| |
|
 |
This page presents some basic information and suggestions on what foods are best for consumption in the backcountry. |
|
| Food |
|
|
| Overview |
For day trips, bring lots of
high-energy snacks. For overnight trips, bring enough food,
including high-energy snacks, but don't overburden yourself
with too much food. Freeze-dried foods are the lightest and
safest. Don't forget hot and cold drinks. Try to minimize food
that requires extra water to prepare.
When camping, pack food frozen, when possible, so it acts like ice and keeps fresh longer. Plan meals carefully,
bringing just enough food, plus some emergency rations.
|
|
|
| Dehydrated
Foods |
|
A great deal of specialty dehydrated food is made for backpacking
and lightweight camping, but it is very expensive. Many items
found in supermarkets make good backpacking food at a lower
cost.
On trips spanning several days when you have to carry water
for dry camps, plan to use minimum water foods. These include
noodle and rice meals that use only enough water to hydrate
the food, with no extra to pour off, and are easy to clean
up.
|
|
|
| Excess
Packaging |
| Buy in small packages. Bulk just means more to lug. Before leaving home, remove
excess packaging, such as cardboard boxes. Plastic bags with
zipper closures (Ziploc bags) make excellent food repackaging
bags. Double-bag messy items. |
|
|
| Food
Containers |
|
Buy meat vacuum-sealed when you can to prevent leaks, or use zip-lock plastic bags. Extra zip-lock bags are also useful during
the trip for double-bagging messy trash, such as tuna cans,
etc. Zip-lock bags make good trash bags because the airtight
seal minimizes food odors that attract wildlife.
Dedicate one or more stuff sacks to food
storage and don't use them for anything else during the trip.
This confines food odors and helps to avoid attracting rodents
and other animals. Hang food bags from poles or thing tree
branches for a little extra protection. Bears are not usually
a problem in the plateau region, but mice can wreak havoc
with your food supply.
Remember plastic bags for leftovers. |
|
|
| Fresh
Fruit and Foods |
On a day hike you can carry
fresh fruit, like oranges, apples, grapes, pears, or whatever
suits your fancy. Small canned items, such as fruit, puddings,
or sardines also work well, as do sandwiches, most cheeses,
or anything you'd carry in a typical brown bag lunch.
For camping, choose "sturdy" produce. Cabbage stays fresh longer than lettuce; apples keep better than strawberries. Buy bagged vegetables. Buying them prepped saves time. Place fragile greens and herbs at the top of the ice chest, not next to the ice. Greens may freeze. |
|
|
| Spices
and Seasonings |
|
Nearly everything tastes great on the trail, but a few extra
spices can add that extra zest that turns an adequate meal
into something special, especially if you're eating dehydrated
foods for a long period.
Depending upon what you've selected for your meals, take
along a little sugar or honey, some packets of lemon juice
or vinegar, table salt, black pepper, unsweetened cocoa and
some Tabasco sauce or crushed red pepper. These items can
make almost anything palatable.
Empty film cans (washed, of course) make excellent containers
for salt, pepper and whatever other spices you'd like to add
to your evening's meal. Just take what you need, and leave
the rest at home.
|
|
|
| Trail
Foods |
-
Always
keep energy bars, jerky, granola bars, Guru Chews or
something similar in your pack so that you always have
something to eat to keep your strength up.
-
Experts
are finding that a lack of food on strenuous hikes is
almost as devastating to the body as a lack of water.
(See Hyponatremia.)
-
Chewing
gum is also handy to help keep your mouth moist.
-
Avoid
chocolate, which melts easily, and perishable foods,
such as soft cheeses and butter.
- For a treat, take along a pan of Jiffypop popcorn. After snacking, you can use the tin as a sink, mixing bowl, or a frying pan.
|
|
|
| Warm
Weather Considerations |
| On warmer trips or when you'll
have to carry a lot of water, consider leaving the weight of
your stove behind and eating trail munchies and other food that
doesn't require cooking. Remember, though, to always carry emergency
fire-starting material and eat plenty of high energy foods. |
|
|
| Water
and Hydration |
|
 One desert-hiking myth is that since you
have to carry water anyway, why not save a step and carry
hydrated food. This means either fresh food, which doesn't
keep, or canned food, which is heavy and leaves you carrying
the empty cans for the entire trip. Many desert hikes have
enough springs and other water sources so that you don't have
to carry a huge load of water all the time. To add some variety and a more pleasing flavor to sometimes nasty tasting water, take along electrolyte replacement drinks (like Gatorade), hot tea or coffee, instant ice tea, or powdered fruit drink.
|
|
|
| Books
and Resources |
|
|
|
| Related
Sites |
|
|
|
|
|
