Easy Backpacking Meals On A Budget

Not the lightest thing to pack but I always bring a can of spam. I love that stuff. I'll cube it and throw it in with some instant potatoes
I always have spam singles in my pack.

After drinking crappy military coffee most of my adult life, I don't mind Foldgers instant singles. They are cheap at walmart and not too bad tasting.
 
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I’ve done that as well, I always put caffeine pills in my pack to deal with headaches, or if I don’t have time for coffee.
There's always time for coffee.

Planning is everything. If i denied my wife her two morning cups of coffee, I might as well put a broadhead or a bullet through my own heart, cause I am not going to live the day through.
 
I'd check out some of the fast pack/through hike forums for meal ideas.

Some basic meals are instant mashers, Ramen, couscous, instant grits, oatmeal. Fortify with foil pack meat (chicken, tuna or salmon)- one small pack split between two is a big improvement, salsa packs from fast food restaurants or Amazon and some fat (I've been using butter packed in a plastic screwcap container). All these can be added to freeze dried meals as well for huge improvements.
check out minimus.biz just about any small packet you would want plus you dont have to buy in bulk just the number you want. I do soy sauce, hot sauce, olive oil etc.
 
It's so hard to avoid sugar these days. I try to stay under 10 grams to account for things like BBQ sauce, ketchup, etc... but even that is hard. We were at Odells in FT Collins this summer and they had lemonade for the kids, 70 grams of sugar in a 12 ounce glass. Insane.

You see some hunters try to use sugar for energy during hunt's and I have no idea how they do it as eating candy bars, granola bars, gatorade, little debbies, etc you can get hundreds of grams of sugar quite easily.
Thought of your comment after watching this…
 
https://www.drinkcusa.com/ Cusa Tea and Coffee will be added to my pack. They work with cold or hot water...obviously better with hot. Dirty Chai is my current favorite but it's a rough taste several friends have objected to.

I'm going to have to give Pinnacle Meals a try. I see they have a Jalapeno biscuits and gravy but they're not cheap. Last October MidwayUSA had Peak Refuel meals discounted to like $8 which is as cheap as I've seen without one of the rare high value coupons.
 
https://www.drinkcusa.com/ Cusa Tea and Coffee will be added to my pack. They work with cold or hot water...obviously better with hot. Dirty Chai is my current favorite but it's a rough taste several friends have objected to.

I'm going to have to give Pinnacle Meals a try. I see they have a Jalapeno biscuits and gravy but they're not cheap. Last October MidwayUSA had Peak Refuel meals discounted to like $8 which is as cheap as I've seen without one of the rare high value coupons.
I might have to give this a try. Does the coffee actually taste like coffee? I have tried the Folgers instant coffee and it was borderline undrinkable. I really would like to find decent instant to bring out with me vs having to bring stuff to brew it.
 
I might have to give this a try. Does the coffee actually taste like coffee? I have tried the Folgers instant coffee and it was borderline undrinkable. I really would like to find decent instant to bring out with me vs having to bring stuff to brew it.
Yes. The different roasts actually taste different too. It won't beat an Aeropress with fresh coffee bean but still pretty good
 
Next thing I’ll be trying for coffee is this stuff:

Trader Joe’s Instant Cold Brew

Wifey brought some home a couple weeks ago for making an afternoon pick-me-up, and it’s honestly not half bad. I’m going to try mixing it in with my protein powder/overnight oats concoction to see how it flies this spring.
 
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