Best Camping Food (Review & Buying Guide) in 2023

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The best camping food will do more than fuel your body during backcountry adventures. It’ll be food that you actually want to eat. If you’ve seen the film Meru about mountaineers Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk’s successful summit of the 21,000-foot mountain via the Shark’s Fin Route, you’d have noticed that their entire diet while on the wall seemed to consist of couscous, extra-large Snicker bars, parmesan cheese chunks, and cigarettes. While Anker and company made those decisions purely based on caloric intake and simplicity, you have more options — far more — to fuel your treks.

If you are car camping, have a decent cooler, camping stove, and weight and space are no concern, you can pretty much bring what you like to eat at home. If you are going to be carrying it all on your back, it’s best to go with dehydrated backpacking meals that you can heat and rehydrate when you get to your next camp. There are a ton of tasty options on the market, and I’ve researched some of the best for you to try. You’ll find all of these in my pack from time to time. Bon appetit!

Methodology

I’ve been an outdoorsman for more than 35 years. I’m an avid long-distance backpacker, rock climber, and mountaineer, so I understand the value of well-designed gear. I don’t get paid by the manufacturers and have editorial independence. My editor leaves it to me to recommend and prints what I write. All of this enables me to provide you, our valued readers, with our unvarnished, honest opinions on the recommendations we make.

All the foods in this review were selected based on personal consumption, interviewing other experts, and thoroughly reviewing manufacturers’ specifications. We take our time to get to know the strengths and weaknesses of each item and also check out the reviews of other experts just to make sure we’re not missing anything.

Best Overall

Good To-Go Thai Curry

Pros

Very lightweight
Great calories: weight ratio
Easy to prepare
Great taste

Cons

Requires a stove to boil water
Takes about 20 minutes to fully rehydrate

Product Specs

Weight: 6.6 ounces
Servings per container: 2
Total calories: 770
Total fat: 28 g (16g saturated, 0% trans)
Sodium: 1010 mg
Carbohydrates: 112 g
Sugar: 16 g

Best Value

Maruchan Ramen Noodles

Pros

Very lightweight
OK calories: weight ratio
Fast and easy to prepare

Cons

Marginal taste, but improved with doctoring it up
Requires a stove to boil water

Product Specs

Weight: 3 ounces
Servings per container: 2
Total calories: 190
Total fat: 7 g (3.5 g saturated, 0% trans)
Sodium: 830 mg
Carbohydrates: 26 g
Sugar: 1 g
Protein: 4 g

Editor’s Choice

Mountain House Beef Stroganoff with Noodles

Pros

Very lightweight
Good calories: weight ratio
Fast and easy to prepare
Great taste

Cons

Requires a stove to boil water

Product Specs

Weight: 4.3 ounces
Servings per container: 2
Total calories: 560
Total fat: 23 g (7 g saturated, 0% trans)
Sodium: 1570 mg
Carbohydrates: 63 g
Sugar: 8 g
Protein: 24 g

Honorable Mention Dehydrated Meal

Backpacker’s Pantry Lasagna

Pros

Very lightweight
Good calories: weight ratio
Fast and easy to prepare
Great taste

Cons

Requires a stove to boil water

Product Specs

Weight: 7 ounces
Servings per container: 2
Total calories: 760
Total fat: 9 g (5 g saturated, 0% trans)
Sodium: 690 mg
Carbohydrates: 55 g
Sugar: 11 g
Protein: 22 g

Best Sports Hydration Tabs

NUUN Sport Hydration Tablets

Pros

Replenishes minerals the body needs before, during, and after workouts
Taste great
Come in water-resistant plastic tube
Non-GMO Project verified
Certified gluten-free, vegan, kosher and Informed-Sport certified
Made in USA

Cons

A bit heavy, but totally worth the weight

Product Specs

Serving size: 1 tab per 16 ounces of water
Servings per container: 10 servings per pack
Calories: 15
Calories from fat: 0
Sodium: 300 mg
Carbohydrates: 2 g
Potassium: 150 mg
Sugars: 1 g
Weight: 2.25 ounces

Ingredients:

Lemon Lime: Citric Acid, Dextrose, Sodium Carbonate, Potassium Bicarbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Natural Flavors, Beet Powder Color, Potassium Chloride, Rice Extract Blend, Magnesium Oxide, Calcium Carbonate, Stevia Leaf Extract, Avocado Oil, Malic Acid, Riboflavin (for color)

Best Jerky

Patagonia Provisions Spicy Buffalo Jerky

Pros

Tastes great
Lightweight
31 g of protein

Cons

31 g of protein

Product Specs

Servings per container: 2
Calories: 190
Calories from fat: 3.5 g (1.5 g saturated)
Sodium: 860 mg
Carbohydrates: 7 g
Potassium: 595 mg
Sugars: 4 g
Protein: 31 g
Weight: 2.2 ounces

Best Shelf-Stable Cheese

Hickory Farms Smoked Cheddar Blend

Pros

Tastes great
Shelf-stable
Good calorie to weight ratio

Cons

Heavy

Specs

Servings per container: 10
Calories: 90
Calories from fat: 63
Sodium: 250 mg
Carbohydrates: 1 g
Sugars: 1 g
Protein: 6 g
Weight: 10 ounces

Best Coffee and Tea

Wildland Coffee (in a tea bag)

Pros

Tastes good
Lightweight
Doesn’t need a coffee maker

Cons

None

Specs

Servings per container: 15, 45, or 90 per box
Calories: 0
Calories from fat: 0
Sodium: 0 mg
Carbohydrates: 0 g
Sugars: 0 g
Protein: 0 g
Weight: .1 ounce per packet
Caffeine: 160 mg per cup

Best Nut Butter

Justin’s Classic Almond Butter

Pros

Tastes great
Lightweight
6 g of protein

Cons

Packets are not recyclable or biodegradable

Product Specs

Servings per container: 1
Calories: 220
Calories from fat: 19 g (3 g saturated)
Sodium: 10 mg
Carbohydrates: 5 g
Potassium: 190 mg
Sugars: 4 g
Protein: 6 g
Weight: 1.15 ounces

Best Protein Bar

RXBAR Protein Bar

Pros

Tastes great
Lightweight
Calorie-dense

Cons

Wrappers are not recyclable or biodegradable

Product Specs

Servings per container: 1
Calories: 200
Calories from fat: 7 g (1 g saturated)
Sodium: 310 mg
Carbohydrates: 25 g
Sugars: 15 g
Protein: 12 g
Weight: 52 g

Best Fish in Foil Packet

StarKist Thai Chili Style Tuna Packets

Pros

Tastes great
Lightweight
Calorie-dense

Cons

Wrappers are not recyclable or biodegradable

Product Specs

Servings per container: 1
Calories: 90
Calories from fat: 1 g (0 g saturated)
Sodium: 430 mg
Carbohydrates: 7 g
Sugars: 4 g
Protein: 14 g
Weight: 2.6 ounces

Best Guilty Pleasure

Kraft Easy Cheese Cheddar Cheese

Pros

Guilty pleasure
Not as high in fat as I thought
Almost 600 calories per can

Cons

Heavy
Doesn’t pack down well

Product Specs

Servings per container: Seven 2-tablespoon servings
Calories: 560 total
Calories from fat: 6 g (1.5 g saturated)
Sodium: 440 mg
Carbohydrates: 3 g
Sugars: 2 g
Protein: 4 g
Weight: 8 ounces

Best Trail Burritos

Mexicali Rose Instant Homestyle Refried Beans

Pros

Makes great trail burritos
Super lightweight
Cooks fast
Rehydrates fully

Cons

Requires boiling water to make

Product Specs

Servings per container: 3
Calories: 381 total
Calories from fat: 0 g (0 g saturated)
Sodium: 280 mg
Carbohydrates: 21 g
Sugars: 1 g
Protein: 6 g
Weight: 7 ounces

Best Nuts and Seeds

The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg Hot Habanero Nuts

Pros

Calorie-dense
Tastes great
Super packable

Cons

Bulky if kept in tin (put them in a Ziploc so they pack better)
Pricey

Product Specs

Calories: 170 per 2-tablespoon serving
Calories from fat: 14 g (2 g saturated)
Sodium: 290 mg
Carbohydrates: 7 g
Sugars: 1 g
Protein: 7 g
Weight: 10.5 ounces

Features of the best camping food

When you’re on an outdoor adventure, you’re going to rely heavily on your body — you’re carrying everything with you, and you’ll need to responsibly manage your limited resources. Therefore, camping food should be lightweight, calorie-dense, shelf-stable, and require a short preparation time. There are three main qualities to look for in camping food.

Lightweight and calorie-dense – When you have to carry everything you have on your back, look for foods with very high calorie to weight ratios.
Shelf-stable – Unless you plan on carrying a refrigerator, camping food should be OK at room temperature. A good rule is if it’s not from the refrigerated section of the grocery store, it will probably survive in your pack on a hot day.
Taste – You can have the lightest, calorie-dense, and shelf-stable food, but if you hate the way it tastes, you’ll be miserable. Take foods you’ll actually want to eat and experiment with others you haven’t tried in limited quantities. Good food is a real morale boost after a long day on the trail.

Types of camping food

Meals made ahead of time – Meals you can cook and store in a cooler are better for car camping because weight isn’t an issue and you have access to cooking equipment like a camp stove and pots and pans to reheat them.
Dehydrated meals – These are shelf-stable meals and many will last more than a few years if stored properly. Their advantage is that they contribute to lower pack carry weight, but they do require you to also take a stove, fuel, and pot to boil water in to rehydrate.
Ready-to-eat foods – These are foods you can eat on the go like chicken or tuna packets, energy and meal bars, nuts, etc. There are a bajillion options, but what they all have in common is that they’re high in carbs and protein, so they’ll keep your body fueled and moving. My favorites are almond butter packets and Honey Stinger Waffles.

Benefits

Fuels your body – When you work hard, you burn calories that need to be replaced. Food does that. N’uff said.
Convenient – Backpacking foods should be simple to prepare using only a camp stove and limited utensils. Most of the time you’ll be cooking when you’re tired and often in the dark, so keep it simple.
Morale – Comforting snacks or meals can be a superb morale booster at the end of the day, especially when it’s cold, wet, or both. Don’t neglect your planning on food. You’ll only make yourself miserable.

Pricing considerations for camping food

This is a tough one given all the different types of products. A simple rule to pay attention to: The more work done to the food by someone else in advance, the more it will cost.

Budget

You can find decent camping foods to assemble into a meal for under five dollars. They might require additional doctoring with other ingredients to be tasty, but it can be done.

Mid-range

I consider anything in the $4 to $7 range to be mid-range for a prepared meal.

Premium

Top-end backpacking meals often cost about $10 to $12 each, but they also tend to be simple to prepare and better tasting without needing to doctor them up.

FAQs on camping food

You’ve got questions, Task & Purpose has answers.

Q: What food should I bring camping?

A: Bring food that you’ll want to eat that’s also lightweight, shelf-stable, calorie-dense, and simple to prepare.

Q: How do I keep food cold while camping?

A: If you are car camping, bring a cooler with ice. You can use dry ice if you can find it, but be careful when handling it.

Q: How do I pack food for camping?

A: Whether car camping or backpacking, it’s important to have a system of organization so that you aren’t a walking yard sale. For car camping, this usually involves coolers and boxes. When backpacking, I organize my food by meal in Ziploc bags and label them with a sharpie marker. I then put all of my food into a dry bag that has a few external loops which enables it to double as my bear bag (when I hang it in a tree overnight).