Camping is one of America’s favorite pastimes. Couples, friends, and family often pack up their camping gear and head out for a weekend trip to their favorite spots. 

Some people like to keep it simple with a tent, a sleeping bag, and little else. Still others pile into an RV to stay comfortable while enjoying nature.

With RV camping, you’re able to enjoy the wonders and adventures of the outdoors, but you can crawl into a more traditional bed for a good night’s sleep and enjoy a hot shower when you need it. 

Food hacks will help make your next RV trip one to remember. These food hacks aren’t the only ways to stay prepared. Finding the best RV insurance is just as important and can add to the enjoyment of that next camping trip. 

Storage and Packing Tips

The best place to start your RV food journey is the packing and storage. Having a plan and staying organized is the best way to have a successful camping trip.

It’s even more important when you’re camping in an RV. Yes, there is more space than a tent, but things can quickly get misplaced or shuffled around in an RV. Start your camping preparations by storing and packing the kitchen essentials.

#1 – Portable Spices

Nobody likes bland food, and just because you’re camping doesn’t mean the flavor of the food should suffer. But choosing a few spices to bring on the trip can be difficult.

The easiest way to bring spices on an RV trip is to use small sealable containers like pill boxes or takeout sauce containers. Both of these options take up little space but keep the spices fresh and off the RV floor. 

#2 – Mason Jars

Another storage hack is to use Mason jars for food storage. Mason jars are sealable, stackable, and small. They take up little space in the fridge and keep food fresh and safe. Plus, they’re easy to clean. 

Meal Prep

When it comes to RV camping trips it’s best to prepare for as many meals as possible. It’s a good idea to make a menu for the length of your trip. Consider making breakfast and dinner but having sandwich or snack types options for lunch. Meal prepping can be daunting, but there are ways to make it easier.

#3 – Portable Food

Because space is limited, you’ll want to make cooking as quick and easy as possible. Start by preparing as much as possible before loading up the RV. If anything needs to be cut, diced, or seasoned, do it before the trip. However, if you’re not in the mood to cook one evening, you might consider grabbing some delicious pizza in Flower Mound. It’s a delightful treat that will save you both time and effort after a long day on the road. 

#4 – Bread and Veggies

The easiest food prep for RV camping trips is a loaf of bread and sliced veggies. You can make sandwiches for lunch or pack these ingredients up quickly for an afternoon hike. It’s the meal that goes everywhere and works for just about every meal or occasion.

Coffee Tips

For a lot of people, especially parents, coffee is a non negotiable. Unfortunately, there are few coffee shops near RV campsites, and few people want to drive out for a quick cup of coffee. But there are a few tips and tricks to make sure the coffee flows each and every morning. 

#5 –Portable Coffee

Modern coffee has come a long way. There are single-serve options such as Keurig and instant coffee packets. The trouble is some people don’t want these easy options. They want the traditional pour-over coffee experience.

When you’re camping, however, that’s just not always possible — until now. The easiest RV hack for good coffee is to make portable coffee.

Simply take the ground coffee and coffee filters you use at home to make portable coffee. Before your trip, fill a coffee filter with ground coffee. Secure the coffee filter so the coffee won’t spill out. 

Every morning you’re exploring the great outdoors, through a prepped coffee filter into a pot of boiling water. Let it brew and enjoy a cup of coffee just like the ones at home. 

Cool Gadgets

Camping in an RV may have a lot of the amenities a person could want, but it’s even more helpful to have a quick hack to get things done. There are a lot of cool gadgets on the market to make camping just a little simpler.

#6 – Travel Kettle

One of the best camping gadgets is a travel kettle. A lot of cooking endeavors call for boiling water — especially the all-important morning cup of joe. Boiling water takes time, time that a lot of people just don’t want to waste.

The answer to this conundrum is a travel kettle. These kettles are about the size of a personal water bottle, but can quickly boil multiple ounces of water. 

#7 – Travel Percolator or French Press

There are a lot of options for coffee or tea preparation. Consider investing in a travel percolator or personal French press. Both options make great coffee quickly and don’t take up a lot of space.

These gadgets also help keep cleanup to a minimum and can be taken on an early morning hiking adventure. The possibilities are endless when it comes to gadgets and a good cup of coffee.

Fun and Creative Camping Foods

Camping food doesn’t have to be hotdogs and s’mores. Even though these are camping staples and huge crowd pleasers, consider trying some of these creative and easy-to-prepare meals.

#8 – Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls are often seen as a labor of love. People can and do spend hours preparing delicious, gooey cinnamon rolls. The good news is, however, there is a quick camping hack to make this tasty breakfast on the road.

On your next shopping trip, grab a roll or two of crescent roll dough, butter, cinnamon, and sugar. Then, when you’re out in the RV, roll out the dough, slather it with melted butter and a mixture of cinnamon and sugar, and roll the dough up.

You can pop these rolls on a pan and put them in the oven for about 10 minutes. If you’re feeling adventurous, consider skewering the rolls and lacing them over the campfire for a couple of minutes. 

#9 – Campfire Bananas

Bananas are great additions to the RV menu. Try this easy and sweet treat. Put an unpeeled banana, wrap it in tinfoil, and fill the tinfoil boat with any of your favorite toppings — chocolate chips, marshmallows, or even nuts. Take the banana and treats, seal the tinfoil boat, and place it in the campfire for a few minutes. 

Carefully remove the banana from the fire and enjoy!

#10 – Tin Foil 

Tin foil is the single greatest invention and hack for RV camping. Tin foil can be used for storage and preparation, but it can also be used in the cooking process itself. 

Wrap just about anything in tin foil and you can throw it over a campfire. Not only does this get you out into the nature you want to experience, but it gives you an easy meal with minimal cleanup. Consider some of the classic tin foil-based meals: campfire pizza and hobo burgers. 

RVs and Safety

Finding time-saving hacks while camping is great, but the most important part of RV camping is proper food storage and cleanup. Campsites across the country often operate under the mantra “pack in and pack out.”

You’ll need to make sure everything you bring to a campsite is taken back out. This helps protect the environment and ensures the integrity of the campsite. 

It’s also important to make sure all food is properly stored. Camping is done out in nature, and there are wild animals that can and will be attracted by food smells. It’s all part of the camping experience, but it’s vitally important all food is stored in animal-safe containers.

There are a lot of different options when it comes to RVs. If you’re on the fence about purchasing an RV, consider the many benefits of renting an RV. It’s a try-before-you-buy situation, but it gives you the full experience. 

Get RV insurance

For those who own their RV, it’s important to find the right insurance coverage. An RV isn’t just a vehicle; it is a place where people live. The right coverage must cover personal property and not just the time on the road. You can look up car insurance rates by ZIP code or by your vehicle’s make and model.

If you’re part of the new way of RVers who spend large amounts of time living in the RV, you’ll need to bump your coverage up. It all depends on the type of RV you have or use and the amount of time you spend in it. 

Laura Gunn writes and researches for the insurance comparison site, ExpertInsuranceReviews.com. She and her family are avid campers. They enjoy overlanding, RV, and traditional tent camping.