Food ideas for your RV road trip

You must bring ready-to-eat snacks and easy-to-prepare ingredients when going on an RV camping, especially when your destinations are quite far from downtown. Also, bringing along some food essentials makes sense if you want to save money and time.

It’s essential that you plan your meal ahead of your trip to avoid running out of food in the middle of nowhere (if you’re planning to camp in a remote nature reserve). You also don’t want to bring food ingredients that require complicated preparation unless you want to spend the rest of the day cutting and cooking rather than doing some fun outdoor activities. 

(Note: If you’re looking for an RV rental with home-like amenities like kitchen, fridge, bed, and flush toilet, visit Adventure in Camping and choose from over 15 models of travel trailers. You can also call us at (760) 935-4890 and ask us to park and set up your chosen RV on any of the 80+ campgrounds in the High Sierra region.)

What are the essential food items for your RV camping trip?

Start with food staples that don’t spoil easily–e.g., preserved meat, pasta, rice and other grains, canned goods, dried beans and fruits, and nuts. Also, don’t forget salt, herbs and some basic condiments to make sure that your meal tastes “fancy” even though you’re in the middle of nowhere. 

Another thing to keep in mind is to bring ingredients that you can easily mix and match so that you won’t get tired of your camp-cooked meal. 

One of the most common mistakes of RV campers is they bring an excessive amount of food; not only does it result in wastage (and money down the drain), but it also defeats the “travel light” idea, which makes your camping experience easier and more fun. 

While you might be tempted to choose foods based solely on convenience, you shouldn’t skimp on quality and nutritional content. 

Here, we list some food items with a long shelf life that are easy to prepare but still healthy and filling. 

  • dried beans
  • dried fruits and nuts
  • dark chocolate 
  • canned chicken
  • canned corned beef
  • canned tomatoes, artichokes, mushrooms and other vegetables
  • cereals and other whole grains 
  • macaroni and cheese mix
  • oatmeal
  • whole grain pancake mix
  • potatoes
  • brown rice
  • spaghetti, macaroni and other pasta noodles

Snacks for long road trips

If you’re planning to visit multiple destinations, you may spend hours and hours on the road, which means you may not have enough time for meal preparation. Also, you’ll go hiking, fishing or boating (or any outdoor activity that you love) that requires you to travel light. For this reason, you need to bring filling and ready-to-eat snacks for your RV camping trip.

Consider these snack food ideas for your RV road trip:

  • Bread
  • Chocolate bars
  • Cookies
  • Crackers
  • Dried raisins, cherries, bananas and other preserved fruits
  • Marshmallows
  • Peanuts
  • Popcorn
  • Protein bars
  • Tortilla
  • Trail mix

Keep yourself hydrated during your camping trip 

If you’re staying at a developed campsite, they’re likely to offer a potable water source. But if you’re planning an off-trail journey or are staying on a dispersed campground, you need to bring large amounts of drinkable water (excluding water for washing and other things). 

A good rule of thumb is to have a minimum of 3 liters of water per person for a one-day hike. However, you may need to drink more depending on the intensity of the hike and the temperature. You may also consider bringing sports drinks with electrolytes while doing some strenuous outdoor activities. 

While you can buy drinks from campgrounds and stores along the road, doing your grocery shopping well in advance of your RV camping trip can save you a lot of money and free up more time for you to enjoy the great outdoors. 

Here are some drinks to pack for your RV camping trip:

  • Bottled water
  • Chocolate mix
  • Instant coffee or coffee beans
  • Juices
  • Soda
  • Teabags 

Cooking essentials for an RV camping trip

When we say travel light during your close-to-nature camping trip, we don’t mean skimping on a decent meal. That’s why we recommend you bring along the right amount of condiments, spices and dried herbs, which you can pack in small containers.

Aside from spices and conditions, you must also bring the following food ingredients to make your meal taste fancy (or at least decent). 

  • Butter
  • Chocolate syrup
  • Cooking oil and olive oil 
  • Milk 
  • Garlic
  • Jams
  • Lemon juice
  • Maple syrup
  • Mayonnaise
  • Mustard
  • Peanut butter and other spread 

Prepare a meal plan 

Once you’re done mapping out your road trip, you need to plan your meal. With meal planning and prepping, you’ll spend less time cooking and have more time and energy doing some fun outdoor activities. 

Meal prepping also promotes healthy eating and a less stressful camping experience, especially if you need to feed a large crowd. 

Our list of food ideas for an RV road trip only touches on the most basic, that’s why we also encourage you to include your comfort food and ingredients that meet your strict dietary requirements (if you have any). 

Final Word

If you’re heading to the Eastern Sierra Region for your nature trip, you can rent an RV with home-like amenities like a kitchen, sink and flush toilet. At Adventure in Camping, we have a large fleet of travel trailers in various sizes and features. Please fill out this form or call us at (760) 935-4890 to start your camping adventure.