How to Keep Rodents Out of Your Camping Gear

Summer and camping seem to go hand in hand. The warm weather and sunny days are perfect for outdoor activities such as fishing, hiking and scavenger hunts, especially in places where the climate is not too hot. When it's time to head for the woods nothing is worse than pulling out you stored camping supplies and finding that rodents have been nesting, feeding or defecating in your things.

Preventing critters from getting into your gear will require conscientious effort on your part to see that your camping gear is stored properly so that nothing can crawl in and set up housekeeping. There is an unbelievable array of storage solutions available today for keeping items clean, organized and safe from moisture or pests. Surprisingly, there does not seem to be much specifically geared to camping supplies.

Camping supplies are usually tucked away in storage for very long periods of months or even years at a time between uses. The best way to keep the critters out of your sleeping bags and other valuable items is to keep them clean and free of odor and to provide adequate airtight storage for them.

Which storage solution you should choose will depend on your items and your needs for storage. Small things can easily be stored in large bins such as those from Rubbermaid or Sterlite and the like. Mid-sized items can be stored in footlockers if you have the space, but large items such as tents can present a bit of a challenge.

If you do not have a lot of space you may want to look for alternate storage solutions such as small bins for your camping gear that allow you to stack several of them up high or tuck them into narrow spaces amongst your other things. The smaller containers can fit more easily into crowded spaces and have the added advantage of not being particularly heavy to lift when carrying items from attics or transporting them back home from commercial storage units.

Footlockers can be good for storing lanterns and flashlights, small camp stoves and so forth but they can also be a bit cumbersome. Whenever possible it might be best to save the original boxes for medium sized items. The boxes can always be put inside plastic bags or some of those extra large zipper storage bags. Clear bags will be best to keep pests out of cardboard boxes because they will allow you to see what is stored inside of them. Packaging tape can also be used to help seal off any cracks between flaps and lids on boxes and containers that are not completely air tight.

When storing spare flashlights always be sure to take the batteries out. It is also a good idea to add something for moisture such as silica. (This is the perfect opportunity to recycle those little packets from your vitamins and shoes.)

Tents present a bit more of a challenge because of their size. They should be clean and dry before folding them up and placing them into long term storage as you will want to protect them from rust or mildew. If no box is available and you can not find a storage bin large enough a protective bag like the ones for patio furniture could do the trick but even then you will want to protect the tent and the bag from punctures.

Rodents aren't your only potential pest problem so be sure to place boric acid and other deterrents in your storage space along with camphor. You will also want to check your stored items periodically just to be sure nothing has found its way in through a crack or crevice.