Hiking, Backpacking and Camping Food Ideas
Variety and Planning for Emergencies are Key to Succesful Meals
Jan 8, 2009
A mix of ready-to-eat, fresh, tinned and frozen food will enliven any camping trip.
Trail Mix, Jerky and Other Snacks
The staple of hikers and backpackers, these ready-to-eat snacks (including biscuits and cereal bars) can be satisfying meals.
Even campers counting on the luxury of cooking with a fire can be disappointed by rain, stove malfunction or simple delays in getting to the camp site. Stomach-filling snacks can mean the difference between a minor inconvenience and a ruined holiday.
Home-made trail mix can be made by mixing packets of store-bought nuts and dried fruit (raisins, dates, jelly beans).
Tinned Food
Not being special "camp food", tinned food is cheap and can be found in wondrous variety in the local supermarket. Peas, mushrooms, corned beef, fruits, ham, tuna, sausages, beans, chili, spaghetti, soup - almost any kind of food can be found in tins.
Tinned food can be eaten cold in an emergency.
Frozen Food
Frozen food can be packed with ice and stored in beer coolers. Safe-handling details on the USDA web page below.
Ultralight and Emergency Food
For unexpected multi-day delays, snow storms or emergencies such as getting lost, high-calorie snacks are life-savers. High-calorie food also makes good meals for ultralight hiking.
Some ultralight backpackers swear by peanut butter eaten straight out of the bottle, using it as their main source of food for days at a time. Peanut butter is filling but should be eaten slowly as it can be hard to digest. Bread or crackers will help but aren't strictly necessary. Some brands of peanut butter come packaged in light, unbreakable, soft plastic bottles and don't need to be repackaged; even by the most extreme ultralight backpackers.
Chocolate and cheese (hard cheese doesn't need refrigeration) are fun and energy-packed alternatives to peanut butter.
Eggs and Fruits and Vegetables
Constipation can put a dent in the festivities. Fruits and vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, green peppers, broccoli, cauliflower) are a good source of fiber (as is trail mix).
Eggs, fruits and vegetables need careful packing to avoid damage. But they don't need cold storage and add needed variety to meals. A little fresh ginger, garlic and onions goes a long way.
Spices and Condiments
Basics such as salt, pepper and tomato sauce should not be forgotten.
Drinks
Juice boxes and packeted milk are refreshing. For locations where drinking water needs to be carried in anyway, the packaging doesn't add much weight. A few boxes can be held in reserve for emergencies. In an emergency it is possible to survive for weeks without food, but only days without water. It is better to carry more water and less food.
If hot water is available powdered soup, milk, cocoa and 3-in-1 instant coffee is light and easily carried.
Sanitation
Stomach trouble will ruin the best trips. Basic hygiene isn't difficult and will ward off trouble.
Hand-wipes or a squeeze-bottle of rubbing alcohol from the pharmacy is convenient and effective for cleaning hands before eating. They can also be used for a full body rub down instead of showering.
Enjoying Camp Food
This may not sound adventurous, but the ingredients and recipes for camp cooking don't have to be very different from cooking in a kitchen at home.
A trip to the local supermarket will reveal a cornucopia of delicious camp-ready food. There is little that can't be easily carried and enjoyed on camping trips, as long as someone remembers to bring a can opener.
Resources
- Best Emergency Survival Kit
- Food Safety While Hiking, Camping & Boating. US Department of Agriculture.
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