Food for long road trip/camping through the Southwest?

[Catmandew]

Hello, everyone.

I have planned a two-week long trip through the American southwest. There will be three, possibly four people traveling on this trip. We plan on departing Boulder, CO and hitting major points such as Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, and Arches/Moab. Ultimately, looping back to Boulder, CO.

For the first half of the trip, we will be camping in or near the national parks. The latter half will have us in motel/hotel accommodations that provide continental breakfasts and have basic accommodations such as a fridge, etc.

This is my first time planning a long camping road trip, especially through a portion of the country that is as barren and vast as the Southwest.

I am hoping to gather some suggestions and ideas on what kind of food to bring along that is frugal and will hold us over for approximately a week at a time. (Keep in mind we will likely stop for lunch/dinner once or twice along our trip.)

Is it worth buying the following items in bulk?

- Granola
- Trail Mix
- Bananas
- Beef Jerky
- Bread
- Peanut Butter

Just seeking out any creative solutions to food planning for a trip of this length.

Thank you for any help you can provide!

[nereo]

Are you planning on bringing a camping stove? That would open up your possibilites considerably, and IME keep you from getting burned out on the granola + peanutbutter diet.  A small cooler will allow you to bring some veggies and cheese (which you an stock up on every few days anywhere around these parks)

First:  Yes, all those things you mentioned are worth buying in bulk, especially from a place like CostCo (except maybe the bananas).  Apples and oranges keep better/longer in the heat than bananas do.  If you are bringing a stove pasta is super easy to do, and remember coffee if you drink it every day.  Coconut milk is incredibly vertistle and doesn't need to be refrigerated.  Really just spend a few hours poking around the backpacking/camping sites for meal ideas... there's food for every cusine/diet imaginable.

Finally, I love the area you are planning on going.  I would recommend visiting Glenn Canyon if you ahve the time.... it's off the beaten path and the latest drought has exposed large sections of the canyon that have been underwater ofr 50+ years (though check to see what the latest el nino has done).

[bogart]

No idea of your budget or willingness to trade off boring food for beautiful sites.  Bulk (e.g. Costco) almost certainly makes sense for a group of that size for the circumstances you describe.  If your budget allows it, things like canned (or packaged) tuna or salmon would be a welcome addition if I were writing that list.  I'd probably add some powdered milk and breakfast cereal, too.  I might also consider something like this -- http://www.amazon.com/Koolatron-P25-26-Quart-FunKool-Cooler/dp/B0001MQ7EK/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1454082520&sr=8-9&keywords=food+cooler+cigarette+lighter -- DH and I have one and used it when we used to go on long car trips, and find it handy.  Of course if you won't be driving much (i.e. long days parked in one site) it won't stay cold. 

I'd definitely take a cook stove, which opens up options like pasta (and beyond, depending).

[Catmandew]

Thank you for your ideas. I hadn't considered pasta, coconut milk, or canned tuna/fish (Brilliant!) Yes, we will have a cooler and a small camp stove.

As far as budget, I am not entirely sure. I'm thinking ~$100 a head for the two weeks?

Nereo,

Do you think Glen Canyon is worth forgoing Route 89A through Jacob Lake?
We will be leaving Grand Canyon South Rim and using most of the day to travel to Zion via 89 -> 89A.

[sisto]

I did a similar trip in September. What I did was prepare a bunch of food in advance and freeze it. Granted I had a small freezer in my travel trailer, but you could accomplish the same with a cooler. You could then either just thaw and eat or warm it up with the camp stove. Here are the easy to prep stuff I did, this included hitting up Walmart a couple of times along the way for fresh fruit or veggies.

Slow cooker smoky beef or carnitas: you make a big batch and freeze in ziplock bags enough for each meal. You use tortillas, lettuce, and tomato on the road. This is also good to put on salads. You could buy a bag of salad greens and some dressing and have a quick easy lunch.
Chili: again you make a big batch. I did turkey chili. Again freeze in ziplock bags enough for each meal. I heated mine up, but you could just thaw and eat.
Chicken: I made chicken on my smoker and froze some for meals. Cook a quick fresh veggie or add to salad. I did the same with a couple of steaks.
Soup: either homemade or you could do canned.
Oatmeal: either packaged or make each day on campstove.

Good luck and please post about your trip.

[celticmyst08]

My husband and I did this trip but in reverse. We left from Vegas and looped back around. We had a backpacking stove and bought a small collapsible cooler and it held us over for 2-3 days until we could resupply. There are plenty of towns where you can stop for groceries, which we did because we wanted fresh stuff.

The Southwest is barren, yes, but all of the national parks you mention have a town nearby where you can stock up, except maybe Capitol Reef (we didn't go there on our honeymoon, and it's been years since I was there last). You'll have pretty much unlimited cooking options with a camp stove.

We were hiking during most of our lunches so we took pb&j or turkey sandwiches, granola bars, trail mix, and apples.

This is hands down the most beautiful area I've ever visited. Every park has unique, rugged beauty. You will love it!

[mm1970]

We don't tend to camp for longer than 2-3 nights at a time.  I've learned, with the kids, to prep ahead of time.

So honestly, for breakfast, nobody wants to wait until the water boils. What has worked best for us is:
cheese
fruit (apples, dates)
muffins/pastries (store bought or homemade)

lunch:
PB&J
cheese/ crackers/ salami
carrots/peppers/celery/hummus
fruit

dinner:
chili nachos (canned chili heated with cheese on top, poured over chips.  With guac.)
beer (adults only)
hot dogs
any pre-made dinner.  I can't believe it took me so long to figure this out, with all of the prep work I do every week. But you know, you can make spaghetti and meatballs and freeze it.  Then, just reheat.  Prior to this, I'd be doing boxed mac and cheese or rice or stuff.
more veggies

Note, that I had a cooler and a coleman stove, not a fridge or microwave like some people have with their campers.

If I wanted to be fancy (which I don't with a toddler, but will eventually), there is:
burgers
foil packets (sausage, potatoes, peppers)
pancakes
scrambled eggs and bacon

But the important thing for me is to not overpack.  Honestly, there are grocery stores everywhere.  You may end up paying a little bit extra, but I've learned it's work it to me to not overpack on the food.

[SeanMC]

When is your trip?
Weather and time of year is essential in how you plan the food. Will refrigeration/ice in cooler be a challenge, because of heat? Will hot water for drinks/food be a must for cold mornings and nights (true at altitude in those regions most of the time).

What will you be doing?
Lots of hiking and day trips that require food you can carry in a backpack? Will you have time to prepare hot food & clean-up at camp in the morning or be rushing out to sight-see?

Will you be camping with a car that you can then drive around anyway?
Your trip does not sound like you are going to remote places. Those are major national parks. I've done this trip before, and you are mentioning places that have major supermarket access, let alone smaller grocery and shops to get supplies at. I second the celticmyst08's comments on this.

I have found that I can pretty much eat the exact same things on a camping trip or the road as I eat at home (oatmeal, pasta, rice & beans, sandwiches, fruit, veggies, cheese, etc.), and the real issue is planning better the timing of when I cook and clean-up during my trip itself. For days that are long hikes or treks, I just bring what I would bring on a long day hike near home (high calorie dense snacks, like nuts).

[JJNL]

I've done a long roadtrip in the same area. It's not THAT barren - you will pass shops between the parks, so you will be able to stock up on groceries. Don't buy any in the parks though, that's horribly expensive! Other things you might want to bring / buy beforehand:

- Bagels instead of some of your bread. They keep a lot longer and are more filling, I've found.
- Crackers, as a change from the bread, also because they keep very long
- Cheese, this will keep for ages outside the fridge (this is where the fact that you guys have weird plasticky processed cheese is actually an advantage, I was amazed at how well it kept even in the heat with no cooler).
- Long-lasting veggies that can be used for lots of different things (like pasta sauce, Asian stir fry, chili), such as carrots, pumpkin, cabbage, onions etc.
- Rice
- Couscous
- Canned chick peas / beans / peas or similar
- If you're meat-eaters: long-lasting, flavourful meat like a whole salami or chorizo sausage
- Some spices / herbs and some instant powdered sauces (like instant pasta sauce, chili sauce etc.)
- Instant mashed potatoes (just add water), they make a good hot trail lunch if you put in some soup/sauce powder, nuts and cheese, and make for a nice variation carb if you're sick of pasta/rice/couscous
- Instant hot chocolate, instant sports drink powder. The first for when it's very cold, the second for when it's very hot and you need electrolytes
- Nuts, both to put in your food and as a snack

When I'm road tripping, I just visit a supermarket every week / 10 days or so and buy roughly a week's worth of the stuff mentioned in the above and earlier in this thread. I make sure that I can cook enough different meals (so bring different flavours of sauces / herbs to add to the carb + veggies + protein) and decide on the day itself what I'm hungry for. For me this works well, and makes a nice break from having to completely pre-plan every meal like I do when I go hiking.

[bobechs]

It's the Southwest

1. Solar cooker (Google it)

2. Roadkill

[HipGnosis]

Tortillas travel better than bread.   Ham or turkey (I always get smoked) rollups keep for a few days in a cooler.
Hard cheeses are usually better than softer.
Oatmeal with most any dried fruit and a bit of powdered milk

[CindyBS]

When I stay in hotels where there is a breakfast, there are typically little single serving jelly and peanut butters for toast.  I save those along with the small shampoo/lotions/soaps and use those for camping.   I also collect ketchup/mayo/mustard packets for camping trips as well.

My local health food store sells single serve organic milk drink boxes that are shelf stable.  They are kind of pricey, but may be a good way to go since keeping them cool in the hot SW won't be an issue.  I don't drink cows milk myself, but occasionally our local grocery store puts single serving almond milk on sale (like drinkboxes) that is shelf stable, so I stock up on those for camping.

We also don't cook for breakfast - too much waiting.

I find fruits like oranges and apples work a lot better than canteloupe, watermelon, or berries.  Carrots are a good choice and sturdy.  We eat them with hummus dip and a fruit for lunch.   I second all the suggestions and think nuts are an excellent source of calories when you are on the road. 

[snacky]

when I car camp or road trip I assume there will be access to boiling water with some frequency. my own campstove, motel coffeemakers, gas station coffee machines with a hot water tap... I have never gone wrong, so far. with that assumption I plan meals that only need boiling water.

oatmeal - rolled oats, dried/ fresh fruit, possibly cream

coffee - my little French press, grounds, sugar, cream

DIY ramen - miso paste or other soup base, quick-cook noodles (I like rice noodles from the Asian grocery, but there are many options), whatever bits and pieces I have around. always some vegetable, sometimes even a protein.

minute rice + canned spaghetti sauce, or some other topping, plus veggies, maybe protein.

also I buy (or make, if I can) boiled eggs to add to other things, or have as a quick protein hit. And so much fruit. always fruit.

[galliver]

Seconded securing a camp stove and cooler. Get a case of water bottles and freeze in advance of your trip. Now you have ice that becomes drinking water as you go.

Breakfast: Most people I've camped with find hot beverages *heavenly* and definitely worth waiting for on a cold morning (and most are when you are camping!). Once you have hot water, instant oatmeal is a great option (yes you can make regular oatmeal camping but it's far more mess and fuss when you really just want to eat quick and move on). Bagels+spread (jam, pb, butter, nutella, etc), cheese, yogurt if you have a cooler are all great options. Don't recommend bacon &eggs or pancakes (any real cooking) unless you're doing a slow morning.

Lunch: snacks. Trail mix, nuts, cheese, jerky, salami, dried fruit, fresh fruit (esp apples, citrus), fresh veg (carrots, peapods). If you're driving over lunch or coming back to camp, you can do something with hot water (e.g. ramen). Or gas station hot dogs.

Dinner: starch+meat/protein+veg. Mashed potatoes (instant for quick; real for more relaxed), rice, pasta, etc. Canned meat, hot dogs, brats/sausages, salami, summer sausage, beef jerky, beans or chili (I would go with canned but as others have pointed out you can prep at home and freeze). For vegetables, honestly most will keep esp in a cooler for the first 4 days or so, down to greens, tomatoes, etc though some may not like getting bumped around. We haven't necessarily brought all of these but I would consider bringing anything not misted/refrigerated at the store (e.g. onions, garlic, squashes, potatoes, yams) as well as any root veg (carrots, turnips/parsnips/rutabaga). If you'd like to be more hardy, you can go with canned/jarred like pasta sauce, tomatoes, peas, corn, etc. or if you can find them, dehydrated that you throw in with your starches (these might be more expensive and thus more applicable to backpacking instead, where carrying water that you can instead acquire at your destination would be silly). Finally, anything you do eat will be seasoned with fresh air and hunger so simple things actually taste surprisingly great outdoors :) Buttered pasta with hotdogs? Bring it.

Suggestion: pick a day to grill out, I would say out of days 5-7 (toward the end of your camping days) and pick up some meats from a local grocery for that. Also some grillable veg. And beers (or your poison of choice...if permitted or in blissful ignorance of regulations ;) ). It will be fantastic after 4-6 days of instant mashed potatoes. It'll be more time consuming than other options but one of the best things about camping.

Suggestion: instant soups, either Lipton packets, ramen cups, miso, or even 4-8 serving bags of dry mixes (there's one called Bear Mountain or something that I like), are quick options for when you get back to camp STARVING and freezing and lacking energy to make real dinner right away. They also take up next to no space so it's really not hard to have several in reserve just in case. They also keep forever and will be around for your next trip, or "I forgot my lunch" office food.

Don't forget: can opener, spices (you can bring spices camping!!), enough pans (it's handy to have a separate pan for each dish you are cooking that double as serving bowls), serving/cooking utensils (a big spoon, tongs, and/or a spatula may come in handy depending on your menu--it takes forever to ladle enough pasta with a tiny plastic spoon).

Have a fun trip!