Kirk and I love getting out in our trailer (and before that in our RV), but one of the most complex parts of going on trips is food planning. Not only do you need to plan meals, but you also need to do it with less storage than at home – and you can’t leave the food in the trailer long-term.
For me, it has come to planning meals at home, packing ingredients into totes or even grocery bags, and hauling them out to the trailer when it is time for a trip. No worries about mice wanting to visit!
Now obviously this is for people who are casual trippers – not full-time RV people!
You will want to buy the opposite of how one does at home:
- Buy smaller amounts.
- Think meals versus just bulk ingredients.
- Shelf-stable over fresh.
- Non-breakable packaging.
RV Pantry Staples
Grains/Carbs
- Rice: Instant rice is how to do it. It needs far less fuel—and if you are boondocking, you must watch how much you use. It also uses less water to cook, and cleanup is far easier—no soaking pots, wasting water, and a fraction of the fuel needed to cook raw rice.
- Pasta: When buying pasta, choose varieties that require the least cooking time. For ease, precook and dehydrate pasta at home. Not only does it require less cooking (it only needs boiling water and a few minutes to rehydrate), but it won’t make a starchy mess to clean up. Less fuel, less water.
- Potatoes: Instant Mashed potatoes may not be gourmet, but they are easy to make. Use dry milk and butter powders to make it even easier. You can also use dried diced potatoes or hash browns—and sliced potatoes in recipes. Presoaking in cool water before using dehydrated types reduces cook time.
- Ramen and similar: Quick-cooking noodles may not always be healthy, but they are easy in camp or on the road. Ramen makes an excellent base for lo mein and similar recipes.
Proteins
- Canned and Pouch Meat/Fish: Don’t carry fresh – use the pouches and cans so readily available in most grocery and big box stores.
- Jerky and Sausage Sticks: Very shelf-stable, just cut up and enjoy. Jerky can be added to most beef-based recipes. If it is tough jerky, soak it in warm water for a bit, then chop it into small pieces.
- Summer Sausage: Just a big version of sticks, chop, and use.
- Freeze-dried Meat: While it may seem pricey, it is well worth it. Once rehydrated, it is as close as you will get to “fresh” meat.
- Beans and Lentils: You can buy them precooked and dehydrated, or in pouches ready to eat, or dehydrate your own. As with instant rice, this is a way to enjoy an ingredient without extra cooking time – saving fuel and water.
- Shelf Stable Cheeses: Parmesan Cheese in the “green can” is the number one choice. But there are other options out there. Packaged shelf-stable cheese is abundant, needing refrigeration only after you open it, and the packages are often smaller than those for fresh cheese.
- Freeze-dried eggs: Worth the investment, add cool water, let rehydrate, then cook.
Produce
- Vegetables: Freeze-dried comes back to nearly identical to fresh with a soak in cool water.
- Fruit: Freeze-dried comes back to nearly identical to fresh with a soak in cool water.
Breakfast Items
- Oats: Quick-cooking oats (1-minute) make for a great breakfast. You can make your own “instant oats” easily.
- Shelf-Stable Bacon: Find it in the breakfast meat section, or near the meat department, usually. Each package has about 10 to 12 slices of ready-to-eat bacon. It crisps easily in a pan. The slices produce just enough bacon grease to cook eggs in the pan. Or in the salad dressing aisle, find bags of cooked, diced bacon.
- Pancake Mixes: Look for the “just add water” type.
- Freeze-dried Eggs: Worth the investment. Add cool water, let rehydrate, then cook up.
- Freeze-dried Sausage: As with freeze-dried meat, sausage is excellent for both breakfast and dinner. A quick soak time, then use as you would fresh, with a lot less cooking… and no piles of grease to deal with.
Pantry Items For Cooking/Baking
- Flour: If you go on long trips and like to bake (and your rig has an oven or you have a countertop oven), a tightly sealed container of flour is convenient. I would suggest a small, battery-powered scale for weighing your flour. Far more accurate.
- Sugar: Having tightly sealed containers of granulated white and brown sugar lets you have a broader range of recipes.
- Dry Honey: Make honey with water, for a “fresh” treat,
- Baking Powder/Soda: Pack a tightly sealed container of each (don’t use the containers they come in; the lids aren’t air-tight).
- Salt: Tightly sealed sea salt.
- Broth Powder/Concentrates: You can use low-sodium dry mixes or single-serving broth sticks. Both add so much flavor. If you plan to use a lot, use Tetra Pak broth, as it is shelf-stable until opened.
- Spices and Herbs: Buy your herbs and spices and carry them in small bags or tiny containers, well marked. They do not take up much space, but they add so much.
- Fat/Oils: Easily found in grocery stores are small bottles of olive, avocado, and coconut oils. Sesame oil is a good choice for Asian cooking.
- Soy Sauce and Similar: Small bottles are sold in most grocery stores, including regular soy sauce, low-sodium soy sauce, and coconut aminos, which are very low in sodium and add flavor to many meals. The bottles are glass, but extremely durable.
- Dry Milk Powder: A tub of dry milk powder enriches many recipes, adding calories and boosting flavor. Essential for creamy sauces.
- Butter Powder: You can make “fresh” butter from butter powder, or sprinkle it in recipes using avocado oil for a buttery flavor.
- Sour Cream Powder: Yes, you can make sour cream from the powder. So make those taco nights memorable!
- Freeze-dried Eggs: No worrying about carrying eggs that can go bad or crack during travel.
Snacks
- Granola Bars
- Protein Bars
- Trail Mixes
- Chips
- Crackers
- Popcorn
- Chocolate/Candy Bars
- Dry Pudding Mixes (Add in dry milk powder and cold water)
Drinks
- Drink Mixes
- Protein Powder & a shaker: If you are into a higher protein diet, this might be your thing. If you can make ice in your freezer, it’s a bonus. I make ice and then keep it in Ziploc bags in the freezer.
- Cans of soda/seltzer
- Alcohol, if you like it
How To Pack Your Pantry
Plan Meals.
Know what you will need. Double-check you have the ingredients.
Have backup ideas for those days when nothing sounds good.
There is nothing wrong with pancakes and bacon for dinner because you are tired! You might have had a meal planned, but it doesn’t sound good, so it’s time for an easy dinner: breakfast for dinner! Or have simple meals as a backup – handcrafted ramen with veggies and meat, for example.
Carry a loaf of bread (regular or gluten-free) for easy sandwiches for lunch. Or even grilled cheese sandwiches with soup. Getting in late to camp, and it is raining? You want to warm up and just be.
Plan in some creative cooking, where you carry basic ingredients – especially if you happen to drive by or are near a grocery store, where you could grab fresh meat and eggs. For those nights when you are relaxed and want to cook.
Plan snacks and dessert. And always warm beverages. It is vacation, after all!
~Sarah