Summery of Best Trip Tips from Kein Callan's The Happy Camper:

As I mentioned a few posts ago, I read the book again and after doing so, have decided to post the best tips from the book. There is a tone of info. packed into it's 320 pages, so don't think that this is all the book has to offer, but these are the things that I found insightful and hope you do as well...

The Best Tips:

1)Things to include in your trip Log:

Ever read a trip log and after finishing you know more about the person the the trip? The tips below will give a great balance of information and personality.

• Where you camped
• How you like the Site
• Wildlife Sited
• Unique features visited
• Fishing success
• Difficulty finding portage/ camp sites
• Condition and difficulty of portages
• Approximate times from point to point
• Funny stuff, mistakes made , laughs shared
• Description of events and feelings they evoked...the best ones always have you feeling like you are experiencing it with the writer.

2)Clean stove with carburetor cleaner before winter storage:

• Fill tank to the brim with fuel and add one cap full of carburetor cleaner
• Burn tank dry
• This will do a great job cleaning the fuel jet on most MSR stoves

3) Don't Use Old fuel:

• In the spring don't use that old white gas that has been sitting in the garage all winter. Buy some new stuff and dispose of the old gas at a recycling center, as using the old fuel could cause your stove to fail, when you need it the most. So don't be cheap!!

4) Tent Zipper Maintenance:

• Rub the zippers with a bar of soap before a trip. This lubricates the teeth and avoids decreases the likelihood of having a problem while in the interior.

5) Bring "On the way Home" clothes:

• After days in the bush, you no longer smell yourself...but trust me, the people at Tim Horton's will, so always bring a change of clothes for the drive home and just leave them in the car.

6) Colour coded food Bags:

• This is another one I liked. Instead of digging around in the food bag for that elusive last flakie, be sure to separate food into 4 different bags: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Snacks. At least you only have to look through a quarter of the food!

7) Keep Meat fresh:

• Bring Sausage/bacon, as they will last much longer then other meats 'cause they are loaded with preservatives.
• Ask you grocery store too vacuum seal you meats. This has them last 4 times longer then normal and most will do it for free.
• Meat can be kept bacteria free for up to 4 days by wrapping it in cheese cloth that has been soaked in vinegar. The vinegar taste/smell vanish the second the meat is cooked!