Camp meal planner
A guide, not advice. Check your kit maker's figures before you buy or pack.
The calculator needs JavaScript. The worked example, sum and figures below show exactly how it works, so you can do it yourself. A guide, not advice.
Short answer
Enter your group size, trip length and how many breakfasts, lunches and dinners you want to plan for each day. The calculator totals portions by meal type so you can make a menu and shopping list. Adjust serving sizes for your group and plan how you will keep food chilled.
Worked example
| You enter | Value |
|---|---|
| Adults | 2 |
| Children | 2 |
| Days away | 2 |
| Breakfasts to plan | 1 |
| Lunches to plan | 1 |
| Dinners to plan | 1 |
Plan 24 meal portions for 4 people
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Breakfast portions to plan | 8 |
| Lunch portions to plan | 8 |
| Dinner portions to plan | 8 |
| Meal portions altogether | 24 |
Show the working
- People: 2 adults + 2 children = 4
- Breakfasts: 4 × 2 days × 1 per day = 8 portions
- Lunches: 4 × 2 × 1 = 8 portions
- Dinners: 4 × 2 × 1 = 8 portions
How it works
- People = adults + children
- Meal portions = people × days × meals of that type per day
Use these totals as a planning prompt; adjust serving sizes for your group. Plan safe food storage and cooking, and never use a stove or BBQ inside a tent, awning or porch.
Our figures (adjustable)
These are our planning allowances and, once checked, typical figures with their sources. They aren't facts about your kit: change any of them in the calculator.
This calculator has no built-in defaults: every figure comes from you or your kit's own label.
What to buy
Shopping links will appear here once our retailer partners are confirmed. We don't rank kit by testing it: see our spec-based kit guides.
FAQs
Does this make a menu?
It totals portions from the meals you plan to cook. Choose recipes that suit your equipment, storage and the time you have on site.
How should I store food while camping?
Follow current food safety guidance and any instructions on the packaging. This portion planner does not measure food temperature or assess storage safety.
Guides that use it
Camping cooking for families
Camping cooking for families: simple recipes, planned quantities, safe food storage, outdoor cooking only and a no-cook backup.