The Staples To My Camping Trips

I am often asked what constitutes a staple for my camp kitchen or hiking pack. Truth be told, it changes as I change. Lately there have been a number of Mountain House freeze dried meals because they are remarkably good. My big rules are as simple as possible, as compact as possible, as little refrigeration as possible.

With that said, here is what I normally carry for a 3 day camping/day hiking trip. Depending on what I am doing I do add some fresh items, but I try to keep that to a minimum.

Maple Instant Oatmeal
Salt
Pepper
Cinnamon
Summer Sausage
Instant Coffee
Instant Drink Mixes
Tea Bags
Hot Chocolate
Tuna (in foil packets)
Chicken (in foil packets)
Top Ramen (chicken flavor)
Peanut Butter
Dried Chives
Butter
Cheddar Cheese
Tortillas
Mountain House Scrambled Eggs with Ham, Red and Green Peppers
Pie Filling
Shelf stable Milk in 8 oz. containers
dehydrated refried beans
dehydrated mixed vegetables
dehydrated blueberries
instant loaded mashed potatoes
Water
Apples
Dried Fruit such as apricots and prunes
Vaccuum packed ground beef
Taco or Tostada Shells
Au Gratin Potato mix
Jiffy Pop

Just a few of the items in my camp kitchen.                                                                                 ©Marcia Mauskopf 2014

What can I do with just these items in three days?

Breakfast
Oatmeal and scrambled eggs

Lunch
Poor Man's Pad Thai
Cheddar Cheese Quesadillas
Crackers and Cheese with Summer Sausage Apples and Dried Fruit

Dinner
Shepherd's Pie
Bean and ground beef tacos (fresh cabbage added)
Tuna Casserole

Desert
Fruit Crisp
Popcorn

What can you do with the items above? Let me know what you come up with, I'd love to share recipes with you.