The Complete Guide To Hiking Food And Meal Planning
Before going on a hike you need to organize everything, including gear, clothing, and food. Planning your meals is essential so you don’t run out while on the trail.
Before going on my longest backpacking trips, I had to do a lot of research about meal planning for hiking. I was later able to see how well my plans worked, and how happy my companions and I were about the food. I’ve compiled the information I learned into this post.
In this post, we’ll discuss meal planning for a hiking trip, including what to eat in different meals, what ingredients to bring with you, and how to meal plan for a hike.
What to eat on a day hike?
if you’re going hiking for a day, there are many options for meals you can bring with you. I’ll mainly suggest snacks you can eat on the trail, but you can also bring different fresh foods if you’re only or for a few hours.
These foods will also work well as lunch or for snacks on a backpacking trip, where your big meals are usually breakfast and dinner.
Here is a list of meals and snacks ideas for a day hike:
- Energy bars or granola bars
- Dried fruit
- Nuts and seeds
- Jerky or other dried meats and sausages
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Cheeses
- Sandwiches (such as peanut butter and jelly)
- Fruit cups or applesauce cups
- Energy gels or chews
- Trail mix (a combination of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and some sweets)
Breakfast ideas for backpacking
If you’re planning a backpacking trip, your main opportunities to have big meals are breakfast and dinner. Your breakfast should be big and filling, and keep you energized for the entire day.
Here are a few examples of foods that you can plan for breakfast on a backpacking trip:
- Instant oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts
- Peanut butter on whole-grain bread or wraps
- Whole grain crackers with cheese, tahini, or hummus
- Instant hot cereal with powdered milk or coconut milk
- Dehydrated or freeze-dried breakfast burrito with eggs, cheese, and vegetables
Dinner ideas for backpacking
Just like breakfast, your dinner should be big and filling, so you feel full and energized in the evening, and for the next day. There are a lot of options on what to make for dinner, so you can plan ahead and make different meals for every day, or keep it simple.
Here is a list of dinner ideas for your next backpacking trip:
- Pasta with a simple tomato sauce, tuna, and vegetables
- Rice and beans
- Omelette made with powdered eggs, vegetables, and cheese
- Grilled cheese sandwiches made over a fire
- Quesadillas with vegetables and cheese, cooked over a fire
- Foil packet dinners with vegetables, protein (such as chicken or fish), and seasonings
- Chili made with canned beans and vegetables
- Vegetable and tofu curry
- Vegetable and tofu stir fry
- Whole wheat or quinoa pasta with a simple marinara sauce and vegetables
How to choose foods for a hike
Not all foods are good to take on a hike. There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing foods for outdoor meals.
- It’s important to foods you take on a hike can be left outside. Some foods need refrigeration, and some can be left outside for some period of time. If you going on a day trip this might not be a major consideration, because most foods can be left outside for a few hours without spoiling. But for multi-day backpacking trips, it’s important that the ingredients you bring with you can actually be left outside.
- Calorie density. With higher calorie-dense foods, you basically get more energy for the same weight. Weight is a major consideration, especially when backpacking, so calorie-dense foods are considered more efficient than the alternative.
Many foods that are calorie dense require being cooked in water. The fact that they’re dehydrated means they carry the same amount of calories, without the water weight. You mainly cook these kinds of foods for breakfast and dinner, at your campsite, where you typically have access to clean water. - Healthy. Having access to real, healthy food will make you feel much better while on the trail. You can bring some vegetables with you, and a variety of foods to create healthy meals for yourself.
- Volume. Some foods take up a lot of space, even if they don’t weigh much. You have limited space in your backpack when hiking, so you don’t have a lot to spare for these kinds of foods. If you have too much of some specific food, you can repackage it and bring exactly how much you need, based on the duration of your trip.
- Cost. There are different foods that are marketed specifically for outdoor cooking, which typically also come at a high price point. They typically taste decent, and you can cook them really quickly with minimal cleanup, but they do cost quite a bit more than basic ingredients. You can decide how much you want to spend, and how much you value convenience, to decide how much you’re willing to spend on food for hiking.
- Variety. You’d be surprised how quickly you get tired of a meal if you eat it every single day. Having a variety of different foods is more fun and dynamic. Prepare different options in advance, so you can decide what you want to eat every day.
Best ingredients for a hiking trip
You can make a variety of different meals while backpacking if you know what ingredients to bring with you for the trip. Foods vary in their properties, like how long they can be left outside and how calorically dense they are.
In the list below are good ingredients to bring for meals for your next hiking trip:
- Nuts and seeds (such as almonds, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds)
- Dried fruit (such as raisins, apricots, or mangoes)
- Jerky or other dried meats and sausages
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Cheeses
- Peanut butter or other kinds of nut butter
- Whole grain bread or wraps
- Canned vegetables (such as tomatoes or corn)
- Canned tuna or salmon
- Canned beans or chickpeas
- Canned fruit
- Whole grain crackers
- Instant oatmeal or hot cereal
- Powdered milk or coconut milk
- Powdered eggs
- Powdered cheese
- Powdered broth or bouillon
- Instant soup or stew mixes
How to meal plan for a backpacking
Having a rough plan on what you’re going to eat on every meal can really help you with what to bring for the trip. You don’t have to strictly stick to the plan, and you can mix and match to make any meals you want, or follow the plan exactly.
Knowing the different parts of the trip does help because you can plan accordingly. For example, if one of the days is harder than the rest, and you’re planning the set-up camp later, you might want to bring something faster and easier to make for dinner, like a dehydrated meal, specifically for that day. Consider how much time you’ll have for cooking and whether you’ll have access to water.
I suggest always having at least one quick meal you can make fast, for the days when you’re just too tired.
If you have ingredients that spoil faster than others, like fresh vegetables, cheeses, and eggs, plan to eat them earlier in the trip.
To plan your food for the trip, consider the different days and what you’re going to eat on every meal, and between meals. Make a plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and for snacks in between. If you like to eat more often, you can add meals as you’d like.
You can make a table of the different days and the different meals as your plan. I don’t like having a strict plan, so I just have a list of all possible breakfasts, lunches, and dinners I can make, and I plan them based on the trip duration.
How much food to take backpacking?
As a general rule, you need to bring food to provide between 2000 and 3000 calories per day. The amount of food you need for the trip depends on many factors, including how much you generally eat, how intense the activity is, and your physical condition.
On the trip, you’ll need more food than you’re used to, to keep your energy levels. It’s a good idea to bring a little extra food, so you have enough even if the trip runs a bit longer or more intense than you planned.
You should generally aim to keep the weight of your food to no more than 1-2 lbs per day, so you don’t overload your pack. You do need to keep in mind that the weight of your food adds up as you increase the duration of the trip, so a 7-day backpacking trip requires more food than a 3-day trip. On longer trips, you must bring compact, lightweight foods whenever possible.
If you’re planning a long trip, you can also plan to resupply your food along the way. It’s not always possible, but if your trip goes somewhere where you can get fresh goods, it’ll help lighten your load and ensure you have everything you need.
How to store food while hiking
When you bring food with you outdoors, you what to properly store it, so it doesn’t dirty your backpack or attract animals.
The best way to keep your food safe and organized is by using an airtight container. These keep your food from being squished and dirtying your bag and keep it contained in hard plastic.
A less ideal option is to use plastic bags to cover your food. They don’t protect the food from being squished and can’t hold smells as well, but they keep food from spilling in your bag. You can use sealable plastic bags that are a bit better, though.
Sometimes packaged food is too much for a short trip, so you can repackage it and bring exactly want you need. This way, you’ll avoid carrying unnecessary weight.
Make sure your food is always stored, especially when unattended. Wildlife can attract to the smells, and in some cases be dangerous to travelers. Keep food well contained in your bag.
If you have scraps, plastic wraps, or anything left from your food, make sure you’re not leaving anything behind. Leaving no trace is really important for keeping nature in the same state, so we can all keep enjoying it.
Tips for meal planning for backpacking
- Make a list: Before you start packing, make a list of all the foods you want to bring on your hike. This way you can be sure that you’ve remembered everything you need, and that you don’t forget any important items.
- Pack a variety of foods: It’s important to have a variety of foods in your pack so you don’t get tired of eating the same thing and to provide all the nutrients you need. Make sure you have a good mix of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats. You can also bring fresh fruits and vegetables for the beginning of the trip, but eat them before they spoil.
- Plan ahead: Think about what you’ll be doing on your hike and how long you’ll be on the trail, and plan your meals accordingly. If you’ll be hiking for a long time, you’ll need bigger meals and more frequent snacks. If you’ll be doing shorter hikes, you can get by with lighter meals and fewer snacks.
- Avoid foods that are messy or prone to spoilage: Foods that are messy or prone to spoilage can be a hassle to pack and eat on the trail. These include meats, dairy products, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Foods that are messy or prone to spilling, such as soups or sauces, can be difficult to eat while on the move.
Conclusions
In this post, we’ve discussed meal planning for backpacking and suggested different ideas for foods you can make outdoors. If you’re proficient in the kitchen, you’ll have no problems making delicious meals, if you bring the right ingredients with you.
Outdoor foods always taste better, but it’s mainly because you’re hungrier. Plan ahead and make sure you have everything you need, bring a little extra, and enjoy the trip.
