Planning Food for Backpacking

Food you take needs to be:

Easy To Prepare - Meals that take a long time to cook or require many pots and pans are difficult to make in a back-country setting. Look for one dish/one pot meals you can make on a very small stove you’re sharing. Meals should not be multi course. “Instant” things are desirable. Things that you only have to add boiling water to are choice.

Cost Effective - Camping stores sell lots of dehydrated foods that are easy to carry, healthy and that taste good, however, these products can be very expensive. Your own assemblage of grocery store nuts, fruits, starches and candy will do just as well.

Nonperishable - When backpacking, you will not be able to keep food cold. A good rule of thumb is that if you keep it in the fridge at home, you probably shouldn’t bring it backpacking. Also, make it non-squishable; lots of stuff goes in your bag, and food often gets crushed, so it better be able to withstand it.

Healthy - Food is where you will be getting your energy to hike. You need the most "bang for your buck"; that is, if you’re going to pack the weight, it better be worth it.

A person should plan on packing at least 2500 calories for each day. Literally count your calories to be sure you have enough each day. Plan 1.5-2.5 pound for food each day.

Make meals ahead of time: I often make meals of dry foods ahead of time, label them, and so on the trail all I have to do is add hot water. For instance, I portion spaghetti, dried tomatoes, dried cheese, spices and protein powder into a bag, write Tuesday on it, and am set to go.

Critters: it is good to have a large plastic canister with a SCREW ON LID to store food in. Only opposable thumbs can open screw on lids easily, which is why its good to store food in there. Also bring rope so you can hang it, or rent a BEAR CAN if necessary. I originally used nalgenes before it was some cool thing to do because they are great for storing food in, in my opinion.

Iodine tablets: to disinfect water on the trail. They are cheap, available at camping stores, bring them!!

GO juice: it’s good to bring a source of easy calories. Normally I bring a plastic canister of kool aid to make up in my water bottles double strength. Having a sugar high can be a great thing in the eleventh mile after lots of vertical.

PB: I also bring a small thing of peanut butter. Why? Its calorie rich, high in protein, and I like it enough to just eat it straight. I often do not eat my peanut butter though, and use it as a last resort food.

Repackaging: - Remember if you pack it in, you’ll have to pack it out! It is a good idea to take food out of bulky wrappers and packaging and repackage it in zip lock bags. Laos, only take what you need. Maybe you don’t need a whole box of cereal, just enough for two breakfasts. Remove it from the pack, and put it in plastic baggies. Also remember, what you take in, you also must take out, in terms of extra food and garbage. Wax baggies are good because you can burn them for fuel after use, which also reduces your weight. We have not found ones that zipper, however.

Spices: definitely spice your meals before you leave. Spices are lightweight, and really enhance what you eat. Salt, pepper, garlic powder and pseudo butter crystals are precious on the trail. I also often bring a small amount of olive oil to add to pasta dishes.

Make GORP (Good Old Raisins and Peanuts): This is a traditional trail food for many hikers. To make this trail mix, gather together some of your favorite dried fruits, nuts, cereals or salty snacks. Pour all of the ingredients into one bowl and mix together. Put smaller amounts of the mixture in releasable plastic bags. Some suggestions for your trail mix: Raisins, peanuts, dried cranberries, dried bananas, cashews, almonds, sesame sticks, pretzels, yogurt covered raisins and peanuts, chocolate covered raisins or peanuts, M&Ms, chocolate chips, granola, other cereals...

Food ideas

bagels powdered milk instant soup
Granola hot cocoa easy mac
Powdered eggs brownie mix candy bars
cream cheese tea chocolate
Pita bread peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
Bagels with cheese tortillas & cheese oranges
pepperoni, salami carrots dried fruit
apples rice cakes dried meats
energy bars one dish pasta meals dried soups
granola potatoes hard crackers
couscous dehydrated veggies cookies
canned foods that are repackaged

Backpacking Nutrition

Many things you take for granted off the trail need to be thoughtfully planned for on the trail. These include whether you will have enough water, how to keep warm, what sort of shelter you will have and what you will eat. Today we are talking about what you will eat.

The Danger of Bonking
Although backpacking may feel just like walking even easy trails can be subtly strenuous. The goal is to plan and consume food so you avoid ‘bonking’. Bonking is a word that comes from running and refers to marathon runners who, after running 26 miles, don’t have enough energy to run through the finish line and who bounce off it and fall down instead, ultimately unable to finish the race. Bonking happens when your body consumed all of its glycogen, the form of energy stored in your muscles and liver. After your body has used up the energy it already made, it goes to work on your body, breaking down muscles and fat, which use more energy to even process. Bonking is associated with hysteria such as uncontrolled giggling, an unusually short temper, crying without cause or similar emotional responses, as well as denial that they have bonked. The chemicals in your body think you are starving, so they send out dopamine related ‘good feeling’ chemicals and adrenaline which will give a false feeling of energy. It is important to learn bhow you feel right before a bonk so you know when to stop, rest, and refuel.

Where bonking in a marathon may not be more than disappointing, as there are often sidewalks of fans to see a runner is down or ambulances nearby, bonking in the back country can be deadly. Unstable emotions and poor reasoning is detrimental in a small group situation where everyone needs to rely on eachother. Bonking as you walk along the edge of a cliff or scramble up loose rock or in another situation where awareness is critically related to your survival is very bad.

Once, I bonked in Death Valley as my friends and I were free climbing a rock face we had not anticipated to be as vertical as it turned out to be. Bonking feels like being five and wanting to go home, irrationally ignoring that in the back country, you must do things to get out of there. I finally got to a precarious three foot ledge, a hundred feet about the craggy valley floor and ten feet from my destination, looked down, and began to cry. Now, this was for no reason at all, but my body was so tired and I had underestimated my calorie consumption, so rather than finishing my climb, dangerously, I refused to move off of my clump overhanging loose rock. While this may seem funny, I could have fallen to my death with ease (backpacks tend to disrupt balance by making you feel top heavy). It took the leaders about twenty minutes of rationalizing how far we had to go to get me to move, and when I was ready someone had to come assist me. I slowed our group down enough to make us miss our water cache for the day, put my own life in danger, and put the lives of others in danger. I did not include this anecdote for my health, it’s for yours: at this point, I was a very experienced hiker, had hiked this area before, and was more fit than most of my group. Bonking must be taken seriously, can happen to the anyone, and can lead to death. Had I been alone, I may have just stayed there indefinitely. But being irrational in the back country is directly related to your nutrition, and your life partly relies on a sharp ability to reason.

How Not To Bonk Avoiding glycogen deficit is all in the planning. Planning food carefully off the trail and eating it on a schedule may possibly save your life- please never skip this step when going on a trip.

Backpacking is not the time to diet. In fact, it may feel like you are eating a bunch of junk, but I have never been on a trip that I didn’t accidentally lose weight on. I usually add about 1,000 calories per day to my normally 1500 calorie diet, and they are all in carbs.

Carbs: are your best friend. Despite the recent carb-less diet craze, the really crazy thing would be to backpack without carbs. Plan at least 50% of your diet in carbs, et them at every meal. And, you are going to want to aim for as much whole grain organic sprouted whatever type of grains that you can. White, processed flour is like junk food and not particularly valuable to long term energy. Try to bring starches of substance, such as dense, whole grain wheat bread sandwiches, oatmeal, easy to cook grains like quinoa or couscous, whole grain pasta (dried ravioli works out well because then you get the fatty filling too), whole grain crackers, cereals, etc. Let us go with a metaphor: if your nutrition is like building a house, carbs are the foundation.

Protein: Again with the house theme, carbs are like the 4by4s that you use to frame walls; it’s literally holding together. Protein takes the most energy for your body to process but also results in the most energy output, just longer after you have eaten it. If you need immediate energy, it is best to not rely on protein. It is helpful though, to eat some protein in the morning and then lots at night. Protein consumption also helps your muscles rebuild after your hard day’s hike, so eating it at night and then sleeping gives your body a chance to recover. Good types of protein are nuts, dried meats (also high in salt, which helps you retain water), cheeses, nuts, beans and nuts. Nuts are a great way to go for protein because they also provide other good fats and nutrients. Also, they are easy to eat on the go. In addition, I bring a source of protein I would like to teach more people to: dehydrated milk. It is light, mostly flavorless, and I add it to almost everything I make just for the protein. At home, sometimes I spike my dried milk ziplock with protein powder, so it is a super protein packed. When making mashed potatoes, pasta of any sort, oatmeal, hot cocoa, soup, tea, or anything with water really, I add my little protein milk. I find this really helps me and cuts the weight of carrying dried meats.
Protein bars are deceiving; it is good to eat them generally, they usually also have sugar, vitamins and carbs, but they should never replace meals or your protein. When eating them on the trail, know you may not feel their benefit for several hours.

Fats: are not your enemy. Although we are taught to hate and fear them, fats are a great source of energy on the trail. I do not even think about fat content when I plan except to welcome it. I often bring fatty foods like nuts, dried meats, chocolate, other sorts of candy, dry brownie mix, etc. If you hike hard enough, you can eat whatever you want. I read in Lance Armstrong’s book that he ate small cheesecakes on the go. Think of fats like the insulation of your house. You want to be consuming enough to keep your body from eating its own muscle.

Sugar: is the electricity in the house. If you need fast, accessible energy, go with sugar. I talked about go juice earlier, I bring that every time I go backpacking. I also always bring chocolate raisins and snickers (fat, sugar AND nuts, yessss). They also make honey packets and different types of carb goo, liquid high concentrate carb/sugar stuff. But candy, dried fruit, chocolate ________, sugary dried drinks, (sometimes I crave brownies so I bring brownie mix, hydrate and drink it), all will give you short term energy. The downside is, these sugar highs may only be an hour long, and the crash after can lead to bonking unless you have also eaten sufficient carbs and protein. I eat sugary/carby snacks as I go, but I never rely on them as my energy source. Sugar does help to get to the summit, increase pace, or quickly prevent a bonk.

Water: is everything else in the house: the hinges, the screws, the nails, the plumbing, the wiring, the paint, the lawn, the mailbox. Water is everything. Go juice should not replace drinking water, only supplement. I drink at least 3 nalgenes per day on most hikes, even if I am not thirsty. Water is important for your body to metabolize and process its food; having enough energy means drinking enough water. Two things are accessible to me while walking: nuts, candy or something to snack on in my hip belt pocket and my water via spout attached to a bladder in my bag. I have to stop to get my GO juice. Drink your water! It’ll clear your skin, too.

Alcohol: not generally recommended. It weighs a lot, needs to be repackaged, low nutrient content per ounce. Also, alcohol disrupts reasoning in the same way bonking does and worse, makes you think you are warmer than you actually are. That said, I always bring a flask. If I have a bonker, after refueling them, I give them about a shot to help them muster enough morale to make it to where we are going. I would ONLY do this in a group situation where the person who gets alcohol could be supervised.

Take away key points:

UCSC has subscriptions to Backpacker and to Outside, as well as many other relevant magazines. As a student, you can access these resources online or in person, and for free! Take advantage of it! Both magazines have relevant information on backpacking nutrition!