Camp Cooking Conversion Card
One page. Every conversion and ratio camp cooks reach for, plus foil-pack times that actually work over coals.
Single-page printable · Letter / A4 · Free with email signup
Volume conversions
| 1 cup | 8 fl oz |
| 1 cup | 240 ml |
| 1 tbsp | 3 tsp |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml |
| 1 fl oz | 30 ml |
| 1 quart | 4 cups |
| 1 gallon | 16 cups |
Water-to-grain
| White rice | 1 : 2 |
| Brown rice | 1 : 2.5 |
| Quinoa | 1 : 2 |
| Couscous | 1 : 1.25 |
| Oatmeal (rolled) | 1 : 2 |
| Pasta | 1 : 4 |
| Polenta | 1 : 4 |
Salt: 1 tsp per cup of water for pasta.
Boil time at altitude
| Sea level | baseline |
| 2,000 ft | +1 min |
| 4,000 ft | +3 min |
| 6,000 ft | +6 min |
| 8,000 ft | +10 min |
| 10,000 ft | +15 min |
Water boils at lower temperatures with elevation, so things take longer to cook.
Foil-pack cook times
| Food | Hot coals | Hot grate |
|---|---|---|
| Cubed potatoes | 20 min | 30 min |
| Sliced onions / peppers | 10 min | 15 min |
| Salmon fillet (1 in) | 10 min | 14 min |
| Chicken thigh, boneless | 15 min | 20 min |
| Sausage, pre-cooked | 8 min | 10 min |
| Banana boats | 5 min | 7 min |
Flip halfway. Heavy-duty foil only; double-wrap for coals.
Daily calories per active camper
| Activity level | Calories / day |
|---|---|
| Basecamp / kids 5–10 | 1,800–2,200 |
| Light hiking adult | 2,500–2,800 |
| Active adult, full days | 3,000–3,500 |
| Backpacking, miles + elevation | 3,500–4,500 |
Cold weather adds ~200–400 cal/day. Pack snacks aggressively — running a calorie deficit at camp turns into a kid meltdown by 4pm.
What you get
- Cup, oz, tablespoon, teaspoon, and milliliter conversions
- Water-to-grain ratios for rice, pasta, oatmeal, couscous, and quinoa
- Foil-pack cook times for coals, embers, and a hot grate
- Boil-time adjustments for altitude (every 1,000 ft of elevation matters)
- Daily calorie targets for an active camper by activity level
- Letter / A4 sized, one-color print
Use it for
- Clip to the cooler lid before the trip
- Hand to a cooking partner who hasn’t camped before
- Reference at altitude when home boil times stop matching
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