How to pack eggs for camping

Eggs are a breakfast favourite on any camping trip—probably because they’re so versatile.

Hello bacon and eggs, omelettes, quiches, and scrambles!

But packing them?

Good luck with that!

It can be a total pain to try to figure out how to pack eggs for a camping trip when you have no idea.

It’s an even bigger pain more so if you’re expecting hot weather, you want to pack light, and you’re traveling to get to your campsite (such as backpacking or portaging a canoe).

Lucky for you, we’ve tried all sorts of different ways to pack eggs, so we know what works.

Here’s what we suggest.

Get a camping egg holder

Coghlan’s egg holder is the best egg holder for camping and an absolute lifesaver for packing, storing, and transporting eggs in their shells.

Unlike your standard egg carton, this egg holder is plastic, so your eggs won’t get crushed.

It also snaps shut so you don’t have to worry about your eggs falling out.

One one side of the egg holder, you have rounded compartments, which is where you place each egg bottom-side down.

On the other side, you’ll notice circular fittings, which hold the tops of the eggs in place when you close the egg holder.

This essentially prevents them from moving around, preventing them from cracking or breaking.

If you’d rather not store your egg holder in your cooler (or you’re not bringing a cooler), buy farm fresh eggs (that haven’t been refrigerated) instead.

Conventionally sold eggs in grocery stores need to be kept refrigerated, but farm fresh eggs can last as long as two weeks at room temperature.

Just make sure to store them in the shade and eat them quickly if you’re camping in high heat.

Best for:

• Bringing two to a dozen whole eggs in their shells without cracking or breaking
• Storing in your cooler without getting crushed
• Bringing farm fresh (non-refrigerated) eggs without a cooler

Pre-crack eggs into a water bottle or mason jar

Let’s say you’re cooking breakfast for a big group, or you’re making something that requires a ton of eggs.

You can avoid the hassle of storing, transporting, cracking, and packing out all those eggshells by taking care of that at home.

You should be able to fit anywhere from 15 to 20 raw eggs in a Nalgene bottle, which you can then refrigerate and pack into your cooler when it’s time to hit the road.

If you don’t have a Nalgene bottle, you can use any other water bottle or even a mason jar (as long as you take care to avoid breaking the glass) to pre-crack and store your eggs.

If you’re using farm fresh eggs that have never been refrigerated, we still recommend refrigerating them and keeping them cool after cracking them.

Once it’s time to make breakfast at your campsite, it’s easy enough to pour the eggs into your pan or pot.

Best for:

• Bringing lots of eggs (15 to 20)
• Making scrambles
• Eliminating the need to deal with eggshells
• Storing in your cooler without worrying about cracked or broken eggs

Cook scrambled eggs at home and freeze them

I’m personally a big fan of doing as much meal prepping at home as possible rather than at camp.

That means pre-cooking, pre-chopping, and in this case, pre-scrambling!

Scrambled eggs freeze well and take no time at all to reheat.

An added bonus is that if you’re not bringing a cooler, the eggs will stay thaw out gradually so they stay cool until you’re ready to eat them—depending on weather and when you plan to eat them, of course.

Best for:

• Making scrambled eggs only
• Eliminating the need to deal with eggshells
• Minimizing prep and cooking while at camp
• Keeping eggs cool for up to a day or so without a cooler (thawing out gradually) depending on outdoor temperatures

Try powdered eggs

Powdered whole eggs are a great way to bring eggs on the trail without having to worry about storage and shelf life.

Powdered eggs are a fully dehydrated form of whole eggs, which looks like a fine yellow powder.

For most powdered egg brands, you typically mix three parts water with one part egg powder.

You can do this with cold water, or hot/boiling water to make warm scrambled eggs.

The taste is surprisingly similar to how fresh scrambled eggs taste, and the texture is just the same.

You can also get powdered egg whites (without the yolks) if you want a leaner version.

The biggest downside to powdered eggs is that they’re expensive in comparison to regular, whole eggs.

But if you can swing it with your budget, it’s totally worth it.

We prefer to get a big tub of Eggylicious whole egg powder, which lasts us for multiple trips!

Best for:

• Scrambled eggs or adding egg to baking recipes
• Eliminating the need to deal with eggshells
• Minimizing weight and bulk for ultralight backpacking/camping
• Eliminating the risk of spoilage without a cooler or in hot weather
• Wanting to have eggs for more than a couple of days at the beginning of your trip

Always consider the type of camping trip you’re planning

We use all of the above methods for packing eggs depending on what kind of camping trip we’re taking.

For instance, when we’ve planned a 10-day canoe camping trip in an August heat wave, we’ve gone with powdered eggs.

But for a quick overnighter in the spring, we’ll stick with the egg holder if I’m planning to make fried eggs or I might bring pre-cooked and frozen scrambled eggs.

When we go winter camping, it’s more convenient to pre-crack a bunch of eggs into a Nalgene bottle and perhaps insulate it with one of our DIY Reflectix cozies if the temperature is well below freezing.

With all that said, how you decide to pack eggs for camping is ultimately up to you.

Here’s a handy chart to help you out:

Egg type	Type of trip	Length of trip	Outdoor temp for storage without cooler
Egg holder	Car camping, RVing, base camping, any trip where you bring a cooler	1 to 2 days, up to 2 weeks with farm fresh eggs	72°F (22°C) or lower for farm fresh eggs, 38°F (3°C) for conventional eggs
Water bottle/ mason jar	Car camping, RVing, base camping, any trip where you bring a cooler	1 to 2 days stored in cooler, potentially longer if weather is cold	38°F (3°C) or lower
Frozen scrambled eggs	All types of camping	1 to 2 days stored with or without a cooler	Ideally 72°F (22°C) or lower
Powdered eggs	All types of camping, especially lightweight & ultralight trips	Weeks or months if stored properly	Ideally 72°F (22°C) or lower

Next up: How to pack bread and milk for your next camping trip

Packing eggs for camping FAQs

How long will eggs last camping and without refrigeration?

It depends on how hot it is outside, but in general, conventional eggs can be kept unrefrigerated for up to two hours at room temperature.

Similar to bringing meat camping, you should always err on the side of caution and be sure to consume eggs within that two-hour window—or much sooner if it’s hot out.

How much weight do eggs add to my camping gear?

A dozen eggs typically weighs around 1.5 lbs or 24 ounces, but it isn’t necessarily the weight you should worry about—it’s the delicacy of the eggshells.

If you’re trying to minimize your pack weight, consider bringing egg powder instead since that’ll be much lighter and much less fragile.

Can you crack eggs ahead of time for camping?

Yes! Refer to the Nalgene bottle suggested above.

Just be sure to keep the eggs cool (ideally by storing the bottle in a cooler) and cook and consume them within one to two days.

Can I bury the eggshells?

Eggshells may be biodegradable, but they can attract wildlife, so it’s best to pack out all eggshells with your garbage.