Packing Campfire Meals - Smart Tips for Outdoor Camping

Every experienced outdoor camping cook knows that one of the least fun jobs is carrying heavy boxes and coolers of camp food into and out of camp. They also know they miss many of the outdoor camping experiences they came for because they are busy preparing and cooking campfire meals. But they soon learned that the job could be made easier and less time consuming with just a little planning. These camp cooking tips will show you how to save time, weight and bulk, and get out of the camp kitchen sooner.

Ziploc freezer bags - the smart cook's secret weapon - are a major part of a camp cook's strategy to save time and labor. An experienced camp cook pays tribute to the genius of Ziploc every time they pack for a weekend of outdoor camping. They live by the motto: "Never take a box or can when a Ziploc will do!" Most camp cooks include three types of Ziplocs in their camp supplies: one box each of gallon and quart size freezer bags, (the sturdy double-seal kind), and a box of regular sandwich baggies. They will save you more than just weight and space; they will also reduce the amount of trash you have to deal with.

The idea is to use Ziploc bags in place of cans and boxes, and to hold prepped items. The way to start is to look at the planned menus for your camp meals, and the food supplies you plan on taking. Think about what ingredients and how much of each you will need for your meals and campfire recipes, and then consider what preparation each meal will need.

Dry Food:

Begin with your campfire recipes. Is there any ingredient prep work that you can do at home instead of waiting to do it at camp? Then do it at home and put the results in a Ziploc freezer bag. This will save time at camp, and will also save weight and space; Ziplocs take-up less space and weigh less than individual cans and boxes. Don't be shy with this, any camp meal prep you do at home, will add to the time you have to enjoy the outdoor camping fun you came for.

After you have evaluated the prep work, take a look at the planned list of boxed or canned food items. Look for anything that can be put in a Ziploc instead of a can or box. Canned items or boxes of mixes will travel just as well in a double-sealed Ziploc, allowing you to save the extra weight and trash. Also think about the needed ingredient quantities, why take a five pound package when you will only use one pound. Put the quantity you need in a Ziploc and leave the rest at home. And don't forget the simple things like spices, and salt & pepper. You will not need full containers for your campfire recipes and meals, so take what you need in sandwich baggies and leave the containers home.

Cold food:

Ziploc freezer bags also work for cold food items. Look at the cold food items with the same objectives as with the dry foods. You will be surprised how all those little individual weight and space savings add-up to substantial reductions. If it can come out of a container or bulky carton and into a Ziploc, do it.

Ice is a big part of the weight and bulk of your camp coolers, Ziplocs can help here too. Take a look at the camp food items in the cooler, freeze everything you can, even your meats. If it's not for your first camp meal, freeze it, they will be safe in their Ziplocs, (remember to only use the stronger double-sealed freezer bags), and will act as ice packs, reducing the amount of ice you will need to carry. And you don't have to worry about trying to use frozen items - in a camp cooler they will thaw by the time you need to use them.

Once you start using Ziplocs for your camp food and campfire recipe ingredients, you'll wonder how you ever went outdoor camping without them. And the sturdy freezer bags are much thicker and safer than the thin sandwich bags, so don't be timid about what you put in them. Challenge yourself, how much weight and bulk can you leave at home?

For more outdoor camping and campfire cooking tips, check these outdoor camping articles.