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Post by shastabubba on Aug 26, 2019 6:12:42 GMT -8
Backpacking FoodHey Everybody! Here are some very simple backpacking food ideas to make your trip preparation fast and easy. In this video, I share my daily food list as a base to start from so you can tailor to your individual tastes while retaining the basic concepts to hit all the food bases you might be craving on the trail (salty and sweet, starch and protein). I realize that nothing is more idiosyncratic than food, so this isn't meant as advice that 'you should eat this' but rather an over-arching concept. The basic structure is this: Breakfast: some type of meal bar (if you like to get an early start and warm up on the trail) Then, snacking throughout the day with: 2 pieces dried fruit/ fruit leather 2 meal bars .5 cup peanuts .5 cup raisins 3-4 oz. jerky a few plain and peanut M&Ms/day as desired crackers near bedtime Dinner: FBC dehydrated meal More details and context in the video. Thanks again for all the support and feedback!
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Aug 30, 2019 8:12:14 GMT -8
I’m definitely not one who can start my day with nothing but a breakfast bar (ugh). But the basic notion of spreading lunch out with snacks is a sound one, IMO. I don’t do it completely—there will be a time around mid-day when we stop and sit down and eat more things—but I definitely need to snack my way down the trail.
Lately experimenting more with dehydrated salads (think grain and legume-based salads, not greenery), which do require a sit down and eat it time. That’s okay—I like a lunch break long enough to take off my boots and dry my feet, if not my sweaty socks.
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null
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Post by null on Sept 1, 2019 8:32:20 GMT -8
I would get really sick of bars if I was eating 3 per day, but I might be in the minority here.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Sept 1, 2019 8:43:55 GMT -8
I really like Snickers, but if I was eating 3 a day, I'd tire of them quickly. Might put me off of them for years. As for any bars I have discovered, I can vary them somewhat, but still tire of them after 3-4 days. Belvita, Nature Valley, any of them really. I try to use the Belvita things for breakfasts or desserts while kayaking, but still bring home some I didn't want to eat.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Sept 1, 2019 18:46:51 GMT -8
I like to bring some block cheese. Its fat sometimes really hits the spot.
I also was wondering why no mention of calories or caloric density? (forgive me if I missed it)
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Post by shastabubba on Sept 2, 2019 19:32:59 GMT -8
There's such an enormous variety of bars available these days, I don't have trouble personally with getting tired of them in just a few days, and since most of my trips are in the 2-4 day range, it hasn't been a problem.
HOWEVER . . . remember that substitutions can certainly be made according to individual tastes without losing the overall, simple structure of 1) snacking throughout the day with 2) something a bit more substantial in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon and 3) a solid dinner high in oil (caloric density).
I'd love to hear alternatives that would be more appealing to replace the bars. Some folks like hummus and crackers, for example. PB & J on a tortilla is also good, but can be messy and time consuming.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Sept 2, 2019 20:45:59 GMT -8
My lunch go-tos range from crackers with cheese/pb/summer sausage/hummus to dehydrated lentil and rice salads. None are as on-the-go as bars, but as noted, I like having a lunch break long enough to remove my boots and dry my feet. For further lunch food and all-day snacking, I add mixed (salted) nuts, sometimes dried fruit, chocolate (extra dark), and salty-crunchy things like sesame sticks, goldfish crackers, etc. I often make my own crackers, which are tastier than bought ones but also less durable (usually) and don’t pack as well because they aren’t uniform.
First day trail lunch if packs aren’t too outrageous is usually bagels with cheddar and apple slices.
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sarbar
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Post by sarbar on Sept 4, 2019 21:15:46 GMT -8
I used to be a bar eater, but what I found is they made me SO thirsty.
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Post by oldbill on Sept 5, 2019 17:00:30 GMT -8
For a quick start, bars for breakfast have been fine. Except those frosty mornings when they turn to bricks. I'm not big on having to clean up after cooking, particularly if it's cold. Having that hot coffee in the morning is a real treat though.
I find that on the go, GORP+ and bars work fine. There's enough variety, but one has to watch out for fiber (chicory root, inulin, even oats and dried fruit) and whey protein that may have certain digestive tolerance issues for many. Simple Lara bars are great. I usually try to make certain some salty snacks (like goldfish) get rolled in to the GORP+ and supplemented with jerky (which is almost a tradition for me anyway). Of course, the packaged freeze dry foods also add a lot of salt. Chocolate is great, though some of us with cholesterol issues have to watch the saturated fat. Love having dark chocolate coffee beans along the trail.
I tend not to eat as much at altitude (9-10K) so I usually make certain I bring along high-energy foods that I like but are still within personal dietary limits. I *really* look forward to that salad, burger and beer towards the end of the trip, no matter what I bring.
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cweston
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Post by cweston on Sept 5, 2019 17:09:20 GMT -8
I’m definitely not one who can start my day with nothing but a breakfast bar (ugh). But the basic notion of spreading lunch out with snacks is a sound one, IMO. I don’t do it completely—there will be a time around mid-day when we stop and sit down and eat more things—but I definitely need to snack my way down the trail. I think it would be more accurate to say that I spread breakfast out over several hours. I generally eat a very small breakfast* with coffee in camp--maybe just a biscotto--but I always carry a decent amount of food in my hip-belt pocket in the morning: a Taos Mountain Energy Pinon Coffee bar that I literally nibble away at all morning, maybe a Kind Bar or something like that, some hard candies, etc. I also always have an actual lunch stop where the pack comes off and a larger variety of "real" foods come out of the pack. I think that's an important ritual: taking a moment to rest and recharge and enjoy the lunch fare. Sometimes if I get to camp early in the day, I might have a small, second course of lunch, but usually not these days. *I often struggle to eat very much first thing in the morning at elevation. Throwing some nibble food in an easily accessible pocket works well for me because I can work up a bit more appetite while actually hiking oil the morning. |
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cweston
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Post by cweston on Sept 5, 2019 17:10:22 GMT -8
I used to be a bar eater, but what I found is they made me SO thirsty. There are some that I literally cannot choke down, not at altitude anyway, because of how dry they make my mouth/throat feel. |
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Post by firebug on Sept 5, 2019 18:00:10 GMT -8
I still need my oatmeal and coffee in the morning. trail mix or whatever I have which is normally a block of cheese for a lunch. I use to carry bars but not no more.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Sept 5, 2019 21:04:13 GMT -8
I used to carry bars but not no more. I still carry a few, but have found in recent years that we seldom eat them. They end up as our emergency rations, though we had a resurgence of interest when I started getting the Trader Joe's nut bars. Basically nuts and chocolate. |
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cweston
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Post by cweston on Sept 6, 2019 3:23:09 GMT -8
On further thought, what I really meant to say is simply that bars and “real food” play different roles for me. Bars are a convenient calorie delivery method that might (as a side benefit) taste good, whereas real food is for pleasure just as much as it is for nutrition.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Sept 6, 2019 5:05:17 GMT -8
I have tried out carrying a bear canister recently. One thing I found is that it opens up the type of bars you can carry. I know they are not the best or calorie dense but I do like Nutrigrain bars. They are more cake-like. Without the canister they are like carrying a foil pack of crumbs.
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