I have a friend who’s mega into his camping. He loves it.
And for him, half of the adventure is about getting stuff right.
He loves planning. Satisfaction for him is when everything comes together. For him, camping is like an art form – and that includes cooking.
I’ve known him griddle sirloin steak. And finish off par-boiled potatoes on the griddle with asparagus and green beans.
He carries little pots of seasoning to flavour the meat. And he washes it all down with a few real ales that are popular over here in the UK.
I’ve seen him griddle pork chops with sweet potatoes. And I’ve watched him guzzle down a soup starter whilst waiting for the meat to cook.
He carries some form of washing-up liquid and cleans his tins and utensils when he’s finished. And then it’s all packed away again into a tidy little bundle that fits in his rucksack.
Motorcycle Camping Food On Tour
You and I simply don’t have the luxury of time that my friend has.
He’s a hiker, not a biker. And he actively plans to sit down and make his dinner whereas as we generally aren’t afforded that time.
For us, we need to pitch a tent before it gets dark and then get some food on the go.
We need something hot and nutritious. We need to replenish the calories we’ve burned whilst refuelling for tomorrow’s ride.
And this is where motorcycle camping food comes in.
Because unlike my friend on his single-day hike, we don’t have the space to carry all the necessary ingredients and equipment to whip up a 3-course meal when we arrive at our destination.
Soggy Sandwiches
There are only so many warm, soggy sandwiches you can eat before you need some proper sustenance.
And touring (especially if you’re off-roading) requires a lot of food. And not just food, but proper food.
We’ve all fallen into the trap of cereal bars for breakfast or cuppa soups for dinner.
But there comes a point when you need to fuel your body. And not only with calories, but with calories that are hot, tasty, and contain a balanced mixture of macros.
Cue dehydrated motorcycle camping food.
Motorcycle Camping Food: Variety Is The Spice Of Life
Thanks to an influx of outdoor hobbyists over the last few years, there is a huge variety of dehydrated motorcycle camping food to choose from.
And that’s good. Because that means we don’t have to eat the same things every day for a month!
There are hundreds of different companies producing thousands of different flavoured pre-prepared meals.
And these meals include options for meat-eaters, vegetarians, vegans, and even organic options.
Gone are the days of eating spaghetti bolognese for breakfast! Most manufacturers these days provide breakfast-specific options as well as evening meals and desserts.
The beauty of this is that we no longer have to suffer in the way we once did.
We can get up in the morning and have a hot breakfast that includes traditional breakfast ingredients. We can get to our location and have a proper evening meal with dessert.
And the best bit? All we need to make it is a Jetboil.
Note:
As with our taste in bikes, food is also subjective.
Just because I like a particular meal, that doesn’t mean you will.
And your perfect breakfast might be my personal nightmare.
So with this in mind, I’m going to recommend brands and just a few of my favourites.
To form these recommendations, I’ve taken into account factors such as ingredients, calories, price, whether they’re healthy or not, ease of preparation, and quality.
1. Firepot Motorcycle Camping Food
I’m a big fan of the Firepot brand. They are a Dorset-based company here in the UK. And they specialise in the production of dehydrated expedition food.
Notable about Firepot is that they include up to twice as much meat in their meals over most market leaders. And they do this whilst still providing the necessary calories and keeping the weight down.
Their range also has vegetation, vegan, and gluten-free options.
Uniquely, their motorcycle camping food comes in compostable packaging. And you also get a choice of sizes: standard is 135g, and extra large is 200g.
My Favourite:
Chilli con Carne and rice
- Price: £6.95
- Dry weight: 200g
- Calories: 600
- Protein: 30.6g
- Carbohydrates: 78.7g
- Fats: 17.7g (6.7g saturates)
- Salt: 1g
2. Summit To Eat
www.summittoeat.com
Summit To Eat focus on producing hearty meals that are familiar and easy to prepare. They allow you to focus on the social side of your trip.
Available are breakfasts, evening meals, and desserts. And they also make foods to cater for extreme adventures, festivals, and camping.
Additionally, they offer extra-large portions to cater to individual requirements.
You can also find a new range of vegan options.
Just add water, and your meal is ready to eat in less than 10 minutes.
My Favourite:
Beef and potato stew
- Price: £5.50
- Dry weight: 118g
- Calories: 624g
- Protein: 24g
- Carbohydrates: 45.9g
- Fats: 38g (7.8g saturates)
- Salt: 3.7g
3. Motorcycle Camping Food By Blå Band
Blå Band is a Swedish outdoors company that specialises in the production of lightweight food choices.
They’re easy to prepare, and unlike most dried meals, they come in a wider (but shorter) packet which means you don’t need a long spoon to eat them.
All you need to do is add hot water. And there are handy fill lines inside the packets which show you exactly how much water you need to add.
As mentioned above, Blå Band offers lots of choices to cater for individual dietary preferences. These include vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Energy-to-weight value is good, with evening meals at around 650 calories, and breakfasts at around 600 calories.
My Favourite:
Blå Band Indian Chicken Stew
- Price: £6.95
- Dry weight: 146g
- Calories: 650
- Protein: 25g
- Carbohydrates: 85g
- Fats: 22g (13g saturated)
- Salt: 4.3g
4. Adventure Nutrition
Adventure Nutrition is headed up in the UK and provides a comprehensive list of products. Meals come in a range of forms and sizes – with the smallest being 500 calories, and the largest expedition meals up to 1,000 calories.
There are options for those who don’t eat meat. And you can find everything from breakfasts, evening meals, emergency ration packs, desserts, snacks, drinks, and sports nutrition.
The 200g expedition pouches weigh just 200g but provide 1,000 calories.
The meals are easy to prepare, too. Open it from the top, add hot water, and leave for 8 minutes.
My Favourite:
Thai chicken with rice
- Price: £8.49
- Dry weight: 200g
- Calories: 1,000
- Protein: 31.2g
- Carbohydrates: 107.4g
- Fats: 49g (8.2g saturates)
- Salt: 1.2g
5. LYO Motorcycle Camping Food
One of the things we like about LYO motorcycle camping food is that they cultivate many of their ingredients in their own fields.
The rest is sourced from local farmers.
As a result, LYO Foods use 100% fresh and natural ingredients. And they do not add any preservatives or artificial food additives.
There are also lactose-free and gluten-free options to choose from. All of these come in convenient, resealable bags.
LYO is good if you like your food more ‘chunky’. Although pricing is quite high when compared to competitors and calories.
My Favourite:
Organic lentil dal with millet
- Price: £6.54
- Dry weight: 97g
- Calories: 399
- Protein: 18g
- Carbohydrates: 53g
- Fats: 10g (0.2g saturates)
- Salt: 1.5g
6. Wayfayrer
If you’ve done any amount of camping, you’re probably familiar with Vango who produce lots of ‘decent’ kit at very reasonable prices.
Vango makes camping and hiking affordable for backpackers and young people across the world – and I like that!
Wayfayrer is a part of Vango. So whilst there are better options on the market, you know you’ll get motorcycle camping food that is of reasonable quality and is reasonably priced.
This particular option from Wayfayrer is a ‘wet’ option which means it’s a touch heavier to carry. If you’re only camping for a few nights, it should be fine. But if you’re going on an extended camping trip, freeze-dried would be a better option.
My Favourite:
Chilli con Carne and Rice
- Price: £4.50
- Dry weight: 300g
- Calories: 444
- Protein: 16.8g
- Carbohydrates: 51g
- Fats: 18g (5.4g saturated)
- Salt: 2.4g
7. Motorcycle Camping Food By Trek’n Eat
Trek’n Eat is a Swiss company that specialises in everything from camping food, equipment, basics, emergency supplies, daily ration packs, and survival rations.
They do a great job of keeping weight down whilst still providing foods that are practical and easy to prepare.
Moreover, Trek’n Eat foods have no preservatives, artificial colours, or flavour enhancers. There is a choice of breakfasts, main meals, desserts, and snacks.
My Favourite:
Couscous with chicken
- Price: £6.50
- Dry weight: 200g
- Calories: 680
- Protein: 38g
- Carbohydrates: 112g
- Fats: 6.6g (1.2g saturates)
- Salt: 8.8g
8. Drytech Real Turmat
These expedition meals from Norweigian brand Drytech are the smallest on this list coming in at 151g per meal.
But they’re also lightweight which makes them perfect for backpacks.
The resealable packs come in handy. But unfortunately, the fill-to line is on the outside of the pouch which makes it difficult to gauge.
There aren’t many vegetarian options. But if you’re a meat-lover, there are all sorts of recipes from all over the world!
These food packs aren’t quite as calorie-dense as most on this list. But they are certainly some of the best-tasting ones.
They are also quite pricey.
My Favourite:
Beef stew
- Price: £9.25
- Dry weight: 128g
- Calories: 470
- Protein: 14g
- Carbohydrates: 53g
- Fats: 22g (2.2 saturates)
- Salt: 2.5g
Motorcycle Cooking Equipment
Okay, so the meals above are hardly gourmet. But they’re nutritionally balanced, calorie-rich, and easy to prepare.
So how do you heat the water for the pouches then?
Ah, you use a Jetboil!
Jetboils are a camper’s secret weapon. Because this simple piece of equipment means you can have breakfast, dinner, dessert, hot coffee, and even warm water to wash.
Perfect!
You can buy Jetboils from the Amazon link below or on the Jetboil website.
Motorcycle Camping Food: Conclusion
Motorcycle camping food can be (and will be) a source of frustration for you. And whilst you can read reviews such as this one, taste is as subjective as art or music!
Thousands of people camp every year. And none of them love eating motorcycle camping food.
You just need to find the one you like best.
Many company’s (such as Firepot) offer taster bundles that allow you to try before you buy.
Of course, you have to pay for these taster bundles. But it’s better to try the smaller pouches first on day trips before you commit to stocking up for an extended motorcycle trip.
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If you enjoyed this post, we think you might like these!
- Motorcycle Camping For Beginners
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Title image via Jimmy Conover / Unsplash
