Here are a few tips and tools that may help you as you plan your adventure meals.

Download our free meal planning document here!

Considerations:  Season of the Year, Length of your Adventure, Number of people going, Car Camping or Backpacking,

Plan Your Menu using the following considerations:

• What season of the year are you going? In addition to your regular menu planning remember:
  • Colder weather 
    • Requires more calories per person
    • Consider hot meals and drinks
  • Warm weather
    • Requires more fluids and drinks that replenish electrolytes
• What is the Length of Your Adventure?
  • The longer the trip, the fewer fresh foods
  • Consider weight for backpackers
  • Bear Bags for safety
  • Garbage disposal opportunities
• Number of people
  • Can you cook as one small group using one or two backpacking stoves?
  • Divide up the cooking gear among the group to distribute the weight
  • Everyone should bring their own personal plate, bowl cup, and utensils.
  • Cooking gear – Consider size and weight
  • Car Camping allows:
    • Camping Kitchens with Multi-burner stoves
    • Charcoal and Dutch Ovens
    • Larger amount of fresh ingredients
    • Larger amount of trash that can be easily taken home for proper disposal.
  • Backpacking requires:
    • Lightweight backpacking stoves or fires
    • Smaller cooking containers.
• Pay attention to all food packaging as all trash must be packed out.
  • Pack it in, pack it out!

There are many, high quality and delicious, commercially produced lightweight meals for backpacking. Some include Mountain House, Backpackers Pantry, Peak Refuel, and Patagonia Provisions just to name a few.

Commercially prepared freeze-dried meals have long been a staple for backpackers. Freeze dryers for our homes are becoming very popular these days and provide us with the ability to take along our favorite homemade meals whether we are backpacking or car camping.

Plan a balanced diet that will be satisfying and provide needed energy to enjoy your adventure. Plan on about 3,000 calories per day.

Menu Planning Made Easy

1. Start by getting your group together and use the OSME Meal Planning form that shows the meals you’ll need and then use everyone’s input to start filling in the blanks.
2. List everyone’s ideas and then go back to finalize the list. 
3. This way each person has a say in the final menu and is happy to share in the cost, purchasing, cooking, and clean-up of each meal.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

This is the Solo Stove we have: https://www.solostove.com/solo-stove-bonfire/

Here are the accessories: https://www.solostove.com/solo-stove-bonfire/

Sun Will heated gloves: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H862F6S

Aside from the things we talk about on the regular (camping, fishing, hiking) there are plenty of fun things to do outside. Remember there’s no bad weather, just bad clothing. Here are some of our favorite winter activities:

Build a fort!

When it starts to snow, one of my favorite things to do is build a fort. The best part is, you don’t need any special tools, and it can last as a fun play place all winter! Pro tip: If you want your fort to last longer, and be more sturdy, pack your snow TIGHT and you can even spray water on the sides so it freezes together.

Sledding!

One of the best parts of snow, is finding a good hill to tube down! Not only is tubing a fun rush, but you can replace your tube for cardboard and have makeshift cardboard sleds as well! Pro Tip: Call your local tire shops, a lot of times they will be getting rid of tire tubes that have issues, but are still ok to be used on a snow hill!

Frozen Bubbles!

Did you know, if you blow bubbles outside when the weather is below 32 degrees, they’ll freeze right on your wand! This is a fun activity for the younger ones!

Maple Syrup Snow Candy

You read that right! You can make maple syrup candy in the snow, which is a lot like a taffy! Just follow these simple instructions on HappyHooligans.ca

Snow Ball Fight!

A snowy tradition! Snow ball fights are always a staple of cold weather seasons. Just make sure you’re only playing with those who wanted to be a part of the fun!

Campfire!

There’s nothing better on a cool winter night than a warm bonfire! If you need a few tips on how to make your fire, check out our video here. Memories are created while sitting around a fire with friends and family, and if you’re hungry, easy dinners can be created too! Try out tinfoil dinners, they’re easy and delicious!

Find Animal Tracks!

Animal tracking is a fun activity! In a fresh snow fall, tracks are a lot easier to spot! You can find a lot of track guides online for what’s in your local area!

Take a Drive to See the Lights

A lot of places will decorate during the winter holidays, and have magical displays that you can enjoy at night. There’s nothing like creating a memory with family than going to see the lights in your area!

Check out our other videos on the videos page, and subscribe to our YouTube channel to be notified when we post new ones!

Let us know what your favorite winter activities are in the comments!