Meal Planning: A Beginner’s Guide

Why Meal Planning Matters

It can be tempting to simply throw some food into a rucksack and head outdoors.

That can create problems surprisingly quickly.

You might discover that:

• You haven’t brought enough food
• You’ve brought far too much
• An ingredient needs refrigeration
• You forgot the cooking oil
• You don’t have enough fuel
• A meal takes much longer to cook than expected
• Nobody actually likes what you’ve planned
• You have nowhere to store leftovers

Meal planning prevents many of these problems before they happen.

The aim isn’t to create complicated meals.

The aim is to create meals that work.

Start With the Trip

Before choosing your meals, work out what the trip actually involves.

Ask:

How long are you going?

A single-day hike has very different food requirements from a week-long camp.

How many people are eating?

Count everyone who needs feeding.

How active will you be?

A strenuous hiking day may require more food and snacks than a relaxed campsite day.

Where are you staying?

A campsite with a kitchen provides very different possibilities from a remote wild-camping situation.

What cooking equipment is available?

This can completely change your menu.

Can you resupply?

If you’re able to buy food during the trip, you may not need to carry everything from the beginning.

Build Your Meal Plan Around the Day

A simple starting point is:

Breakfast → Lunch → Dinner → Snacks

Then think about drinks and any additional food required for particularly active days.

Breakfast

Breakfast should provide a practical start to the day.

Possible options might include:

Choose according to your equipment, time and personal preferences.

Lunch

Lunch should be easy to prepare and practical during the day’s activities.

Possible options include:

Dinner

Dinner can be the main cooked meal of the day.

Possible options include:

Snacks

Don’t forget snacks.

These can be useful between meals, particularly during physically demanding activities.

Think About Energy

Outdoor activities can require a lot of energy.

Walking, carrying equipment, climbing, paddling and other activities all increase the amount of energy you may need.

Rather than obsessing over exact numbers, think about building meals from a range of foods.

A useful basic approach is to include:

Carbohydrates

Useful sources of energy include:

Protein

Useful sources include:

Fats

Examples include:

Fruit and vegetables

These can provide important vitamins, minerals and fibre.

A good outdoor meal doesn’t have to be complicated.

It just needs to provide useful nutrition while remaining practical.

Weight Matters

Food is equipment too.

Every item you carry adds weight.

For longer trips, consider the difference between:

Fresh food

and

Shelf-stable food

Fresh food can be excellent when refrigeration and storage are available.

Shelf-stable foods can be much easier for longer trips.

Examples include:

The best choice depends on your trip.

Don’t automatically choose the lightest food if it makes cooking, storage or nutrition impractical.

Think About Storage

One of the biggest differences between home cooking and outdoor cooking is storage.

Before packing food, ask:

Does this need to stay refrigerated?

How long will it be out of refrigeration?

How will I transport it?

Where will I store it at camp?

Could animals access it?

Food that requires refrigeration needs particular care.

Don’t assume that a cool rucksack or campsite shade is an adequate replacement for a refrigerator.

Perishable vs Non-Perishable Foods

A simple way to plan is to divide food into two broad groups.

Perishable

These can spoil relatively quickly if not kept at appropriate temperatures.

Examples include:

These require careful temperature control.

Shelf-stable

These can generally be stored without refrigeration until opened, provided the packaging and manufacturer’s instructions allow it.

Examples include:

Always follow the storage instructions on the packaging.

Plan the Cooking Method

Don’t choose a meal until you know how you’re going to cook it.

Ask:

What heat source are we using?

For example:

• Camping stove
• Designated camp cooking area
• Other permitted cooking equipment

How much fuel will it require?

A meal that takes five minutes to cook may use considerably less fuel than one that needs thirty minutes.

What cookware is needed?

You may need:

• Saucepan
• Frying pan
• Pot
• Kettle
• Cooking utensils

How much water does it require?

Some meals need considerable amounts of water.

This matters when water is limited.

One-Pot Meals

One-pot meals are particularly useful for camping.

Everything is cooked in the same pot.

Advantages include:

• Less washing up
• Fewer cooking utensils
• Simple preparation
• Easy portioning
• Convenient cooking

Examples include:

Pasta + sauce + vegetables

Rice + beans + vegetables

Chilli

Stew

Couscous + vegetables + protein

The exact meal is less important than the principle:

Simple cooking can make outdoor life much easier.

Think About Cooking Time

A meal may look simple on paper but take much longer outdoors.

Consider:

• Preparation time
• Water heating time
• Cooking time
• Fuel availability
• Cleaning time
• Weather conditions

A complicated dinner after a long day on the trail may not be particularly enjoyable.

Sometimes the best meal is simply the one that can be cooked quickly and reliably.

Use Ingredients More Than Once

One clever way to simplify meal planning is to choose ingredients that can be used in several meals.

For example:

Pasta

Could appear in:

• Dinner
• Cold lunch
• Leftover meal

Tortillas or wraps

Could be used for:

• Lunch
• Breakfast wraps
• Leftover fillings

Vegetables

Could be used in:

• Pasta
• Rice
• Soup
• Stew

This reduces the number of different ingredients you need to carry.

Fewer ingredients can mean simpler packing and less waste.

Don’t Forget the Small Things

Many outdoor meals fail because of something tiny.

Before leaving, check whether you need:

• Cooking oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Herbs
• Spices
• Sauces
• Sugar
• Tea or coffee
• Milk or alternative
• Foil or suitable food containers

Small ingredients can make a huge difference to a meal.

Don’t Forget Drinks

Food planning shouldn’t ignore hydration.

Plan for:

• Drinking water
• Hot drinks
• Cooking water
• Additional water for particularly active days

Remember that drinking water and cooking water are both part of your overall water plan.

Never assume that a natural water source is safe simply because it looks clean.

Planning for a Group

Cooking for a group creates additional challenges.

Before planning the menu, find out about:

Allergies

Make sure known allergies are taken seriously.

Dietary requirements

People may have requirements related to:

• Vegetarian diets
• Vegan diets
• Religious diets
• Medical dietary requirements
• Food intolerances

Preferences

You don’t have to make everyone their favourite meal, but knowing what people will actually eat can prevent food waste.

Portion sizes

You need enough food for everyone without creating unnecessary leftovers.

How Much Food Do You Need?

This is one of the hardest parts of meal planning.

A useful starting point is:

Number of people × number of meals × portion size

Then consider the activity level and whether snacks are included separately.

Don’t forget that children and adults may require different quantities.

For organised group activities, use the guidance and experience of your leaders or catering arrangements rather than relying solely on a generic calculation.

Better planning comes with experience.

After every trip, ask:

What did we run out of?

What did we have too much of?

What did nobody eat?

Use those answers to improve your next plan.

Create a Meal Plan

A simple meal plan might look like this:

The exact meals don’t matter.

The important thing is that every meal is planned before you pack.

Turn the Meal Plan Into a Shopping List

Once you’ve planned the meals, create your shopping list.

Organise it into groups such as:

Breakfast

• Oats
• Cereal
• Milk
• Fruit

Lunch

• Bread
• Wraps
• Fillings
• Fruit

Dinner

• Pasta
• Rice
• Vegetables
• Protein
• Sauces

Snacks

• Fruit
• Nuts
• Bars

Cooking

• Oil
• Seasoning
• Fuel

This makes shopping and packing much easier.

Pack Food by Meal

Instead of throwing everything into one large bag, consider grouping food by meal or day.

For example:

DAY 1 — DINNER

Pasta
Sauce
Vegetables
Seasoning

This makes finding food much easier at camp.

It can also help prevent accidentally opening food that you don’t need yet.

Reduce Food Waste

Good meal planning should also reduce waste.

Try to:

• Plan realistic portions
• Use ingredients across multiple meals
• Avoid unnecessary packaging
• Choose reusable containers where practical
• Store leftovers safely
• Take rubbish home or dispose of it correctly

Remember:

Pack it in, pack it out.

Don’t leave food scraps behind.

Food waste can attract wildlife and create problems for other visitors.

Protect Food From Wildlife

Food can attract animals.

Never assume that a sealed tent is a secure food store.

Follow campsite or land-management guidance about food storage.

Keep food:

• Secure
• Clean
• Properly sealed
• Away from sleeping areas where appropriate
• Protected from animals

Don’t feed wildlife.

And never leave food scraps around camp.

Common Meal Planning Mistakes

❌ Planning meals without checking equipment

A meal isn’t useful if you can’t cook it.

❌ Forgetting fuel

The stove is useless if you can’t operate it.

❌ Bringing too much food

Extra weight makes carrying harder.

❌ Bringing too little

Being hungry after a long activity is miserable.

❌ Ignoring dietary requirements

Always check these before finalising the menu.

❌ Choosing complicated recipes

Simple often works better outdoors.

❌ Forgetting snacks

Long activities can leave you needing additional food.

❌ Ignoring food storage

Perishable food needs appropriate temperature control.

❌ Forgetting cleaning

Cooking equipment still needs to be cleaned safely.

Meal Planning: The Skills You’re Really Learning

Meal planning teaches much more than deciding what you’re having for dinner.

Organisation

Can you plan several days of meals?

Budgeting

Can you feed everyone without unnecessary expense?

Nutrition

Can you create balanced meals?

Logistics

Can you carry, store and cook everything?

Time management

Can you prepare meals without wasting valuable time?

Problem solving

Can you adapt if the weather or equipment changes?

Responsibility

Can you provide safe food for everyone in your group?

These skills are useful far beyond camping.

Your Meal Planning Challenge

The Three-Day Camp Challenge

Try planning three days of outdoor meals.

Before you finish, make sure you can answer:

□ How many people are eating?

□ How many meals are required?

□ What snacks are needed?

□ Does every meal provide useful energy?

□ What ingredients are required?

□ Which ingredients need refrigeration?

□ How will food be stored?

□ What cooking equipment is needed?

□ How much fuel is required?

□ How much water is needed for cooking?

□ Are allergies and dietary requirements covered?

□ How will leftovers be handled?

□ How will rubbish be disposed of?

The real challenge?

Try to create the simplest possible menu that still gives everyone enjoyable, practical meals.

Scout Connection

Meal planning is an excellent campcraft skill.

Planning food for a camp can involve:

• Menu planning
• Cooking
• Nutrition
• Food hygiene
• Budgeting
• Teamwork
• Equipment management
• Responsibility

For Scouts, the exact requirements associated with badges and programme activities can change.

If you’re working towards a particular badge or activity:

Always check the current official Scouts requirements and speak to your leader.

SurvivalGuidesUK is an independent educational resource and isn’t an official Scouts website. Always follow the current Scouts programme requirements and your leader’s instructions.

The Golden Rules of Meal Planning

If you remember nothing else:

1. Plan before you pack.

2. Know how many people you’re feeding.

3. Match the meals to the equipment.

4. Consider weight and storage.

5. Plan for enough food and snacks.

6. Check allergies and dietary requirements.

7. Keep food at safe temperatures.

8. Keep preparation and cooking areas clean.

9. Minimise waste.

10. Keep meals practical.

The best outdoor meal isn’t necessarily the fanciest.

It’s the one that tastes good, provides what you need and works in the conditions you’re actually in.