Camping is a great way to unplug from our overengineered daily lives and connect with nature for some quality relaxation time. You’re left with nothing but your own wits and survival skills, and get to enjoy everything nature has to offer. This means clear night skies with no light pollution, a cozy fire, and sleeping outside in a tent, just to name a few of the big draws to camp.
You’re going to be completely disconnected from society, which of course has its benefits, but it also has its drawbacks. It’s entirely your responsibility to ensure that you have everything necessary to survive and be as comfortable as possible during your trip.
There’s no McDonalds down the street to bail you out if you run out of food, so proper packing is essential. You also need to make sure that you use all of your available packing space efficiently. This is where most people fail. They either underpack and go hungry, or go too far in their planning efforts, and have to lug around extra dead weight in food that just isn’t going to get eaten or will go bad much too quickly.
If you want to be a camping pro and have the energy for that big hike you’ve planned, don’t leave out this valuable foodstuff from your rucksack:
Beef jerky
Protein is necessary to give you the required energy to get through the day. Beef jerky is a wonderful source of that protein, and is a great hunger satisfier to boot. Did we mention it keeps you from being hungry like very few other things can? Keep your snacking simple with beef jerky since it’s already prepared, keeps well, and takes up practically no space for a lot of calories worth of meaty goodness.
Trail mix full of nuts
Trail mix is a great way to snack intermittently in between meals and replenish your nutrients as easily as possible. Go ahead and buy some bulk peanuts and mix them with some dried fruits to keep yourself going. Avoid the temptation to put in chocolatey snacks as the temporary energy boost from all of that sugar will eventually give way to some severe fatigue.
Instant noodles
A staple of the college diet, instant noodles are a fantastic camping food since all you need is a way to boil water to have a fantastic warm meal full of sodium. It’s simple and preparation time is next to nothing. Your typical package of instant noodles will be nice and compact in your bag and will provide more than enough calories to fill you up.
Conclusion
The world of camping is finely intertwined with the world of quick and simple meals. Avoid anything that requires a lot of preparation since you’ll probably be exhausted after a day of exploration, plus all of those extra ingredients only have minimal nutritional benefit. Prioritize foods that are small, calorie-dense, and that keep well. Another advantage of packaged foods is that there’s less risk of attracting predators like bears since all of their aromas will be sealed in the package. No matter what you settle on, be sure only to bring as much as you need.