What Food Should I Bring For A Weekend Camping Trip?

This question was asked and answered in our RV Lifestyle Facebook group. Here’s what RVers say you should pack for your weekend camping trip…

A fellow RVer named Deanna asked a question that comes up a lot in the RV community: what food should we pack?!

She specifically posted about what type of food to pack for a weekend camping trip, and the post got nearly 100 responses.

I must say that Mary’s reply of “usually too much” is something we can all relate to. RVers’ eyes tend to be bigger than our stomachs whenever grocery shopping for a trip.

So, I suppose the easiest answer would be to pack less than you think! But the other RVers and I have more advice to offer. I’m going to outline it for you and include some other helpful links to help you plan your camping meals for your next trip.

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How We Pack our RV for a Two-Day Trip

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See?! You can see for yourself that even Jennifer and I pack a lot for a two-day trip.

But as Jennifer points out, we shouldn’t have to stop at a grocery store at any point. That saves us from wasting precious time on our short trip!

You can see some of the staple food items we always pack (for Bo, too!). But let’s dive more into what food to pack for your short RV trip…

Best Food to Pack for a Weekend Camping Trip

Taste buds are as subjective as funny bones, so it’s impossible to tell you the best food specifically to pack. However, I can give you tips on the type of food to pack, with Facebookers backing up the advice.

Frozen Leftovers

You can see from our video above that we often pack leftovers from our home fridge and freezer. It’s convenient and keeps us from wasting good food.

Carolyn had the same advice in the Facebook group, with a bit more foresight. She said, “I’ve been freezing leftovers to prepare for our next trip.”

This strategy goes hand in hand with the next piece of advice that a lot of RVers gave…

What You Eat at Home

A lot of people responded to Deanna’s post saying that they eat the same thing in their RV that they would eat at home.

This is excellent advice for a few reasons. For one, you’re familiar with it and know how to easily shop, prepare, and cook it. For two, it helps prevent you from splurging too much on unhealthy “vacation food.”

Jennifer and I have addressed this undeniable health danger… when the RV Lifestyle is TOO MUCH of a vacation. Granted, if you’re just going on a weekend camping trip once in a while, splurge away!

However, if you’re camping out every weekend, those vacation calories become real calories!

Crockpot Food

Many RVers do a lot of crockpot cooking while camping. It’s so easy to throw a bunch of ingredients in one pot, turn it on, and come back later to enjoy a good hot meal. Plus, easy cleanup!

We recently wrote an article on this very thing! Our Facebook group shared their favorite camping crockpot recipes.

Easy-to-Make Recipes

Not everybody likes one-pot wonders made in a crockpot, but everybody does like easy-to-make food when camping.

A lot of people said anything you can throw on the grill. You can’t go wrong with any type of beef, chicken, pork, or fish you can toss on the “barby.”

Still others suggested you do prep work at home and then finish the recipe in the RV. That makes any recipe a lot easier, and it’s something Jennifer and I do often. We even have 5 Perfect Camping Recipes to Make Ahead of Time.

RV Lifestyle group member Chris also suggested “anything mountain pie.” He’s referring to a closed sandwich that you can stuff with anything and make over a campfire. There’s a great tool to make them called a pie iron. It’s one of the best campfire accessories to keep on hand!

Mike and Jennifer’s Summer T-Shirts for your next adventure

The Classics

If you’re going on a quick weekend camping trip, there’s no need to get fancy. Why try to reinvent the wheel when all you really need are some burgers, hotdogs, and chips?

They’re always a crowd pleaser, and people really don’t mind eating them more than once in a short span. You can make both each time to please everybody. Then, each person can have hotdogs one day and switch to hamburgers the next , or vice versa.

Granted, it’s not healthy to eat only this on long trips or frequent trips, but we’re just talking about a one-time short trip for now. Throw in some fruit and a veggie tray and call it good enough!

If you want to go with an even easier classic, skip the grill and go with cold sandwiches!

Pancake Mix

Here’s a specific food item to pack! A lot of people suggested pancake mix specifically because pancakes are quick, easy, and delicious. Plus, you can use different toppings on different mornings to mix things up.

Toss in some syrup, eggs, sausage, or bacon, and you have a full breakfast spread!

If you want to “up your pancake game” you could make homemade pancake mix ahead of time. Then you just have to mix in the wet ingredients while camping. There are lots of easy recipes online, or you can make this copycat recipe for Black Bear Diner’s sweet cream pancakes. They’re delicious!

Another go-to breakfast item is biscuits. They’re also great to have on hand to make a favorite campfire treat called a campfire tart.

Fruit

Fruit is the perfect snack food for a weekend camping trip. It’s healthy, it’s refreshing, and it’s easy!

You have a built-in breakfast with a banana, a great snack with grapes, and the perfect side to any lunch with apple slices.

Instead of loading up on chips, load up on fruit! It may seem silly, but there’s something “connective” about eating fruit outside. It always makes the fruit taste better and the outdoors sweeter!

Nothing! (For One Meal)

Jennifer and I always like to eat out at least one meal on every trip. It’s a great way to experience the local culture and learn more about the region. This is especially true in small towns.

We have probably learned as much from waiters and waitresses over the years as we have from travel guides!

So, if you are camping in the vicinity of a small town, I recommend enjoying one meal there. It supports a local business, gives you a break from cooking and cleaning, and gives you insight into the area!

Now that we have the food worked out – let’s go somewhere!

From “The Historic Coast” of St. Augustine to “The Space Coast” in Cape Canaveral and “The Treasure Coast” of Port St. Lucie – the Atlantic Coast of Florida has something to offer for everyone.

We cover a variety of areas in this guide, from sugar-sand beaches along the coast, inland to Florida’s magnificent first-magnitude springsto the largest lake in the state and the subtropical wilderness of the Everglades.

Florida’s Atlantic Coast does not disappoint… we hope you’ll take the time to see for yourselves!