Anyone ever bring any gag gifts for your camping buddies?

I'm looking for some ideas. Either you put in their pack, and they pull it out and are like "wtf? where did this come from?" or something that you give them, they just laugh about, and remember for years to come.

Not so much a gag gift, but something the recipient can use but might not get for himself/herself. A travel game, a lure, Bungee-Dealee-Bobs, Buffs, etc, don't weigh much but can be used by paddling partners and will be tied to the trip in their memories...

If you're trying to mess with a trip partner by sneaking something into their pack you've got a few routes you can take.

The first is to sneak something like a rock into the pack. Its big and heavy but can be throw into the lake as soon as they discover it preventing them from having to lug it around the entire trip. It ends up being funny but they can rid themselves of it.

The second option is to sneak in something that is completely useless but can't be thrown out so they have to keep carrying it the entire trip. If you don't want to add a ton of weight you could sneak in a goofy looking stuffed animal, might even become a trip mascot. If you really want to mess with them make it something big and heavy and completely useless. Usually searching the garage or basement storage room will yield some ideas. The more useless it is the better.

The last option is to sneak in something totally random but that might actually end up being enjoyable. One idea is sneaking a pineapple into their pack. You'll get a good "what the heck is this" reaction but when the joke is over you'll get to cut it up and eat it. You could also do the same with a plastic jug of beer, once they discover they've been lugging around a jug of beer you'll be both hated and loved at the same time. They'll hate to learn they had to carry it but they'll love to drink it.

Its up to you to figure out what type of prank suits your intentions. Just be mindful of how it might blow back on you. If you give them something heavy and useless they might refuse to carry it which means now its on you to pack it out. If you do a pineapple or something else you can consume have a plan for carrying out the scraps or garbage left over.

I've done rocks before, and realize it's not very novel. I love the pineapple idea, though.

I was the victim one year when we spent the first night at a bunkhouse/"motel". These accommodations, while certainly functional for what we needed, were definitely not fancy. That's why I was a bit surprised when one of our guys said, "Look, they even have mints on the pillow!", as he pointed toward my bed. I fell for it and grabbed it hoping for a tasty mint. In actuality, it was a foil-wrapped condom that he had placed there!

This year the (much nicer) motel we stayed at the night before launching actually DID have mints left in the room and when my buddy and I saw them we really started laughing and had to explain to the other guys that weren't on that earlier trip what was so funny.

nofish: "If you're trying to mess with a trip partner by sneaking something into their pack you've got a few routes you can take.


The first is to sneak something like a rock into the pack. Its big and heavy but can be throw into the lake as soon as they discover it preventing them from having to lug it around the entire trip. It ends up being funny but they can rid themselves of it.


The second option is to sneak in something that is completely useless but can't be thrown out so they have to keep carrying it the entire trip. If you don't want to add a ton of weight you could sneak in a goofy looking stuffed animal, might even become a trip mascot. If you really want to mess with them make it something big and heavy and completely useless. Usually searching the garage or basement storage room will yield some ideas. The more useless it is the better.


The last option is to sneak in something totally random but that might actually end up being enjoyable. One idea is sneaking a pineapple into their pack. You'll get a good "what the heck is this" reaction but when the joke is over you'll get to cut it up and eat it. You could also do the same with a plastic jug of beer, once they discover they've been lugging around a jug of beer you'll be both hated and loved at the same time. They'll hate to learn they had to carry it but they'll love to drink it.


Its up to you to figure out what type of prank suits your intentions. Just be mindful of how it might blow back on you. If you give them something heavy and useless they might refuse to carry it which means now its on you to pack it out. If you do a pineapple or something else you can consume have a plan for carrying out the scraps or garbage left over. "

All great ideas!!

I was gifted a life-sized inflatable doll in this manner once...

Rock
Horse Shoes (cause then you have something to do)
Make him/her carry the food pack.

Many years ago read about the Sawbill Outfitter crew ongoing prank. They had a used bowling pin that was painted up as a doll. (It had a name but I don't remember it.) The bowling pin would eventually end up in the next person's pack (Like a traveling trophy?!). They would then have to carry the bowling pin the rest of the trip and try to pass it on to the next unsuspecting soul on the next trip they took.

We've done stuff like that we used to have a bright hawaiian shirt for big fish it would rotate everyday depending who caught the fish, we had a MooMoo those womens romper thing like mrs roper wore on 3's company it was god ugly big bright flowers on it, guy with the big walleye had to wear it, we play a poker game you get 5 cards then extra for every species, size of fish everybody throws 2 buck in it's fun too.

A pair of these goes in one lucky newbie's pack every trip.

Link

....and hilarity eventually ensures!!!

greywolf33: "A pair of these goes in one lucky newbie's pack every trip.

Link

....and hilarity eventually ensures!!! "

That's an expensive joke LOL