Packing Post: Backpacking Food
Let’s talk food. Backpacking food. As I prepared for our recent 3-day, 2-night backpacking trip, I had a lot of questions, many of which centered around what we would eat. I spent a not inconsiderable amount of time figuring out the answer to those questions and in order to not let all that time and effort go to waste, I wanted to share what I packed and what I learned in the process. Hopefully this will help if you're planning a similar trip of your own!
First, let me note that Brandon and I have been doing a ketogenic diet. Although I quickly decided that sticking to that through this weekend was likely impossible due to the nature of most dehydrated and packable foods, I still made an effort to choose some low carb options. Hence the pork rinds.
Breakfast:
For our 2 breakfasts, I made oatmeal packets. You can get pretty creative with the add-ins, but mine had quick oats (because slowly cooking oatmeal over a stovetop wasn't exactly an option), powdered milk, stevia, chia seeds, walnuts, and dehydrated blueberries. We just dumped the packets in our bowls, added some hot water, and then enjoyed a satisfying and warm breakfast each morning. And then there was the coffee. I might be willing to temporarily give up some luxuries like, you know, running water, but I will not give up my coffee. Give me coffee or give me death! I pre-portioned servings of coffee and included a mini shelf-stable creamer for Brandon. I LOVE my drip coffee maker when camping - it's quick, easy, light and portable, and makes excellent coffee.
Lunch/Snacks:
This is where I maybe went a little crazy. Perhaps I spent one too many afternoons worried about starving to death in the wilderness. My goal for lunch and snacks was having foods that would easily fit into our daypacks for hiking, knowing that we probably wouldn't be around camp at lunch. I put everything into smaller containers, dividing it in half so that we each had a bit of everything. The jerky, olives, and cheese combo made for a great lunch and will definitely be something I do again. And, if you're wondering, according to my extensive research, Babybel cheese can be unrefrigerated for a few days. Judge your own tolerance and willingness to do that, but we thought it was fine.
Dinner:
For dinner, I had purchased two kinds of Mountain House dehydrated meals - Beef Stroganoff and Mexican Style Rice and Chicken. Of course, it's hard to tell just how good they are (or aren't) after being outdoors all day because at that point almost anything tastes good. However, we both thought they tasted quite good and would eat both meals again. On the first night, Brandon finished off an entire pack of the stroganoff and I had most of mine. On the second night, we didn't even finish one package of the chicken (the package contained three servings) and could have left the other package at home. We added some of the white cheddar into the chicken, which was a nice touch. Best of all, we enjoyed some of the fish that Brandon caught. I had come prepared with foil and seasonings, just in case. There is nothing like freshly caught fish cooked over a campfire.
One Last Touch:
We both thought it would be nice to have something warm to drink by the fire in the evenings. After considering different options, we finally settled on apple cider with a little spiced rum. We brought along packets of cider and a small, plastic bottle of rum that was easy to carry. It was a bit of a luxury, but a nice way to end the day.
After getting all of my food supplies together, I packaged everything as compactly as was possible. I then divided everything in half. We both ended up with two dehydrated meals and one gallon size plastic bag full of food which easily fit into our respective backpacks.
What I Learned:
All in all, I think I did pretty well preparing for this first trip. But I did learn a few things along the way that will be helpful next time. Because there will be a next time - this was one of my favorite weekends all summer.
The Jetboil is my friend. I had purchased a Jetboil for this trip (it's a small propane tank with a tiny metal contraption that screws onto it over which you can cook things). This was literally a game changer. It boils water quickly without getting a kettle all smoky. Even on regular camping trips, this is now how we (and by we, I mean Brandon) make coffee in the morning. Less hassle than trying to heat water over a campfire = quicker access to coffee. I am not exaggerating when I say that it has been an amazing addition to our camping gear.
Related to this, I have now determined the Best Way to Make Coffee. Thanks to being gifted the drip coffee maker, I now have everything I need to make delicious coffee while camping and backpacking. We had experimented with various coffee making methods while camping last summer. Although there were no true failures (well, except the time that Brandon forgot to pack the coffee...), we have conclusively determined that this method is the best. No instant coffee for me, thanks.
As I mentioned above, I brought too many snacks. In the future, I will not give into my fear of starving to death and pack a reasonable amount of food. Which is probably about half of what I brought. My back will thank me.
Dehydrated dinners can be delicious. I was a little skeptical, but I had researched various brands and Mountain House was consistently reviewed as the best. In the future, I could consider making my own given the cost of these meals. But for the occasional backpacking trip, these are good enough that the cost is worth the ease of not making them myself.
I was particularly proud (and Brandon was particularly impressed) that I thought to prepare seasonings just in case Brandon caught some fish. Of course, we would have figured out a way to cook the fish without the foil and seasonings, but having them made the whole process better. If you're going somewhere where fishing is a possibility, this is a small (literally small - it added almost no weight and took up almost no space) way to take your meal to the next level.
We should have brought a bigger water container. Although our 1L water bottles worked fine, we had to make repeated trips to the lake to fill them (we had brought along a filter and a Steripen to treat the water). Not only were we drinking water, most of our meals required water to prepare. It would have been nice to have had a larger container and to make fewer water runs. After this trip, I bought a 5 gallon water container that folds flat for easy packing.
And I learned that a small treat can make a difference. Even if we had just brought along the cider packets without the rum, it was nice to end the day with a warm drink in hand. Again, this was a small luxury that added an almost undefinable sense of comfort and relaxation to the evenings. If apple cider isn't your thing, there is always hot chocolate.
So, there you have it! I am hardly an expert, but I feel like I learned a lot through planning and preparing for my first backpacking trip. If you are planning your own similar trip, hopefully this information will save you some time and effort. If you have your own tips, tricks, or favorite backpacking foods, I would love to hear it!