Food

[Seldom Seen Anderson]

nick I have been wondering how the paleo diet has been going during backpacking season and especially since as you mentioned you are now going stove free. Can you give us your "menu?"

 

[IntrepidXJ]

I'd be interested in hearing about this, too

 

[gloo]

I'm intrigued as well. I can understand stove ditching, I can pretty much do that already ... if I wanted to.

 

[Nick]

Whoops. Forgot to respond to this. Running around today but I will this weekend in beween shipping shirts!

 

[Nick]

I've let this slide long enough.

Paleo and backpacking is working pretty well. Same for going stove-free. Actually, stove-free is fracking awesome. I'm having a hard time understanding now why everyone feels the need to bring a stove.

My menu is working pretty well for 2-3 day trips but I'm going to have to make some modifications for anything longer. So far it's been something like this:

Breakfast:
Starbucks Via in cold water - I actually like it better like that than in hot water!
Lara Bars (all natural fruit and nuts are the only ingredients)
Dried fruit

Snacks, lunch and mixed throughout the day:
Lara Bars
Dried Fruit
Homemade Beef Jerky
Nuts
Fresh carrots
Avacodos
Fresh fruits, oranges, apples, etc.

Dinner:
I've been doing canned meats. Salmon or sushi-grade, low mercury tuna. The cans are slightly annoying as I have to have a big zip-lock to put them in afterwards. Not really concerned about the weight though since I have no stove. The problem will be when I go on trips longer than 3 days. I need to find some meats that come in pouches that are legit and not standard mercury-stuff tuna. Going to go looking this week.

Yes, my food is heavier than if I were eating ramen noodles or freeze dried meals, but at least I'm not packing a stove and I'm not eating nasty preservatives, sugar and other crap. Aside from getting away from using cans, I'm sold. Unfortunately, even if I'm not sold, I can't go back because gluten makes me sick now that I've been off of it for 6+ months.

 

[Waynee-ack]

I have had some health problems directly related to diet and have found that eating foods closer to nature (less processed) makes me feel much better.

 

[Seldom Seen Anderson]

How much extra weight you packing with this list? I know you have the weight down to ounces? It has to be significant , no?

 

[Deadeye008]

I've let this slide long enough.

Paleo and backpacking is working pretty well. Same for going stove-free. Actually, stove-free is fracking awesome. I'm having a hard time understanding now why everyone feels the need to bring a stove.

My menu is working pretty well for 2-3 day trips but I'm going to have to make some modifications for anything longer. So far it's been something like this:

Breakfast:
Starbucks Via in cold water - I actually like it better like that than in hot water!
Lara Bars (all natural fruit and nuts are the only ingredients)
Dried fruit

Snacks, lunch and mixed throughout the day:
Lara Bars
Dried Fruit
Homemade Beef Jerky
Nuts
Fresh carrots
Avacodos
Fresh fruits, oranges, apples, etc.

Dinner:
I've been doing canned meats. Salmon or sushi-grade, low mercury tuna. The cans are slightly annoying as I have to have a big zip-lock to put them in afterwards. Not really concerned about the weight though since I have no stove. The problem will be when I go on trips longer than 3 days. I need to find some meats that come in pouches that are legit and not standard mercury-stuff tuna. Going to go looking this week.

Yes, my food is heavier than if I were eating ramen noodles or freeze dried meals, but at least I'm not packing a stove and I'm not eating nasty preservatives, sugar and other crap. Aside from getting away from using cans, I'm sold. Unfortunately, even if I'm not sold, I can't go back because gluten makes me sick now that I've been off of it for 6+ months.

I have been able to find smoked salmon in quite a few places that comes in a pouch rather than a can. Not sure if it has a bunch of murcury in it or not. Another option would be to smoke/cook your own fish and then seal it in little vacuum sealed bags. That way you know exactly what's in it and being vacuum sealed it will stay good longer.

 

[Yvonne]

I have had some health problems directly related to diet and have found that eating foods closer to nature (less processed) makes me feel much better.

same here, I avoid processed food as much as possible. The only backpacking food I use are the MaryJanes Farm products, they are organic and lack all the preservatives and food processing. Hopefully one day I can completely switch to other possibilities.
But I still need my hot coffee in the morning.

nick, what fruits do you usually use on your trips? Some of the get soft too soon, how do you avoid it?
Alternatives?

 

[JD]

Back in the late 80's early 90's my dad used to bring frozen meat elk steaks mostly, he would pack them in a bit of dry ice and the would stay frozen and cold for the first two nights. Weight was never really an thought.