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8 Ways To Upcycle Beer Cans From Your Camping Trip

This post was updated on March 15th, 2024

It’s easy to drink enough brews on a camping trip to warrant a trip to the nearest recycling center. But why not make something more useful from the aluminum?

Emptied beer (and soda) cans are a DIY treasure and can be made into everything from a WiFi booster to a mini BBQ. Plus, some require more than just one can and we’re all for popping open as many as it takes to try these eight projects. Cheers!

1. Boost your WiFi

WiFi is offered at most RV parks, but the connection is usually pretty spotty. Sometimes it’s because you’re parked in a site all the way across from where the router’s located, or there are just too many trees and other campers in the way blocking the signal.

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beer cans
Photo by Reality Pod

If you need a boost, try cutting up an empty can, fanning it out, and taping it over the antennas on your wireless router—as seen in this video “Operation Extend-A-Brew”:

2. Make a lightweight camping stove

Cooking gear can get bulky on camping trips. An easy way to save space? Skip out on bringing a stove and make your own with a beer can, knife, pair of scissors, and denatured alcohol for fuel.

beer cans
Photo by Weelife

Here’s how to do it, step-by-step:

3. Create a DIY popcorn maker

Movie night? Popcorn can be made simple with an emptied beer can.

Just cut open part of the can, pour in some cooking oil, and drop in popcorn kernels, as shown in the video below from “Crazy Russian Hacker” on Youtube. Drizzling melted butter on top is optional (but highly recommended).

4. Make beer can chicken

The secret to delicious chicken? Beer, of course. As funny as it may look, sticking a chicken over your open beer can and cooking it will allow the brew to evaporate and keep the meat moist and flavorful.

beer cans
Taken by Jamie McCaffrey on Flickr

Get the directions below from Munchies:

5. Use it as a resealable container

Looking for a place to keep your small items? You can easily turn aluminum cans into resealable containers with a safety can opener, nail, and plastic fork. This video from Shawn Boyle shows how to make one in just three-and-a-half minutes:

6. Create a lovely candle holder

Who knew beer cans could look so lovely? These would be perfect, romantic centerpieces for a candle-lit picnic. Making one is simple: slice up a can, twist it, hot-glue the end in place, and top it off with a tea light candle. Check out the steps in this two-minute video from GuideCentral:

7. Build a solar heater

If you’re boondocking, these solar heaters are a great way to warm up your rig.

beer cans
Photo by falling_stone on Instructables

The black spray paint and aluminum soaks up heat in direct sunlight, and a solar fan allows the warm air to pump throughout your space. Get the step-by-step directions from Instructables here.

8. Make it into a mini BBQ

When you’re craving hot dogs and don’t have a grill, these Bitty-Qs are everything you need to cook your franks.

beer cans
Photo by The King of Random on Instructables

The King Of Random shows us to make them in the video below, but you can also get more details on Instructables here.

You may also like these 10 Ways To Upcycle Food & Drink Containers



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