When you're hauling what you eat in a full-frame backpack you don't want to weigh it down with with cans of soup, bottles of juice and soda and jars of whatever (okay beer is an exception). You want food that's lightweight yet filling. But who wants to get ripped off buying dehydrated chicken stew packages at your local sporting goods store? Here are some sane alternatives: cereal bars trail mix (hey, why do you think they call it that? I like to buy it in bulk and then store it in baggies) powdered milk (also in baggies) Kellog's cereals in the little one-serving boxes Kool-aid Instant soup in little packages Cocoa Instant coffee Instant oatmeal Instant nearly everything else Oh, and marshmallows of course And what else?
Grab out the great hummus!! and some sunflower kernals or pumpkin seeds or whatever. and some pita bread maybe?? no cooking, no heavy shit, etcc.c.c.. that stuff's my fav. for simple backpacking
in italy we have some pretty good deidrated risotto and pasta.. they need 10 mins and half liter water to be prepared... I had several of them during my trekking on the Alps..
I usually canoe so I dont have a problem lugging around 80lbs of food for myslef. but if Im hiking... If I'm only out for a day or two Ill bring some canned stews and fresh fruit,. I'll alwasy bring a cured ham, and bacon for the fist night/moorning. they last a couple days unrefigerated. I also pack beef jerky. For longer trips i usually have oatmael for breakfast. Dried fruit, and or brown sugar goes good in the oatmeal. dehydrated milk or coffee whitener dehydrated eggs = scambled eggs instant cofee I alwasy have dried orientel noodle soup with me. to make freesdried food taste better I alwasy bring bagies of ground chillies and other spices. granola trailmix and or granola bars are mandatory. usually a couple cans of sardines a micky of rye, and a box of ginger snaps ------------- but nothing and I meen nothihng beats fresh fish 5 days out on the trial, so i alwasy have a rod handy. helps that I'm usually canoeing though.
i just go with a water filter and a coffee percolator and coffee. but im pretty good at eating from the wild.
This is a sample of what I carried on my first thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail. Bkfst. Grapenuts,granola,frosted bite size shredded wheat, topped by powdered milk and carnation instant bkfst mix, raisans, bagel w/peanut butter. snacks various candy bars, ie snicker,nutrageous, paydays various nut mixes,jerky,cheese,cream cheese and squeezy parkay during the cooler months, dinners lipton noodles and sauces. A better choice for dinner is to get the large size Hodgson Mills bags of whole wheat pasta. then by sauce mix packets. They make tuna,salmon and chix breast in cans and those new bags thingies. Check out www.trailjournals.com and www.whiteblaze.net these websites are very valuable for all kinds of info on hiking and camping. check out www.campmor.com for inexpensive deals on gear.
make some hamburger patties at home and cook them to half the desired level of doneness...wrap in aluminum foil and freeze. put this in your pack the morning you leave (the foil and all placed in a ziploc) and it will thaw by evening. you can now finish cooking it in your skillet or on a backpacking grill and have plenty of protein and carbs for energey the next day, and you'll sleep well with a large, hot, rich meal in your stomach. its really good for getting a good solid start early on in your trip. dehydrated fruit, jerky, and granola bars make up the bulk of my diet on the trail. if its a short trip, try mixing some canned chicken with lipton cajun rice mix or spanish rice mix. put this stuff on a tortilla with some cheese....decent soft tacos. only problem is the canned chicken is heavy...if you have a dehydrator, i suppose you could try that, but it doesnt appeal to me much... flatbreads of any sort are good. pasta and dried sauces are excellent.
I mostly take oatmeal and powder milk Jerky. I have dehydrated leftover meals like chili or spaghetti. Add a little water from creek that I boiled up. And they hydrate well. Almost like you just cooked. I have also taken a cold pack with various meats along for overnight camping
I had completely forgotten that I ever posted this thread. Brings back memories, since my backpacking days are over.
Biscuit in a zip lock bags. Add water to the bag. Zip it closed, mix it in the bag. Wrap the dough around a stick and bake it over a fire. Some of the old comments sounded more like camping out of the back of your car instead of backpacking. Weight and size is a major concern. Your not going to be carrying frozen food or cans of food with you,lol
Yes zip lock baggies are great for backpacking! Pour a measured amount of Bisquick, Tang, instant coffee, trail mix, etc. into them. Much lighter and less bulky than bringing the boxes or jars! Just be sure to bring the empty baggies back and dispose of them properly.
If you can carry them in . You can carry them out. There is no reason except laziness or stupidity to leave trash behind. Even tossing them into the fire is not the answer in most cases. I agree with you.. I have a cloth net bag that I used to use for my food items. I would hang it from a tree branch in case I had a visitor looking for easy food. Roughly 10 feet up or so if I could. Raccoons and bears were always to main visitors . You never ., ever want to have your food inside your tent at any time! Having guests in your tent while you are sleeping is not a good thing !
