One of the best parts of going camping is cooking delicious food. The outdoors gives us the ultimate freedom to try new things, assemble fantastic spreads, and use cooking techniques you otherwise wouldn’t.
What food should you bring for a short 3-day camping trip to take advantage of the excellent opportunity? If you have access to a cooler with ice, you can bring meat, eggs, dairy, and other luxuries that need to be refrigerated. If you cannot, freeze-dried meals that only require hot water are best. What you can bring depends on your situation and how much equipment can be brought with you.
There is a broad range of food options when camping. Today, we will break down a few of the common scenarios and how you can make the most of your time in the outdoors!
The importance of meal planning
You may or may not meal plan in your normal life, but it is crucial to do when camping. The last thing you need is to run short of food before your trip ends. Been there and it doesn’t make for happy campers.
When camping, you usually will not have the luxury of going to a restaurant or a store while in a forest or desert. So, all of the planning is on your hands and needs to be done well in advance.
One tip for meal planning is to figure out how many meals you will need.
- Are you a breakfast eater?
- Do you only want to eat two meals a day?
- Are you going to have a big feast or two on your trip?
These are questions you need to ask yourself to effectively plan for how much food to bring.
Don’t wait until the last minute. If you have ever camped before, you have probably run to the store last minute and tried to cram all of your shopping. When you do this, it is super easy to underbuy and forget ingredients. Going to the store days in advance allows you to go back if you forgot some things and will give you a good idea of what you can afford to pack.
Cooking equipment is an essential factor
Different styles of camping calls for different ways that food can be cooked. In turn, your meal planning will alter.
So, in the most luxurious form of camping, you will probably have access to any kind of camping cooking there is. This includes stoves, cast iron, the fire, a grill, and anything else that can be packed up and brought camping. This is where you have the most freedom.
In this style of camping, you can plan on cooking extravagant meals if you so desire. The next style of camping is the midrange level that is between roughing it and glamping. This is when you don’t have as much room and can’t count on having all of the perks that come with the most ideal situation.
In this scenario, you will probably have access to a small camping stove or single burner, a campfire, and maybe a Dutch oven. Plan accordingly, because cooking more than one thing at a time is difficult, and certain foods probably can’t be cooked well.
Finally, there is the roughing it stage that allows for the least amount of gear being used. In this case, you are probably backpacking or camping where all of your gear is in one pack. So, you probably only have a little backpacking stove that can fit a medium-sized pot.
No matter your situation, it is super important to know before buying and planning so you aren’t hung out to dry.
Luxury camping food options
The type of camping that gives you the most freedom in terms of food can be known as luxury camping, glamorous camping, or glamping. No matter what you call it, the idea stays the same. With this style, you will have access to great equipment and perks that are not found in other areas of camping.
First and foremost, you will have the ability to keep food cold. This is probably the biggest perk you can have when camping. This is because the food you can bring has almost no limits. One of my favorite items to cook when camping in this fashion is steak. Having fresh meat cooked over an open fire is unmatched.
Food favorites that require refrigeration
- Steak and other fresh meat
- Butter
- Yogurt
- Milk
- Cheeses
- Eggs
- Pre-cooked pasta
Camping without refrigeration
Meal plans change when you are unable to keep food cold. You need to know whether or not you have that capability before planning your meals. This type of camping also forces you to think outside of the box and get super creative. It is easy to cook up some eggs and bacon on a stove when you can keep them cold. It gets more difficult when that luxury isn’t there.
However, this does not mean that you can only eat crackers and cold food for the entire trip. There are tons of great foods that do not require refrigeration and taste good. This includes canned foods, preserved meats, vegetables, and so much more.
In this type of scenario, you do not have access to a cooler, but you also aren’t completely strapped for space. Maybe you have a vehicle or a really big bag or two to fit everything. So, you can still take some liberties in bringing bulky food and you probably don’t care about how much it weighs. This is why you may fall right in between the situations with the most and least freedoms.
Depending on your situation, an interesting wrinkle is that you can bring meat or other perishables and plan on eating them on the first day. Freezing butter, meat, cheeses, and other great foods and packing them up can be a great way to mix it up as long as you cook them before they spoil.
Food Favorites that do not require refrigeration.
- Canned foods like corn, chili, soup, and so much more
- Canned fish and chicken
- Pouched fish and chicken
- Fresh vegetables and fruit
- Bread and tortillas
Roughing it
The final stage of camping is roughing it. As you can tell, there are variations of all these options, but the main ideas stay the same.
Roughing it is usually when backpacking or camping on limited weight. In many cases, you have to carry all of your gear on your back. So, this automatically rules out bulky food and a way to keep it all cold.
The most popular way to eat when roughing it is with freeze-dried foods that only require hot water to cook. Brands like Mountain House and AlpineAire do a great job of making excellent meals that do not weigh a ton.
You will be eliminating a lot of your fresh produce options because they are heavy and take up a lot of space. This isn’t to say an apple shouldn’t be packed, but there is no reason for bringing a bag of 20 apples.
When backpacking, you are constantly concerned about your pack’s weight. Your food is one of the biggest contributing factors to said weight. So, being very conscious and smart about your choices is crucial.
Plus, you probably only have a single backpacking burner, so cooking everything in one pot is best. Sticking with the basics that are light and easy to make will help you tremendously.
Food favorites for roughing it
- Freeze-dried meals in various forms like
- Spaghetti
- Beef stroganoff
- Taco
- and more
- Granola bars
- Energy gels
- Fruit snacks
- Oatmeal
Wrapping It Up
Whether you are planning for a weekend outing or a short trip to the mountains, thinking of a 3 day supply of food is essential to you having fun. Running out of food and/or water at any time can be hazardous. So plan wisely based on how you are going to camp.
