Favorite lunch food when on the trail

[Catfish]

I don't mind taking the time to make a proper dinner for myself at the end of the day (gingham table cloth, candles, crystal wine glasses, gypsy violinist etc) and for breakfast I'm quite happy to chow down on a bowl or two of granola or something. However when I'm out on the trail, I always struggle to come up with something practical and/or tasty for lunch.

Trail mix just doesn't do it for me (raisins are the devil's dangleberries) and I can't be doing with the M&Ms and peanuts, salt and sugar thing. I suppose I could chop down a couple of trees with my swiss army knife, fashion them into a trebuchet and take down an elk, field dress it and carve out some steaks. But then I'd have to carry a 5 gallon can of kerosene to get my fire lit and that would be heavy.

More to the point, even with my stove, I plain ol' can't be bothered to take the time to cook a meal in the middle of a day's hike. I'd much rather just pull something out of my pack, munch on it while resting my tootsies for half an hour, then be on my way refreshed and revitalized.

Last time out I took some summer sausage and a block of cheese, but the weather was unseasonably warm and by day 2, the cheese was soft, sweaty and decidedly unappetizing. And the summer sausage was kinda greasy and left my mouth feeling as though I'd smeared it with lard. (Did I mention the weather was unseasonably warm?)

So my question for you, experienced ones...what do you normally eat during the day while trekking?

[canid]

summer sausage/dry salami and a sharp cheese is always a good one, with some brown mustard and maybe crackers.

both are compact foods and keep you on your feet for a while.

[Gray Wolf]

Catfish, why are you in a hurry? That's one of the reasons I really like the Esbit stove. I can cook something light and (a must) make myself a cup of Joe, and enjoy the view.

[DOGMAN]

I like a can of smoked oysters and some crackers.

[canid]

oh yeah; let's not forget kippered herring. just be careful if in bear country.

[Catfish]

Catfish, why are you in a hurry? That's one of the reasons I really like the Esbit stove. I can cook something light and (a must) make myself a cup of Joe, and enjoy the view.
Type A personality, I suppose. It takes me a few days to get out of the "Ohmigosh look at the time and there's still so many miles to do" worker-bee mentality. :)

I just really don't like taking a heap of time out of the middle of the day, no matter what I'm doing - working, exploring a new city with my camera, hiking - I'd rather just grab a sandwich and keep going.

[Catfish]

I like a can of smoked oysters and some crackers.
I'm liking this idea. Thanks

[sh4d0wm4573ri7]

sausage n cheese is a favorite , like jerky , crackers an cheese , ramon noodles I could go on and on gorp is awesome too

[Catfish]

summer sausage/dry salami and a sharp cheese is always a good one, with some brown mustard and maybe crackers.

both are compact foods and keep you on your feet for a while.
Is there a particular brand of summer sausage that you use Canid? (And if you're going to tell me to make my own, forget it - I don't know how and I don't have time to learn) ;)

[jrock24]

Fruit.
Apples, oranges, pears.. what ever you fancy..
and hard boiled eggs.

[crashdive123]

Jerky, summer sausage, slim jims, crackers, pouch of tuna, granola bars, fruit roll-ups. I've recently tried my hand at hard tac (Rick's recipe) with a little honey or molasses.

[Bibow]

jerky(really good if your out after hunting seasoon and you got some deer jerky mmmm 3 more months!), bannock try adding saskatoons, kippers, sardines, pb and js, that's all i can come up with now

[VampireRanger676]

Usally just bring a hiking buddy and call them lunch like a human luncheable >:)

[FVR]

I usually take some beef or deer jerky, nuts, if I have the room a loaf of bread, many many tea bags, easy open sardines in La. hot sauce or mustard sauce, if I've made some up then trail mix, maybe hardtack but I don't like mine, chocolate bar or protein bar and a box of Altoids.

Why altoids you ask? because the only thing better than a hot cup of tea, is chewing up an Altoid, then downing a mouthful of water. Kind of refreshing. You can also get that refreshing taste from pine cambium if you want.

On a trek, not a hunt, I always take a box of those small sweet cigars, and I have been know to sit around the fire at night and open up a bottle of my homemade applepie.

[RangerXanatos]

Last hike I went on, I carried some McDonald's double cheeseburgers along with some chips and glazed pecans. But that was also just a day hike.

[FVR]

Sometimes when I trekked up Stamp Creek, I would make a fire, settle in, stick a trout or two on a stick and just eat that.

Sometimes, I just have to eat what I bring............................................. .One evening, I'm sitting there making a small pot of rice to go with my buillon and another trekker walks up, goes to the creek, skins out his cat and we ate kitty kat for dinner. Amazingly, it was really gooddddddddddd..............

Oh, it was a bobcat. But really, is there a difference?

[Gray Wolf]

Did it taste like chicken? :D

[tonester]

some foods ive taken before on the trial have been pb&j, crackers, jerky, dried fruit, and canned fruit.

[laughing beetle]

beef jerky, dried fruit, sardines, prepackaged peanut butter and crackers...that stuff is real easy to carry. sometimes i just mix up some instant cream of wheat in my tin cup and drink on the go... whatever i have on hand works for lunch. never was very picky.

[laughing beetle]

although i don't know if I could have eaten bobcat...I have 3 cats at home, and they're like kids to me. psychotic sadistic little b#####ds... ha Love the kitties!

[Rick]

I don't know why your don't like raisins. They are a great way to get a boost of sugar at the noon hour. I munch on them all day, actually. There's a huge difference between store bought and ones you make yourself. Try some dehydrated and you'll change your mind!

Beef jerky, hard tac with some cheese spread, fig bars, dried fruit. All are good for a quick lunch. Kroger's instant tea is really good.

Depending on the season there are usually wild edibles available.

I love sardines and kippers but I don't think I could finish out the day with that smell in my pack!? Ugh!

[FVR]

Did it taste like chicken?????LOL!

Chicken tastes like chicken, rattlesnake tastes like rattlesnake and bobcat, well it tastes like..................................I'm not going to say it. It tastes like bobcat.

It was late Feb., we trekked in about 5 or 6 miles, we all came in from diff. directions, and when the trekker came in with the bobcat, sure tasted better than the rice I was making.

Mental note, don't make rice on a trek. Takes to darn long.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who can eat my share of sardines. The cans can be used for a variety of things afterwards, and the oil, soak a piece of fabric in it, put it on a hook and you will catch a fish. Well, that's if you eat the reg. sardines and not the La or mustard kind.

[Sourdough]

Whiskey makes a nice lunch, It is light to carry, does not go bad if it gets warm, is great if your lost because your still lost, but you don't care.

And if you drink all of your meals then you do not need toilet paper. And if you don't need toilet paper you have room for more whiskey.

You save time treating and filtering the water, just mix 50/50 whiskey and water, it kills most bugs, and the ones that it does not kill become happy bugs.

You know that awful freeze dried used dog food, skip the hot water, just add two cups of cold whiskey, it still tastes like freeze dried dog poop but who cares.........:p

Come on bring on the little red reputation demerits. Add 1/2 cup of whiskey to a little red negative reputation and it turns green.

[Gray Wolf]

I thought you'd get a laugh out of that. :D Bet ya had some good BBQ'ed ribs!

[FVR]

Ahhhh.........ya know, Wild Turkey is good when it gets ccccoooolllldddddddddd.........

But you just can't beat a cup of hot applepie in the morning, stream chilled applepie in the afternoon, and two or three mugs after dinner.

Man, I have to make some up.......SOON!

[Catfish]

I don't know why your don't like raisins. They are a great way to get a boost of sugar at the noon hour. I munch on them all day, actually. There's a huge difference between store bought and ones you make yourself. Try some dehydrated and you'll change your mind!
It's not the taste so much, but that they make me thirsty. Same with other dried fruit.

Still, there have been some other good suggestions on this thread, so thanks everyone. :)

[jrock24]

FVR- what is this applepie your talking about? details please-

[tsitenha]

Dried meat, bannock maybe some hard chedar along with Tobasco :)

[canid]

no particular brand. if it's got a heft you could k.o. a bear with and it takes a saw to cut it, i buy it.

[skunkkiller]

parched rice or corn put some in your mouth and keep walking

[Ken]

FVR- what is this applepie your talking about? details please-

Yeah. FVR- what is this applepie your talking about? details please-

[trax]

Favorite lunch snack out on the trail? ohhhh, whatever I happen to find in my victim's packs and pockets usually works out nicely....

[Ken]

Favorite lunch snack out on the trail? ohhhh, whatever I happen to find in my victim's packs and pockets usually works out nicely....

Remember the thread "What would you do?"

Now, am I supposed to report this last post? :innocent:

[Rick]

You have to know Trax. When someone is safely inside the padded room, heavily medicated, supplied with coffee, bacon sandwiches and some sort of bottled drink, he's generally pretty harmless. Nora is the dangerous one. If he had said they were her victims, I'd have been worried.

[trax]

Remember the thread "What would you do?"

Now, am I supposed to report this last post? :innocent:

Well now, ask yourself this...Will I be doing any hiking in Manitoba?:creepy::creepy:

[Ken]

Well now, ask yourself this...Will I be doing any hiking in Manitoba?:creepy::creepy:

Not this month, maybe in April?

[trax]

a) Go for May, trails are drier and mosquitos aren't out yet
b) then no, you definitely have no good reason to report that earlier comment, and...
c) what kind of snack food do you think you'll be carrying? :drool:

[Ken]

a) Go for May, trails are drier and mosquitos aren't out yet
b) then no, you definitely have no good reason to report that earlier comment, and...
c) what kind of snack food do you think you'll be carrying? :drool:

Haggis. Only Haggis, with uni spread all over it. :sneaky2:

[trax]

Haggis. Only Haggis, with uni spread all over it. :sneaky2:

You're safe.

[crashdive123]

I'll bet he goes hungry too.

[Rick]

Well, that should be easy. I'm sure you'll SMELL him coming.

[Ken]

Well, that should be easy. I'm sure you'll SMELL him coming.

Yeah, Rick's gonna' let me borrow his boots.

[trax]

Yeah, Rick's gonna' let me borrow his boots.

Now there's a couple of people that need to be reported to someone, right there...oh yeah.

[Ken]

Now there's a couple of people that need to be reported to someone, right there...oh yeah.

:clap::clap::clap::clap::clap: