Keep animals out of your campsite
Bears, Raccoons, Skunks

Keeping animals out of your campsite is easy if you follow these camping tips.

Bears get all the attention, with people recommending gear like indestructible bear-safe food containers,but for the majority of campers the most common camp invaders are raccoons and skunks.

Unless you are in bear country that is…

*Note – all shopping links are my own Amazon affiliate links – which I only use to recommend good-quality camping gear – Gus

#1 Reason for animal camp invasions – FOOD!

Of course there will be rare exceptions, but generally forest animals try to stay away from human contact. Unless there is something to lure them into your campsite, you usually never see them.

Unfortunately, too many campers give them that something that lures them into the campsite – in the form of easily available food!

This is not what most campers have to worry about.

This is!

Properly store, and dispose of camp food after every meal

Just closing the cooler or sealing the bread bag is not enough. Animals can even smell food in unopened bags and containers, and unless your cooler has a sealed lid with tension-lock, they can smell the food in a closed cooler too.

And trash bags with food scraps are like “Free Buffet” invitations to raccoons.

Most common camp food animal magnets:

1. Camp trash bag with food scrapes
2. Food scraps and crumbs on table and ground
3. Unsealed food containers – like bread and chip bags
4. Food in tents – even unopened
5. Spilled sugary beverages and empty containers of same
6. Uncleaned food preparation surfaces

Of course the remedies for these seem like common sense, but it is surprising how many campsites have almost all of these animal magnets in place when everyone turns in for the night.

The most common animal camp invaders in North America are: 1) Raccoons, 2) Opossums, 3)SKUNKS!

Raccoons may look cute, but they can be extremely destructive to any camp gear between them and the food

Opossums are just yucky, but can usually be shooed away.

SKUNKS! These fellas aren’t shy, don’t like to be shooed, and can ruin a camping trip with one short burst! One encounter with one of these camp invaders will instantly turn you into the Food Police on every subsequent camping trip.


How to keep animals out of your campsite:

• Don’t put food scraps in the camp trash bag. Burn them in your campfire instead, but if you must:
  • Take the camp trash to the campground receptacles every night, don’t leave them in camp
  • If no trash receptacles are available – hang the trash bag(s) from a tree limb, as high as you can manage.
     
• Keep the camp food eating and cooking areas tidy. Clean food prep surfaces thoroughly after every meal. Wipe down camp table surfaces after meals. Don’t leave large pieces of food scrapes on the ground.
   

• Seal all food containers, and for non-cooler items, store them in something stronger than a bag. If you don’t have a camping chuckbox, plastic totes work well for food items in boxes and bags
  • Most discount stores have a good selection. Just make sure you get one with a lid that snaps or locks closed.
     
• Rinse all sugary drink spills with LOTS of water
   
• Don’t allow any food in tents. This includes unopened food like candy bars, chips, and trail mix too. As mentioned, animals can smell even unopened food. You just may find your campsite looking like the bear image above.

Tip: Car campers can lock their food up in their vehicles each night. EXCEPT in bear country!

Some “camper suggested” ways to keep the critters away:
*These aren’t proven recommendations – just some methods that other campers say worked for them.

• Mark your territory – urinate around the perimeter of your campsite.
• Mothballs – scatter a sprinkling of mothballs around the perimeter of your campsite.
• Fabric Dryer sheets placed around the campsite

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Insulated Coolers

Camp Duffel Bags

Camp Coolers

Collapsible Totes

Camping equipment for new campers

Is it more than just an invite? Do you need more than just your personal camping gear? Do you want to build your own supplu of camping gear?

Check out these related camping resources:

Camping Stove and Cookware Starter Set:
Complete Camping Stove and Cookware Starter set, all in one package! Great for the new camper. All the basics needed for campsite cooking in one inexpensive package. – Camp Stove, Pots and Pans, Cooking and eating utensils, Plates, Cups, and more.

>>> More “How to pick…” camping equipment guides

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Pie Iron Recipes for Kids

Campfire Pie Iron Pizza
- more fun and easy camping recipes for kids that they can help make themselves,

…with just a little adult supervision.

Pie Iron Pizza is so easy the kids will want to do it on every camping trip.

And it’s not just for dinner, it makes a great lunch or evening campfire treat too.

*Note – all shopping links are my own Amazon affiliate links – which I only use to recommend good-quality camping gear – Gus

Easy Pie Iron Pizza recipe

There is an “adult” version of this recipe that uses real pizza crust, and the more practical, “kids” version that uses buttered bread or biscuit dough.

The buttered bread version is the easiest and most fool-proof way to make pie iron pizza, but except for the “crust” used, the recipe is the same for all three crust options.

This campfire treat is cooked with a cast iron or aluminum pie iron, over medium campfire coals or flames.

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Here is all you need for this camp or campfire treat:

*you should plan on two pizzas per camper

• Pie IronUnless it’s just the two of you, one pie iron is never enough. You should have at least two, and a double pie iron speeds things up.
• 2 refrigerated biscuit doughs per camper. (like Pillsbury, from the dairy section), or 2 pieces of bread
• Butter/Margarine
• Pizza sauce
• Shredded pizza cheese – provolone/Mozzarella blend
• Dried oregano seasoning
• Topping – you can use almost any topping your campers like; pepperoni, pre-cooked sausage, etc. etc. Or you can leave it as just cheese. (pepperoni is the most popular topping)

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Tip: A good pair of campfire gloves is almost a must-have for any type of campfire cooking. Here is a guide to some good choices for campfire cooking gloves.

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The basic steps:

1. Heavily butter one side of each piece of bread
   • For biscuit dough and pizza crust dough – heavily butter the pie iron instead
   • Biscuit dough: mash and pull the dough until it is flattened out to fit the inside of the pie iron – 1 biscuit for each side
   • 
     

     Pizza crust: butter the pie iron, lay the dough inside one half of the pie iron, with an equal portion hanging over, (see image on right), then fold the back over the toppings before closing pie iron
      

2. 
   

   Generously spread pizza sauce on one side of bread.biscuit/dough – to suit your taste. Then add shredded cheese, and toppings if used. (see image)

3. Spread more pizza sauce on the other piece of bread/biscuit, or flap of pizza crust. Season with oregano and garlic salt, then close pie iron. (for pizza crust – fold flap in, over cheese and toppings first)
4. Trim off any excess ingredients when pie iron is closed.
5. Cook over medium coals, or low campfire flame. *Caution: cooking over flame usually means burn pizza instead of faster cook time.
   • For bread pizza: after three minutes, rotate pie iron and cook for four more minutes
   • For biscuit and pizza dough: rotate after four minutes, and cook for five more minutes
   • *approx. times – use judgement – pie irons can be closed and re-cooked if you want more them more well-done, but essentially you are just toasting the crust and melting the cheese
      
6. Open pie irons and use a spatula to remove pizza.
7. CAUTION! Pie irons will be very hot. AND, the insides of the just-cooked pizza will be very hot! Do not let young kids try to handle them until they have time to cool – which should only be a few minutes.

Note: Olive oil or pan sprays can be used instead of butter/margarine.

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Spoiler Alert!
Cheater’s Campfire Pizza using a Double Pie Iron

The video below shows a lazy cook’s “Cheater” version of a pie iron pizza. (calzone)

It may make you feel guilty, (because it’s so easy), but if you have a rectangular double pie iron – kids love the pizza calzones below even better than the ones made from scratch!

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*The video did not mention this, but, make sure you let the pizza thaw before you try to fold it.

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Tips:
 ★ Impress the kids and make the evening campfire and story time a colorful light show with colored campfire flames.

 

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Pie Irons for Campfire Cooking
If you go camping with kids, you should have at least one Pie Iron, (preferably one for each kid), in your camping cookware. They are versatile – you can make anything from grilled cheese sandwiches to instant fruit pies. And they are so safe and easy to use that you can let your young campers make their own fun camping recipes for kids.

Just pop in the ingredients, close, cook over the campfire, and out comes delicious sandwiches, or biscuit-dough fruit tarts, or dozens of other camp food choices.

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More Pie Iron Recipes for Kids

*Basic principle is the same for all recipes:- butter bread and/or spray oil pie iron, or use olive oil, and rotate pie iron while cooking. Most recipes also use 3 – 5 minutes per side cooking rate, but use your own judgement.

Campfire Desserts and Treats
Pie Iron Pies Cherry – Apple – Strawberry Ingredients: Your choice pie filling, bread, butter, sugar Top one piece of buttered bread with pie filling – careful not to overflow it, 2 – 3 tbsp). Cap with second piece of buttered bread. Close and cook as above, 3 minutes per side. Place on plate and sprinkle both sides with sugar – while still hot.	Peanut Butter S’mores Ingredients: bread, peanut butter, graham crackers, chocolate bars, mini-marshmallows Thickly spread peanut butter on one piece of bread. Top with chocolate bar and mini-marshmallows, then cap with small broken pieces of graham cracker. Finish with second piece of bread. Close and cook as above, 3 minutes per side.

Easy Lunch Pie Iron Sandwiches

Pie Iron Reuben Ingredients: Rye bread, shaved corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, spicy mustard Spread thin layer of spicy mustard on bread. Top with a generous portion of shaved corned beef, then a slice of Swiss cheese. Spread a couple spoonfuls of sauerkraut over cheese, season with ground black pepper, then top with another slice of Swiss cheese. Cap with second piece of buttered bread, (also with a thin smear of spicy mustard). Close and cook as above, 3 minutes per side. Place on plate and sprinkle both sides with sugar – while still hot.

Ham & Apple Grilled Cheese Ingredients: bread, shredded cheddar cheese, shaved smoked ham (deli), apple slices Spread a layer of shredded cheese on one piece of bread. Top with a generous portion of shaved ham. Sprinkle a little more shredded cheese and add a layer of thin apple slices. Top with another thick layer of shredded cheese, then cap with with second piece of bread. (remember, one side generously buttered) Close and cook as above, 3 minutes per side.

More fun and easy camping dessert treat recipes for kids:

Campfire Desserts and Treats
Brownie Oranges	Dirt & Worms Pie	Hobo Pastry	Dessert Burrito	Taco in a Bag

More Camping with Kids Resources and Guides

 

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Notes and discussions:
Camping with kids requires some camping gear and accommodations that you might not normally consider if just camping with adults.

*Note – all shopping links are my own Amazon affiliate links – which I only use to recommend good-quality camping gear – Gus

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Here are a few items and resources that may prove helpful:

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Bad Weather Survival Ideas for Camping with Kids:
Bad Weather? Kids confined to the tent? Save your sanity – be prepared with these games and activities to keep them occupied.

The links are for individual products, or the all-in-one bad weather kit. (as pictured)

    

• Disposable Ponchos
• Day Packs
• Plastic Magnifying Glasses
• Dominoes
• UNO Cards
• Checkers Games

Available as an all-in-one kit – Just click the image on the right to see a complete all-in-one Camping activities for Kids and camp games for kids Bad Weather Survival kit” – All you have to do is select the item quantities to match your number of kids!

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Save your strength, – every kid needs their own camp flashlight, instead of arguing who gets yours or who has had it the longest and who’s turn it is now.
(ps. this is a great camp light for kids, but you can just pick some up at the Dollar store if you want)
Kid’s Camping Flashlights

Tip: With young kids in camp, a portable camp toilet will make your life a lot easier. No interruptions for a long trip to the campsite bathrooms, and no “scary” after dark trips to the latrine in the woods. ps. You will be surprised how convenient and inexpensive portable camp toilets are. Here are some cheap portable camp toilets on Amazon. Check them out.

Camp Water Carrier

Kids Camping Chair

Camping First Aid

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Check out these great examples of camping gear items useful for camping with kids. Once you have these pieces of camp gear included in your list of camping equipment, you will wonder how you ever did without them. Especially when you see how inexpensive they are when you buy them online.

Camp Stools	Collapsible Totes	Coolers
Camp Dining Sets	Campfire Roasters	Camping Spice Jars

Related Posts:
Wait! Don’t go yet

Did you see the Hobo Pastries? – another great campfire treat for kids. Just as easy as Monkey Bread, and kids love to make these too!
Hobo Campfire Pastry

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Related Resources:
Camping with Kids Campsite Layout
Camping Activities They Can Do Themselves
Personal Gear/Bedding Checklist
Campfire Checklist
Campfire Cooking Checklist
Camp Tools and Accessories Checklist

Return to Camping with Gus.com Home page

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Camping list for 1st time campers …
Essential camping gear

You’ve been invited to go camping, (your first camping trip), and now you need to know what camping gear, (and other stuff) to bring.

The BIG question – “What do I need to go camping?”

The weekend camping trip …

The most common first-time camping invitation is for a weekend camping trip – Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, and the person doing the inviting usually has most of the necessary tents, campsite gear, and camping equipment for cooking. And they usually have the food figured out too, (although you may be expected to chip in on the expense), so you just need camping gear for yourself.

Your camping gear list:

Tip: If you plan on using camp shower facilities, (most weekend campers don’t), then shower shoes, (flip-flops), are essential too.

*Note – the least expensive options are discussed. If you are sure you will continue camping, it would be better to look more closely at better-rated equipment and gear. Also, the shopping links are my own Amazon affiliate links – which I only use to recommend good-quality camping gear – Gus

Camping list details:

• Backpack/Duffel bag
  You need something to carry your gear in. If you are RV or car camping, (you drive-up to the campsite), you can use a backpack or a large duffel bag, but if it’s a hiking camping trip you need a backpack.
  
  Unless there are specific requirements, like; hiking up a mountain, or camping in the rain, almost any of the typical inexpensive large backpacks will work for a first-timer. You won’t necessarily need all the bells & whistles; waist cinches, mesh outer pockets, or elaborate bungee-strap arrangements. But, if you want them – let your wallet be your guide.
   
• Sleeping bag
  Unless you are camping in winter temperatures, a standard rectangular bag, (usually with a temperature rating of 30°), is all you need. If you have to buy one, a “starter” sleeping bag is usually in the $20 – $50 price range.
  
  *See How to pick a good sleeping bag.
   
• Sleeping pad (mat):
  If you are tent camping, a sleeping pad is a must. It provides a cushion between you and the hard ground. And rocks, and sticks, and other pokey stuff. It also provides an insulation layer for cold weather camping.
  
  For backpacking, (and for the cheapest option), the most common choice is a closed-cell sleeping pad. They are about 3/4″ thick and light-weight. Their price range is usually $9 – $15.
  
  *If carry-weight isn’t a problem, and you expect to go camping again, and your budget can handle an extra $20, you should definitely consider a self-inflating sleeping pad. You will quickly appreciate the softer two and a half inch cushion between you and the ground.
  
  *See All about self-inflating sleeping pads.