One of the great advantages of the motorhome as a base for adventure is that you can head out on trips (hiking, cycling, the beach, a day trip) with home-cooked food, better and cheaper than buying out. Knowing how to prepare a good picnic or trail food (easy to carry, keeps without cooling, gives you energy) makes your outings more comfortable and tastier. Here are the ideas.
What good trail food needs
- Keeps without a fridge: hours in a backpack, sometimes in the heat; choose food that won't spoil.
- Gives you energy: for the effort (carbs, some protein and healthy fat).
- Easy to carry and eat: compact, no fuss, without lots of gear.
- Won't get crushed or spill in the backpack.
Picnic and provisioning ideas
- Sandwiches and wraps: the classic that never fails; with cured meat, cheese, omelette, tuna... (cured meats keep better without cooling).
- Spanish potato omelette: keeps well, gives energy and tastes great cold.
- Nuts and dried fruit: concentrated energy, doesn't spoil, takes up little space (ideal for hiking).
- Hardy fruit: apples, bananas, oranges, which stand up to the trek.
- Energy bars or homemade ones, chocolate (dark holds up better in the heat).
- Savoury pies, quiche or flatbread: keep well and go a long way.
- For long routes: something salty to replace salts lost through sweat.
Prepare it in the camper
Use your kitchen as your base: make the sandwiches or omelette in the morning (or batch cook; see batch cooking), and keep anything perishable well stored until the last moment (a reliable fridge helps; see storing food). Don't forget enough water (hydration is the most important thing on the trail; see drinks and hydration) and a bag to bring your rubbish back (leave no trace; see sustainable camper travel).
In short
A good picnic or trail food (that keeps without cooling, gives energy and is easy to carry) makes your outings from the camper more comfortable, tastier and cheaper. The step to take today: before your next hike, prepare sandwiches with cured meats or an omelette in the camper, add nuts and hardy fruit for energy, and pack plenty of water and a rubbish bag; you'll head out well provisioned. Combine it with hiking.