Food in the field

[Zen buds]

Okay... I bring some canned meals, beef jerky, rice, granola bars, tuna, peanut M&Ms, MIO, Pop-Tarts, etc. This takes up a significant amount of room in my pack, not to mention the weight. Any ideas on some other foods to bring that might take up less space and/or weigh less?

[Rick]

How long do you plan to be out? Will you have access to plenty of water?

[TresMon]

The NOLS book "Cookery" has an incredibly well done section on food, per pound, per person, per day advice. Well it's just good overall!

I'd never carry canned anything in the woods. Your carry the weight of the metal, the water inside and less true food than you think. It's the same reason Preppers don't suggest you stock up on (a lot) of canned food. Your paying mostly for water.

I preportion and prepackage my stuff for backpacking all at the house. Like for breakfast- I measure out my preferred portion of oatmeal, brown sugar & cinnamon and put it in an individual zip lock. That's one breakfast. grab it, dump it in the pot, heat & eat.

Dinner is started at breakfast. Say I'm having real jerky for dinner over a bed of rice. Right after breakfast I take my portion of dried rice, dump it into a water container. This gives it the rest of the day to reconstitute= FAR faster cooking and FAR less use of stove fuel or fire wood. Works like a charm with lentils, beans & such.

Lunch I normally do snacky stuff- dehydrated(= LIGHT) what nots. Fruit, jerky, gorp, trail mix, baked oat meal etc.

Break everything down to it's minimum packaging, Take dried EVERYthing for food stuffs and this will go a long ways. If you want "real meat" I from time to time take Tuna, Chicken or Salmon in foil pouches. They are typically sold near the canned tuna in the grocery.

Nothing monumental here but hope it helps.

[lucznik]

Love the rice-cooking idea. I'm going to have to try that.

There's lots of info available on backpacking light. Just Google it. Your local library will also surely have books on the subject which will include lots of recipes. One of my favorite books on the subject that I got years and years ago when I was taking a backpacking class at the University of Utah is called "The Well Fed Backpacker." I still use that book today to get ideas.

Generally speaking, the lighter (hence drier) and less bulky the food you pack, the more expensive you can expect it to be. I generally like to pack super-light so I go for things like Mountain House freeze-dried meals. They are expensive but my back and knees thank me every time. Another way to really cut down on weight is, as TresMon suggests, to learn to pack exacting portions for each meal, each snack, etc. rather than carrying extra quantities of things that you may not need.

[Rick]

That's not going to work too well if he doesn't have access to water. Hence my question.

[lucznik]

'Tis true what you say; freeze dried foods do require some kind of access to water.

However, even if access to free flowing rivers or lakes is not readily available (and depending on how long you are going to be gone), you can make contingency plans. For short trips you can just pack all your water on your back. This can be heavy but it is do-able.

For longer trips (3-5 days) you can stockpile water in containers at a centralized point. My buddy and I do this when we go on our annual backcountry mule deer hunt. We take a couple of scouting trips in June and/or July. Part of the trip includes filling up and packing 14 1-gallon containers from the closest high-country spring to our main camp - about 2 miles. It's hard work but, it's so worth it when we are there for the actual hunt.

[kyratshooter]

Normally I plan my trips around access to water.

If there will be no water I would consider another spot for the hike destination.

After all you do have that rule of threes going on:

3 minutes without air
3 hours without shelter
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

Water is right up there at the top of the list and takes priority over the food.

[Winter]

I am a guy who takes canned goods to the bush. 90% of the time it's canned meats like corned beef, low sodium spam(it's better), evaporated milk, and sometimes a soup. Cans are very reusable in any wilderness survival application. Things to use cans for, but not limited to- perimeter alarm, cooking container, chimney sections, roofing, stove making, gutters for water collection, animal traps, spear heads, and arrow heads.

The other stuff is bisquick/selfrising flour, real butter, spices, and mountain house.

Most is designed around being used to eat local yummies. Clams, lemon pepper and a can of cream of mushroom is clam chowder to me. Substitute the clams for other gooey sea critter and , still, chowder.

I have water everywhere and I'm oceanside so my packing may not apply to you. If you live anywhere with crayfish/crawdad/crawfish,; make sure you have beef jerky to catch them with. Toss a chunk in the creek, have a seat and watch it.


Packing weight in not the tick it's made out to be. I don't trust ultralight gear for wilderness survival or preparedness. REI may not be close or open.

[Warheit]

Like many here have said -- what to pack has a lot to do with access to water. Idahoan mashed potatoes are a solid route to go on the cheap. They are a dollar or little more at grocery stores per package and come in all sorts of flavors. The plus side is they are extremely lightweight and take-up very little space. They are also a good source of carbohydrates. Mountain House meals (and the like) are great, but ten packages of these for ten dollars gives you something every day that is simple and easy. I have three packages along with me in one of my smaller bags every day.

Just fine a way to bring protein into your diet along with them and you will be fine. One thing to consider, pending water resources, they could be a plus or a minus: A pouch takes a cup and a half to two cups of water to mix to them. So keep that in mind when you are planning/considering all options.

[hike500]

Pick up some Zip Lock freezer bags, some of the above mentioned Idahoan potatoes, and a few pouches of Knorrs or lipton rice packs. Repackage all into the freezer bags and bring your water to near boil and pour into the bags. Of course here in the AZ I have to carry all my water! But this is a big savings over the Mountain House type meals.

[Zen buds]

I usually go out for 5 -7 days, and I try to make sure water is available, but it is not always possible. Thanks for the input guys.

[Rick]

depending on how long you are going to be gone

Hence my other question.

In that case there are tons of dehydrated foods in the grocery now. The soup section will have several different varieties and you can get three meals out of them. trade your canned tuna for pouches. They have less water and less weight. Pick up some Clif bars. They will provide sustained energy over the course of the day rather than the quick surge and rapid drop off you will experience with the sugar in the pop tarts.

You can take cheeses, pasta, Ramen, rice, oats and all sorts of drink powders and single serve coffee bags.

[Marcus]

How about compressed biscuits, i heard that it's very easy to bring full abdomen feeling. I don't does it work.

[payne]

When I was backpacking for 5 months during this summer, this was pretty much the variety of my menu (always under 15$/day):
- Spaghettini/Rice + Tuna + Tomato Sauce
- Maple Syrup Beans
- Oatmeal
- Energy bars
- Nuts
- Kraft Diner

I'm not too fussy on comfort and I didn't care eating the same things over and over again.
I really love the breakfast canned Beans because you don't even need to cook them.
I'd often add vegetables into the Spaghettini recipe. Celery and carrots cut really small in tomato sauce are awesome.

And this is kind of out of context, but when I'd feel like eating "big", I'd go for: macaroni + diced tomatoes + red beans + red peppers + ground meat. You can switch macaroni with rice, and remove the ground meat too.

We can see I'm not a huge cook.

[pete lynch]

A lot of canned meals can be put in a dehydrator, dried and bagged. Most of the weight is the can and the water.

[randyt]

jerky, parched corn and a glug of water.

[intothenew]

I try to stay stocked with homemade dehydrated goods. This weekend I pulled from some that I saved from Christmas dinner. Turkey jerky, stuffing, and potato cake. Takes just a little bit of patience, but I think it makes a really good soup. I do this with a lot of leftovers and freeze them.

http://intothenew.smugmug.com/photos/i-VX9t6MT/0/L/i-VX9t6MT-L.jpg

http://intothenew.smugmug.com/photos/i-JMb2R4t/0/L/i-JMb2R4t-L.jpg

http://intothenew.smugmug.com/photos/i-r3v7Zm6/0/L/i-r3v7Zm6-L.jpg

[Sarge47]

Rick's questions should be answered first, however if your looking at food that needs water but packs tight and light then check out the breakfast cereal section of your local Wally World. Quaker instant oatmeal comes in individual pouches and can be packed easily. Also, for about 50 cents each in the same section is store brand pouches of pancake mix. Just open the pouch, add a cup of water, it doesn't have to be hot, and mix well. Makes 5-6 pancakes. Pick up small syrup containers at your local cafeteria and store, they're great! If you don't want to pack real butter then pick up "Butter Buds;" also the real "Bacon Bits that are used for salads are nice. Frozen food, such as meats, should be used up early on. There are all kinds of dehydrated potato products, just measure out portions into the aforementioned freezer bags. If you're partial to real eggs then pack some in an egg container, but use them first! The same with cheese, unless you have individual packets of Parmesan cheese. I've picked up many different individual packets of these sort of things at various food counters; our local hospital cafeteria has proven the most productive. Finally, some items like butter, jelly, peanut butter, etc., can be used in these "old school" containers:

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___23124

be sure and pick up extra of these:

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___80856

Hope this helps. :cool2:

[Sarge47]

based on your OP it sounds to me like you might be a bit new to backpacking. Since space and weight have to be taken into consideration you should plan your food storage into actual meals for the time you'll be out in the field. Portion the exact amount into each small freezer bag and put each meal together in a larger one, or put a days supply into a larger one. For lunches take along G.O.R.P., trail mix, or some sort of poser bars to compliment your beef jerky.

I also recommend the following books:

"The Complete Walker IV" by Colin Fletcher and Chip Rawlins:

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Walker-IV-Colin-Fletcher/dp/0375703233/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326295714&sr=1-1

"Man Who Walked Through Time" By Colin Fletcher:

http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Walked-Through-Time/dp/0679723064/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1326295654&sr=1-1

The "Backpacker Magazine Trailside books" series:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=backpacker+magazine+trailside+books&x=14&y=23


Books by Kren Berger:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Karen+Berger+Backpaking&x=10&y=23

That's it for now, enjoy! :cool2:

[postman]

I generally carry beef jerky, instant soup mixes, instant rice dishes, Mr. noodles, instant oatmeal, tea bags, hot chocolate , and tang. I'll just take more or less depending on how long I'll be out. I always stay near water.

[sh4d0wm4573ri7]

I have a large Nalgene bottle and inside it I have hardtack ,Bannock mix,jerky, bouillon cubes,rice,olive oil,lard it takes little room is easy to pak its airtight

[RangerXanatos]

My meals have been a main staple of ramen noodles with other stuff added. Other things I've taken are Hudson Bay bread, honey roasted peanuts, tuna, and jerky.


Ramen noodles can get boring by themselves, but you can add condiments to it and make them pretty unique.
Tobasco (Raceway gas station)
Honey (Raceway gas station)
Onions (Raceway gas station)
Taco sauce (Raceway gas station)
Maple syrup (Raceway gas station)
Red pepper flakes (Pizza Hut)
Parmesian cheese (Pizza Hut)
Spicey salt (Chicken Express)
Own mix of spices from your cabinet

As you see, Raceway gas stations have a big variety of condiments. When I go in there for a coffee or whatever, I just grab a couple of packs of whatever I need.

[Rick]

Don't forget Raceway gas stations.

[kyratshooter]

No one has mentioned the traditional trail food, "gorp"!

In a one gallon zip lock bag place

1 pound rasins
1 pound M&Ms
1 pound mixed nuts

shake well and go hiking.

Ships biscuits or "hard tack" is also a good all around staple.

[payne]

No one has mentioned the traditional trail food, "gorp"!

In a one gallon zip lock bag place

1 pound rasins
1 pound M&Ms
1 pound mixed nuts

shake well and go hiking.

Ships biscuits or "hard tack" is also a good all around staple.
I like to add chocolate pieces and some times cranberries. :)

[hunter63]

I used to go to the bulk bins at the super market, and just start filling a bag of what ever looked good.......good but pricey.
Divide into zip lock bags, always have one in my pocket.

Now my "day rations" are those fruit/nut granola bars, and packages of cheese/peanut crackers, and hard candy.

[Sarge47]

No one has mentioned the traditional trail food, "gorp"!

In a one gallon zip lock bag place

1 pound rasins
1 pound M&Ms
1 pound mixed nuts

shake well and go hiking.

Ships biscuits or "hard tack" is also a good all around staple.

Excuse me, but check post #19! :shifty:

[kyratshooter]

Excuse me, but check post #19! :shifty:

Sorry Sarge, I missed that one. Gorp rules!

Excellent Superbowl munchies too!

[Wildthang]

I generally carry beef jerky, instant soup mixes, instant rice dishes, Mr. noodles, instant oatmeal, tea bags, hot chocolate , and tang. I'll just take more or less depending on how long I'll be out. I always stay near water.

Pretty much exactly what I do. Although I have found that the little aluminum cans of potted meat are light and do not take up too much space. Dump it into rice and it's pretty good! I also pack three tin foil packettes of tuna which also goes good in instant rice! Instead of tea, I pack a small jar of instant coffee.

[B-urban83]

there are packaged varities that are on-the-go types for various meats, esp. tuna it just raises the cost

[Rick]

Hey Hunter - Check out Clif Bars. I've become a convert with them. They are all natural, mostly organic, have a bunch of dietary fiber and helps keep your energy level at a constant level. About the same price as the granola bars and they are chewy rather than crunchy like the granola bars.

[pete lynch]

Clif bars are good. I always carry a Clif bar, black cherry almond is my fave. Clif makes a good granola bar too- I like the white chocolate macadamia.

[hunter63]

Thanks I'll do that.
Mind you my rations are a daily walking in the woods, rather than a long trip.
I/we pack completely different for a longer trek or camping for any length of time.

The suggestion of pre-packing the food in zip locks, lots of freeze dried meats, potatoes, gravy, dried soaps, foil pack and such, is excellent.....Figure meals per person, per day.
Lots of lists out there.

But if we are trucking, canoe, or 4 wheeler-ing in we pack a lot of normal foods as it seems we burn a lot of calories and everyone is really hungry.

Like the pre-packed biscuits, bacon, and eggs, pre-broke and carried in a tall shinny olive jar, they just sorta stack in the jar if you don't shake it too much., then add thin sandwich steaks, ring baloney, and flat bread/wraps.
Don't forget the sweets, coffee singles and hot coco....and spices.

Most of the time it's sorta cooler/ to cold weather, so storage isn't too much of a problem, but we have been known to place zip-locks in a milk crate and float it in a stream.....LOL, hunting next to a stream a couple of times, and saw beers floating doen stream, thinking...."LOL what a dumas, lost his beer....OMG, it's mine!"
Put a net over the crate.

[TresMon]

Excuse me, but check post #19! :shifty:

Double excuse me but check post number 3! :euro:

[B-urban83]

Clif bars are good. I always carry a Clif bar, black cherry almond is my fave. Clif makes a good granola bar too- I like the white chocolate macadamia.
they actually have these stocked at the local dollar store, so if you have a dollar store (a true dollar store, like dollar general) in your area, check it out first.

[Zen buds]

I have considered trying to just live off supplements. Protien powder, Carb powder, fiber powder and vitamins.

[Rick]

You can do it just not very long. On average about three weeks. I think that's how long it takes to starve to death. Oh, come on. That right there is funny admit it.