I started camping very early, and it quickly became an intricate part of my youth. Camping was how my family spent vacations, and it was how I spent time with my friends. Eventually, I spent my teenage years at summer camp, first as a camper and later as a counselor. It took a little time to learn what defined an excellent camping trip.

After a few bad or uncomfortable camping trips, I soon learned that a good journey came down to three basic needs — a good fire, food, and a good night’s rest. I have compiled the following tips or hacks to help you achieve these three critical goals.

Good Fire

In between trips, save the lint from your dryer and stuff it into empty toilet paper rolls. When used as a fire starter, its lights quickly burn hot and are easily transported.

Avoid green wood, grass, or leaves when maintaining your fire. Neither will burn well, and each will produce an annoying amount of smoke.

If you are camping during damp conditions, pack a few birthday candles. They burn for a long time and can even start wet kindling.

Do you carry hand sanitizer in your pack? If so, you also carry a fire starter. Most of these products are alcohol-based gels, which will stick to your kindling and be light easily. Anything that does double duty is a plus when trying to pack light.

In damp conditions, look for tenderness off the ground. Dead, brittle limbs and twigs that have yet to fall provide the perfect means for starting a fire even when everything else is wet.

Good Food

Rusted pots and pans can quickly turn a dream trip into a nightmare. Avoiding this dangerous complication is as simple as storing the pots and pans with simple silica gel packets inside — no rust or messy cleanup.

Keeping your food cold between meals is vital for your comfort and health, but carrying bags of ice is inconvenient and messy.

Instead, you can use frozen water bottles, which leave no mess as they melt and can even provide a cold drink.

If you are hiking and space is an issue, leave your pots and pans home and take a roll of tin foil instead. It is made to cook with and can be molded into almost any shape. Plus, cleanup is easy- crumble it up and tuck it away.

Repacking dry or canned goods in vacuum pack bags will save weight and space.

Good Sleep

After a cold, wet hike, a good night’s rest can be difficult. Add a bit of comfort by keeping an extra pair of sleeping socks in your bedroll to ensure your feet are warm and dry every night.

Before turning in, place the next day’s clothing in the bottom of your sleeping bag. They will be toasty warm when you dawn them the following day and provide an additional layer of insulation around your feet.

Remove your boots, loosen the laces, open them wide, and set them in a dry location so they air out each evening.

When weather permits, forgoing the tent for a hammock can save weight and still provide a good night’s sleep. Plus, your elevated sleeping position will protect you from critters and dampness.

Nothing makes for a better night than a soft pillow under your head, but this creature’s comfort can take up a lot of extra space. Instead, carry your extra clothing in a stuff sack and enlist it for double duty as a makeshift pillow at nighttime.

Happy Camping.