FOOD!!!!!!

[trophy_killer]

I'm just curious what kind of food you folks take with you when you go backpack hunting. What should I look for when purchasing food so that I won't drop a lot of weight when I go into the bush?? I have read lots of places that the ideal goal is to lose as little weight as possible but I think that would be hard to do because you have to be careful about how much everything weighs. Anyways what do you take?? And how do you feel about a freeze dried meal or two for when you are in the back country for a week?? Sometimes it would be good to have a filling meal when you haven't been eating great.

 

[Oak]

I usually take a couple of freeze dried meals, several ramens, and a couple lipton noodles. Lots of jerky, dried fruit, etc. Usually a couple of candy bars, granola bars, etc.

Oak

 

[2fastnaz]

Jerky, cornnuts and dried fruit are my staples when I'm out hiking. If I'm gonna be out more than 3 days I'll take a can or two of chili.

 

[trophy_killer]

Thanks guys, you are thinking along the same lines as me with the jerky, dried fruit and the ramen noodles. I just can't think of anything else to munch on while I'm out there.

 

[KC]

TK:

The foundation of your backpack food should start with the following standard items, every day.

Freeze dried entre, Mountain House (each person eats an entre designed for two people)

Instant cocoa - in individual packets

Intsant oatmeal (fruit & cream)- in individual packets

Cup-O-Noodles

Tortillas

Nonperishable finger foods; granola bars, candy bars, jerky, sandwich crackers, etc.

There's an endless list of other things you can take but start with these.

KC

 

[DM423]

Lets see- backpack hunting, have ammo, SHOOT SOMETHING TO SUPPLEMENT whats in the pack.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

I like to add bits of the jerky to the ramen or cup of soup. Raisins and peanuts are staples for me, too. Good ol' pilot biscuits and freeze-dried cheese whiz.

 

[HUNT2MUCH]

I have done the homemade meal thing for years, but I now use mostly freeze dried meals , Mountain house are my favorites, and you can make them stretch alot farther by adding a cup of rice to the dinners, I take the above mentioned snacks, homemade granola, or bars, candy bars and MOON PIES and lemonade mix to break the monotony of water, and instant pudding for trail shakes(use powdered milk and water) cajun rice mix with canned chicken added is one of my favorite and eat it on a tortilla, take a small plastic bottle of hot sauce and some dried cheese to spice things up!! If you do the homemade route take everything out of it's original wrappers and take only the needed amount, place all your food in ziplock FREEZER bags, and mark them with a marker as to what they are and which meal it is along with prep instructions, you don't have to suffer while b/p ing go for it!!

 

[pipedreams]

ramen, pop-tarts, jerky. sometimes, for variety i'll take jerky, pop-tarts, and ramen!

 

[trophy_killer]

Thanks for all the help you guys are giving me!!

Todd, you are a comedian, you must have learned from me!!

 

[BlackTimber]

I pretty much take what KC takes.
I like Cashews too. They are a little heavier but they are high in protein, fat and calories. They are all good when expending lots of energy. Also munched potato ships in a ziplock.

 

[JoseCuervo]

It is always nice to have some food that does not require the stove and water to prepare. Some nights it just ain't worth it. And sometimes the weather makes cookin' a bitch. And sometimes you just don't want to filter ANY more water.

Question for the Ramen fans. Does that stuff do any good? I always thought the sodium in it made me so damn thirsty, but all I was able to do was flush the sodium, and still feel dehydrated. And I never figured out what fuel that stuff gave me.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

The salt actually helps you retain moisture - were you in the military when they gave you salt tablets to help you avoid heat stroke/exhaustion? The noodles are carbs for energy. They are actually better for a breakfast or lunch than a dinner, in my opinion. I take the beef variety and add dried onions and bits of jerky. It works, but I don't live on it back there - it's just one more option for a meal.

 

[Oak]

I usually have ramen for breakfast. It's hot, and it's food, so it's kinda like my breakfast and coffee in one. I never count on it for an evening meal when backpacking. They have low sodium varieties.

Oak

 

[jig maker]

Oat meal, Powder milk, macaroni & cheese, summer sauage, lemon aid, small cans of fruit,jiffy pop for night around camp fire I've stayed out for two weeks on just this I hate freeze dried

 

[Delw]

backpacking where there is water and fish(washington ,colorado) ....

I take
2 boxs vanilla wafers
lots poptarts
lots of cookies
few candy bars
butter
ritz crackers

Nice thing about co and washington is you can backpack and take little to no food, fish are plentiful and and the grouse are all over


Delw

 

[T Bone]

for short 2-4 dayers I like MRE's and Clif bars.

For longer stints I swear by Mountain House freeze dried.

T Bone

 

[ELKCHSR]

Homemade jerkey, homemade fruit role ups, crackers, a block of cheese, cashews. Maybe some thing to add as a base for soup...

This fills the guts and gives you what you need to keep going, especially the cashews..

Then I pick up other things on the go...