Campsite entertainment

So what do you like to bring, if anything? Cards, dice, those little magnetic checkers/chess/backgammon games, frisbee, hacky sack etc.?

Since I'm usually solo, card and board games don't work for me, I cheat, I usually have music and ebooks along on my iphone: that is about all the entertainment I need.

Fish, read (actual book), wander around, stomping down vegetation everywhere, waiting for dinner time if I don't feel like reading.
Duane

So two types of backpackers (for the most part):
Those who hike to camp
and
Those who camp to hike

This question makes no sense to me - but I'm a "camp only because I want to hike" person.

A perfect trip for me is hiking until I have just enough energy to make some dinner and set-up camp.

Depends on the kind of camping as I camp by car, by kayak, by motorcycle and most recently I've started backpacking. (Notice that the gear sizes are scaling down toward that. :))

If car/kayak camping it's normal to bring a pack of waterproof clear-plastic Uno cards. You can play them anywhere from restaurants to camp sites. Loser does dishes, that sort of thing.

I have a magnetic Chinese Checkers game for similar kinds of camping.

Otherwise I'm usually with an iPod nano (about the size of a 50-cent piece) and a book. If I'm not reading I'm usually thinking of ways to edit whatever book/s I'm writing.

Oh, another fun form of campsite entertainment was watching a couple of very drunk people trying to one-up each other on their past camping (and any other) stories. They weren't part of our group but they were certainly entertaining for anyone within, say 2 miles that were listening to them. Add in the jealous boyfriend with the horrible guitar skills trying to woo his girl back and it was something of an interesting night.

Usually take my Kindle which gives me a choice of books depending on my mood. One time my wife went along with me and we sat on a large rock and drew a checkerboard on the rock. We used light colored and dark colored stones. I can just sit and watch the world go by but my wife cannot do that.

Sling shots and fishing poles for me. I like to walk in 5-10 miles and camp, then walk back out a few days dirtier.....uh, I mean later..:)

You could stuff a pair of pants with leaves, put some shoes and socks in it and lay it so it looks like a body sticking out on the trail. Take candid camera movies of people who find it.

Country football is an old favorite.

See what kinds of scat burns.

Take pictures of different types of flowers and identify them when you get home.

Time how long it takes to set up the tent alone.

Whittle a stick.

Bandage your thumb after cutting it.

Practice first aid.

Challenge yourself to build a fire with two matches.

Practice compass skills by drawing a scale map of the area near the campsite.

Practice getting unlost if you get lost with the above.

Make a sundial.

In a heavy use area, play horseshoes with some rocks and a couple sticks for the pole.

In an area safely bounded by roads, a stream, or some other boundary, practice navigating cross-country using only the compass.

Make a snow cave.

Practice avalanche rescue techniques when it collapses.

Dig a cat-hole exactly six inches around and see if you can hit it. Bonus points if you fill it. Put the video on YouTube.

Make a video of everything you have in your pack. Explain why you carry each item. Put it on YouTube.

Make a gill net from the strings inside your parachute cord. (These are illegal to use, so it's survival practice.)

Cook a steak directly on hot coals.

Make a rotisserie for a small chicken and cook it over the fire. Pretend it's a rabbit.

Practice making snares from sticks and the string inside your parachute cord. (Don't use them. It's probably illegal.)

Whittle a spoon.

Take a nap and be ready for a night hike.

Count contour lines on your route to determine the elevation change. (That's a special for Wandering_daisy)

Weave a lanyard for your keys using some 550 line.

Keep a journal and a blog.

Start a fire with a bow and a stick.

Make a backpack with the gear you bring and carry the rest of your gear for one mile. (This isn't as hard as it sounds.)

See who can get the video the most crazy squirrels.

See who can video the most wildlife of any sort.

Watch ants.

Make a pool table on the ground and use rocks for balls. Use big rocks for the pockets.

Pay marbles with pebbles you find.

Wade in the stream.

Pull the fish hook out of your feet.

Heather, does that mean hiking 20 hours a day?
Duane

If I'm with a group, I just yell "snake!" (or "bear" for variety) - it's good for about 5 minutes of comic relief.

If I'm alone, I think.

I forgot to mention. I do enjoy fiddling with various fire starting methods around camp as well. Flint and steel is a favorite.

Dang I love 24 hour daylight! It does make for surreal time issues though.

Man, I wanna go backpacking with you, there's no way I'd get bored!

I really don't bring anything extra at all. I only camp at night and I'm fairly well entertained by the forest. With others it's only the added conversation that entertains us.

I think food and drinks might also be included though. I tend to spend my time in camp on those and it's always a focus when I'm with others too. We pretty much keep preparing and consuming food until we go to bed. In a group we do get creative with food. We all bring something different and then share it, and that can be pretty entertaining.

I have brought a harmonica with me on every backcrountry trip I have ever taken. I just wish I knew how to play it...

I almost always backpack solo. My usual entertainments are exploring around the nearby area, taking photos, and reading whatever paperback book I brought with me. I've also been known to take a small notebook or scratch paper, and write a brief journal of my trip: weather, wildlife sightings, tracks noted, and whatnot.

When I backpack with my wife, I add conversation to the usual short list of reading, photography, and exploring around.

On longer solo treks I often bring a 1 oz. MP3 player and listen to it for 15 or 20 minutes as I settle down for the night. This tends to prevent earworms from taking up semi-permanent possession of my brain, for up to a week at a time.

I have an 8 day solo canoe trip planned. T-minus 18 days and counting! Ill be doing some backpacking/fishing/hunting.
My plans for each day are as follows:
1. Get up before dawn and make coffee/breakfast
2. Pick one of my destinations to hunt and either canoe to it or BP to it. On the way there do some fishing.
3. Do some fishing on the way back to camp.
4. Hammock nap
5. Make lunch
6. Build (see below)
7. do some reading (paperback), maybe another short hammock nap
8. before dusk, pick another hunt destination, canoe or BP to it. On the way there do some fishing. Hunt until time to get back to camp before dark.
9. make dinner
10. do some light reading by the fire, a little star gazing
11. play some harmonica before heading off to sleep

I also have with me my hand crank radio to listen to some CBC radio from time to time, as well as my iPod nano with headphones.

My "Build" plans are to build a semi-permanent privvy, a tipi, a camping kitchen, and a wash station all out of deadfall. Some ideas are below.

Fishing, first of all. Then hiking. Seriously--take a hike from camp to see what else you can see from a local peak or pass...

Occasionally a pen and pad for drawing.

And the camera.

When I'm solo, I take a deck of cards for those times when I have to hide in the tent due to rain for extended periods. Other than that, I spend a great deal of time exploring and then spend A bit of time playing the cheap little martin backpacker copy that I bought on fleebay for $15.00. Since I haven't crushed it in five years now, I am thinking of getting a Washburn rover to take.

In a group I will add 6 tiny little dice and a small notepad to play bupkis.

Started to take my Kindle Fire loaded up with one or two movies. Also listen to bible study podcasts on my Galaxy S4. Love having a little technology with me. But when I am hiking, I usually don't listen to anything but nature.