3 simple hacks to trick out your backwoods kitchen

A good hack is always welcome in the back of beyond, particularly when it comes to mealtime on a wilderness fishing or hunting adventure. Here are three simple tricks to help make eating in the outdoors easier—and impress your fellow campers in the process.

Pot hanger

This is a great way to suspend your pot for cooking food or boiling water over your campfire. Find three large rocks (or heavy chunks of wood) and a straight, six-foot-long tapered stick. Place one rock about two feet away from the fire pit and lean the stick on top of it, with the tapered end suspended over the pit and the thick end on the ground. Place the other two rocks on the thick end to anchor the stick in place. Now you can hang your water- or food-filled pot on the tapered end and light the fire. To remove the pot from the fire, swing the stick off the first rock and lay it down beside the fire (a smaller stick can also be used to take the pot off the long stick). You can also adjust the height of the pot over the fire by moving the rock base closer or farther away from the pit.

Kitchen sink

Here’s an easy way to clean your hands and dishes without contaminating the water you plan to treat for drinking. First, fill a bucket with clear water (a collapsible bucket is best on a camping trip, as it saves on weight and space). Punch a dozen holes in the bottom of a plastic bottle and tie it by the neck to the bucket’s handle so that it suspends over the side. When you want to wash, simply dunk the bottle in the water to fill it, then suspend it back over the side so that the water trickles out.

Food storage

This is an effective method for hanging your food out of reach of bears and other critters. Roughly 200 feet away from your camp, ideally look for a tree with a long, strong branch at least 15 feet above the ground with no branches below it. Tie the end of a 60-foot length of thin, strong, tangle-free rope around an oval-shaped rock no larger than a baseball (use a clove hitch, which will easily come undone if the rope gets accidentally tangled up). Now throw the rock over the branch, about 10 feet out from the tree trunk. Once the rope is suspended over the branch, remove the rock and tie on your food bag instead. Haul it up until its about two feet below the branch, then tie off the other end of the rope to the tree trunk.