Spend less time packing food for your camping trip and more time enjoying the great outdoors.
Meal planning for group camping just got a whole lot easier! We’ve picked out camping-friendly breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and dessert for three days of wilderness fun. Each recipe feeds 4-6 people but can be easily tweaked to fit your family’s needs. For added convenience, we’ve created a printable checklist that makes meal planning for groups a cinch.
Use our complete family camping checklist to ensure you have everything packed, from essential tools and gear to toiletries and entertainment.
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Organizing meals for large groups when camping in the backcountry can be a challenge. Now that we’ve camped with large groups (25 people or so) a few times, here are some things we’ve learned, plus a 5-day menu to get your mouth watering and ideas flowing!
Inexpensive soft coolers (with ice packs inside) are packed into a large bear-proof Grizzly for use during the latter part of the trip.
Day 1 Dinner: Backpacker meal, Caesar Salad, beverages per person. I LOOOOVE me some backpacker meals and if it’s just us, or camping with a very small group, I think they are the way to go. Easy to cook, easy to clean up, and all-around no fuss. The Caesar Salad was a kit from the store with cheese, dressing, etc. already inside. I mixed it up in the lettuce bag and we ate out of there. This meal was just for our family of two adults and one child.
– Prep everything you can in advance. The whole purpose of camping is relaxation and if you’re chopping 10 pounds of potatoes while everyone else is having happy hour that’s not so much fun. Buy pre-formed burgers. Buy pre-chopped frozen potatoes. Cook meat in advance if possible. Anything you can prep beforehand will make cooking for a large group easier.
– Plan meals in advance. At least 1-2 weeks before your camp trip decide how many meals you’ll need. Recently we dispersed camped (primitive camping) with 12 adults and 13 kids in attendance, so six families provided either a breakfast or a dinner during that time. Lunches were on our own. We collaborated via email and signed up for one breakfast or one dinner and indicated what we’d bring. Providing just one meal for a large group cuts down on the number of items youd have to bring otherwise, if providing only one’s own family meals over a few days.
Meal planning for group camping just got a whole lot easier! We’ve picked out camping-friendly breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and dessert for three days of wilderness fun. Each recipe feeds 4-6 people but can be easily tweaked to fit your family’s needs. For added convenience, we’ve created a printable checklist that makes meal planning for groups a cinch.
Spend less time packing food for your camping trip and more time enjoying the great outdoors.
Use our complete family camping checklist to ensure you have everything packed, from essential tools and gear to toiletries and entertainment.
We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices.
Meal Planning for Groups in the Backcountry
What is a camping Meal list?
This will save you from having to brainstorm every time you want to go on a camping trip! Your camping meal list can include anything from simple sandwiches and salads to pasta dishes, burgers and BBQs, or dutch oven dump recipes. You will be able to add your recipes to the master list sheet in our free printable camping meal planner PDF.
How do I plan a meal plan for group camping?
Meal planning for group camping requires even more planning than a couple or small family weekend camping menu! Consider the time of year you are camping when putting together your camping menu plan. Typically, people eat more in cooler weather compared to hot, summer weather.
How do I create a camping menu plan?
The best way to create your camping menu plan is by writing it down. Having a list of meals you will be having for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a list of snacks you plan to take with you will help you ensure you aren’t skipping any meals or forgetting anything you need.
What are the best camping meals for groups?
Here are the best camping meals for groups. Magically transform squash or pumpkin seeds into a spellbinding snack with ranch salad dressing mix. They’re a great snack to munch on while hiking.—Taste of Home Test Kitchen Editor’s Tip: Make these seeds before you go and pack them in an air-tight container.