Tent Snacks! No Cook Meals Ideas for Rainy Camp Days
Have you ever been stuck living in a tent through three days of pouring rain? If so, you know that cold ravioli and canned beef stew are poor replacements for tasty meals. That's why it's so important to pack foods that taste great served straight from the cooler. Here are ten of my favorite deli style meals along with ten ideas for creating a comfortable camp experience in the rain.
A tuna stuffed tomato platter is both elegant and satisfying
You'll just need tuna from your canned goods pile with mayo and tomatoes from the cooler. Onion and celery can be diced ahead of time and kept in in zip bags within the cooler. Garnish with cheese, canned olives, spinach leaves or your favorite type of lettuce. If there's room in the cooler, you can prep the entire tuna salad before your trip and store it within a large ziplock bag.
|
Shred a Whole Rotisserie Chicken for Salads and Tortillas
Tip: Yeti or Engel brand coolers can keep your food cold for a week
Arrange frozen water bottles in between layers of frozen meat and bags of frozen vegetables. Place chilled luncheon meats on top. It'll take a few days for the frozen stuff to thaw. Thawed foods will remain cold for three to four more days. As an added bonus, these extra durable coolers are strong enough to stand upon when casting a fishing line. You can sit on them or use them as stepping stools when assembling taller tents. Yeti is the more expensive option, but Engel high performance coolers work just as well.
|
Ham and cream cheese roll ups are easy to assemble anywhere
Serve Naan Bread with Hummus
Tip: Storage tables make food preparation so much easier
It's a table, carrying case and storage unit all in one! Just lift it from your car, pull out the telescoping legs and set it down wherever you like. The bags provide plenty of storage room for cans, cookware, condiments and more. You can even fill the storage bags with clothing, toiletries and medications. It's the modern day answer to the Victorian steamer trunk.
|
Happiness is a salami sandwich on a seasoned hoagie roll
TIP: This giant, 13-foot rain fly will allow you to keep cooking through storms
Bacon ranch potato salad is my favorite meal to prep for camping
When I'm tired of regular potato salad, I replace the mayo with ranch dressing, drop in some cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with bacon bits. If I'm feeling extra ambitious, I'll use real crumbled bacon slices. I like to prepare potato salads ahead of time, as all the slicing and dicing can be a bit inconvenient at camp. I find that it's easier to store cold salads in individual bowls, as large bowls take up too much space in the cooler.
|
Tip: The Gazelle T4 Plus has a second chamber for lounging and food prep
There are many reasons why the Gazelle T4 Plus is widely regarded as the Cadillac of popup tents.
|
No cook tent nachos are surprisingly filling
Tip: Extra durable and comfy chairs are vital for good tent dwelling experience
Don't get stuck sitting on stools or coolers when bad weather forces you to dwell inside your tent. It's bad for the back and bad for the soul. Camp chairs are known for saggy seats and the tendency to tip or wobble. With heavy duty steel construction, this camping chair locks into place and supports up to 400 pounds. Even if you weigh far less, a chair's maximum capacity indicates how long it will last and how well it will withstand abuse from relatives who like to plop into chairs.
|
Roast beef on a seasoned bagel is a great replacement for a hamburger
Tip: Fill a giant food thermos with stew, oatmeal or hot chocolate
Pasta salad with olives, feta and pepperoni
A simple folding bed is cheaper and more durable than a camp cot
Freezing rain is no joke. In cold, damp conditions, it helps to elevate your bed from the frigid ground. When you get down to reading reviews, you'll find that some of the most expensive camp cots are collapsing in the middle of the night, even the ones rated for 400 pounds that are used by 200 pound people. This $50 folding bed is rated for 1,200 pounds. No matter how heavy or thin you are, you'll get a more durable product for half the price, and it won't weigh a whole lot more than a camp cot. Sometimes, merchandise made specifically for camping isn't the best merchandise. It takes a solid product with 20,000 favorable reviews to show the real merits of choosing traditional frames over camp cots that aren't designed to be used 365 days a year. SIZES: Narrow twin, twin, twin, full, queen, king, California king. TIP: A narrow twin is the best choice for tent living. You can always push two narrow twin beds together if you want to sleep close to your partner.
|
A folding foam mattress is MUCH warmer than an air bed
Slim Twin: 75 X 31 Inches (4 Inches Thick)
Twin XL: 78 X 38 Inches (6 Inches Thick)
|
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
|
Never leave home without a good rain coat
Don't forget the rain shoe covers!
Five Ways to Simplify Your Camp Cooking Experience
1.) Compact grills are so much easier to pack and carry
I originally ordered a popup propane grill that stands at a comfortable cooking height, but the 50 pound monster was very difficult to shove into my loaded vehicle. I ended up sending it back! My new cooking system includes a Weber grill and a little Coleman bucket grill. The bucket grill allows me to cook side dishes in a pot while preparing meat on the main grill. The main grill allows me to cook six burgers at once.
|
2.) A little bucket grill is great for solo adventures
Waterproof matches are a must- have accessory
The right cutting tools mean everything
Be sure to bring some freeze dried meals for emergencies
Mountain House Chicken and Dumplings
Use Bacon Bits to Make BLT Sandwiches
How to boil water safely inside a tent
You may have seen videos that show folks starting fires inside clay pots. I don't consider that safe, so I use an emergency candle instead.