Packing food for a long trip

[hairyclive]

Also items like granola, dry cereal, oatmeal or red river cereal, trail mix, nachos, flat breads, etc. Gatorade or similar powder drinks, weight loss supplement and body building drink powders can also work as a compact food source. Diet shake mix is good for 20 or so drinks per can and you can use it to replace a couple of meals a day, if you aren't trying to loose weight have extra. Yogurt can be stored at room temp for a few days, but it will shorten the best before date.
Avoid items with cream or milk in them unless you have a lot of cold storage space. If you have constant 110 power you can make stew, soup, goulash etc. in a crockpot or slow cooker and keep it warm for a few days (wedge into corner of sink or counter while moving). While on the road avoid buying food at gas stations, convenience stores, and specialty shops etc.; or costs will run up.

[Tony Lee]

Our preferred option is to travel fairly light and overnight at Walmarts where you can buy all the food you want

[rickcaz]

Dinner: We start our trip with frozen easily packable meal main courses such as chili, pulled pork and spicy chicken thighs. We pre-boil brats to grill. We make 12 plastic bag meal kits (including a paper copy of the recipe in each kit) for instant pot recipes with premeasured spices and cans. Along the way, we get produce, fruits, meats and perishables, ordered for store pickup or fetched from a farmer's market. Typical dinner sides are boil-in-bag rice, sweet potatoes, potatoes, gnocchi, squash, broccoli slaw, lettuce and various canned vegetables. We use our microwave a lot. We have a tasty one-pot pasta recipe with kale or spinach, cheese, spices and pre-cooked bacon. I tend to use the campfire grill or fire pit to brown meats before using in instant pot recipes.

Breakfast: Lot's of pre-cooked (non-refrigerated) bacon. Bagels, cream cheese, pre-boiled eggs, pre-made, frozen French toast, Greek yogurt, extended expiration date milk in small bottles, granola.

Lunches: lunch meat, hard salami, summer sausage, salad fixings, lunch meat, cheese strips, cherry tomatoes, avocado, humus, carrots sticks, celery sticks, chips, stuff to make a sandwich with quickly using long-lived bread carefully-selected-by-date (Dave's Killer Bread seems to last a while). We also have cheese quesadillas and sometimes sandwich rolls for lunch. Tortillas last forever.

Our favorite camping wines are screw-top Chloe Pinon Noir and Imagery Chardonnay that we get great coupons for. We carry a suction lid for opened bottles. Our refrigerator doesn't have much space, but we compromise to keep a bottle of wine and canned craft beers ready for pairing with our quick meals.

Hope this gives you at least one idea. I learned several for this posting. Thanks for requesting it!

[jlcaccess]

Twizzlers: chocolate, strawberry and liquorice.

[StreamNTyme]

I think it is getting out of hand. If you pack all the stuff recommended you won't have room for your clothes or anything else. You are not going to Siberia where there may not be access to food. There are thousands of groceries from here to there and if you shop early in the morning the stores are usually pretty empty. Shop with a list, don't dawdle, get what you want or need and leave. Take enough for a week or maybe a bit more and some supplies you always use as herbs, butter, spices. I used to pack like there were no other stores, that was nonsense. Some things just don't last that long or taste fresh or are covered in ice and won't taste good after a long time. You will make yourself crazy packing, keeping track of what you have and trying to find a place to keep it. I presume you have the same storage as the rest of us, unless you are taking a refrigerated truck don't get carried away with packing food. Be reasonable. Bread and many other perishables won't last. Its always nice to find some specialties and local foods. You may find a great "to go" place. In Florida last week we came across a well recommended ribs joint. Ordered a rack at the window with amazing baked beans, they were fabulous and enough for two days. Picked up several pounds of fresh crawfish at a take out, in Louisiana, they even steamed them for us; a few weeks ago. Great eats! You never know what great food you will come across in your travels, that's part of the adventure. Relax, enjoy your trip.

[AirstreamCSH]

Great suggestions here.

A few simple ideas
1) Whole Foods and many others let you order ahead for pickup and they will bring it curbside. Simplifies getting fresh items like eggs and veggies.

2) Dried Chickpeas are light, don’t take much room and form a core meal you can build around. Same with dried lentils.

3) Trader Joe’s frozen mahi-mahi burgers, frozen fish and frozen shrimp provide a protein as a salad topper, take very little room when repackaged and are easy to prepare.

4) Packages of frozen veggies help spice up the dried foods.

5) Dehydrated fruits pack easy and fill many menu items.

6) if you bring a 20# bag of flour you can make your own pasta and a myriad of other meals. If you carry a Dutch oven you also have bread.

[Atwebs]

Igloo 28 Quart Iceless Thermoelectric 12 Volt Portable Ice Chest Beverage Cooler, Silver

Been there, done that and don't do it anymore, they just don't do the job as well as a Yeti (or good Yeti fake) that is prechilled and filled with your prefrozen foods.

My daughter in law challenged us and we both loaded frozen steaks the same weight and frozen in the same freezer at the same time. Hers went in a prechilled Yeti with frozen water bottles and frozen bagged drinks (no kidding, she just froze everything) and we put ours in a prechilled plug-in Igloo. Hers were still frozen solid 3 days later, while ours weren't, and she even had kids rummaging through the Yeti getting out drinks while we pretty much left ours closed the entire time. Nobody had to buy ice, but it was pretty clear what did a better job of keeping things cold.

[Mollysdad]

The best idea I had recently was to make a large meatloaf before the trip. I make mine with beef, pork, and lamb, a couple eggs, bread crumbs, and diced green pepper and chopped onions.
Then you can heat a slice on the stove or grill for a quick meal.

[VaTravelers]

Originally Posted by happy frog

My family and I are driving 18 days cross country in the early spring. We want to pack as much food as possible so we can minimize shopping stops. What are your favorite bets for food on-the-go?

I like cooking a couple steaks sous vide ahead of time, and then all I have to do is flash them on the grill for a couple minutes and I'm done.
Also, squashes stay edible for weeks, if not months.

I have a very good chamber vacuum sealer that I use to vacuum seal prepared and partially prepared meals. I throw all these great delicious meals into my Yeti cooler and eat like a king for weeks without replenishing. Bring along a rice cooker to make rice or you can make rice in a pot to serve with prepared meals. I vacuum seal stir fried, omelets, pancakes, chili, curry and other tasty meals. I do sous vide chicken breasts and steaks that can be warmed in a pot of water on the stove and seared off or I'll bring my sous vide along and when I have time and power cook up a vacuum sealed steak or pork chop or whatever protein I have a hankering for ..... or we just find a local restaurant and enjoy!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

One thing that has not been discussed is water. Campground water supplies are a bit of a crap shoot any time of year. This time of year, you have the added gotcha of the water being shut off due to freezing risk. Either issue (don't trust the supply or there isn't one) can drive you to bottled water.

A family can go through a *lot* of bottled water in a couple of weeks. It's heavy and it's bulky. If you have to stop to resupply the water, you might as well grab a couple of other bulky things at the same time ....

If you are sure of a supply and the issue is trust, there are various filtering setups you can use. They all seem to do a pretty good job on taste / smell. Just how well they do in terms of safety is unclear. It also is unclear just how many ( if any at all ) campground water systems actually are unsafe in the first place ....

Bob

[djabl]

Originally Posted by Atwebs

Igloo 28 Quart Iceless Thermoelectric 12 Volt Portable Ice Chest Beverage Cooler, Silver

Been there, done that and don't do it anymore, they just don't do the job as well as a Yeti (or good Yeti fake) that is prechilled and filled with your prefrozen foods.

My daughter in law challenged us and we both loaded frozen steaks the same weight and frozen in the same freezer at the same time. Hers went in a prechilled Yeti with frozen water bottles and frozen bagged drinks (no kidding, she just froze everything) and we put ours in a prechilled plug-in Igloo. Hers were still frozen solid 3 days later, while ours weren't, and she even had kids rummaging through the Yeti getting out drinks while we pretty much left ours closed the entire time. Nobody had to buy ice, but it was pretty clear what did a better job of keeping things cold.

When I Pack Tripped we used 48 quart Igloo Coolers. If we could have used Yeti coolers back then we could have stayed out forever!!! Fun to hear your competition.

[smithcreek]

Originally Posted by StreamNTyme

I think it is getting out of hand.

You are not going to Siberia where there may not be access to food.

I used to pack like there were no other stores, that was nonsense.

Getting out of hand is the only reason I read past the first page! I did a ten week trip last year and when I was getting ready to leave several people were concerned that I might not pack everything I needed to eat or forget a crucial supply. I reminded them that I was not undertaking an exploration up the Amazon river but driving across the country and I was pretty sure they had grocery and hardware stores in California. You are going to need to hit up a laundry mat weekly anyway. One person can go shopping while the other does laundry.

[PKI]

Originally Posted by Bgarhammer

Why pack so much food? Stay at a Walmart overnight and stock up on their fresh produce, it’s great!

This is a valid question and the answer for us is that each provisioning stop is another outside contact with the potential for a Covid infection. Not having to stop for food keeps your focus on the travel portion of the adventure. And a food plan places an important element of your adventure under your control.

The freezer - what folks have said. It holds a lot. We start with it packed full of prepared bake goods - scones, muffins, croissants and frozen meat.

The can goods - hard to beat. We use the foods we eat normally. Green beans, beets, mushrooms, refried beans, olives, V8, tomato sauce, chicken broth, fruit, condensed milk ...... canned meat. Do not forget that many foods can be stored outside the frig until they are opened. Preserves are an example.

Spices - your favorite is your guide. They don't take up much space and make a huge difference.

Fresh veg - is a mixed blessing - good to have and easy to lose. We use a lot of lettuce. When it's gone, we move to soups (stew). Canned augmented with frozen vegetables.

Prepared foods - we always fix a mix of egg salad that makes a meal for breakfast or lunch on several days. It gives us an easy meal for several days at the start of a trip. We like a nacho salad that can be easily pulled together with prepared meat, tomato, olive, cheese, lettuce and salsa sauce. It's special for us. Chicken and steak can be frozen and grilled as needed. Canned meat can make a long lasting staple.

Two meals - we have breakfast and dinner. That does not work so well with children, but their snacks can be cheese, jam, peanut butter ..... We like peanut butter cracker packs for travel snacks. Crackers last a long time. A diet soda can be an add. Wine and cheese is nice.

The suggestion of tortias is a good one. They are a bread product for a breakfast, lunch or dinner. Some sliced chicken, beef or pork with salsa, lettuce and cheese goes together quickly and can be heated/melted in a skillet. The tortias store flat and fit easily into the Frig.

Oh - the wine inventory is usually about 24 bottles of red/white. Refrigerate it as your need progresses. The cola is usually a similar qty and water is four gallons for coffee and two to three cases for drinking.

We packed everything for a 14 day trip to pickup our new RV. We lost our lettuce to a frig that froze some items. We brought back food. Usually our provisions easily last three weeks before we restock. Our travel is two people, and yes - we lose some weight on a trip. Our focus is less on food and more on the adventure. Pat

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Indeed, a credit card is *much* easier to pack than 800 pounds of "stuff". With any RV (or boat) and a bunch of people, packing for any long trip will be a compromise. With a <20' trailer (or boat) even more so.

It's not just food, this applies to just about everything you bring along. You will have a few things like prescription meds that are non-negotiable. Once a week "supply" runs are simply part of the process. They are part of the process here at home and we have a *lot* more inventory on hand.

One oddity you will run into crossing state boarders: The maximum expiration date on milk varies state to state.

Bob

Bob

[rickcaz]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

One thing that has not been discussed is water. Campground water supplies are a bit of a crap shoot any time of year. This time of year, you have the added gotcha of the water being shut off due to freezing risk. Either issue (don't trust the supply or there isn't one) can drive you to bottled water.

A family can go through a *lot* of bottled water in a couple of weeks. It's heavy and it's bulky. If you have to stop to resupply the water, you might as well grab a couple of other bulky things at the same time ....

If you are sure of a supply and the issue is trust, there are various filtering setups you can use. They all seem to do a pretty good job on taste / smell. Just how well they do in terms of safety is unclear. It also is unclear just how many ( if any at all ) campground water systems actually are unsafe in the first place ....

Bob

Hi Bob,
We have similar water concerns. I found a "Waterdrop 10Ua" 0.5u filter I plan to try in 2021. It has 5-stages all contained in a replaceable spin-on canister. It should filter most all the "nasties" and eliminate the need for purchasing bottles of water along the way. This looks promising to me. I will install it for testing next week.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[bugsbunny]

In case you havent seen it, Check out this thread.... Very interesting use of Yeti and meals made prior. Hope this helps!

Name of thread below: (by member Interblog)

Ideas for larger-scale meal transport in an Interstate?

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by bugsbunny

In case you havent seen it, Check out this thread.... Very interesting use of Yeti and meals made prior. Hope this helps!

Name of thread below: (by member Interblog)

Ideas for larger-scale meal transport in an Interstate?

Here: https://www.airforums.com/forums/f24...te-127564.html