In this article, I will tell you what food to take with you on a hike, namely, how to make the most optimal food layout. Creating a grocery layout is one of the most important elements of preparing for any hiking trip. If the hike is one-day, then you don’t have to worry about food; you can easily get by with sandwiches.
But if the outing is longer, say, 3-4 days, then you should think about how to properly create a grocery list. So that the weight is low and the diet is varied and nutritious.
So, what food should you take with you on a hike?
Layout weight
In my opinion, the most optimal weight products per person - 700-800 grams per person per day. Many survivalists set themselves a much lower weight, but here I will not focus on how you can get by on a hike without food at all. I want to talk about a layout that will not be very filling, but not very hungry either.
That is, if you go hiking for 3 days, then you will need a little more than 2 kg of food per person. Calculating the weight of the layout is very simple - you take the total weight of the products, divide by the number of “man-days” and see how many grams you get.
Features of the trek participants
Another important point What needs to be taken into account is to take into account the characteristics of the participants in the hike. Some participants may be vegetarians, some do not eat certain types of foods, others have allergies. Of course, for the sake of one participant, it can be quite difficult to redo the entire layout, but this must be done so as not to complicate the already difficult psychological situation during a difficult hike.
Diet variety
In order not to eat the same food every day, which really gets boring, the layout should be varied. Today we ate one thing, tomorrow we ate something else, believe me, it’s much more interesting and tastier. It is very important not to forget all sorts of little things, such as salt, various “nice things” for dinner, coffee for breakfast, spices. This will add great variety to your layout and keep your team happy. Otherwise, it will turn out that on the third day of the hike you will not get any pleasure from food, so do not forget about the variety of your diet.
Basic product layout
I would like to offer you my own version of the layout, which you can take note of or use as a basic one. It is designed for 10 participants on a 4-day trek. As you can see, the weight of the products is 687 grams per person per day or 2 kg 470 grams for all 4 days for each person. The menu is varied and new every day. There is breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Here is a list of foods that are consumed daily. This includes sugar, salt, tea, coffee, mayonnaise, all kinds of sweets and spices.
Complete list of products for the trip
Here is a complete list of products that you need to take with you on a hike. This is just my basic set (weight is indicated in grams), if you wish, you can remove something or add something of your own. I completely removed canned goods from this layout and replaced them with freeze-dried meat. As a result, the weight of the layout became less, and it was cheaper in terms of money. But you can still take canned food, both fish and meat. Each participant can add something of their own to this basic set of products and take with them what they like.
Well, that's basically all I wanted to say. After the products have been purchased, they should be distributed among the participants and placed in backpacks. It would be nice if one of the participants in the hike played the role of a supply manager and controlled food consumption. I wish you all a successful trip, if you have your own thoughts about the grocery layout, leave your suggestions in the comments.
You can also watch an online video on the topic “Food on a hike - what to take with you on a hike”; experienced tourists will show you how to create a grocery layout and you will find out what other products you can take with you on a hike.
The main essence of tourism is to get more, go further away and eat everything there.
But, as they say, there is some truth in every thing. AND food on a hike is really responsible for a significant part of the positive emotions for which tourists go to distant places. But a normal hike is not going on a picnic outside the city - this is a serious event in which it is very easy to screw up. And it’s especially easy to do this with supplies and products.
Probably every tourist has had a story in their life when either the food spoiled or ran out too quickly, or something went wrong during the preparation stage, but as a result they had to tighten their belts more. And every tourist probably has his own trick that allows him to avoid similar situations in the future. And we’ll talk about some of these methods today.
How to make something out of nothing
Any tourist knows that his main enemy is the weight of his backpack. Therefore, the composition of products is carefully calculated and limited. And first of all this. Fortunately, there are options that allow you to slightly diversify your camping menu. If, for example, you had canned fish, then you need to put a little semolina in the jar from under it. In 6 hours it will be able to absorb the fishy smell and easily pass for “caviar”, which can then be spread on bread - just right for food on a hike. If you have instant noodles (and you most likely will), then you need to chop them, add 2 chopped cloves of garlic and a third of a pack of mayonnaise, and then leave them to “infuse” overnight. The result will be something that is very reminiscent of processed cheese, but spicy.
How to make bread
Carrying loaves of bread with you on a hike is not too much good idea. They take up a lot of space and become victims of mold fungi. Therefore, it is better to make bread right on the spot. Some people tried making dough from ground and soaked vermicelli - in principle, the result is edible, but it’s not the best food on a hike. It is much easier to take flour with you and start making bread at a rest stop.
The option is as follows: flour, yeast and water are mixed in a pot (or mug). 200 grams of dough, a teaspoon of yeast (contents of the sachet, add to dry flour) and 100 grams of water. It should have a slightly viscous consistency. The dough will be as simple as possible, but no less tasty. Next, take a thick stick, plan it at one end (until smooth) and begin to wind the dough onto it. Some people advise wrapping the stick in foil - that's also an option. the main problem- make the layer not too thick - otherwise the inside will turn out damp, while the outside will already burn. But this requires a little experimentation. After that, we simply fry the dough over a fire, like a shish kebab on a skewer, turning it over periodically. As for food on a hike, the method is excellent, since the volume of flour is many times less than the volume of bread obtained from it.
How to speed up saturation
The human body always strives to eat enough for future use, so the feeling of fullness appears only some time after the required amount of food has been consumed. But there are also ways to speed up this offensive. The first option is to increase the amount you consume food on a hike. That is, we make the porridge and soup more liquid, and add some kind of improvised side dish to the meat and other things. The stomach begins to mechanically stretch from this, and the receptors send a signal that “that’s enough.” You can also dilute a little cereal in the soup - this will make it thicker and more nutritious, which will also affect the rate of saturation. The second way is to add fat (oil) to food, as it helps you feel full faster.
How to make scrambled eggs
In general, taking eggs on a hike is not a very good idea. This product is too fragile. But if you decide to show off, then why not. Just don’t forget to lubricate the shell with wax - this will extend the shelf life three times. But there is another problem - what to do with them later? The only logical option is to cook, since few people take frying pans with them on a hike. Excess weight same. But, as it turns out, you can fry eggs. For this we need foil (it weighs little, we always take it on hikes) and a small spear (any thick forked branch). We wrap the forked part with several (3-4) layers of foil and make a small depression in it so that the whole structure resembles a spoon. Pour the broken egg into the recess, hold it by the long handle and calmly fry it over the fire.
Sweet
Sweets contain easily digestible carbohydrates, which are very useful for tourists. Another thing is that it’s impossible to take all kinds of cakes with you somewhere, and condensed milk with toffee gets boring very quickly. Therefore, we came up with the following recipe: take 200 grams of toffees, 150 grams of condensed milk and 100 grams butter. Heat all this until melted, cool slightly, mix and pour onto a pack of corn sticks. The result is a light and tasty thing that can be easily packed anywhere, can be stored perfectly even in the heat and, in general, is an excellent option for food on a hike.
When preparing for his first trip, a tourist rightly asks the question: “what food to take on a hike?” Food on a hike, for obvious reasons, is one of the main points and should be given due attention. Organizing meals on a camping trip involves properly planning and preparing a food list in advance. In this way, the tourist tries to optimize his weight, that is, take only what he needs on a hike, so that he doesn’t have to roll potatoes down the mountain, throw away spoiled food, and carry half a backpack of glass containers home.
If, when you mention the phrase “food while camping,” Bear Grylls appears before your eyes, devouring alive everything that moves, then relax :) Tourist food is basically no different from what you eat at home. Just when planning your diet, it’s worth considering small features. It's simple, let's figure it out.
Meals on a hike, as at home, will consist of breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus small snacks (the body consumes a lot of calories during physical activity and we will replenish them in appropriate quantities).
Breakfast. In the morning, tourists usually prepare various porridges with canned food or muesli. The main thing is that breakfast is nutritious and high in calories. It's the most important meal of the day, and there's always a challenging road ahead. It’s not for nothing that they say: “Eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with a friend, and give dinner to your enemy.” It’s a little different during the hike, but still. Don't forget about tea or coffee with sweets (glucose). Often for breakfast they eat leftover food from yesterday's dinner.
Dinner. As a rule, lack of time forces most tourists to refuse a full lunch. I mean, cooking for lunch is too time consuming. Therefore, sandwiches, sausage, cheese, canned food and other ready-to-eat products are used.
Dinner. An evening meal is most often a feast, because you really want to relax after a hard day and unwind your soul. You can prepare various soups, cook cereals or pasta, etc.
Snacks. During short stops, eat candied fruits, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, cornbread, chocolate, etc. The goal is to refuel the body with energy.
Remember to drink plenty of fluids during your hike. This is very important for proper operation joints and the entire body as a whole.
List of products for the trip
You can eat whatever you want on a hike, just like at home. But usually tourists prefer a simple and nutritious menu. You will still make a food list according to your taste, I will just give you direction.
- cereals (buckwheat, rice, oat flakes)
- pasta
- canned food (stew, fish, pates)
- sausage (raw smoked)
- lard (salted)
- potatoes (only for soup)
- onion garlic
- salt, spices
- Tea coffee
- sweets
- nuts, seeds, dried fruits, candied fruits, kozinaki, etc.
- ready-made meals from home such as cutlets, chops, etc. (only for the first day of the trip)
Pre-pack various nuts, seeds and dried fruits into bags. During short stops, you can quickly refill your body with the necessary energy.
What is not advisable to take? These are actually the little features that I talked about above. Take them into account when planning the diet of tourists. No need to take on a hike:
- perishable foods (dairy products, eggs, boiled sausage, prepared salads, raw meat and fish). All of this can be taken to eat on the first day.
- heavy products. For example, potatoes for boiling or frying. Its weight is simply unjustified; take potatoes only for soup. It is also not advisable to take food in heavy containers with you. Glass jars and bottles are best left at home.
- alcohol (in large quantities). Do not forget, .
How to plan tourist meals
Now let's talk about the actual proper planning food for the hike. Discuss everything with group members. Product layout will depend on factors such as availability settlements and, accordingly, shops along the route, vegetarians in the group, people’s tastes and, of course, the size of the group.
First you must analyze the upcoming trip. Let's say the duration is 4 days and 3 nights, there are 4 people in the group. Serious cooking on a hike is usually done only for breakfast and dinner. On the first day, the hike begins, for example, in the middle of the day (there will be no breakfast), and on the last day we go home by dinner. It turns out: 1 day - 1 preparation; Day 2 - 2; 3 day - 2; Day 4 - 1. In total, we did 6 full meal preparations, plus lunches and snacks from ready-to-eat foods. Let's prepare soup 2 times out of 6 times, pasta 1 time and porridge 3 times.
Now you just need to package it necessary products. We are all different people, and we use different quantities food, so you yourself must determine the amount of provisions for the trip. Do not take cereal with you in packs unless you need it. For example, we cooked half a standard 300 gram mug of buckwheat or rice for two people and added stew or something like that to it. Measure out the required amount at home. Using a similar principle, calculate ready-made food for lunches and snacks. Before the hike, distribute food among group members.
And if you are planning, then you shouldn’t have any difficulties at the preparation stage, because you approximately know the level of your gluttony and are now familiar with the basics of organizing a tourist’s meals.
P.S. Burning tin cans on fire is a bad idea. Do not forget that tourists should leave only trampled grass behind in the parking lot.
I for a long time During the hikes, I wrote a food layout for the entire hike and all participants.
What products to take with you
- Cereals (buckwheat, rice, freeze-dried mashed potatoes - now they sell even more or less tasty ones, millet, oatmeal porridge)
- Meat/fish: canned fish and stew, smoked sausage, sujuk, freeze-dried meat, dried meat.
- Butter (necessarily ghee!!! regular butter won’t stand it)
- Lots of different seasonings - so that the same buckwheat is different and tasty every day!
- A wide variety of dried fruits - for breakfast cereals, for snacks
- Hard cheese like Altai - lives well without any refrigerators for about 3 weeks
- Nuts can also be added to porridge and nutritious snacks
- Fry slices of black bread in butter with garlic, and simply dry breadcrumbs for white bread.
- Lemons for tea and as a snack for alcohol.
- Chocolate
- Tea, coffee, sugar, salt
- Dry soups in bags - you can also cook cereals on their basis, or cook them as separate soups, adding potato sublimate, a lot of seasonings, lemon juice, garlic - the resulting puree soup tastes quite passable and tasty.
- Garlic.
- Dried vegetables in vacuum packages (carrots, onions, beets are sold).
It seems like I didn’t forget anything important. All of the above live for a very long time without cold. You can cook something new every day; we managed to not repeat a single dish from these products over the course of 10-12 days!
Such layouts are designed for live fire. (wood, fire)
Gas layout (for mountains or treeless areas) is a little different.
Fresh vegetables are not written because this is a camping menu. No normal person, if he had to carry a backpack for 2 weeks, would take with him a forkful of cabbage, beets or a kilogram of carrots.
What are we preparing from this?
- “Merchant-style buckwheat” - at the bottom of a kettle/pan in melted butter, fry raw sausage in slices, cover with buckwheat, fry for one minute, add water (with a dry bag of soup diluted in it) and simmer until done. Eat with garlic croutons on black bread.
- Soup with rice.
- Potato soup
- Borsch (vegetables are dried, and potatoes are in powder form).
- Fish soup made from canned fish.
- Vermicelli (noodle) soup can be made with milk, if you like (with milk powder), it can be with fish, or it can be with meat.
- Soup with buckwheat and croutons, if you are not too lazy, take 300g of plain flour in a sealed bag for homemade croutons :-) (powdered eggs are also sold for the same purposes)
- ..in all soups, first sujuk or freeze-dried meat is boiled in water, cook for a long time until the meat becomes soft, then cook the soup in this broth - very nutritious and satisfying.
- Buckwheat, rice, pasta, potatoes - with stew, with fried sausage.
- Potatoes with fish.
- Mashed potatoes with milk powder and egg powder + ghee.
- Navy pasta sprinkled with cheese.
- In the morning you can have sandwiches with cheese or sausage, you can have oatmeal porridge with condensed milk with raisins, nuts, dried fruits and sprinkled with chocolate.
- etc. and so on.
I really like to cook stew separately as “meat with gravy” and add a handful of finely chopped walnuts.
And most importantly - a LOT of different seasonings! The taste will be different. I cooked rice - generously poured curry into it, buckwheat - all sorts of oriental seasonings, into pasta - usually an Italian set of spices.
I buy the seasoning not individually (this is for the home, for home gourmet), but in combined forms, such as “Italian herbs”. “Seasoning for pilaf”, “Seasoning for soups” - just right for nature! than dragging 25 bags separately and pouring a pinch from each.
On any hike, regardless of its purpose, duration, method of transportation and number of participants, the most important items on the list of what to take on a hike will always be food and water. The issue of water is discussed in detail in the article:.But we’ll deal with the first one, that is, food, in this article.
Basic principles of nutrition
Knowing the basic principles of nutrition, you can create your own diet from the products that you have at home.
So, all products can be divided into 3 components - proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates, in turn, are divided into two types - fast and slow.
Fast carbohydrates are products containing a large number of sugar (glucose) and sugar itself.
Such products include candies, cookies, rolls and other “nice things” that tourists love. And no wonder. If you start to feel like you're losing energy while hiking, eat a few cookies or candy. And the energy will begin to return to you literally in 15-20 minutes. This source of energy is good because it quickly gives effect. However, the effect does not last long. Therefore, in order to have enough energy for a longer time, you need to periodically consume slow carbohydrates.
Slow carbohydrates– these are products such as rice, buckwheat, pearl barley, rolled oats, potatoes, pasta. They are the main source of energy for the body. Therefore, they should be consumed in large quantities before going on a trip. Slow carbohydrates are digested in about one and a half to two hours.
Protein food- This is primarily meat and dairy products. You should not take dairy products with you. Perhaps condensed milk, which in this case will be more related to the fast carbohydrates that I have already written about. Therefore, let's talk about meat and its purpose during the hike.
Protein serves to restore muscle fibers damaged during exercise. This is its main function. So don’t think that if you eat meat before going on a hike, you will have energy. You should eat meat in the evening. So that the body recovers faster in the morning, and you can move on with new strength. Remember, meat does not provide energy. This is the biggest misconception of all when it comes to food.
Fats– I don’t think it’s worth explaining here. Anything that is greasy to the touch is also greasy in its composition. The fat in the body of even a very thin person is enough for several days of continuous running. Therefore, there is no point in consuming additional fats during a hike; there are already plenty of them. They are still found in small quantities in many products. But there is no point in taking, for example, lard on a hike. You will fill your belly with food. But the required energy you won't get it.
Now it’s the same thing, but only more simple version, in relation to meals in different time day.
Meals on a hike are best traditionally divided into Breakfast lunch and dinner. And also for snacks in between along the way.
Breakfast
Breakfast should be the most energy-dense of all meals. The source of energy is carbohydrates. Foods rich in carbohydrates primarily include different kinds porridges, such as buckwheat, pearl barley, millet, rolled oats and others, as well as durum wheat pasta.
Therefore, your breakfast should consist of the products listed above. Tourists usually have breakfast either at home or in the camp where they spent the night. Therefore, porridge or pasta can be prepared in any form. If you don’t have much time to prepare breakfast, you can use cereals and pasta instant cooking. Yes, I know very well their harm and low energy capacity. However, they still have sufficient quantity energy to move around comfortably until lunch, without the need for additional snacks. Therefore, I repeat, only if you do not have time to spend a long time preparing normal food from cereals or pasta, you can use the so-called “beach packages”.
Dinner
Lunch usually finds travelers on the road. There is no camp, and there is no point or time to set it up either. Maximum you can use gas burner for heating water. But this is also only suitable for making tea or the same “beach packages”. Therefore, be sure to keep this in mind and stock up on various foods that do not require cooking for lunch. This could be sandwiches, canned food, sausage and something sweet such as chocolate, gingerbread, cookies or candy.
Dinner
Dinner can be called the most complete meal on a hike. They usually have dinner in the established camps. Therefore, there is both time and opportunity to engage in careful cooking. For dinner, it makes sense to use not only foods rich in carbohydrates, but also protein, which is obtained from meat. Therefore, for dinner you can take with you stew, sausages, chicken, etc., which will not spoil on the road if it is packaged correctly.
Snacks
This is where your “goodies” will be needed. Cookies, gingerbread, condensed milk with bread, dried fruits and kozinaki. Candies and other sweet treats will give you energy if your supply is completely depleted.
What food you should not take on a hike
No need to take perishable foods. Everything is obvious here. If you carry food that will not “survive” until the evening, then it is difficult to call such an act other than senseless.
No need to take foods rich in fat. For example, lard. I already talked about this in the first part of the article. Fats are not needed on a hike. Well, just for taste, if you like.
What you should pay attention to when calculating the amount of food
Availability of shops along the route.
Of course, if you periodically pass or drive past grocery stores, it makes sense to buy some of your food there rather than drag everything from home.
Number of participants in the group.
Here you need to understand that when there is a large number of you, you will cook for everyone. And, therefore, it is easier to scatter the food in such a way that not everyone carries a handful of porridge, but one participant has buckwheat, another has oatmeal, a third carries pasta, and a fourth carries stew.
Preferences and tastes of participants.
You never know, there will be vegetarians or people with gastritis in the group. Anything can happen, and this moment must be thought through and discussed in advance.
Number of days of the trip.
The longer the hike, the more food you need. In portions, yes. For one meal, one person will need 50-100 grams of dry porridge. Since we agreed that porridge is the main source of nutrition. This means that first of all you need to calculate exactly its quantity.
Finally.
Do not take heavy bowls, boxes, glass jars or heavy metal utensils when camping. All food should be packaged in the lightest possible containers, or placed in bowls from which you will eat or in which you will heat water and cook food.
