What shall I eat as I camp?

May 17, 2005 8:41 AM

I'm going on a three-week backpacking trip in the mountains, and I'm trying to find a good resource for food planning.

I've gone on shorter trips but never anything of this length, so I've been able to be sloppy with my planning. I've heard anything from one pound per day person to two pounds per day per person. There will be two of us; we're male, in our mid-twenties, in decent shape. I know that freeze-dried foods are expensive and not always great. Does anyone know of a website or other resource that can help me plan my trip meal-by-meal?

posted by ORthey to food & drink (15 comments total)

I got a lot of information from Mark Moxon's LongDistanceWalks.com. Check out the 'Walking Tips' section, where he details what he packs (food and whatnots) for different hikes. Be sure and read some of his journals, too... they're fun.
posted by nitsuj at 8:49 AM on May 17, 2005

random aside that might be useful - years ago, when i thought this kind of thing was fun, i found that while dried food targetted at "expeditions" was expensive, you could get dried meals targetted at "housewives" (this was a long time ago) that were equivalent (ie produced something hot and filling), but much much less expensive. i have no idea if such things still exist, though.
posted by andrew cooke at 8:54 AM on May 17, 2005

And to expand on my previous comment, it really depends on a lot of variables. Will you be hiking in desolate areas, or will you pass through an occasional town to stock up on foods? Will you be packing a small stove? Plan on not eating as much as you do at home, of course, and I would "practice" eating lightly and exercising heavily before you leave. Better to find out how your body responds to these situations before you're in the middle of nowhere.

If you'll be in areas where towns are near by, you can pack lightly and buy as you go, or even ship yourself some foods to post offices in cities you know you'll be going through. If you're packing everything on your back from the get-go, what you bring will change drastically.

Do some Google searches for Appalachian Trail websites and guides. A lot of writing has been done for this type of planning, and you'll find a lot of useful information from people who have made that hike.
posted by nitsuj at 9:03 AM on May 17, 2005

I would recommend The Ultralight Backpacker and The Complete Walker as great books.

I started with the latter, and then the former changed my life. If you're carrying more then 15 pounds of gear, you're doing it wrong (unless you're going high altitude/cold). Seriously. You'll have a lot more fun if you're carrying less weight.

I'm just curious about your term "mountains" though. Note that most east coast mountains are nothing, where west coast mountains will kill you if you're not prepared. That said, there are exceptions (Vermont springs to mind). This will definitely affect your packing, as going on a serious altitude hike without foul weather gear can be fatal.

Above is just my advice. Here's a piece of advice I'd actually follow: go to a local backpacking store (where you're going to be) and ask about weather, what they'd take, etc... You might be surprised to learn about, oh, say a necessity of climbing gear, or something else off the wall you didn't think of, like say bear gear.

Just some thoughts.

KFJ
posted by kungfujoe at 10:08 AM on May 17, 2005

KFJ, those books look awesome.

I usually shun expensive dried camping foods in favor of Lipton or other dehydrated rice meals. They're light, they cost a buck fifty, and they don't take too much fuel to cook up.

Once when a friend was in the Grand Canyon, he met a couple of guys who had been down in the bottom for six weeks. They had arranged food drops spaced two weeks apart and were living off a diet of rice, beans, salt, and probably some dehydrated milk, along with a few cliff bars and other luxuries. They didn't use fuel to cook. Instead, they'd throw a couple handfuls of beans and rice into a Nalgene bottle in the morning and let it stew there all day, then eat it for dinner. You might need unusual amounts of sunlight for that to work well. It would be worth experimenting a bit to see if it works in non-desert conditions.
posted by nyterrant at 10:41 AM on May 17, 2005

I shunned the backpacker meals for a long time. But, now I won't go on a long hike without them. They are expensive, but, worth every penny. Eating Cup of Noodles isn't going to give you the calories you're going to need to make it through such a long trip. The backpaker meals are light weight and filling. The two things you are looking for in your meals when you are walking 15 miles a day. You can also have a variety of meals so you aren't eating the same thing every night and they taste pretty good these days.
posted by trbrts at 10:47 AM on May 17, 2005

I would suggest googling "scout philmont trek" or something like that. Lots of boy scouts and troops do exactly what you are speaking of, and there is a lot of experience there. Some troops will post on their web pages how they planned their Philmont or other treks.
posted by Doohickie at 10:58 AM on May 17, 2005

I shunned the backpacker meals for a long time. But, now I won't go on a long hike without them. They are expensive, but, worth every penny. Eating Cup of Noodles isn't going to give you the calories you're going to need to make it through such a long trip. The backpaker meals are light weight and filling. The two things you are looking for in your meals when you are walking 15 miles a day. You can also have a variety of meals so you aren't eating the same thing every night and they taste pretty good these days.

Amen. But, I might suggest getting some of the backpacker meals and then making it easier on your budget by buying some of the cheaper stuff - dehydrated refried beans, Lipton beans and rice, Cliff bars, and whatnot.

String cheese will last at least a few days even in a hot backpack; it gets a little oily, but still tastes good after a day on the trail. Oatmeal is good. Mac and cheese (you don't really need the milk), tortillas will last you several days; bagels (who cares if they're a little smushed!) and a jar of peanut butter are a great way to kick off the day.
posted by tr33hggr at 11:39 AM on May 17, 2005

Cous-cous and nuts and dried fruit and dried veggies.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:21 PM on May 17, 2005

You might want to look at getting a dehydrator to make your own dried veggies and jerky. I'll second the couscous. It cooks up a lot faster than rice. Also, look for TVP or texturized protein to add to meals for a little protein boost. Red lentils cook up fast also.
posted by teg at 12:52 PM on May 17, 2005

You can also dehydrate pasta sauces yourself. They require a bit of soaking to work again, but they're dirt cheap compared to the bought stuff.

Dehydrated hummus is cheap and tasty and full of goodness.

Cheeses can last forever if you put a lightly vinegar-soaked cottonball in the bag. The softer cheeses (ie. mozza, cheddar, and softer) drip oil like mad once they get warm, but they're still edible. Nasty as hell if they leak, though.

Bagels will go moldy. Flatbreads seem a little more immune, and are much easier to pack.

I repeat: cous-cous. As varied as your imagination, and takes next to no fuel to cook.

Costco sells (sold?) paper cups of dehydrated bean, lentil, & etc soups. These are great if you depackage them.

Finally, go to your local bulk/health store and peruse the bins. There are lots of dehydrated soups, stews, grains, mixes, etc. Just keep an eye on the cooking times.
posted by five fresh fish at 3:10 PM on May 17, 2005

Five fresh fish has great advice. There are lots of backpacking option in the grocery stores these days, particularly in yuppie/ethnic/organic places. Then buy a few freeze-dried dinners for variety.

Three weeks is a whole lot of food to carry, I don't think I ever did more than 11 days. Could you cache some food, or resupply somewhere? If you are going by a town you used to be able to mail packages to yourself c/o "General Delivery" and they would hold them for you. You might check that out.
posted by LarryC at 4:39 PM on May 17, 2005

I did Philmont twice and a handfull of 50 mile hikes while in the scouts in the late 80s and early 90s. Philmont was different 'cause as I recall they pretty much gave you all the food you'd need. I got the feeling it was government surplus freeze dried stuff. I wouldn't eat it while sitting on the couch, but out in the woods it is good, filling, salty, and usually warm. On the 50 mile hikes around Oregon we'd eat Mountain House freeze dried meals for breakfast - usually just the granola dried, not worth turning on the stoves in the morning. We'd eat GORP and jerky while on the trail for lunch, and we'd eat more Mountain House for diner - hot this time. Like the food from Philmont, it wasn't worth eating unless you needed to, but out there on the trail it really wasn't bad. Personally, I liked the Chicken and Rice, Beef Stroganoff, the Chillie Mac, and the Lasagna.

It's more expensive than a box of cos cos, a box of macaroni and cheese, a box of lipton onion soup, or a box of hamburger helper, etc., but it's worth it. It weighs close to nothing. It is the perfect sized portion for one person. You cook it in the bag so there is little clean up. It is really easy to manage how much food you need. It really isn't that expensive anyway.

You're camping, you're not paying for gas on a road trip, you're not paying for a motel, your not paying for booze or a movie, the Mountain House is about the cost you'd be paying for a cheep meal in the city. Splurge on it; it's worth it.
posted by pwb503 at 5:24 PM on May 17, 2005

Also realize that you don't need an excess of calories for a short-duration hike. In all likelihood, you could go without food and come out the other end alive. Your body fat reserves are considerable.

One thing I'm interested in hearing upon your return is whether you feel more energetic than you did going into the hike. My wife and I have found that backpacking + backpacking food = high energy levels upon our return.

My theory is that it's because we eat simple foods (whole grains, fruit, nuts), eat less than we expend in calories, burn off a shedload of body fat, and sweat out all our poisons.
posted by five fresh fish at 7:42 PM on May 17, 2005

I've spent 6 months of my life in the wilderness over the past 3 years or so. If you are planning on taking three weeks of food in with you rather than resupplying midway, It would be a very good idea to bring ingredients rather than meals.

Bring raw materials that can be combined in the maximum number of different ways. Spices and sauces are very important. Rice, beans/lentils, pasta (dried tortellini is good), peanut butter, tortillas, cheese, etc. If you normally eat meat, bring pepperoni or jerky. Not doing so will unbalance your intestines.

The only cheap pre-packaged meals I've found to be worthwile are the Mahatma brand rice dishes you can find in the supermarket.
posted by blasdelf at 2:07 AM on May 18, 2005