Getting ready to go keto camping?

Despite camping trips and outdoor activities often fueled by high carb foods, a low carb diet and camping goes hand in hand. When your body is fat adapted you require less to eat and that can make a big difference in how you are able to enjoy that time outdoors. 

Keto camping food means less time spent doing food preparation and carrying huge amounts of carb heavy meals and snacks. Don’t let a camping trip become an excuse to fall off the wagon, follow our guide to set yourself up for success on a keto camping trip.

Not having access to your usual array of cooking tools and appliances definitely can pose a challenge when trying to port your favorites recipes to the great outdoors.  This isn’t an impossible task though and gives an opportunity to explore new ingredients and cooking methods. Keeping it simple though and doing some basic keto meal prep and planning prior will make eating keto while camping a breeze.

Keep your macros in mind while keto camping

Trying to track every single thing that goes in your mouth on a camping trip is a sure way to detract from the fun. If you’re experienced with keto you’ll likely have a good idea of what is low carb friendly and you can go the lazy keto route. However, if you’re new to the lifestyle we suggest getting your macros and doing some extra planning and prep work prior to starting your trip.

Keto camping food can all be prepped ahead of time and logged into your favorite tracking app, including your meals and snacks. While this requires more preplanning and a stricter adherence to your meal plan it will allow you to stay on track without needing to put everything you eat into your phone.

The importance of hydration and electrolytes for your body

Whether you’re taking part in strenuous activities, hiking, or trying to beat the heat, you’re much more likely to need to up your hydration. You don’t want to ruin a perfect day in nature by feinting, being tired, headaches, or keto flu. This is easily avoided by maintaining your electrolyte balance and hydration levels. Fancy and expensive supplements are not necessary, we recommend consuming plenty of sodium though and taking a magnesium and potassium supplement for best results.

You can prepare a tasty Ketoaide before your trip to make hydration and electrolyte balance work even easier. If you are camping during hot weather this is extra important and can make or break your trip. On a low carb diet it is difficult to get enough potassium and magnesium from your foods so we highly recommend bringing supplement or drinking plenty of Ketoaide.

Keep all the food and drinks cool

Unless you’re taking a backpacking trip you will want to use multiple coolers. Constantly reaching into a cooler for another drink will put a big dent in the amount of time that your food will stay cool and safe. If your camping trip is going to be more than a few days you’ll need to restock on ice and some grocery essentials so plan accordingly. If you decided to do some meal prep ahead of time you can freeze the meals and leave them in the food cooler.

Whip up some breakfast burritos ahead of time and reheat them on your campfire or camp stove. They can be left frozen until you’re ready to eat. This also helps maximize the time you have to enjoy your camping and not spend tons of time cooking and cleaning up. This applies to other meals as well too, many easy to reheat foods can be made ahead of time and frozen before your trip.

Bring plenty of low carb snacks

Snacks are a staple of keto camping foods. Even with meals prepped beforehand you are going to find yourself looking for something to eat between meals. A little planning here goes a long way and you want something portable and not requiring much in the way of prep. Fortunately many of your favorite snacks from home fit this perfectly and can be packed along.

Our go to keto camping snack foods are cheese, deli meats, fresh vegetables, jerky, nuts, pork rinds, and protein bars. We already have tons on hand so it’s just a matter of making sure you take plenty. If you have family or friends that are joining your trip don’t be surprised if they are interested in your snacks as well. Pack plenty, you might find yourself going through them quicker than expected.

Don’t forget the first aid kit and any medications

Nature has a way of bringing all manner of cuts, scrapes, bumps, and bruises into even the best laid camping plans. If your trip is taking you far into the backcountry it is even more important to remember to bring along a proper first aid kit and any prescription medications. The last thing you want to do is hike 12 miles into a remote campground and figure out your medicine is at home. Bring along a basic first aid kit to cover any minor campground emergencies. It’s also not somewhere that you want an upset stomach or an allergy flare up to detract from the fun so it’s a good idea to make sure your first aid has those areas covered.

Pack high energy foods and snacks

High energy foods don’t have to be high in carbohydrates. High fat foods will give you plenty of energy, keep you full, and easily portable. Going for a short hike or fishing down by the lake? Bring along some jerky and mixed nuts, they’re light to carry and there is no need to keep either cool. We make our own trail mix with a tasty blend of almonds, macadamia nuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and unsweetened coconut.

If you’re four-legged best friend is coming along for the journey be careful with the macadamia nuts though, while a delicious and filling keto friendly snack they are toxic for dogs. Hard cheeses can also be kept unrefrigerated so they make a great carry along for a longer trip away from the campsite. Bring along plenty of portable keto camping foods so you won’t have an empty stomach cutting short your plans.

Do the keto camping food prep at home

Doing the keto camping food prep at home means less time cooking and cleaning during your trip and much less you need to pack along. Why pack along a cutting board if you have already pre-chopped all the meats and vegetables at home? Take advantage of doing all the heavy lifting at home in a nice clean kitchen. Cooked meats keep better longer and can be pre-cooked and then cooled or frozen. Cook and then package them into meal size portions so everything is ready to go and minimize the work and maximize food safety. Spices can be pre-mixed and put into camping spice containers to reduce the amount of seasonings and spices to carry along.

Having meals mostly prepped or fully made will reduce the amount of time it takes to have a hot meal after a long day. When getting back to camp you don’t want to spend an hour in the dark fumbling your way through chopping vegetables or making burgers. Make it easy to eat quickly and on your macros to get the maximum enjoyment out of your trip. Keto camping foods can add to your enjoyment while keeping you on track.

Don’t forget the coffee

For us nothing beats a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, whether that’s at home or out in the woods. This too can be prepped ahead of time to make those morning starts easier when camping. To get started we make a half gallon of cold brew coffee and can easily make more when needed during the trip. One time use cold brew bags are inexpensive and make brewing more during the trip a breeze. If you are looking for a super easy breakfast bulletproof coffee will get your going on a full stomach quickly. Starting the day outdoors with a macro friendly keto breakfast burrito and great cup of coffee is one of our favorite things.