Keep Your Toes Warm When Camping With This Clever Campfire Hack

Camping is a brilliant way to escape it all and get back to basics — campfires, s'mores, the great outdoors. Still, that doesn't mean you need to forgo all your day-to-day pleasures, especially warmth. You can sling a rucksack over your back, fill your water bottles with enough drinking water, and even brace for relieving yourself outdoors (respectfully, of course). But after a day of exploring, it's nice to be able to wrap up, sit comfortably, and keep the cold at bay. As many cold feet sufferers will know, keeping your toes warm when camping is no easy feat. Until now, anyway.

If you're camping in an area that allows for campfires (and if not, try these campfire alternatives instead) use the surrounding rocks as a makeshift heat source. Rocks have high thermal mass and long lag times, meaning they absorb and hold heat well and release it slowly. You can take a warm rock from the ring of stones that keep the fire contained. Or, you could find another rock and place it directly in the fire for about half an hour or longer so it absorbs some heat before taking it out to warm your toes.

This trick is genius, really (like the five camping tips no one tells you about). The rock acts almost like a hot water bottle. You heat it up, wrap it in some clothes or towels to avoid burning yourself, and take it to the tent with you. Use gloves when handling the rocks to avoid burning your hands. You can pop them to the bottom of your sleeping bag to keep your toes nice and toasty or even hold it closer to your abdomen to warm up the rest of your body. With the added layers of clothing around it, the rock should give you a subtle warming sensation for several hours.

The only downside, as you can imagine, is that rocks aren't particularly comfy. When it cools down, you'll wake up in the middle of the night to the feeling of a cold, hard... rock. It's not a perfect solution, but on an extra cold night, it could take the chill away even for a little while. However, avoid using porous rocks like sandstone, shale, or river rocks for this hack, because they absorb water over time that can cause the rocks to explode. With the right set of stones and a cautious approach, this could be one of the best camping hacks to improve your outdoor adventure.