For those who haven’t done a lot of camping, deciding which meals to make for your trip and how to store and cook your food can be one of the main challenges. Here, we go through a few considerations when gathering food for your next adventure.
Will you be carrying your food?
If you’re hiking, canoeing, backpacking or any other form of expedition then you most likely won’t have the luxury of a fridge or cooler. In this case you will need to make sure that your ingredients aren’t too heavy, but also will last for the duration of your trip in the weather conditions you will experience.
Dehydrated meals are fine, but they are expensive and super boring!
Do you need a fridge or cooler for your food?
If you’re planning to eat fresh meat and dairy, you will need to make sure you have a fridge or cooler and enough ice to keep your stuff cold for the duration of your trip. It might sound strange at first, but putting a sleeping bag over your cooler during the day can make your ice last a lot longer thanks to the extra insulation from the sun.
Which cooking method will you use?
Are you planning to cook on an open fire? With a portable camp stove? Maybe just in the kitchen of your chosen holiday park. Different meals lend themselves to different cooking methods and this should be considered in your plan.
Budget
Premade dehydrated meals every day can become expensive very quickly. Making a food budget and dividing it by the number of people in your group is a great idea, especially if you’re planning to split costs.
Dietary needs
Does anyone in your group have special dietary requirements? Maybe you’ll need to find a solution for your friend’s gluten intolerance or severe nut allergy. Making multiple meals can be a pain, so it’s best to plan for these requirements before departure.
An easy solution
We recently came across a new tool that can take care of meal planning for new and experienced campers alike. The Sky-Liners Camping Meal Planner makes a free camping meal plan for users, and takes into account dietary needs and whether or not you have a fridge or cooler. The planner also provides a per person budget and a beautiful looking recipe book.
Final thoughts
Sitting around and cooking a good meal can be the highlight of your day whilst camping, so putting some thought into what you will be eating is a brilliant idea.
