Best Camping Food (Review & Buying Guide) in 2022

Of all the dehydrated backpacking meals I’ve tried, Good To-Go Thai Curry was my favorite. It’s super lightweight, packs 770 calories into a 6.6-ounce package, and tastes great.

Good To-Go was founded by Jennifer Scism, a trained chef and adventurer motivated to bring better food to the backcountry. Her offerings include some excellent options like Mushroom Risotto, Chicken Pho, Pad Thai, Indian Korma, and more. What I really like about her dehydrated pre-made meals is that they are lightweight, simple to prepare, and taste great.

Her Thai Curry is made from a yellow coconut base and is loaded with broccoli, cauliflower, peas, green beans, and jasmine rice and spiced with Thai chilies, lemongrass, and tamarind. All you have to do is boil water with your campstove, tear open the top of the zip lock bag, pour in boiling water, stir, reseal the bag and contemplate the universe for 20 minutes. On a cold day, you can even tuck the bag underneath your down layer for extra warmth while you wait. She also caters to carnivores, pescetarians, and vegetarians.

While Maruchan Ramen Noodles aren’t my go-to meal, they are affordable and you get a mug of hot brothy noodles for a few bucks. They’ll also take a lot of abuse in a backpack and still cook up right.

Since they’re so light, I usually throw a pack or two in my backpack as “backup food” should we need an extra meal or two. And now that I think about it, I have enjoyed these piping hot noodles when backpacking in the winter.

Also, you can doctor them up to improve the taste and increase the calorie count. They also have a cool backstory about a young Japanese dude named Kazuo Mori who had a dream of creating a convenient and affordable noodle product for people all over the world. Did I also mention they’re cheap?

Mountain House Beef Stroganoff with Noodles is a great end-of-day meal, especially on a cold day. It’s lightweight, cooks faster than most, tastes great, and the cook-in-the-bag functionality makes cleanup a snap.

Like Good To-Go, Mountain House also has a good selection of lightweight dehydrated meals, and their selections tend to cater to carnivores. Beef Stroganoff always reminds me of being a kid sitting at my parents’ kitchen table, and while Mountain House’s version isn’t mom’s, it’s pretty damn good for a backcountry meal.

In addition to the flavor, I appreciate that this meal is also a few ounces lighter than many of its competitors and also cooks in the bag in half the time of most other products. I also dig that I don’t have to dirty (and later clean) a pot to make this meal — just open the zip loc, add boiling water, wait 10 minutes, and eat.

Cleanup is a snap. Just push the air out of the bag, zip it closed, roll it up, and pack it out with your other trash. This meal is also free of artificial flavors and colors.

Like Good To-Go and Mountain House, Backpacker’s Pantry offers great dehydrated meals. The lasagna, in particular, is one of the highest rated among consumers (on REI) and just an overall great-tasting dish, especially after a 17-mile hike. To prepare the lasagna, all it takes is a little bit of boiling hot water — just drop the packet in, and after a few minutes, it’s ready to eat.

Each packet has two servings and is enough to share provided you have a few other things to eat for dinner as well. If you are a big eater, you’ll want this one all to yourself. Pasta and sauce versions seem to work particularly best in this arena and this one doesn’t disappoint — just expect smaller noodles, not a layered lasagna like you’d get in a restaurant. It’s a bit heavy on the oregano, which I like. If that’s not your spice, take it for what it’s worth.

A few years ago, I started to have an issue with leg muscle cramping — not while backpacking, but later at night when I was laying in my hammock or snuggled in my sleeping bag in my tent, my hamstrings would start to cramp. While not the worst pain, it did suck to have to get up and stretch and massage the cramp out. One day while in the checkout line at REI, I came across NUUN hydration tabs and decided to give them a try. The difference was remarkable. Not only did I feel better hydrated while on the move, but I never had another leg cramp.

Now, each day before setting out, I’d drop a NUUN tab into my 1L Nalgene bottles. They turned my water into a low-sugar somewhat effervescent sports drink that had all the electrolytes my body needed for the day. The sport hydration tabs come in nine flavors to include caffeinated options, and NUUN also sells tabs designed for boosting your immunity and also your energy.

NUUN Sport Hydration Tabs have transformed my post-hike experience and eliminated muscle cramping, reduced fatigue, and assisted in recovery.

My wife is a pescetarian. I am not. So I know when I pack beef jerky on a backpacking trip, I get it all to myself. There are a lot of options in the jerky world. Some taste great, while others taste like Ghandi’s dried-out flip flop. When it comes to jerky, I prefer Patagonia’s Spicy Buffalo.

The Spicy Buffalo Jerky is made from 100 percent grass-fed bison and is part of the effort to restore the American prairie (Note: Patagonia also does a lot of environmental work). It comes seasoned with Aj Molido chiles which delivers a toasty and smoky flavor with a bit of heat. I also like that it comes in 2.2-ounce packets, so whatever I don’t end up eating on a trip I can save for the next time.

I’m a big fan of taking shelf-stable cheese along on backpacking trips. It’s super calorie-dense and doesn’t need to be refrigerated, and Hickory Farms does a pretty good job of providing a cheese that doesn’t taste like a lot of preservatives. The smoked cheddar is my favorite and. I usually eat things like this at lunch with some dried sausage or beef jerky. They come in 10-ounce packets. They’re supposed to be refrigerated after opening, so I pack this during cooler weather or share with friends.

I don’t know how anyone navigates mornings without coffee, and I always take some along while backpacking. I used to use Starbucks instant coffee packets, but those taste overly sugary or acidic to me, so I stopped using them. Recently, I tried Wildland Coffee and really liked it. In fact, it’s a big improvement over instant coffee and you don’t need to carry along an additional coffee maker. Wildland puts real coffee into a compostable tea bag and then nitro-flushes it for 12 months of freshness. Making it is simple: Add boiling water and wait five to eight minutes. They come in medium or dark roast. They’re also good for traveling.

Nut butter is another great calorie-dense backpacking food. There’s a lot out there to choose from, but my current favorite is Justin’s Classic Almond Butter in 1.15-ounce packets. They are super handy to keep in a pocket and deliver a shot of energy when you need it most. I find that nut butters also sustain me for longer periods of time than candy bars. These packets are shelf-stable and are fine stored at room temperature. They’re also free of added sugars and salt. Justin’s also makes almond butters with maple, honey, chocolate, cinnamon, and coconut flavors.

I’m not a huge fan of energy bars — most taste like dirt to me. I did, however, find a brand that I like and that is also good for you. What initially grabbed me was the clear packaging of the ingredients: three egg whites, six almonds, four cashews, two dates, and no B.S. I also like that they come in a ton of flavors so I won’t get easily bored. They’re also gluten-free, Kosher, non-GMO, and made with real ingredients you can pronounce.

Go ahead and argue with me, but I think RXBAR Protein Bars are better for you than candy bars. I find myself getting a much slower, longer burn out of these than Snickers — which I also love — without all the saturated and trans fats.

It’s important to get enough protein while backpacking to help restore your body. It’s also too easy to fuel your way down the trail with a bunch of sugary carbs. These tuna packs come to the rescue by providing 90 calories and 14 grams of protein per shot. They’re also lightweight at 2.8 ounces and taste great – if you like tuna and Thai spices. I also like to add two of these to a Ramen noodle packet when I want a low-cost meal that’s also pretty tasty.

I typically won’t carry canned food in my pack. It tends to be heavy and doesn’t pack down when you’re done, but I’ll take a can of Easy Cheese from time to time. There’s just something about the fat and salt after a day where you went hard and smoked yourself. Heck, I don’t even eat this stuff at home, but on the trail it is pretty awesome on a flour tortilla with some jalapeno slices (both hold up pretty well in a backpack). Sure, it’s gas station cuisine, but give it a try before you tell me I’m crazy.

One of the best trail meals I’ve ever made was a combination of flour tortillas, Easy Cheese, jalapeno pepper slices, and Mexicali Rose’s Instant Homestyle Refried Beans. This bean mix hit the quadfecta of tasting great, being lightweight, shelf-stable, and being super easy to prepare. To make it, just boil water and mix it in a camping cup with the bean mix. It’s pretty fortifying and a solid meal at the end of the day. These refried beans are also 100 percent natural, high in protein, and contain no trans fats. They come in pinto, fat-free pinto, black, and spicy chorizo. This combo has become a staple of our backpacking trips. One pouch makes 26 ounces of beans. Highly recommended.

Between sweet and savory trail snacks, I’m a savory dude all the way, and when that’s combined with some heat, it’s on! The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg has been a long-time favorite of my family. They produce some big, high-quality peanuts and the hot habanero nuts are a classic. There’s just something wonderful about having your mouth on fire as you are sitting on a mountaintop wondering why you just ate so many of them.

If you like heat, try them. The Williamsburg Hot Habanero Nuts are not insanely hot like ghost chilis. You’ll be fine. Of course, if you have a peanut allergy, avoid them. If you are into sweet, their honey-roasted peanuts are the bomb. In fact, their hot wasabi peanuts are awesome too, and their chili lime. There are loads of versions, so everyone who likes peanuts should be able to find one that suits their tastes.