AROUND THE KAMPFIRE (TIPS ON LIVIN OUTSIDE)

What is handy to take on any camping trip and is FREE? You’re reading it. I don’t mean my column; I do mean THE WAYNEDALE NEWS, or, any newspaper for that matter. But I’m sure you will want to cut this column out and save it like you do all the rest of the AROUND THE KAMPFIRE columns before tossing the paper aside, right?

1 – Newspapers are good for reading when you’re in a cabin, tent, or camper during a downpour or a snowstorm and you have nothing to do.

2 – Newspapers are good for rolling up and swatting flies, mosquitoes, and cats that are clawing your sleeping bag.

3 – Wrap your garbage in newspaper before you throw it in the trash can and it won’t draw flies or critters.

Click to advertise on this website

4 – Out of paper towels or just want to save on them? Use a wad of newspaper to clean out those greasy skillets. Old phone book pages will do the same thing AND if you’re out of toilet paper . . . well it’s a lot better than taking a chance of getting into some poison ivy leaves. Caution: Don’t use in flush toilets.

5 – Put a wad of newspaper down inside an empty can and pour your bacon or hamburger grease in on top of it. This will make a great fire starter come campfire lighting time in the evening.

6 – Sleeping in your car or station wagon? Maybe you don’t have curtains in your camper? Wet a sheet of newspaper and stick it on the window glass. To get it off after it dries, just sponge-soak it with water and peel or scrape it off. Better than a blind.

7 – Wad up a chunk of newspaper and rub it over your windows and they will look better than if you’d used a liquid window cleaner – I think it’s the ink that does the trick.

8 – Several layers of newspaper under your sleeping bag will not only cushion you but will insulate your body from the cold ground. Wad up newspapers and fill a large trash bag with them, tie off the end, and you have a good substitute mattress.

9 – Soak the whole newspaper in water, roll it up, tie it with string, and let it dry. You have just made a log for your campfire. Make several ahead of time for use where you’re not allowed to bring firewood into the campground or the wood is too costly to buy locally. They give off a fine white ash so be prepared to brush off the cars, tents, etc.

10 – And a real nice thing about taking newspapers on a camping trip (in a tent camper, or RV) is that if you can spread the sheets of newspaper over the floor and you won’t have to do much sweeping up of tracked in mud or spilled food. Just gather the papers up and burn them.

Have a TIP for my readers? Drop a line to: Hunters’ Publications, P.O. Box 9793, Waynedale, IN 46899 or e-mail me at ChickareePress@aol.com and I’ll give you credit for sending it in. Put the word