Fueling your backpacking adventures
Whether you are a seasoned backpacker or you’re getting ready for your first trip, here are a few tips for how to fuel your adventure! Planning meals for backpacking trips requires careful consideration of several factors, such as the length of the trip, the nutritional needs of the hikers, the weight of the food, the cooking equipment available, and even the weather! Here are a few tips you may want to keep in mind as you are planning meals for your upcoming trip!
1. Determine the length of your trip: The length of your trip will determine how much food you need to bring. Most people eat at least three meals a day, so you will need to multiple that by the number of days you are planning to be out for. The length of your trip will also dictate to some extent, how much fresh food you can/want to bring, vs. how much needs to be dehydrated or freeze dried.
2. Consider the nutritional needs of the hikers: Hiking requires a lot of energy, the more kilometers you do in a day, or the more elevation gain you do, the more calories you will need to consume to ensure you are fuelling your body well. Consider bringing a mix of carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats.
3. Choose lightweight and non-perishable foods: As backpackers must carry everything they need on their backs, you want to ensure your packs will not be too loaded with heavy foods, and that the food you bring does not go bad in the potential heat. This is why many backpackers opt for dehydrated or freeze dried meals for trips longer than two or three days – all of the moisture has been pulled out, reducing both the weight of the food and ensuring it is non-perishable. If you prefer to put your own lightweight meals together, some examples of lightweight foods include trail mix, jerky, instant oatmeal, instant rice, nuts, dried vegetables, soup mixes, etc..
4. Plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks: Have each meal and snack planned out in advance to ensure you have enough food to sustain yourself throughout the day. For breakfast oatmeal is one of our favourites! There are so many toppings you can add to your oatmeal to make it delicious and very fuelling! For lunch, depending on the kind of trip you are doing, it’s often easiest to bring options that don’t need to be cooked, that could be something like a dehydrated grain salad that could be cold-soaked in the morning to rehydrate. Another lunch option may be dehydrated hummus paired with crackers, beef jerky, and apple chips. For dinner, dehydrated or freeze dried meals are often a staple, simply add hot water, wait, and you have a full blown meal ready in around 20 minutes. For snacks, high energy foods such as trail mix, dried fruit, and energy bars are great options. A little chocolate or candy in your snack pack never hurts either! If you’re heading out in shoulder season, or it’s just going to be a colder trip, a high fat snack such as spoonful of peanut butter can be a nice bedtime treat!
5. Bring appropriate cooking equipment: What you plan on making for meals (and sometimes what the weather will be like) will dictate what kind of stove, fuel, pot, and utensils you will need to bring. If you are bringing ingredients to make meals from scratch, you will likely need a few more supplies than if you are simply boiling water to add to your dehydrated meals.
6. Drink enough water: You will be sweating as you hike! Make sure you are drinking enough water to stay hydrated. Bring a water filter or water purification tablets to ensure the water you collect from streams, rivers, or lakes is safe to drink.
7. And lastly, consider food storage: It is vital that you properly store food to avoid attracting wildlife to your campsite. Before heading out, check out the amenities at the campsites you are staying at to make sure you have the needed tools, i.e. ropes if you need to create your own bear hang, water resistant/proof bag so your food and toiletries stay dry, or bear-proof canister if there are no amenities or trees!
By following these steps, you can plan meals that will provide the necessary nutrients and energy for fueling your backcountry adventures! And don’t forget to check out WME meals - they are a lightweight and nutritious option for those that don’t necessarily have the time to do all the meal prep!