10 epic hacks to make camping easier

#1 Prepare food in advance

Cook your first night’s meal at home, freeze it and let it defrost in a cool box during the journey. It’ll act as an ice pack and be ready to heat once you’re set up at the campsite.

#2 Be a wicked firestarter

Cotton wool balls soaked in Vaseline make effective and easy firestarters - it might be a sign of a misspent youth, but it works!

#3 Adapt your tent's floor

Use foam floor tiles designed for kids’ playrooms to make the groundsheet warmer and more comfortable to walk on. Fluffy socks optional.

#4 Keep your cool

Fill up a two-litre vacuum flask with cold milk, water or wine to keep it chilled if you don’t have a fridge in your tent.

#5 Plan ahead for an easy exit

Where possible, choose a pitch with good morning sun so your tent dries quicker on going-home day. It's not just Mary Berry who complains about a soggy bottom.

#6 Ensure a warm night's sleep

Place a couple of fleece throws or foil survival blankets on the bedroom groundsheet before putting your airbed on top, to help stop the cold from the ground chilling the air in the bed.

#7 Keep your powder dry

Store matches in a small watertight plastic box and stick a strip of sandpaper to the lid for striking.

#8 Glide easy

Spray furniture polish on tent poles to make them slide through the sleeves easier. It also works on sticky tent zips.

#9 Enjoy a glow up

Attach a head torch onto a large plastic milk bottle filled with water to make an instant lantern.

#10 A warm embrace

A small hand warmer wrapped in a sock and slipped down to the foot of your sleeping bag a couple of hours before getting into it will help to keep you warm at bedtime.

Enter the competition here

You could win a brand-new Stafford 8.0 tent from OLPRO by submitting your own camping hacks!

This fantastic eight-person tent has been produced in collaboration with explorer and survivalist Ed Stafford, who knows a thing or two about outdoor adventure. He holds a Guinness World Record for being the first person to walk the length of the Amazon River. More importantly right now, he has designed this tent with British brand OLPRO and the result is a thoughtfully designed and spacious eight-person tent with an RRP of £950.

Submit your own camping hacks below to be in with a chance of winning this tent. Full T&Cs are available when you enter the competition.

Enter here: Win the Stafford 8.0 tent from OLPRO