Whether you’re packing for a short weekend trip or a lengthy expedition, keeping weight to a minimum is essential to ensure you can take everything you need without it being strenuous. There are many convenient, compact, and lightweight options that provide plenty of energy and nutrients while also being full of flavour. To keep your packing as optimal as possible, we’ve put together our best recommendations below for the best food to take camping.
The Best Lightweight Foods to Bring Camping
You may think that packing food for camping will inevitably add bulk to your backpack. However, this is far from the case, with a great many lightweight foods that provide all the energy and nutrients you need and are easy to carry. Below are our top choices for the best food to take camping:
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Freeze-dried and dehydrated meals
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Wet meals
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Freeze-dried soups
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Energy snacks
Freeze-Dried and Dehydrated Meals
Freeze-dried food and dehydrated food are among the best to bring camping. These meals undergo processes that remove moisture from the food, which accounts for a large portion of the food's weight. The process keeps the quality and structure of the ingredients intact and keeps them preserved, which are then restored to their original state once hot water is added.
For these reasons, they’re an incredibly convenient and practical option for outdoor expeditions, saving you from having to assemble and cook meals while camping. They’re also quick to prepare, rehydrating and ready to eat with just hot water from a lightweight camping stove.
Our most recommended freeze-dried and dehydrated meals are our TentMeals, Summit to Eat, Expedition Foods, and Firepot meals. All of these brands provide a range of foods that are full of flavour, easy to carry and pack, and quick to prepare.
Wet Meals
Another great option among the best foods to bring camping is wet meals. These ready-to-eat meals similarly come pre-prepared, though they aren’t dehydrated. They are a little heavier than freeze-dried and dehydrated meals; however, they offer several benefits.
Wet meals can be eaten as they are, out of their pouches, cold, or heated up by boiling them in their bags to improve their flavour. Despite their weight, their more homely flavours make them a more preferable choice if your meals’ taste is a priority and your journey is relatively short.
Our most recommended ready-to-eat meal brands are Wayfayrer and MRE, both offering a variety of delicious, easy-to-prepare meals.
Freeze-Dried Soups
Soups are an enjoyable and nourishing meal no matter where you are, and freeze-dried soups allow you to have one wherever your outdoor pursuits take you. Like the freeze-dried meals discussed above, these soups are also incredibly lightweight, have long shelf lives, and can be stored at most common temperatures. These are prepared simply by adding hot water to their pouches, making for a restorative meal at any time of the day
When considering the best food to take camping, we wholeheartedly recommend our Real Turmat and Adventure Menu soups, which are all high-quality and full of flavour. These ranges also cater to a variety of nutritional needs, including vegan camping food, gluten-free camping food, and lactose-free meals.
Energy Snacks
The above options will keep you fuelled at mealtimes, but you’re bound to need a little boost in between to keep your energy levels up. Therefore, our energy snacks are among the best lightweight foods to take camping, as these contain plenty of calories to keep you going.
Our energy bars are lightweight but contain plenty of carbohydrates, protein, and fibre to keep you sustained. These are highly practical and taste great, with items such as flapjacks, chocolate bars, and peanut butter bars that you’re sure to enjoy. For intensive activities where efficiency and convenience are key, energy gels and energy sweets are a brilliant choice for runners, cyclists, and athletes of all kinds
Convenient Camping Foods at Base Camp Food
To keep your backpack as light as possible and ensure you have plenty of space for all your essentials, our recommendations for the best lightweight food to take camping above have you covered. With plenty of options that are practical as well as delicious, these recommendations will have you well-equipped no matter where your adventures take you.
At Base Camp Food, we offer a wide range of high-quality camping meals and outdoor equipment, ideal for outdoor adventures of all varieties. If you’d like to know anything more about the food or equipment that we offer, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’ll be happy to answer any questions that you may have.