Are you getting ready for your first camping trip or are you a seasoned vet looking for ways to camp that are more environmentally friendly? Below are the best ways to be more eco-conscious next time you go camping.
Before You Go
Your eco-friendly trip starts before you leave. If you are going camping with a few friends or family, consider packing only the essentials and carpooling. Drive the most fuel-efficient or electric vehicle to travel to your campsite. When you are planning the route you are going to take from your home, check out Google Maps’ recommendation for the most energy-efficient route. If you can use less gas while getting there, mother nature and your wallet will appreciate it.
Picking a Spot
Stay in designated camping sites while out in the wilderness. By camping in specific areas, you respect the natural habitat, and protect the wildlife, which helps keep you safe. Remember to pay your entrance and camping fees so the money can be used to ensure proper upkeep of the spaces.
Do your research. If you’re not interested in staying in a camping spot with lots of other people, there are some alternatives. You can camp during an off-peak time or look for places that specifically allow camping in undeveloped areas.
Food
Planning and packing your meals for the trip can be fun… and sometimes stressful. Consider bringing food without a lot of plastic packaging. Buying freeze-dried ingredients in bulk and packaging your snacks in reusable containers can help make your trip more eco-friendly. Fill up containers you already have at home with water to avoid buying plastic bottles for your adventure.
Dehydrated meals are a great option for reducing waste and are an easy, hearty option for campers. You also don’t have to worry about keeping the supplies cold in a cooler or fridge. There are great ready-made options from companies like Patagonia or Mountain House. These are lightweight and you just have to add hot water to get a lot of calories.
However, these premade meals can be very expensive, especially if you’re feeding a crowd or planning a longer adventure. Consider making your own freeze-dried meals with a food dehydrator. You can also create meals from cheap instant mashed potatoes or other sides from the grocery store and bulk ingredients.
If you’re wondering how to begin planning your meals, breakfast is an easy and hot meal to start the day off right. Oatmeal is cheap and tasty. You can add calories and flavor with nuts and sugar, too. You can even get fancy by bringing some powdered milk. Before you leave on your trip, try making your own granola bars with your oats for a healthier, cheaper, and less plastic-packaged snack.
Waste
Whatever you pack in, you’ll have to pack out or dispose of properly. Disposing of waste is very important while outdoors. You might be tempted to litter food scraps while camping and hiking. However, organic items like orange peels should not be thrown on the ground to “naturally” decompose outside. It takes longer than you think and depends on the surrounding environment, but it could take months for your orange peels to decompose. Food scraps can also attract animals and create unwanted dependency.
It might be tempting to bring a lot of disposable plates and plastic utensils while you’re camping to make cleaning up after meals a little bit easier. However, it’s worth it to skip the disposables and wash your dishes. You’ll also save money in the long run because you won’t have to keep buying replacements each time you go camping. Consider bringing a portable sink set up to make cleaning easy.
Hygiene
When performing your personal hygiene, remember to bring your environmentally-friendly soap. Biodegradable soap is great for cleaning outdoors, but you should use it at least 200 feet away from any water sources and buried when possible to protect the surrounding environment. Camping soap comes in small, but concentrated liquid solutions or dry soap sheets. Camping soap can be used to wash your body, dishes, and clothes. Consider bringing some biodegradable toothpaste, too.
Gear
There are a few ways to help the environment, and save a little cash when getting the gear for your next camping trip:
1. Buy used: Consider buying gently used equipment. There’s a large resale market for great camping gear.
2. Rent or Borrow: You can consider borrowing gear from family and friends or renting it. As an extra bonus, when you get back from your adventure you won’t have to worry about storing it.
3. Repair: Before you go out to replace any camping gear, try repairing it first. There are thousands of helpful videos and tutorials online that can teach you how to fix gear. A lot of outdoor gear companies will fix your stuff for free or at a reduced cost, too.
Pack your MobilDri
Another way to camp sustainably is to bring your MobilDri portable dryer with you. This portable boot and glove dryer is a great addition to your camping gear. If you’re hiking, fishing, and camping outdoors you have probably had a lot of wet gear. When water soaks your gloves, coats, boots, shoes, and hats, you can get cold and uncomfortable very quickly.
MobilDri by VersaDri is an excellent solution to get back to doing what you love outside. Once plugged into the 12V aux outlet (cigarette lighter) in your car or truck, this portable dryer has two settings to get your gear ready to put back on. Heat mode and fan-only mode. Heat mode dries your gear fast, and fan-only mode is a great, energy-efficient option for drying.
MobileDri is expertly designed with patented drying tube attachments that connect to the base unit. A single MobilDri unit quickly transforms into a shoe dryer, a boot dryer, a glove dryer, or a hat and helmet dryer. If you have tall boots like waders, you can attach additional extension tubes to help dry them. MobilDri’s unique design ensures that steady airflow will make sure your wet gear will dry quicker and more efficiently while on the go.
Bringing a portable 12V boot dryer speeds up the drying process and eliminates the growth of mildew, mold, or bacteria on your wet gear before you get home. You won’t have to worry about replacing your gear as often if you take care of it. You can also reduce the amount of gear you have to pack and buy by just bringing your MobilDri. No need to bring a lot of spare stuff. This will help reduce your consumption and help make your camping trips more environmentally friendly.
Ready for Your Next Trip?
Protecting the environment will help you and others enjoy it for years to come. By following these tips, you can have a more environmentally friendly trip while still enjoying it. They’re simple to follow and can also help save you some money so you can spend it camping even more!
Check out VersaDri to purchase your portable boot and glove dryer for your next adventure!
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