When you find yourself in an emergency situation, anything that you have will be better than having nothing at all. While having a fire starter, like from our earlier article “All-Weather Emergency 2-IN-1 Magnesium Fire Starter” can help tremendously by providing you with a flame, you will also want a tool that can get multiple jobs done.
Tag: camping (Page 3 of 4)
Gathering Firewood: Pocket Chainsaw or Hatchet
If you plan on having a fire during your camping trip you’ll want a method for gathering firewood. You’ll want something that will cut through various size limbs and trees to ensure that you can gather kindling for starting your fire as well as larger pieces of wood.
Having some lightweight kitchen supplies is important when you are trying to make everything fit in your hiking bag. I have put together a list of the 3 main must-have lightweight kitchen items. These are excellent not only for backpacking but also in your emergency kit. I have an extra set in my 72 hour kit.
Tater-Tot Casserole is one of my favorite camping recipes. It can be used as any meal and will keep you full for a long time. Be sure you’ve packed the ketchup and/or Tabasco and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 onion
- 1 Tbsp crushed garlic
- 2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
- 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
- 8 oz. sour cream
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
- 2 packages tater-tots
- 8 oz. Colby Jack shredded cheese
Tools
Directions for Tater-Tot Casserole
- Prepare charcoal for use with your dutch oven.
- Mix onions, garlic, soy sauce, and mushrooms into ground beef.
- Except for tater-tots and cheese, mix in the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.
- Line the bottom of your liner with 1 package of tater-tots.
- Add beef mixture.
- Pile on the second package of tater-tots.
- Cover with Colby Jack shredded cheese.
- Place dutch oven on 15 coals and add 18-20 coals on top of lid.
- Cook for 45 minutes, turning the oven on the coals every 15 minutes to ensure even heating.
I want to hear from you
Any raves or complaints about my Tater-Tot Casserole? I would love to hear what you think? Did you change it up at all? I love to hear from you!
One thing that often gets overlooked, and is definitely a more important emergency item that you should have for camping, is a Magnesium Fire Starter. Even if you never have to use yours, it will bring you peace of mind just having one.
A hammock is great for camping. You sleep right under the stars without worrying about the terrain beneath you.
Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO) makes the best lightweight hammock that I have found.
My cousin recently purchased an Eagles Nest Outfitters Hammock and, despite it being his first time hanging a hammock, it went up flawlessly. They are light enough to keep anywhere from your hiking bag to your pocket without any issues for those perfectly clear nights. I use my hammock every weekend, just park my car on the beach and hang it from my roof rack to a palm tree. They really allow you to relax wherever you are.
Many would argue that taking a generator camping is cheating or that it defeats the purpose. I agree with that to some extent, you won’t catch me camping with one in the summertime. Winter is a slightly different story however.
The sounds of nature can be undoubtedly beautiful, but every once in awhile it’s nice to break it up and crank some tunes. For this, you will need a great speaker.
The UE Boom speaker is hands down my favorite choice when it comes to portable speakers. Whenever our camping kitchen is set up there is at least one UE hanging from the canopy. Whoever still has some battery left on their phone usually decides the music. Or the chef for the night. I love returning to the camp from a day on the river, hearing the music in the distance then the laughter and conversations of my group as I get closer. It’s like a home away from home and having a portable speaker can really keep a positive atmosphere alive during a long trip.
If you have ever seen “127 Hours” you know just how important carrying a knife can be for your survival. Having said that, it is very doubtful that you will need to remove your hand to free yourself from a fallen boulder. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a good knife for other reasons.
If you want to hike to your camping destination, you’ll need a hiking bag that can fit everything you want to bring. It’s a good idea to get a bag that is durable yet lightweight at the same time so you can get the maximum use out of it. I was due for a new hiking backpack recently so I decided to go with Osprey’s Atmos AG 65 backpack and I love it!