Car Camping Essentials (and Packing Lists) - Carolina Charm
Camping Gear Container · tarps + rubber mallet · twinkle lights (for stringing inside the tent) + LED tent light (main light source inside tent) ...
s’mores cones
We’ve completed five camping trips with our family so far, and each year it gets a little easier. Over time, we’ve upgraded, tossed out, and reorganized our camping gear as we’ve figured out what’s truly useful and what just takes up unnecessary space. We’ve learned we always need multiple tarps, but a coffee maker isn’t essential—cold brew for the win! We’ve nailed down our go-to meals, like tacos in a bag and <anchor>s’mores cones</anchor>, and know exactly what ingredients to pack for them. We’ve also learned to bring more trash bags than we think we’ll need, but we don’t need as many firestarters as we used to think. Multiple oscillating fans are a must if you want any chance of sleeping, and air mattresses are officially a nightmare. Packing everything in plastic storage bins is by far the easiest method, especially when it’s time to stash the food in the car for the night or quickly toss everything in a bin before it rains.
Our Favorite Easy Camping Meals & Snacks
June 21, 2024

# Easy Camping Meals & Snacks

Sharing some of my favorite easy camping meals and snacks today!

Even though we only get to do it once every fall, our family LOVES to camp. Eventually, I’d love to do more primitive camping with our kids, but at their current ages, we have really enjoyed tent camping with our car parked right at our site! And since we don’t have to haul a bunch of gear and food on our backs, we can cook some pretty delicious meals and snacks. Here are a few of our favorites…

## Tacos In A Bag

Also known as “Walking Tacos,” this is hands down everyone’s favorite meal every trip.

To keep things easy, I pre-cook and season the taco meat at home before we leave, so all we have to do is toss it into an aluminum pan and warm it up over the fire. This also cuts down on cookware to clean afterward too. However, you can totally cook it at your site if that’s your preference.

Assembling the taco bags is really fun. We slightly crush mini bags of Doritos before adding the taco meat. Then we pile on all the toppings (diced tomato, shredded lettuce, green onion, shredded Mexican cheese, etc.).

##### Tacos In A Bag Ingredients

- Seasoned Taco Meat (or Ground Beef & Taco Seasoning)
- Snack Bags of Doritos (you can also use Fritos!)
- Your Favorite Toppings: Diced tomato, Shredded lettuce, Green Onion, Shredded Mexican cheese, etc.

Easy Camping Meal - Tacos In A Bag

## Pita Pizzas

Another fun dinner we make every time we camp — Pita Pizzas! Grab some pitas, smear a layer of sauce on top, sprinkle with cheese, add all your toppings, then cook over the fire. We slow cook them on the tri-pod grill which gives perfectly crispy edges to your pizza crust.

##### Pita Pizza Ingredients

- Pita Bread (you can also use pre-made pizza crusts, flatbread, naan, etc.)
- Pizza Sauce
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Favorite Toppings: Pepperoni, Veggies, Pineapple, etc.

Easy Camping Meal - Pita Pizzas

## Slider Sandwiches

Mini sandwiches are a super easy lunch that you can prep ahead of time. We usually make Hawaiian Ham Sliders but don’t add the topping so the bread doesn’t get soggy.

##### Slider Sandwich Ingredients

- Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls
- Deli Honey Ham or Turkey
- Sliced Swiss Cheese or Sliced Cheddar Cheese
- Condiments (add just before serving): Mustard, Mayo, etc.

Easy Camping Meal - Slider Sandwiches

## S’mores Granola

Like trail mix, but with granola since my kids don’t love nuts. In a large Ziploc bag, add marshmallows, granola, and M&Ms! Super easy and delicious.



## S’mores Campfire Cones

These are so easy, delicious, and slightly less messy than traditional s’mores.

In a waffle cone, layer marshmallows, mini M&M’s, and mini Reese’s cups. You can really go wild with so many other toppings too including fruit like raspberries and bananas (which I brought but we failed to remember to pull out of the cooler).

Once the waffle cones are stuffed to the brim, wrap them in foil and slowly roasted them over the campfire until they were warm and melty (about 15 minutes).

##### S’mores Campfire Cone Ingredients

- Waffle Cones
- Mini Marshmallows
- Miniature Candy (smaller candy pieces work better): Mini M&Ms, Mini Reese’s Cups, etc.
- Fruit: Raspberries, Diced Strawberries, Sliced Bananas, etc.
- Aluminum Foil

Easy Camping Meal - S'mores In A Cone

## Breakfast & Snacks

My best tip is to bring meal items as prepared as possible. If you like scrambled eggs, pre-scramble the eggs and store in a container until you’re ready to use so you aren’t cracking a dozen eggs at the picnic table.

- Breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, bagels, mini muffins, mini boxed cereals, yogurt, cold brew coffee
- Snacks: popcorn (popped on tri-pod grill in covered foil pan with oil), crackers + spreads, chips + dips, trail mix, dried fruit.

Easy Camping Meal - Breakfast

## Cooking Gear

You can find a full list of gear, supplies, food, packing lists, and more in my Car Camping Essentials Post. However, here are a few cooking stations we love to bring camping with us…

- Outdoor Master Cook Station: After several camping trips we finally decided to purchase a cooking table and it has been a total game changer. Not only is it nice not having to share our cooking station with our dining picnic table, this folding table has a lot of awesome features too. There’s plenty of counter space to accommodate our stove, cooking utensils & cookware, a storage rack for paper towels, a collapsible sink, and a lantern pole!
- Tri-Pod Grill: For slow-cooking food over the fire.
- 2-Burner Camping Stove: For quickly cooking items we don’t want to slow cook over the fires (eggs, bacon, etc.)



A few places we’ve camped as a family and really loved:



I’m Christina, the author behind Carolina Charm. I’m the wife to Matt and a coffee-fueled mama to Caroline and Thomas. This is a space for me to share the moments that make my mama heart spill over, a mix of recipes and more. Grab a cup of coffee and stay awhile!

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Paige Beck

Thursday 20th of July 2023

I bought the tent you recommended last summer and we love it. We went camping in West Virginia a few weeks ago and it absolutely POURED each night for 3 nights. There was only a little bit of water on the tent floor. We are a family of four as well and love all of the space. Thank you for the recommendation!

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