Trail food shouldn't be complicated. It should work. Be easy to bring along, easy to eat, and appreciated by both kids and adults. When the food is well thought out, the trip becomes calmer, more fun – and often longer than planned.
For us, trail food is a natural part of the adventure. Whether it's a short day trip, camping with kids, or a longer journey through Sweden, the food is often what brings the family together and creates pauses that become lifelong memories.
What makes good trail food?
Good trail food isn't about advanced recipes, but about the right qualities. The food should suit the situation – not the other way around.
Trail food works best when it:
- is easy to prepare at home
- can be transported without hassle
- can be eaten cold or reheated easily
- is appreciated by kids of different ages
It's often the simple dishes that work best – things that can be eaten with your hands, shared, or pulled out without a long break in the adventure.
Trail food for family outings
On shorter trips, you often want to keep the packing light and the timing flexible. That's when ready-made food or food that requires minimal handling works well.
When we do family outings, we often choose:
- Sandwiches and Wraps
- Pancakes or Swedish plättar
- Pasta salads
- Falukorv Burger with Egg
- Adventure Wrap with Chicken & Herb Sauce
- Chicken/Curry Salad - Perfect outing food
- Fruit and something small extra that feels like a reward
That type of food makes the break part of the experience – not an interruption.
For concrete ideas, we've gathered many suitable dishes in All recipes, where several recipes work great specifically for trips.
Trail food for camping and the outdoors
When the trip is combined with camping or the outdoors, there are more options – but also more things to take into account. Here it's about simple logistics and clear routines.
For camping with kids, we prioritize food that:
- can be prepared in advance
- works on a camping stove, grill or open fire
- doesn't require a lot of equipment
Here, campfire food - lunch at the fire pit and simple hot dishes often become a natural part of the day. For inspiration on this, there's a whole collection under EldMat, with dishes adapted for outdoor cooking and family life:
Kolbullar – when the trip becomes a food experience
Trail food doesn't always have to be something packed from home. Sometimes the trip itself can be about cooking the food together. Kolbullar are a perfect example of how cooking over an open fire becomes part of the adventure – simple, filling and full of tradition. Frying kolbullar out in nature creates natural breaks, brings the whole family together around the fire, and gives the kids a chance to really take part.
For us, kolbullar with fresh lingonberry jam and fried pork isn't just food, but an experience that often becomes one of the trip's strongest memories. If you want to take it all the way and let the cooking become a central part of the trip, there's more inspiration gathered under EldMat – cooking over an open fire, where simple dishes meet the outdoors and togetherness.
If you're already experienced by the fire, take the chance to try our recipe for Forest sandwich with chuck steak, chanterelles and lingonberries.
Or why not Rainbow Trout In Foil – a simple and flavorful fish dish cooked directly in the embers, perfect when you want to make something extra special out in nature.
Food that kids actually eat
Trips go a lot more smoothly when the kids are full and happy. That's why it's important to think not just "practical", but also kid-friendly. Sometimes the kids can eat properly at home before the adventure, and sometimes you can bring packed lunches. If you visit a museum, for example, they often have a "bring your own packed lunch" corner where there's usually access to a microwave.
Otherwise, packed lunches with dishes that can be eaten cold work well. For example, potato salad and grilled chicken is a convenient combination to pack in a lunch box and let the kids take along, both on your own trips and when they head off with school.
We always try to:
- bring something safe and familiar
- add something new or fun
- avoid overly messy or difficult food
It's often the combination that works best – something that gives energy and something that gives joy. Classics like fried falukorv with macaroni or meatballs with mashed potatoes and brown gravy usually go down well, but have you tried the school's meat sauce or sausage stroganoff with falukorv?
Trail food as part of the journey
Trail food isn't just for day trips. It also plays an important role on longer journeys, for example on holiday in Sweden, train trips or caravan trips.
When the food is planned:
- stress decreases
- the breaks become natural
- the trip can be adapted to the family's pace
This makes the whole experience feel more thoughtful – without becoming rigid.
Simple food creates bigger experiences
We don't believe trail food needs to impress. It should free up time, energy and focus for what really matters: being together, experiencing things and creating lifelong memories.
When the food works, the rest usually works too. And that's exactly why trail food deserves its own place in the planning of every family adventure.
