Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Outdoors
  3. News

This camping hack is genius, and uses a really cheap item you can find at almost any store

Keep your tent safe with this pool noodle hack

By
Closeup of two friends setting up a tent in the woods.
Kamaji Ogino / Pexels

Camping is a beloved outdoor activity that allows us to connect with nature, unplug from our busy lives, and create lasting memories. However, even the most experienced campers can face challenges in the great outdoors. One common issue is the presence of trip hazards around the campsite, especially those pesky tent strings. They are often hard to spot during the day, and at night, they can become downright treacherous.

But fear not, because this revolutionary TikTok hack is bound to make your camping tent safer to navigate around. All you need is a pool noodle to try out this brilliant solution that keeps those tent strings visible.

Recommended Videos
@wherewewild

“12 Tricks To Improve Your Tent” along with many other camping hacks, tips and tricks videos are up on the WhereWeWild Youtube Channel 🏕️😊🤙🏽 #camping #campinghacks #campinglife #campingideas #campingtents #campinghack #outdoors #tent

♬ original sound – wherewewild

Tent strings are an essential part of setting up a tent. They provide stability and keep your shelter secure, ensuring a good night’s sleep in the wilderness. However, even if they are a bright neon color, these strings often blend into the natural surroundings, making them difficult to see. This can lead to unfortunate accidents, especially for those exploring the campsite or returning to their tent at night. Tripping over tent strings can not only be painful but can also damage the tent or result in other kinds of injuries.

That’s where the pool noodle hack comes into play.

The concept is straightforward: Before staking your tent strings into the ground, thread them through a pool noodle. You can cut the pool noodle into small sections, typically a few feet long, to accommodate each tent string. The soft, brightly colored pool noodle acts as a protective sleeve, keeping the strings visible at all times. If you do happen to trip over it, the noodle helps protect you from rope burn, cuts, or bruises.

Here’s how to implement this hack:

  1. Gather your materials: To get started, you’ll need a few pool noodles and a sharp knife or scissors for cutting them into sections. Make sure you choose noodles that are brightly colored for maximum visibility.
  2. Cut the pool noodles: Cut the pool noodles into small sections, ensuring they are long enough to cover the tent strings comfortably. Aim for sections that are around two feet in length.
  3. Thread the tent strings: Once you’ve cut the pool noodles, thread each tent string through a pool noodle section.
  4. Stake the tent strings: Now, stake the tent strings into the ground as you normally would, ensuring that the pool noodle section is close to the ground to provide maximum visibility.

This pool noodle hack for tent strings is undoubtedly the best camping hack of 2023, providing a simple yet highly effective solution to a common camping problem. By threading your tent strings through pool noodles, you’ll enhance safety, ease of use, and overall enjoyment during your camping adventures.

Sarah Joseph
Sarah Joseph
Contributor
With a bright sense of adventure and a heart for the mountains, Sarah is always thrilled to share nature with others through… Read Full Bio
Topics
Outdoors
Arc’teryx x BEAMS: The blend of Alpine tech and Tokyo style
Arc'teryx x Beams

The new Arc’teryx x BEAMS collection celebrates the brands’ 25-year collaboration and the blending of technical function with street-savvy style. The line highlights a re-creation of the 1998 Arc’teryx Theta hardshell, a Gamma softshell jacket, and Jogen bouldering pants. All come in the signature Kōyō color palette, modeled after Japan’s autumn leaves. 

I wore the Gamma Jacket and Jogen pants during the fall changeover in Virginia’s picturesque Shenandoah Valley, testing for warmth, wind resistance, and style. Here’s my take.

Read more
Outdoors
More than a name: Meet Eddie Bauer, the true-life explorer behind your outdoor brand
Clothing, Hat, Face

From the time I was a little man, I excitedly tugged at the shirt tails of my father and grandfather every time they left the house to do anything relatively outdoorsy. They would leave the house hauling gun cases, fishing poles, camping gear, hiking packs. The men of my life loved everything adventurous, and they would do it every chance they could. When I was big enough, I would be allowed to come with them. I got my own boots. I procured my own active wear that could resist the weather. I opened my own parka for Christmas. Not only was I now in the same boat with them, in the same tent with them, and in the same deer stand with them. I also wore the same brand as them. Eddie Bauer was their go-to, and it had become my go-to.

But what was it about that brand? What was it about the man behind the brand that became the man’s best friend in the wilderness? Well, here is what you need to know about the guy who ditched the work world to open an outdoor brand simply so he could go outdoors all the time. And made it possible for my grandfather, my father, and then me.

Read more
Outdoors
Plug In, Ride Out: KTM’s Freeride E Gets Sharper for 2027
2027 KTM Freeride E

Austrian motorcycle company KTM’s dirt bikes have a reputation for ripping horsepower and world-title-winning performance. Across the world’s motocross tracks and enduro courses, the brand’s orange bikes win titles and provide the thrill of riding off-road. But for the most part, those bikes use 2-stroke and 4-stroke combustion engines. 

Now, looking toward the future, the organization’s latest electric off-roader, the 2027 Freeride E, optimizes power, handling, and range, with a variety of improvements over prior versions. Here’s the rundown on the bike’s improved specs.

Read more