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Camping Food & Backpacking Recipes

Practical, season-aware recipes and guides designed for hiking, camping, and backcountry trips.

mountain trail

26+

A growing collection of trail-focused recipes, built carefully for performance, nutrition, and packability

Guides to Camping Food and Backpacking Meals and Recipes

Explore chef-driven tips, recipes, and meal plans for lightweight, delicious trail adventures, and start your backpacking outdoor treks.

A kitchen table displaying a variety of dehydrated foods in bowls, showcasing colorful ingredients like dried vegetables, fruits, and grains prepared for camping and backpacking meals.

The Ultimate Guide to Dehydrating Food for Backpacking

A practical, chef-led guide to dehydrating food for backpacking. Learn how to create lightweight, shelf-stable meals that pack well, rehydrate reliably, and deliver real nutrition on the trail.

Dehydrating Food

A campsite scene with a campfire and a pot cooking soup against a backdrop of a lake

The Ultimate Guide to Backcountry Cooking

A foundational guide to backcountry cooking, covering food planning, basic techniques, and practical considerations for preparing meals outdoors across different seasons and trip styles.

Backcountry Cooking

A young woman planning her camping menu in her kitchen while making notes and bags of dehydrated food in bags next to her.

How to Plan Your Hiking and Camping Menus

Learn how to plan hiking and camping menus that balance weight, nutrition, and preparation time. This guide focuses on practical meal planning strategies that support real-world outdoor trips.

Camping Menus

A Chef’s Passion for Trail Cooking

A former chef with 25+ years of experience, I combine my love of food and the outdoors through TrailEating. From quick trail snacks to campfire meals, my goal is to make outdoor cooking simple, memorable, and delicious.

About Trail Eating

 A portrait of Chef Andre with a forest background

Seasonal Cooking for Your Backpacking Meals

Trail Eating guides you through delicious recipes and essential tips tailored to spring, summer, fall, and winter adventures. Getting out into the backcountry isn't just for summer; we have 3 more seasons to enjoy!

Spring

Discover fresh, vibrant trail meals that are easy to pack and full of flavour—perfect for energizing your journey through trails bursting with life. Think crisp vegetables, light yet satisfying wraps, and refreshing snacks for spring camping food ideas.

Summer

Whether you're trekking a scenic trail, paddling through serene waters, or camping under starry skies, our summer backpacking recipes are designed to beat the heat. Explore refreshing, fruit-packed dishes, quick-cooking meals that save stove time for seasonal meal planning.

Autumn

Celebrate fall's cozy, hearty flavors with our backpacking meal ideas, featuring dishes that warm you from the inside out. From spiced soups and stews to hearty grain bowls, these trail recipes are the perfect companions for chilly camping trips.

Winter

Packed with energy and comfort, our winter camping food ideas are ideal for snowy hikes, frosty camping trips, and cozy evenings by the fire. Enjoy rich stews, high-calorie snacks, and hot drinks for backpacking meal planning in snowy, cold weather.

An image showing the season of Spring and Crocus flowers
A photo of an alpine mountain meadow that represents summer
A photo of a forest stream with trees turning colour to represent Autumn
A photo of a snowy mountain landscape to represent winter.

Dehydrating Food for Backpacking and Outdoor Trips

Dehydrating food reduces weight, extends shelf life, and makes meal planning easier for hiking, camping, and backcountry travel. Learn the fundamentals and do it right from the start.

Dehydrating vs Freeze Drying

Understand the differences between dehydrating and freeze-drying food, and which method makes sense for backpacking and outdoor meals.

Choosing a Dehydrator

Learn what to look for in a food dehydrator, including features that matter for trail-ready meals and long-term use.

Food Preservation Basics

Learn the fundamentals of food preservation as they apply to dehydrated meals, shelf life, and reliable outdoor use.

Dehydrating and Storage

Learn how to store dehydrated food properly to maintain quality, safety, and performance on the trail.

Latest Backpacking Meal Recipes, Camping Tips, and Gear Reviews

Explore new camping recipes, backpacking meal recipes, food preparation tips, outdoor gear reviews, and updates each week.

Latest Trail-Ready Recipes

Gear up for any trek with my latest trail-ready recipes. From easy hiking snacks to hearty mountain meals built for wild weather, savour bold flavours that thrive in the great outdoors.