Backpacking Food

leatherman

leatherman

Huh?
Joined
Jan 24, 2012
Messages
138
So I'm curious what other people like to eat when they're in the backcountry, whether just for the weekend or an extended trip. I usually try to keep it real simple, like oatmeal for breakfast, granola bars, dried apples and ramen noodles. Are there any freeze dried meals that you really like, or would avoid. I'm just looking to expand my horizons and find out what works for other folks.
 
I go as simply as possible. Oatmeal for breakfast, snacks (trail mix, granola bars, jerky) for lunch, and usually something big like a Mountain House meal for dinner. I do pretty much the same thing when either backpacking or car camping, though occasionally I'll go all-out when car camping and eat something out of a can. :lol:
 
I've been all over the place on backpacking food. Ultimately, I think that Mountain House is the best way to go for dinners. I'm not a fan of oatmeal so I would usually just do a Cliff Bar and coffee for breakfast. Then jerky, nuts, fruit, etc. during the day. Tortillas can be a nice treat, especially if you bring some cheese and slice it up on there. It actually tastes like real food when you're backpacking so it's quite the treat. Add some pepperoni to that and it's practically a gourmet meal! :)

With all of that said, I won't be eating any of it anymore. I've been eating a paleo diet since late 2011 and plan to figure out some sort of backpacking diet that adheres to it. So basically no heavily processed food, no sugar and no grain. I think my new backpacking diet will consist primarily of homemade beef jerky, canned meat, fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts. It is going to be very interesting...
 
I usually do the typical things already mentioned and mix if up with other items from day to day so I'm not eating the same thing everyday. Here are a few things we do:
  • Bagels w/ cream cheese (the little foil packets work great). Great for breakfast/lunch
  • Bagels w/ bacon!! :D My favorite! Get the pre-cooked bacon. I found it stays cool enough at high altitudes if you keep it in the shade.
  • Tortillas w/ bacon and cheese! Another fav! The sharp cheddar keeps longer than mild.
  • Pancake batter w/ syrup. This ones HEAVY.
  • Dehydrated hashbrowns. Takes a long time to re-hydrate. Best to let it soak in water for 1/2 hour or more, then heat up at the end to save fuel.
  • Peanut butter and honey sandwiches. Find the squeeze tube of peanut butter or put in a ziplock bag. I did this once and haven't since.
  • Pringles or Lays chips in the can! They are light and the can protects them from being crushed! Salty snack after a few days in is awesome! Another fav!!!
  • Hot chocolate mixes are awesome and easy!
  • The Mountain House Granola and Blueberries are awesome!!!!! :twothumbs: This is my favorite breakfast on mornings of your last day. This way I can put all my cooking gear away the night before. That way I don't have to clean it all up and pack away to pack out. Saves lots of time!
That's all I can think of right now... A warning on the bacon, you'd better bring in enough for everyone or have a gun.....

Oh, I forgot. The MH Skillets are good (only tried the breakfast one). We added cheese and bacon to it so that might have been why it was good. I'd like to try the others.
 
I like the spaghetti, but my suggestion would be to try the freeze dried food at home first, nothing sucks more than getting into the backcountry only to find out your choice of food brought the suck...
I also like to do no cook foods for simple overnighters, Snickers bars, granola bars, breakfast bars, nuts, dried fruit, jerky etc... again just make sure it is something you will eat at home :)
 
IntrepidXJ, DOSS, have you tried the lasagna? I think it's MUCH better than the spaghetti.
 
HomerJ said:
IntrepidXJ, DOSS, have you tried the lasagna? I think it's MUCH better than the spaghetti.
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Yeah.. the cheese in it is "odd" to me... I also like to just make my own dehydrated meals from food I normally eat at home.. that was when I had a dehydrator...
 
I'm not a fan of the Mountain House Spaghetti but I love the Mountain House Lasagna. But x2 on the cheese. Seems like they infuse that stuff with epoxy or something...
 
I use Mary Jane Farm products, they are organic and have almost no preservatives, MSG and processed stuff in it.
Unfortunately they are really pricey, but due to a ton of food allergies I have to use those products.
Beside that, just simple stuff like oatmeal, freeze dried fruits, whole grain bagels, jerkey and now and then a nice tortilla with cheese.

I always test those freeze dried foods at home, so I can see if I can eat them with my food allergies or not. At home I have a chance to react, in the field it can be really bad... :eek:
 
Miss Buffalo said:
I use Mary Jane Farm products, they are organic and have almost no preservatives, MSG and processed stuff in it.
Click to expand...

Mary Jane, eh? From the name one might think there is a different kind of additive in it! :roflmao:

But seriously, that sounds awesome. I don't have a lot of food allergies but ever since I quit eating wheat and processed food, it feels like I do. I feel awful when I eat even a little of that stuff now. I'm definitely going to look into that brand. Thanks. :)
 
ibenick said:
Mary Jane, eh? From the name one might think there is a different kind of additive in it! :roflmao:
Click to expand...

who knows? ;)

ibenick said:
But seriously, that sounds awesome. I don't have a lot of food allergies but ever since I quit eating wheat and processed food, it feels like I do. I feel awful when I eat even a little of that stuff now. I'm definitely going to look into that brand. Thanks. :)
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REI has a lot of Mary Janes Farm products and I tested most of them without having any problems.

here is a link: Mary Janes Farm

I like the Organic Kettle Chili a lot and the Lentils,Rice and Indian Spices. Good think, you can always add something else to it like more spices, meet, bacon. Whatever you like.
 
Some good info, thanks. Has anyone tried any of the Backpackers Pantry items? REI has a bunch of them. I also found this http://www.peakwaggers.com/ which sells dehydrated dog meals. I think my boy will have to be happy with his kibble.
 
Holy schnitzel! you guys must be rolling in the chips $$! I stay with simple dried noodles, gorp, beef jerky, and soups. Not because they are particularly excellent, but because the name brand, freeze dried stuff costs and arm and a leg. I do usually bring some, but not as a staple. Maybe some yogurt covered raisins as a treat and break from dried food.
 
I do oatmeal for breakfast. Granola bars, jerky, dried fruit, nuts. etc. for lunches and snacks. For dinners I like to use some of the Bear Creek soups/stews/chilis. With the soups I usually add a packet of dried noodles(Ramen or any other type) to it to make it more filling. The Bear Creek stuff is a lot chaper than the Mountain House stuff and I think it tastes way better. A bag of Bear Creek costs about $3-$4 and makes 8 one cup servings. I'll split it up into ziploc bags and like I said add some noodles to the soup. Their tortilla soup, chili, and vegetable beef is really good. It does seem like it takes a little longer to rehydrate though than the Mountain House. I have also used the Idaho brand instant mashed potato packets and like them. WinCo has dehydrated refried beans in their food bins. I have tried them and they are good but come with side effects... WinCo also has a good selection of dehydrated fruit if you don't want to make your own.
 
I'm going to have a hard time finding food I'll eat while backpacking. I don't like beef jerky, nuts, dried fruits or trail mix.
 
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