WHAT TO PACK FOR A CAMPING KITCHEN - Mile Marker Memories

This is PART 2 of our Ultimate Guide to Camping with Kids!

The camping kitchen is key to a successful camping trip. Knowing what to pack for your camping kitchen will lead to a successful trip! Mealtime while camping works best when meals are planned & prepped in advance, supplies are organized and food is plentiful! Waking up to hot coffee and the smell of bacon is ideal camping – searching for every utensil in a never-ending bag in the dark is not. What basics do you need to pack for your camping kitchen? Here is our list of how to pack your family-friendly camping kitchen under the stars!

Table of Contents

KITCHEN BASICS

COOLER

You definitely need a large cooler to hold your food and beverages. There is quite a range in quality (and price) with coolers, but large is key. We love packing our cooler with frozen water bottles on the bottom (they act as “ice” and turn into extra drinking water as they defrost) and grouping small items in large bags to make finding them easier. I may group everything for the baby in one gallon Ziploc and another for our son’s meds and high-fat grab-and-go snacks. We also love having a smaller cooler to store extra ice in for beverages or to add to our main cooler as the ice melts.

FIRE

No campsite is complete without a great fire (unless you are camping during a red flag warning in the famous Southern California Santa Ana winds). Make sure you purchase firewood from your campground or the local town as bringing wood into different habitats can spread disease and damage surrounding vegetation. Also, many times campground firewood is cash only, so be prepared. We love having a firestarter to assure a great fire in less than desirable conditions. Don’t forget your lighter!

COOKING

We love our stovetop burner. It is perfect for the tea kettle in the morning. It can handle one sauté pan with eggs or bacon in the morning and makes warming sliced sausage or cooked veggies fast and easy at night. However, we have this grill on our wishlist to take our meat to the next level. Grilling steaks or burgers over the campfire is fun but this will allow more control over the temperature. Don’t forget a headlamp for your head chef!

DISHES

Dishes are never the favorite camping, but a few items can make the process much easier. First, I love bringing meats and veggies marinating in disposable bags ready for the grill. I also break eggs into mason jars for each morning to have them ready to go. These small preps at home make a big difference in the flow of the day. Another way to cut down on dishes is to use disposable dinnerware and cups. Bonus points for eco-friendly options!

However, you will have dishes and a dishpan is ideal to bring water back to your site. I love how this one is collapsible for storage and has handles in case your water spigot is a few sites away. I always have small dish soap and a sponge to tidy up after meals. A few extra kitchen towels always come in handy too.

COFFEE

Coffee is a key piece of a camping morning. We always have a large water jug that we use to fill our tea kettle. Throw it on the burner to boil and add 4 heaping Tbsp. of ground coffee to the french press. Pout in the boiling water and VOILA! In just a few minutes you have the best morning coffee waiting for you.

There is definitely something magical about camping coffee. My husband making my morning coffee is for sure part of my love language! We love sipping it from our metal camping mugs, but I am looking forward to adding these Yeti coffee mugs to our camping stash soon! This way the coffee stays warm throughout the morning. I love to drag out my coffee time! Ha!

COOKING TOOLS

First off, I highly recommend keeping all of your kitchen basics in one or two large bins that keep things clean from dirt or ash that wind blows around. Half the time I throw things in bags and immediately regret it the next morning! Throw a tablecloth down over your picnic table and set things up from there!

UTENSILS

We always bring silicone spatulas for eggs and other veggie/meat sautés. Tongs are essential for meats and salads. A great non-stick pan is key for cooking on the burner. Roasting sticks are great for roasting smores and hot dogs/sausages. If you are camping with kids, roasting marshmallows is almost guaranteed and these telescoping roasting sticks keep them a safe distance away from the fire!

If you are cooking meat, plan to have a great knife and cutting board. I love these cutting boards because they are large enough for big cuts of meat and thin enough to throw in our bag easily. They are easy to store at home too – and they fit in the dishwasher. I usually throw in a paring knife and a larger knife with covers like these. However, I just came across this set and kind of love how it is all together and can stay in the garage with the camping stuff! One less thing to think about packing. I love having a pair of scissors too. It is amazing how much we end up using them!

FOOD STORAGE

Aluminum foil is great for making pouches of veggies to grill or wrapping up leftovers. I also love to have a variety of extra Ziplocs and Tupperware for storage too. Don’t forget trash bags! You only have to camp in crazy winds once to realize how important advanced food prep and storage plans are!

DRINKS

When camping in the cold, koozies are a must! I love these HaloVino stemless wine glasses too! They are perfect for the campsite and keep your wine tasting just right. Don’t forget your wine & beer opener and cups to match your beverage of choice. An extra stash of cups is a great idea too. You will be surprised how many uses you find – between scooping sand or storing toothbrushes, extra cups are always useful!

CLEANING

Here I come with the cleaning again. Ha! I get that camping is dirty, but here are a few things that help me keep a handle on it all with kids. Baby wipes on our main table are a staple. They are so versatile between cleaning up, wiping dirt off pans and utensils, wiping hands, and even taking a morning “wipe down shower” to freshen up! A roll of paper towels is a great thing to have and in our new COVID era, sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer are just as important.

MEAL IDEAS

When you think about how to pack your camping kitchen, it is important to think about what you are going to be cooking in that kitchen! Here are a few of our tips for packing and easy, go-to meal ideas! I am excited to start getting more creative with our camping menus, but these are some basics that have been easy for us!

PACKING TIPS

Fill 3/4 and freeze smaller water bottles or 1/2 gallon milk containers to keep your cooler cold. Pack your produce washed and ready to go (sliced, diced, etc.) Put meal items in gallon Ziplocs to make grabbing them out of the cooler easier. Bring meats and veggies seasoned and marinated in bags as well – the key is to have as much as possible ready to go! Don’t forget any preferred seasonings, your oil of choice, butter, salt & pepper. Juice, milk, or other liquids can be poured into smaller jars or purchased in smaller portions to save space.

BREAKFAST

Scrambled eggs, hash browns & bacon
Cheesy breakfast sandwiches or burritos
Perfect Bars
Granola & Fruit
Muffins
Bagels and Cream Cheese
Donuts
Cereal Cups for kids

LUNCH

Deli-style sandwiches
Cheeseburgers or Hotdogs
Chips & other snacks
Leftover dinners
PB & J

SNACKS

Nuts – cashews, almonds, pistachios, trail mix
String Cheese
Cheese & Crackers
Fresh Cut Fruit
Chips, Salsa & Guacamole
Jiffypop Popcorn
Macaroni or Potato Salad

DINNER

Precooked sausages (love Aidell’s)
Hotdogs or chili dogs
Precooked pasta that you warm up in the pan
Steaks
Tri-tip
Chicken or Steak Kebabs
Cheeseburgers
Grillin’ Beans
Veggie & Potato Pouches (chop, marinade, and place in foil pouches – place on side of the grill while you cook)
Bagged Salad (I love to take these out of the bag and place the lettuce and topping packages in a large rectangular container that I can use to store, shake and serve from )

Don’t forget your smore ingredients! You can purchase separately or grab a kit that has it all! I sometimes make “smore bags” for the kids with the ingredients they need already sorted into small bags to make passing them out fast! This is especially helpful on windy nights.

FANCY THINGS

When you look into what to pack for your camping kitchen, there is always a new gadget to help you out! I love checking out new camping items and throwing them on an Amazon wishlist for the holidays. Seems like everyone is asking what we want and I love having it ready to go. If you want to get extra fancy, you can set yourself up on this portable kitchen. And cook a feast on this standing grill! You can also throw one of these pop-up screened canopy tents around your dining area to ensure bug-free eating if you are camping somewhere with intense bugs!