Good camping lunch food has two jobs: be ready fast, and survive a morning in the cooler or a backpack. These three cover both: pinwheel wraps you roll the night before, tuna salad wraps from shelf-stable pouches for when the ice is running low, and a hot skillet melt for a lazy day at camp.

Pack lunch to last

  • Wraps beat sandwiches. Tortillas don't go soggy or crush in the cooler the way sliced bread does.
  • Use deli meat early. FoodSafety.gov's storage chart gives opened or deli-sliced luncheon meat 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator, and a cooler is no fridge: USDA says most bacteria grow rapidly between 40°F and 140°F, and to throw out perishables once the ice is gone.
  • Shelf-stable backups for the end of the trip. USDA's camping advice lists canned tuna, ham and chicken, peanut butter in plastic jars, beef jerky, dried fruit and nuts among the foods to bring when you can't keep things cold.
  • Day hikes: pack lunch with a frozen gel pack or a frozen juice box, as USDA suggests, and once perishables are no longer cold, eat them within 2 hours (1 hour at 90°F or above).
  • Two coolers if you can: USDA suggests one for drinks and snacks, which gets opened all day, and one for perishable food.

Italian pinwheel wraps

Make them the night before you leave, or after dinner at camp, so they firm up in the cooler overnight.

Recipe · Lunch

Italian Pinwheel Wraps

Salami, provolone and romaine rolled tightly in tortillas with oregano mayo, made the night before and sliced at camp.

Prep
15 min
Cook
0 min
Total
15 min
Serves
4
Cooked on
No cook

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 4 large (10-inch) flour tortillas
  • 4 oz sliced hard salami
  • 4 oz sliced provolone cheese
  • 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

Steps

  1. Mix the spread. Stir the oregano into the mayonnaise.

  2. Layer the tortillas. Spread a thin layer of the mayo over each tortilla, right to the edges. Lay the salami and provolone over the lower two-thirds, then a handful of romaine.

  3. Roll and wrap. Roll each tortilla up tightly from the filled side; the mayo on the bare edge seals it. Wrap each roll in plastic wrap or foil and keep it in the cooler overnight to firm up.

  4. Slice and serve. At lunch, slice each roll into 1-inch pinwheels, or eat it whole as a wrap on the trail.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
547 kcal
Fat
33 g
Saturated fat
11 g
Carbohydrates
42 g
Fiber
3 g
Sugar
1 g
Protein
20 g
Sodium
1280 mg
Cholesterol
50 mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.

Tuna salad wraps

Tuna pouches need no can opener or draining, and they keep without a cooler until you open them.

Recipe · Lunch

Tuna Salad Wraps

Shelf-stable tuna pouches mixed with mayo, celery, relish and mustard, wrapped in tortillas with lettuce: lunch without a cooler.

Prep
10 min
Cook
0 min
Total
10 min
Serves
4
Cooked on
No cook

Ingredients

  • 4 pouches (2.6 oz each) light tuna
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise (or 6 single-serve packets)
  • 1 celery stalk, diced
  • 2 tbsp sweet pickle relish
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard
  • 4 large (10-inch) flour tortillas
  • 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

Steps

  1. Mix the tuna salad. Empty the tuna into a bowl (pouches don't need draining) and mix in the mayonnaise, celery, relish and mustard.

  2. Fill the wraps. Lay a quarter of the lettuce down the middle of each tortilla and top with a quarter of the tuna salad.

  3. Roll and eat. Fold in the sides, roll up and eat right away. Once mixed with mayo, tuna salad belongs in the cooler, so make only what you'll eat.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
405 kcal
Fat
16 g
Saturated fat
3 g
Carbohydrates
44 g
Fiber
3 g
Sugar
3 g
Protein
21 g
Sodium
700 mg
Cholesterol
30 mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.

Skillet ham and cheese melts

The hot lunch for a rainy day at camp. A lid over the pan melts the cheese before the bread burns.

Recipe · Lunch

Skillet Ham and Cheese Melts

Ham and American cheese on buttered bread with mustard, toasted in a skillet on the camp stove until golden and melted.

Prep
5 min
Cook
15 min
Total
20 min
Serves
4
Cooked on
Camp stove

Ingredients

  • 8 slices white sandwich bread
  • 2 tbsp butter, softened
  • 4 tsp yellow mustard
  • 8 slices deli ham
  • 4 slices American cheese

Steps

  1. Build the sandwiches. Butter one side of each slice of bread. Turn 4 slices butter side down, spread with mustard, and top each with 2 slices of ham, a slice of cheese and another slice of bread, butter side up.

  2. Toast the first side. Cook the sandwiches in a skillet over medium-low heat, covered with a lid or foil, until golden underneath, 3–4 minutes.

  3. Flip and finish. Flip and cook 2–3 minutes more, until the second side is golden and the cheese has melted. Cut in half and serve hot.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
367 kcal
Fat
19 g
Saturated fat
8 g
Carbohydrates
30 g
Fiber
2 g
Sugar
4 g
Protein
18 g
Sodium
1170 mg
Cholesterol
70 mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.

12 more camping lunch ideas

  • Peanut butter banana roll-ups: see our no-cook camping food
  • Chickpea salad with feta, cucumber and lemon: see our Mediterranean chickpea salad
  • Cheese and crackers with summer sausage, apples and nuts
  • Chicken salad from canned chicken, mayo packets and grapes
  • Hummus wraps with cucumbers, carrots and feta
  • Quesadillas in a skillet with leftover chicken or beans
  • Hot dogs on the grate, heated until steaming
  • Cold pasta salad made at home, with salami and Italian dressing
  • Ramen with a soft-boiled egg and frozen peas
  • Leftover chili in a tortilla or over chips
  • Bagel pizzas toasted in a covered skillet
  • Trail lunch: jerky, dried fruit, nuts and a granola bar

For the rest of the day, see our camping breakfast recipes and breakfast burritos, and for dinner, easy camping dinners and camp Dutch oven meals.