know when you could drop your keys; and, if it were to happen, it always seems to happen in the worst possible circumstance, say when you’re boating or walking down a creek bed. You could buy one of those little flotation device things for your keys or you could simply screw a little loopy metal piece into a wine cork and make it happen yourself.

If you like it, put a ring on it

The situations are endless: you’re hanging out in a cold area and need your jacket zipped or you’re wearing gloves and need to zip your fly. Regardless, attach an old key ring to your zipper to make it easier to handle.

Build-your-own fire-starters

Circular cotton pads dipped in wax are perfect to start a blaze. I’ve found that dipping the cotton pads in your Scentsy wax works wonderfully because you make your fire-starters and clean out your old Scentsy scent at the same time. I mean, who doesn’t love dual-purpose life hacks?