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 posted specifically about what kind of food to pack for a weekend camping trip, and the post received nearly 100 responses.
I have to say that Mary’s response of “usually too much” is something we can all relate to. RVers’ eyes tend to be bigger than our stomachs whenever they shop for a trip.
So I guess the easiest answer would be to pack less than you think! But other RVers and I have more advice to offer. I’ll describe it and include other helpful links to help you plan camping meals for your next trip.
We use affiliate links and may receive a small commission for purchases at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support. You can read our full affiliate disclosure here.
How we pack our RV for a two day trip
Do you like what you see in these videos? We would appreciate it if you could subscribe to our YouTube channel (easy to do right here) and consider “hitting the bell icon” to be notified of any new videos from us. 🙂 Thank you!
You 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 stop at a grocery store at any point. This saves us from wasting precious time on our short journey!
You can see some of the staple foods we always pack (for Bo too!). But let’s dive deeper into what foods to pack for your short RV trip…
The 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 advice on what type of food to pack, and Facebook users back up the advice.
Frozen leftovers
You can see in our previous video that we often pack the leftovers from our refrigerator and freezer at home. It is convenient and prevents us from wasting good food.
Carolyn had the same advice in the Facebook group, with a little more foresight. She said, “I’ve been freezing leftovers in preparation for our next trip.”
This strategy goes hand in hand with the following advice that many RVers gave…
What you eat at home
Many people responded to Deanna’s post saying that they eat the same thing in their RV as they would at home.
This is excellent advice for a few reasons. On the one hand, you are familiar with it and know how to buy it, prepare it and cook it easily. For two, it helps keep you from splurging too much on unhealthy “holiday food.”
Jennifer and I have addressed this undeniable health hazard…when the RV lifestyle is TOO much vacation. Of course, if you occasionally go camping for the weekend, take a break!
However, if you’re camping every weekend, those vacation calories add up 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 a pot, fire it up, and come back later for a nice hot meal. Plus, easy cleaning!
We recently wrote an article about it! Our Facebook group shared their favorite camping crockpot recipes.
Easy recipes to make
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grcyocodeEsI
Not everyone likes one-pot wonders, but everyone likes 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 kind of beef, chicken, pork, or fish you can throw at the barby.
Still others suggested you do the prep work at home and then finish the recipe in the RV. This makes any recipe so much easier, and it’s something Jennifer and I do often. We even have 5 perfect camping recipes to make ahead.
RV Lifestyle group member Chris also suggested “any mountain cake”. It refers to a closed sandwich that you can stuff with anything and make over a campfire. There is a great tool for making them called a cake iron. It’s one of the best campfire accessories to have on hand!
Mike and Jennifer summer shirts for your next adventure
The Classics
If you’re going on a quick weekend camping trip, you don’t need to like it. Why try to reinvent the wheel when all you need are hamburgers, hot dogs and fries?
People always like them, and people don’t mind eating more than once in a short period of time. You can do both every time to please everyone. Then each person can have hotdogs one day and switch to hamburgers the next, or vice versa.
Of course, it’s not healthy to eat just this on long or frequent trips, but for now we’re just talking about a short one-time trip. Add some fruit and a vegetable 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 to pack! Many people suggested a pancake mix specifically because pancakes are quick, easy, and delicious. Plus, you can use different add-ons on different mornings to mix things up.
Throw in some syrup, eggs, sausage or bacon and you have a complete breakfast!
If you want to up your pancake game, you can make a homemade pancake mix ahead of time. Then just mix the wet ingredients while camping. There are plenty of easy recipes online, or you can make this copycat recipe for Sweet Cream Pancakes from Black Bear Diner. They are delicious!
Another item for breakfast are cookies. It’s also great to have on hand to make a favorite campfire treat called campfire cake.
fruit
Fruit is the perfect snack for a weekend camping trip. It’s healthy, it’s refreshing, and it’s easy!
You have a built-in breakfast with banana, a great snack with grapes, and the perfect side for any lunch with apple slices.
Instead of loading up on chips, load up on fruit! It may sound silly, but there is something “connective” about eating fruit outside. It always makes the fruit taste better and the outside sweeter!
Nothing! (For a meal)
Jennifer and I always like to eat out at least one meal 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’ve probably learned as much from waiters and waitresses over the years as we have from tour guides!
So, if you’re camping around a small town, I recommend enjoying a meal there. It supports a local business, gives you a break from cooking and cleaning, and gives you a glimpse of the area!
Now that we have the food ready, let’s go somewhere!
From “The historic coast” of Saint Augustine in “The Space Coast” in Cape Canaveral and “Treasure Coast” of Port Santa Lucia – Florida’s Atlantic coast has something to offer for everyone.
We cover several areas in this guide, from sugary sand beaches along the coast, land in The magnificence of Floridaficent of the first magnitude docksto the state’s largest lake and the subtropical Everglades desert.
Florida’s Atlantic Coast does not disappoint…we hope you’ll take the time to see it for yourself!
