Food & Traveling

[RBPerry]

Ok, we are brand new to the RV world, and camping. How do you plan your food purchases, how much, dos and don'ts. I guess frozen is out of the question since we can't travel with refrigerator on.

[Allworth]

Very few traffic crashes happen when you are set up in an RV park. Although I did see one in Louisiana one time!

[Old-Biscuit]

Allworth wrote:
CT, Thanks,

Biscuit,

I don't think we have spent more than two nights in the last ten years (80 days a year away from home) without at least 20amp power. We travel by RV. We don't "camp".

I intend to install a residential refrigerator when I get around to it. I test on propane every year and the fridge and WH work, but that is not the way we employ them.

Sorry! I don't see your way as "the only way to do it".

Didn't state or even mention anything about being the only way....
Just questioned why you would feel comfortable sleeping with propane on/being used and NOT while in motion.

[Grit_dog]

Now there's 4 that don't leave the fridge on!

[Strabo]

We spend at least $350 on food and drinks, plus ice for a week worths of camping. And we never eat it all, so it goes back home when done camping.

Booze is additional cost. 🙂

[Allworth]

CT, Thanks,

Biscuit,

I don't think we have spent more than two nights in the last ten years (80 days a year away from home) without at least 20amp power. We travel by RV. We don't "camp".

I intend to install a residential refrigerator when I get around to it. I test on propane every year and the fridge and WH work, but that is not the way we employ them.

Sorry! I don't see your way as "the only way to do it".

[doxiemom11]

We are full-time but do not travel with the propane or refrigerator on. Everything is already frozen and cold so we shut it off. When we stop for a break we then run it for the 1/2 hr or so on propane, then we are off again with it shut off. We can travel for an entire day and everything stays cold /frozen as long as you don't open the doors. We usually open to make sandwiches at lunch, but not otherwise until we reach our destination and plug in.

[Roy_Lynne]

What I often do is weeks before we leave, I double up on some of our favorite recipes and freeze half for our trip. I am also on the lookout for simple, few ingredient meals that take little time to cook and I collect those recipes. (I find a lot of those on the back of jars or boxes)
I also collect recipes for campfire meals, like cook in foil in the fire meals, cause if we have a fire, I ain't gonna waste it.
We also buy a Costco rotisserie chicken as the price is right and I make three meals from it (only 2 of us). I do the same with a big steak, making more than one meal with it.
I always make a menu for the days we are going to be gone and I never stick to it, but at least it helps to know that I haven't forgotten anything important
I don't try any new recipes on the road, I never cook anything complicated or with lots of different ingredients and we will have breakfast meals for dinner, sandwiches for breakfast and even leftovers for breakfast.
And on our last day out, for breakfast, we have Wat the hell eggs. Anything leftover that looks good goes in the frying pan and gets scrambled with eggs

[Campfire_Time]

austinjenna wrote:


Dont be silly, you are not the only one. There are 3 of you that dont travel with it on, that one guy from Michigan, a couple from Virginia and you.

Old-Biscuit wrote:


But you are comfortable using the same appliance on propane while sleeping ........same risk factor
Same safety controls....excess flow shut off, spring loaded shutoff, thermal bushing, flame proofing lock out etc.

:H

So why is it that the guy states his personal opinion, every one jumps all over him? His choice, his life, his opinion. More important, his comfort level. I'm betting you do some things that the rest of us would also scratch our head over. No, in fact I know you do. We all do. We're all human and do what we need to do. If you have a countering opinion just say it in a respectful way. No reason to be snarky about it.

[austinjenna]

I cannot believe that I am the only one on this forum who is NOT comfortable with the propane on while in motion.

Dont be silly, you are not the only one. There are 3 of you that dont travel with it on, that one guy from Michigan, a couple from Virginia and you.

[austinjenna]

I freeze a gallon of water then the day before we leave I head over to the storage lot and start up the fridge on propane and throw the gallon of water in there as well. This helps cool it down and I have cold water as well.

When we are heading out I bring home the fiver, we throw the rest of the food in there and off we go. I travel with the propane on as well in auto mode. When we get to the campground and plug in it will switch over to electric.

[Grit_dog]

Having a portable refrigerator is about half the reaso to have a camper over a tent, IMO!
Leave it on auto or propane when traveling and enjoy all the frosty cold beers you can pack in it without ever having to stop n buy ice!

[RBPerry]

Thanks for the response, not much different than where we live. Our nearest grocery store is 45 miles away, I shop once a week now. Thanks for all the good advice.

[tatest]

I run with my refrigerator on. I shut it off for refueling; while it is on opposite side from the fuel fill, that doesn't keep the guy in the next lane over from spraying gasoline into the fridge intake vent.

I pack frozen meals because they are convenient, canned food in pantry, dry stuff in a cabinet, perishable meat and vegetables, and drinks I want to keep cool in the fridge.

Going to a 3-4 day RV club gathering, I'll plan meals and bring the ingredients for the whole campout, and this includes a lot of cooking for other people (pot luck). Out alone for a while at the lake, I'll bring stuff for a few days and shop to replenish it. On road trips with one night stops, we would pack food generally for breakfast and lunch for a few days, supper for a day or two, and replenish as we go by pulling into supermarkets with roomy parking. A lot of times this meant finding something new, particularly fresh local produce.

So it can be different going camping vs traveling.

[kknowlton]

We travel with our fridge on propane. Back in the day, when they made 3-way fridges, we used the 12v option on the road, but that's no longer available. Frozen food does fine, as does everything else. I make a list of potential meals, from that make a list of groceries needed, and pack what will fit. With no pantry, it takes some creativity, but we can get about 5 days' meals in the fridge, drawer (which serves as the pantry) and a few sections of cupboard. You'll figure out what will fit over time. There always seem to be grocery stores not far from where we camp, or the ubiquitous Walmarts along the way.

[2gypsies1]

Traveled constantly for 16 years of full-timing with the refrigerator on propane.

I would guess 95% or more RVers do the same. Everyone in our circle does, for sure.