How To Pack Eggs For Camping (Simple Solutions)

ByRTW Staff Updated on
eggs in plastic egg carton

There’s nothing like waking up and starting your day with a big, hearty breakfast to fuel you up for a day of hiking and exploring. And what better way to make a camp breakfast than with fresh eggs?

Years ago, we looked up ways to pack eggs for camping when we were new to the camping scene.

Some ideas were great, and some were downright terrible (cracking eggs in a zip lock bag? really?) To each their own, I guess.

Some will call these hacks, we just call them simple solutions.

And after many camping trips and zero cracked eggs to back it up…

Here’s everything you need to know about how to pack eggs for camping easily.

Transporting Raw Eggs for Camping

Egg Carriers

hard plastic egg carton

This is what we use on our camping trips and is probably the easiest way to transport your raw eggs when camping. Not anymore, though; we’ll explain later below.

Hard plastic egg carriers or containers are designed to hold eggs without the fear of them getting broken. They are made of thicker, tougher plastic and usually have individual molds or something similar to keep each egg from jostling around too much and getting broken.

You can find these at most outdoor recreation stores and sometimes at grocery stores.

Pros:

  • Eggs are less likely to break while driving
  • Keeps them organized and secure
  • Stacks nicely in a cooler or RV camper fridge
  • They are reusable

Cons:

  • Tight fit for jumbo-sized eggs

You can find these carriers at most stores in the camping or cooking aisle. Some have handles which can be handy for carrying them from your car to the campsite. However, we feel the handles are unnecessary and would find a container without them.

They come in many sizes to hold 6, 9, 12, or more eggs, so you can pick one based on how many people you feed while camping.

We do notice that when closed, the eggs do have some wiggle. Instead, you can add large cotton balls to prevent any movement that can potentially lead to crack shells when you’re driving on rough terrain.

Jumbo-sized eggs might be a tight fit. We suggest getting regular-sized eggs for these containers.

Regular Egg Cartons

store-bought eggs in carton

If you don’t want to buy an egg carrier, you can also try and pack them in their regular cartons.

This won’t protect them as well, though, and the cartons can get soggy if it gets wet in the cooler.

But, if that’s all you have, it’s better than nothing.

You can try to throw them in a large Ziploc bag to prevent the carton from getting too wet.

Pros:

  • Don’t need to spend extra money

Cons:

  • Not as protective, so eggs are more likely to crack
  • Cartons can get soggy and wet in the cooler

Pasteurized Liquid Whole Eggs In Carton

We were first introduced to this product by one of our friends while camping.

And boy, was it a game-changer.

At first, we thought this product was some kind of liquid substitute for real eggs. However, there are brands that basically pre-mixes raw eggs for you and seal them in a container for purchase.

Pros:

  • No cross contamination
  • Easy to transport without risk of breaking eggs
  • No need to deal with cracked shells to make scrambled eggs
  • Saves time cooking
  • Pasteurized

Cons:

  • They cost more for the convenience
  • Can’t eat sunny side up eggs if that’s your preference

If you search online on ways to store your raw eggs for camping, you’ll find people recommending you crack your eggs in a water bottle or Nalgene insulated thermos.

But you’ll increase the chances of cross-contamination.

Storing Eggs Once You’re at Camp

Once you’ve packed your eggs and are ready to go, it’s time to think about where to store them once you get to your camp.

Ideally, you want to find a cool, dark place to keep them.

If it’s hot out, you’ll want to make sure they don’t get too warm, or they will start to spoil.

A good rule of thumb is to try and keep them at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below.

You can store them in the fridge if you’re camping in a camper or RV. If not, you can put them in a cooler with some ice packs and try to keep them as cool as possible.

Just make sure they are well-insulated and not in direct sunlight.

When packing them in the cooler, make sure the eggs are the last items to go in and the first items to come out. That way, they don’t get moved around too much and risk getting broken.

How Long Do Eggs Last When Camping?

Storing your eggs properly will help them last longer while camping. But, even if you do everything right, they will only last so long.

Ideally, you want to use store-bought eggs from the fridge within 3-5 days of packing them.

Freshly laid eggs can be kept at room temperature for around 2 weeks. Some will say you can keep them like this for up to a month, but we like to err on the side of caution here.

But, if they’ve been sitting in your fridge for a while, you might want to use them sooner rather than later.

When in doubt, smell them before using them. If they smell bad, toss them out.

Final Thoughts

Cooking egg while camping

A little planning goes a long way here.

And if you’re a breakfast person like us, follow these steps on your next camping trip, and you’ll have no egg casualties to deal with.

For us, we prefer liquid eggs in the carton these days. It makes life so much easier and one less thing to worry about when camping. We set up our camping cooking equipment, and we’re on our way to making breakfast.

However, they do cost more for added convenience.

If I had access to free farm-fresh eggs, you better believe we’re getting a few of those plastic egg cartons.

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