h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Great entry! It brought back many memories. One tip I remember was that if you are using a billy or other pans over an open fire they will get really dirty. If you have some washing up liquid turn the pan upside down and squirt some on and smear it all over BEFORE you cook with the pan. Make sure you don't get any on the inside.
When you have finished cooking all of the black stuff wipes straight off the outside - burnt stuff inside the pan is down to the cook!

Brilliant! I made a billy out of a big juice can with a wire handle. We used it to make tea. Pour in the water, when it starts to boil, throw in a handful of tea leaves. With an oven mitt lift it off the fire and spin it around in a circle 3 times to settle the leaves. Centrifugal force keeps the stuff in the can! Pour into cups and add some rum and sugar. Warms you right up on a chilly night in the mountains!

When I was a lot younger I worked in a boys' home near Dover in Kent. We used to take boys camping all through the year. One weekend we were on the beach at Folkestone and we built a campfire on the stony beach. As the fire settled in and got to full heat the stones started exploding. Maybe one per half hour. They'd split and shoot a piece of scorching flint onto our nylon sleeping bags and burn holes in them. We had to convert to Calor gas cooking.