OnStar is all about keeping their drivers safe, connected and prepared while out on the road. They can only help you if you’re in or around your vehicle, though. That’s why OnStar has hired Perry Keydel, an avid Michigan outdoorsman, to teach us a few quick tips for surviving out in the wilderness this Labor Day weekend, where OnStar may not be around to send help.
The first tip Keydel gives is potentially the most important. To start a fire, Keydel uses a hand-held pencil sharpener to make stick shavings, which make good tinder. These will light easily and give you an instantaneous fire. The pencil sharpener can also be used to sharpen a twig for roasting hot dogs or marshmallows over the fire.
The second tip is in regards to that plastic milk jug you’ll probably throw away. This has multiple uses including filing it with water and freezing it to keep food cool, resting a flashlight against it to make a lantern and cutting it in half to use as a scoop.
Duct tape fixes everything, right? Right. So be sure to bring it along camping. If you don’t want to carry the whole roll, wrap the tape around a water bottle and peel it off as needed. It can be used to fix leaks or even cover blisters or cuts.
If you enjoy a nice meal while camping, you’ll like Keydel’s next tip. He suggests getting clear plastic straws and filling them with spices rather than using big, bulky spice containers. Use a lighter to singe one side of the straw and pinch it closed, then fill it with spices and singe the other end closed. Another cooking tip is using a belt fastened around a tree to hang pots and pans from, keeping them off the ground and away from the dirt.
The sixth tip is our personal favorite. If you want good coffee but can’t stand the low-quality instant stuff, bring along a full-size coffee filter. Fill the filter with grains and tie it like a homemade tea bag. You can then dip the coffee tea bags in boiling water and enjoy. If you want some food with that coffee, pour pancake powder into cleaned out ketchup bottle and add water. Shake the bottle and spray the batter onto a pan.
Finally, if you happen to have a vehicle equipped with OnStar 4GLTE, you can even turn your campsite into an outdoor movie theatre. Hang a white sheet from a closeline and fasten the bottom corners to the ground. Using a projector, you can show the movie on the white sheet as it streams off the internet from the 4GLTE Wi Fi hotspot.
So if you’re going camping this labor day weekend, remember to arrive prepared and stay safe. You might also want to give a few of Keydel’s tricks a try. We know we won’t be having anymore instant coffee during our camping excursions.
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