From: http://www.wavelengthphotography.com.au/Bush&AlpineResources/Skills/TipsTricks.asp

Tips & Tricks
- An unstable stove can be pegged down using tent pegs to increase stability.

- Whisperlite stoves can be legged through the wire legs

- gas stoves which attach directly to the gas bottle can have three or four long tent pegs placed vertically around the pot to prevent it from sliding off. NEVER allow the peg to touch the bottle, as the peg may heat up and transfer heat to the gas bottle.

- I keep my 365ml Shellite fuel bottle in a neoprene (wet-suit material) stubby holder or can holder to protect it from damage. If you were snow camping with a gas stove using long narrow gas bottle (such as Primus brand bottles) then you could use the stubby holder to stop the gas from freezing while on the snow.

- A small pouch attached to your waist strap can hold items such as scroggin, sunglasses, compass, etc.

- I laminate my maps; they are then waterproof and resist tearing. We have seen many maps tear along the fold lines after becoming wet. On simpler walks you might also photocopy a small portion of the larger map and carry the small map somewhere accessible, leaving the large map in your pack.

- When snow camping, carry a small rag or sponge to soak up water and melting snow which enters your tent.

- Detergent is generally not necessary to clean a pot. If you have uncoated pots you can use sticks, leaves, and sand in conjunction with hot water to scour the pot. If you have Teflon-coated pots then hot water in conjunction with a towel alone is usually effective. I use uncoated pots so that I can apply brute force to burnt food without stripping the coating.

- If you use a drinking tube attached to a bladder, you can insulate the tube using black tubular hot-water pipe insulating foam from the hardware store. Although it looks as though you’ve made friends with a big black snake, it keeps the water cool on hot days and stops it from freezing in the tube during winter expeditions.

- I sometimes find small zips difficult to grasp, especially with cold fingers or when wearing gloves or mittens, so I tie a small loop of colourful cord to the runner to make it easier to see and grab. This can apply to tents as well as packs and clothing.

- A few assorted plastic bags in the bottom of the pack never go astray, to repair bag breakages, waterproof things, carry out rubbish, or whatever.

- There may be a D-ring sewn just inside the zip on one of your pack’s pockets. We clip our car keys to this, which means that the keys can’t be lost and are immediately available upon return to the car.

- Some 1mm camp cord tied from one end of the tent to the other inside the roof makes a convenient clothesline. You could also clip your torch to it and have mobile lighting.

- People always fall over tent guy-ropes; I have made mine brightly-coloured to minimise this.