I am all about making my life easier. Not only do I enjoy shortcuts and less work, but I am always looking for an excuse to spend more money on outdoor-related items. If you are in a rut when it comes to supplying your hunting or camping trips, here are a few tips that can shake things up.
Light That Line
Guylines are a fact of life when it comes to using tents, and tripping over them is also part of the
experience. Stop tripping over them by taking small solar-powered lights that you can stick in the ground. These lights can be found at most department stores and they are cheap and light. Stick them in the ground next to any guyline stakes and they will eliminate tripping and improve night vision in case nature calls.
Wash Your Clothes
You don’t need a washing machine to wash your clothes and to keep off the funk. You can use a five gallon bucket and a toilet plunger. Just add water and half a box of baking soda and plunge away for five minutes. When water is dirty, empty, replace and plunge to rinse. The baking soda will also provide an odor-neutral cleansing and will help you be scent free.
Cheap Fire Starter
Using Vaseline as a fire-starter is cheap and easy. All you need is some small containers and some cotton balls. Cotton balls saturated with petroleum jelly are extremely flammable and will offer a nice steady flame that should last long enough to get tinder burning. Not only can you use it to start fires, but it can also be your back-up lip balm or anti-chaffing ointment.
Homemade Cover Scent
Avoiding human odor is a must in today’s deer hunting woods. To save money, place your odorless clothing in a plastic bag and throw in some fresh cedar bows overnight to turn your clothes into a simulated cedar tree. The scent will last all day, and it won’t cost you a thing. You can also do the same to your hunting boots, or to mix things up, use cut up hedge apples in your boot bag. Cheap and easy.
Knife Sharpener
You can spend a lot of money on knife sharpening and knife sharpeners, but most knife-sharpening gear does not belong in the field. Tungsten Carbide sharpeners that fit in your pocket are cheap and easy to use. They offer a quick edge in the field that will get you through any skinning, gutting or whittling, and allow you to wait until you are out of the field to properly sharpen and hone later. One brand I like to use is the Accusharp.
