A Backpacker's Guide to Making Every Ounce Count: Tips and Tricks for Every Hike by Steven Lowe

Author:Steven Lowe
Format: epub
Publisher: Perseus Books, LLC
Published: 2015-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

FOOD BAG AND OTHER KITS

Watch one hour of your favorite television show. How many commercials were about some sort of food? How many were for snacks, prepackaged meals, or restaurants? What about some sort of drink like an energy drink or even coffee? A lot of our culture is food-based because we spend quite a bit of time eating. The trail is no different.

Another big area where you can pile on the weight is with your food. Since we love to eat, and since you need quite a few calories each day to give you the energy to tackle a big trip, you need to take along a lot of food. The food needs to, and can, be light.

Now I am not going to get into a long drawn-out chapter here, so for detailed nutritional facts, talk to your doctor on your specific needs while planning a backpacking trip so you can avoid having an energy crash and potentially placing you and others in your group in danger.

The fact is, on the trail you need calories because they convert to energy. You need some complex and simple carbs and fat and protein and sugar.

Here is a quick little guide for the types of food you can take, but don’t let this list be the end of your research. Do an Internet search for “backpacking nutrition,” and get ready for a lot of data to consider.

For the quick little three-nighters, you may not need to put a lot of thought into planning your food, but on the month-long treks, I highly recommend it. Check with your doctor for more details on what you may need.

Fats/Protein

Beef jerky – My buddy Josh took along some home-made jerky on one of our trips, and it really tasted good. Since it gave us the right type of nutrition that we needed, it was a bonus. Store-bought jerky will work as well, but don’t buy the jerky weeks before your trip, as it may go bad. I bought some and put it in my gear closet for a trip, the trip got canceled, and when I found it, I had a bag filled with green fur-looking stuff.

Anything fatty or with protein is good. You can take some summer sausage or pepperoni, or even some of the dehydrated eggs for breakfast will be good. A lot of the dehydrated meals I take are loaded with protein, so check out the meals as well.

Trail mix – A great source of healthy fat, but don’t eat too much of it. One source of research I found stated that nuts, which are high in omega-6, can cause constipation, which might actually not be a bad thing on a trip. Mix in some dried fruit and dark chocolate. My trail mix consists of the basic GORP: Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts. I also add some almonds. I have a bag of dried banana chips in my pack as well.

Hard cheese – If the weather is cooler, take some hard block cheese.

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