Care to Eat – Proper Food Pack-up during Backpacking

Care to Eat – Proper Food Pack-up during Backpacking
Copyright 2006 Niche Empire

Backpacking is a very tiring activity. Everyone who goes backpacking, at some point of the journey, would wish that at the end of a long and strenuous walk, he or she could afford a long rest with all the food he or she would wish to have.

Backpackers often imagine an overflowing buffet of their favorite meals waiting for them at the end of their trek. However, this is not how real-life backpacking works. A backpacker should bring his or her own food and keep it edible for days.

In this world, backpackers should and will always plan their meals for them to take it on their long journey. Since backpacking drains a lot of ones energy, a backpacker should pack meals that tastes good and is high on nutrition.

Backpackers’ meals should taste good enough because if it is not, they will not likely to be tempted to eat it anyway. Backpacking food must be a source of high morale for the backpacker.

A backpacker’s will to go on in the journey will be affected in varying degrees by the taste of the meal he or she eats. It should also be nutritious because a backpacker uses up a lot of the body’s energy. The food they bring should be able to replenish the energy lost on a day’s trek.

If you are a backpacker, how do you plan your meal? What should you consider?

As a backpacker, you will be gone for days or even weeks on your trek. Throughout the journey, you will be carrying all the food you need without the benefit of home amenities, like kitchenware and microwave oven.

Feeling harsh weather conditions is expected during your backpacking trip. You may also expect being stranded in the wild until the weather clears. There will be times when you are even too exhausted to cook your meals. Thus, the outdoor condition in your backpacking destination must affect your plan on packing food.

Here are factors that may affect your food:

•     If the weather turns foul, you will not be able to cook your food, much more to create fire. If you have cooking equipments, consider that it can also fail or run out of fuel. It is wise to have a plan B on your food.

Foods that do not need to be cooked and are nutritious and tasty will work great. Consider packing canned or dried food, crackers, and fruits. It is also important to be knowledgeable how to cook your meals by using natural resources found in the wilderness.

•     Since you will not be bringing your refrigerator with you, eat pre-cooked meals first, these types of food can easily spoil. Instant food can be very helpful if you run out of fuel for your portable cooking equipment.

•     If you are backpacking in high altitudes, consider that it takes water to boil much longer there than at sea level and harder to sustain fire.

•     Eat only what is in your plan. It is a fact that backpacking can make you very hungry, resulting in eating more than your food rations in your plan. It is important that you do not stray away from your plan. Besides, what did you make the food ration plan anyway?

Here are some examples of food that you should bring when backpacking:

•     Energy bar
•     Cheese
•     Bread
•     Pasta
•     Candy

These foods are great for snacks. Canned foods are also good but metals are heavy and like all trash, the emptied can should be carried back out.

One of the best food that you can carry are the civilian version of the military’s MRE or meals-ready-to-eat. These are called UHT-packaged, a water-activated chemical heater. This eliminates the need for a portable stove and fuel.

Always remember that before backpacking, always plan what food you will bringing and consider where you are going. Always have a plan B just in case the weather turns foul and follow your planned rations for each meal.