Favorite Backpacking Meals

[Runnin_Chupacabra]

Was looking up some budget meals to bring on a backpack hunt. One I liked was top ramen and beef jerky in the jetboil; topped off with some teriyaki after. Wondering everyone's favorite backpacking meals?!

 

[AggieHunter]

I have found that the small mac and cheese packets along with any brand of like bagged chicken are really good in a tortilla.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

A thing of summer sausage and a hunk of cheese. Candy. Fruit flavored drink mixes, Nuun and the like.

 

[Lasiocarpa]

-Knorr pasta sides with dried veggies, cheese, salami etc mixed in
-Dried fruit
-Homemade "Phat fudge"
-Logan bread

 

[MThuntr]

mac and cheese...just about any kind. I recently tried dehydrating cooked mini noodles with powdered cheese, milk, and butter....not too bad and cheap

 

[JohnCushman]

Spam singles and pop tarts

 

[wyoboypt]

Macadamia nut bread (0 carb). With jelly in it to make it go down easy. Jerky and I’m gonna try out that nuun stuff snowy mountaineer was talking bout. Maybe try out some modified Logan bread too

 

[DirtyDan]

Ramen noodles
Chicken or tuna pack
Doritos

Dehydrated Elk lasagna (ya gotta cut everything really small)

Instant potatoes
Bacon bits
Cheddar cheese

Knorr pasta sides
Teriyaki jerky

 

[kwyeewyk]

I like to go heavy and good with my food, since I know I'll have no problem eating it if I need to cut the weight. I like to precook stuff I can, not as light as freeze dried but so much better. For breakfast I make oatmeal raisin/chocolate/nut cookies, boiled eggs, precooked bacon/sausage links or patties (if not too worried about bears), precooked diced potatoes. Lots of cheese, nuts/trail mix, salami/summer sausage, jerky for lunch. Some tough made bagels hold up well in a pack, with cheese or peanut butter. For dinners other than freeze dried stuff, I precook burger for burritos, precook steak, meatloaf, cold pizza folded in half like a pizza pocket (can be breakfast, lunch or dinner), precut veggies for stir fry, take a bunch of fresh baby spinach and smash it down, eat raw or mix into soups, etc. I try to balance between freeze dried and fresh food depending on length of trip/need to cut weight.

 

[cahunter805]

Usually I like to switch up foods depending on the trip and days. Some staples that always come along are
Tuna packets
Trail mix
Jerky
Payday candy bar/ sour patch kids
Salami/cheese
Butthole sandwiches- Toasted bagel, peanut butter, honey and bacon. Vacuum sealed in packages.
Dinner is usually a Peak Refuel Meal

Nuun tablets are good. I’ve also been using Liquid IV packets and they seem to work very well.

 

[Bambistew]

Some of my go to on long hunts

Dehydrated taco meat, mixed with dehydrated refried beans, package appropriately for the amount of water. Drop in boiling water and let rehydrate. Top with some thin slices of cheddar, Taco Bell hot sauce on a tortilla
Dehydrated refried beans, fresh steak topped with fajita seasoning, cooked with a little bacon grease (put in a squeeze bottle) add in some some dehydrated oinions and peppers, rehydrate with the meat. all on a tortilla.
red beans/rice taco meat, or fresh meat, on a you guessed it...
instant potatoes with instant gravy - added bonus if you have fresh meat cooked in bacon grease

I package up single serve smoked salmon with some sort of cheese together, same with snack sticks/cheese
Snickers
protein bars various
sesame stack sticks with other crap mixed in for some crunch, they are very trail stable
usually take a small jar of PB, or put in a squeeze bag mix with honey
protein powder/flax seed/powdered milk/Via coffee - mix with water, fast easy breakfast
various dehydrated meals for dinner
a raman pack or 3
dehydrated vegetable chips add to all sorts of meals
pre-cooked bacon
jerkey/salami/hard cheese

I eat about 50/50 dehydrated vs prepared meals on trips now. The freeze dried are convenient, but I find I can make my own, with similar calorie value, and weight more or less the same, plus they are super cheap. I used to burn through about $300 worth of dehydrated meals a year. I can make 10 days worth for about 20% of freeze dried.

Now I'm hungry.

 

[wyoboypt]

I like to go heavy and good with my food, since I know I'll have no problem eating it if I need to cut the weight. I like to precook stuff I can, not as light as freeze dried but so much better. For breakfast I make oatmeal raisin/chocolate/nut cookies, boiled eggs, precooked bacon/sausage links or patties (if not too worried about bears), precooked diced potatoes. Lots of cheese, nuts/trail mix, salami/summer sausage, jerky for lunch. Some tough made bagels hold up well in a pack, with cheese or peanut butter. For dinners other than freeze dried stuff, I precook burger for burritos, precook steak, meatloaf, cold pizza folded in half like a pizza pocket (can be breakfast, lunch or dinner), precut veggies for stir fry, take a bunch of fresh baby spinach and smash it down, eat raw or mix into soups, etc. I try to balance between freeze dried and fresh food depending on length of trip/need to cut weight.

So how many days does your precooked meatloaf, steak, burgers, and burritos stay good on a backpack trip?

 

[kwyeewyk]

So how many days does your precooked meatloaf, steak, burgers, and burritos stay good on a backpack trip?

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, obviously have to account for weather, if it's plenty cool out then it lasts for several days like in the fridge, it it's warmer out, would revert more to stuff that won't spoil, and also freezing the precooked stuff if it's really warm.

 

[NVDesertHunter]

-Mac and cheese is always my 1st night dinner
-ID potatoes packet w/ bacon bits & dried mushrooms are good
-instant rice with canned chicken/tuna packets are cheap

 

[PNWGator]

Couple good ones:

andrewskurka.com/tag/backpacking-meal-recipes/

 

[azelkhntr]

Bacon n eggs w whatever. Minute oats w dried fruit & honey. Wild mushrooms. Trout. Cant go wrong w canned chili and fritos. Hard cheese's & cured sausages. The occasional grouse or hare you come across. Mtn House. Canned olives. Sardines. Mixed nuts. You can eat very well without much bother or expense.

 

[Pucky Freak]

ID potatoes, stovetop stuffing mix, bagged chicken, French fried onions and bbq sauce packets. Dried apple slices and dried cranberries on the side. Backpacking thanksgiving feast

 

[Frazier]

I can absolutely crush some mountain house biscuits and gravy

 

[wyoboypt]

Bacon n eggs w whatever. Minute oats w dried fruit & honey. Wild mushrooms. Trout. Cant go wrong w canned chili and fritos. Hard cheese's & cured sausages. The occasional grouse or hare you come across. Mtn House. Canned olives. Sardines. Mixed nuts. You can eat very well without much bother or expense.

You pack those cans out?

 

[azelkhntr]

You pack those cans out?

Nope. I hang them up in trees for decorations.