Backpacking Food

Backpacking Food – Dehydrated or not, the proper selection for your trek can make a difference in your enjoyment and success. Make sure the backpacking food you take is what you like to eat.

In the world of backpacking food, dehydrated is the lightest in weight (MREs work really well). To use this will require a water source (you either get to carry it or find it) somewhere along the trail. If you are going to be using water you find along the trail, then you will probably need to have some way of purifying the water. There are many good water purifiers on the market to choose from.

Re-supply points for more backpacking food will be needed for longer treks. If water is available along the way then the stops for more supplies can/will be farther apart. Make sure you can make it to the next stop. Do not overestimate your abilities on distance or weight you can carry. You will also need a real nifty Mess Kit to eat your backpacking food with.  (We know fingers came first, but would your mother approve?)  And for those old military types that still want a G.I. Style Mess Kit – here you go!

Take what you like to eat. There is nothing worse than taking along backpacking food that makes you gag when you try to eat it. There are many kinds and brands of flavorful backpacking food available. Try them out ahead of time to find out which ones you like. Don’t forget the sugar, salt, and pepper for flavoring when you are cooking.

You will also want your backpacking food to be high-energy. In our treks through the Rockies, we were eating 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day and still losing weight. The harder the trek, the more calories you will burn.

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