Packing Food for a Camping Trip

What do you need to go camping? Food should be near the top of the list. Packing food for a camping trip can be a daunting task if you do not know where to begin. Packing too much food means you’ll have to carry around excess weight while packing too little food will make for a miserable experience. Thankfully, there are some helpful tips that will ensure you pack the right amount for how long you’ll be gone!

What food should I bring for 3 days camping?

3 days is going to require that you bring a lot of food and snacks with you. This holds especially true if you are camping with family or friends. For a 3-day camping trip, you should bring food items that are easily made over a fire, on the go, or are snacks that require no effort at all to dig into. You should consider bringing eggs, bread, pasta, potatoes, meats, tomatoes, vegetables, etc. It is important to note that overpacking is better than underpacking. Running out of food on a camping trip is far more problematic than having leftovers. 

Make sure that while you are out camping you are being mindful of how much you have and have not eaten. You will know better than anyone how much you packed so make sure that you are rationing it accordingly. Be smart with your supplies and make use of any leftovers that you have from previous meals. 

What foods keep well for camping?

When camping, you will want to bring foods that keep well. Not every campsite or vehicle has access to refrigeration so you will need to plan accordingly. Canned foods are a great choice as they take a large quantity of time to expire. Dry packaged foods such as granola bars and cereal will serve as a great stomach filler to tie you over. Jars of sauce and peanut butter are something else to consider bringing as they add some much-needed flavor to your meal..

Overall, before camping, you need to mentally prepare yourself for some unexciting dishes. You probably are not going to be consuming any five-star meals while you are out there but that is also part of the experience. Make sure that you have nutrient-dense food you can rely on that is going to stay good the whole time you are camping. 

Another factor to consider is the weather. Depending on what time of year you go camping, your options may vary. For example, packing some raw meat to grill over the fire is okay if it’s cold outside, but hiking for 2 hours in 90-degree weather to get to your campsite will probably cause the meat to start spoiling.

How do you pack perishables for camping?

If you plan on taking perishable foods with you then pack them properly. Freeze and cool your perishable foods before leaving and store them somewhere that they are not going to heat up. Keeping them in a pre-chilled cooler full of ice packs is a great way to ensure their longevity. You should also open the cooler as little as possible while on your trip to keep the cold inside with the food. 

You should plan on eating your perishable foods relatively early into the camping trip. Most campers tend to want to save their better meals for last but that is a dangerous game. Risking food poisoning is not worth waiting a few extra days because you think it will be more rewarding. Eat your big meals early on and save the easy stuff for the end!

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