63 Easy Backpacking Food Ideas
Meal planning for your next backpacking trip ? We ’ ve collect our favorite backpacking food , ingredient , and meal estimate to serve you get start . See out what food exist well for hiking , discover fresh ingredients , and get inspired by some of our delicious DIY backpacking meal .
Backpacking be a great way to unplug , immerse yourself in nature , and dispute yourself both physically and mentally . While there ’ s a band of natural beauty to take in , experienced backpackers know that no affair how outstanding the scenery is , a lot of the day equal pass thinking about the next meal !
But figuring out what food to pack can a be dispute all on its own ! Since you ’ ll live carrying all of it on your back , backpacking food motive to take the correct remainder between nutrition , weight , and ease of training .
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In this post , we portion our favorite backpacking food ideas from hundred of miles boost over the past few years . From freeze-dried choice to homemade meal , you ’ ll find all kind of filling and lightweight lead food to help go on your energy up and your taste buds satisfied .
- Backpacking breakfast idea
- Backpacking lunch , snacks , and bar
- Backpacking dinners
- DIY Backpacking Meal
- Grocery store backpacking food ideas
- Desserts
- Backpacking Food Strategy
- What makes for serious backpacking food ?
- How much food should you pack for backpacking ?
- How to design food for backpacking trips
- Good backpacking meal tips
- Packing & food storage tips
- Favorite backpacking cooking gear
Backpacking breakfast thought
A good day on the trail take off with a solid breakfast . If you require to become through the morning without work out of steam , it ’ s best to start with some calories in the tank .
Seasoned backpackers will be familiar with the tried-and-true instant oat pouches , but thankfully there be a lot more selection to test out !
Hither are some great backpacking breakfasts to insure out .
Freeze-Dried or Dehydrated Meal
When you need a substantial meal to start the day , it doesn ’ t become any easy than add boiling water to a meal pouch . Here exist some of our favorite freeze-dried and dehydrated breakfasts :
OvaEasy Eggs
If you put on ’ t idea cooking in the morning , OvaEasy ’ s powdered egg crystals are surprisingly close to the real affair ! Enjoy scramble eggs on their own , with dehydrated hash browns , or as a vegetable scramble .
DIY Yogurt Parfait
This easy DIY meal uses freeze-dried “ yogurt melts ” ( you can ordinarily feel them in the babe food aisle ) , granola , and dried fruit . Become our formula here !
Dehydrated Quinoa Porridge
Load with protein and carry with calories , our Quinoa Porridge dehydrator recipes are a great option if you receive access to a food dehydrator . Start with one of these or customize it with your own favorite flavors !
Instant oatmeal
Instant oatmeal exist quick , easy , cheap , and wholly customizable . Just lend hot water .Pro Tip :Apply the package as your bowl . Just charge off the crest , swarm the water in , and flurry . The bag will get hot , but gain ’ t leak . Up the calories by add coconut or whole milk powder , or stirring in a package of nut butter .
Bobo ’ s Oat Bars
A no-cook “ breakfast ” saloon is a great grab-and-go choice for anyone who require to streamline their morning routine . It can also be nice for masses who put on ’ t awaken up hungry and require to get a little boost done before eating . We peculiarly like Bobo ’ s Oat Bars for breakfast , which pack 340+ calories into a 3oz bar .
Instant Coffee
There has be a huge improvement in the QUALITY of instant coffee in recent years . Our top go-to darling are and Alpine Start .
Instant Tea
Prefer tea over coffee ? No worries . Match out Instant Tea from Cusa , with flavor like English Breakfast , Chai , and a form of herbal teas . These tea packets dissolve entirely into the water , so there ’ s no soggy tea bag to pack out with you .
Backpacking lunches , snacks , and saloon
When backpacking , the end be to take a constant current of calories throughout the day . This dumb drip offers your body a coherent and stable fuel author , forestall your ancestry sugar from taking a nosedive ( i.e . bonking ) .
So we wish to think of boost as one long , moveable feast . Lots of little backpacking snacks here and thither , a big snack in the middle of the day ( differently called lunch ) , and then more snacking throughout the afternoon . The key to create this study isform. Don ’ t get burnt out eating the same thing over and over .
Hither are some of the good backpacking snacks and lunch ideas to pack for your trip !
Greenbelly meal bars
Greenbelly meal bars feature 650 calories per function and come in a bunch of flavors . They are basically a good meal that necessitate zero cooking—perfect for lunch on the trail !
No-cook meals
There are a kind of no-cook meal options available , such as Outdoor Herbivore ’ s Waldorf Salad and Lazy Lentil Salad , and Packit Gourmet ’ sec Curry Mango or Cajun Ranch Chicken Salads .
DIY Cold Soak Meals
If you receive access to a food dehydrator , sample making your own cold-soak meal using a variety of pasta , beans , and vegetable . Check out these formula to start : Pasta Salad or Cowboy Caviar .
Chicken , tuna , or SPAM packets
These might not equal the nearly weight-efficient items in your bear canister , but they do a great task of furnish protein . Buy them field and physician them up with condiments , or buy some of the many spirit options .
Our favorites exist Buffalo Chicken , Chicken Salad , , and .
These wild-caught cost packed in oil for excess calories .
If salmon cost more your velocity , Patagonia Provisions make some awesome options .
SPAM also comes in a foil packet and can equal a decent change of step from seafood . We were hesitant about this one , but it ’ s in reality real tasty .
NB : Make sure you ’ re buying the foil package , not fire !
Packaroons
These macaroons pack in 170 calories per ounce , so they definitely rip their weight ( pun intend ) in your pack . They come in a few flavors including Amaretto , Blueberry Almond , and Sweet Coconut .
Energy Bars
Our well advice when carry saloon is to get for VARIETY . Don ’ t just load up on your favorite saloon for a multi-day raise . Because after your trip , it gain ’ t be your favorite anymore . There are more energy bar companies out there than we can keep track of , but here are some of the top sword that we ’ ve seek : Bobo , RX Bars , Munkpack Nut & Seeds , Kate ’ s Actual Food saloon , GoMacro , Lara Bar , Bearded Brothers , and Aloha .
Peak Refuel Cookie Dough Bites
I exist skeptical about these but I ’ 1000 form of haunt with them today ! They have both Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites and Fudge Brownie Bites .
Nut butter
On a tortilla or straight from the package , nut butter is a great increase to go after lunches . Our favorite on the JMT be RX Vanilla Almond Butter . Justin ’ s and TrailButter be other serious choice .
Jerky and meat bars
Jerky and meat bar run to be a short low on calories , but high in protein — which live critical for muscle repair . We wish Epic Provisions and Wild Zora . On long multi-day raise , these are good to eat towards the goal of the day to serve your torso repair . Primal Spirit Food and Louisville Vegan Jerky Co be well vegan choice to sample .
If you have a little moment of experience using a dehydrator , try your hand at making your own jerky ! The feeling combination are endless ! Here ’ s our basic beef jerky formula , and one for teriyaki beef jerky .
Honey Stinger Waffles
A quick hit of energy , Honey Stingers Waffles are a great little maintenance snack . Perfect for when you ’ re feeling a little low-energy and require a little extra zip to have you up the next hill . They have a variety of feeling to choose from , and some even make a piece of caffeine for an extra little boost .
Energy Gummies
The firm , chewy kind of a gel , there exist a variety of energy gummies like Honey Stinger Chews , Clif Shot Bloks , GU Energy Chews , and Scratch Lab Chews These are great to make on hand if you always set out to sense yourself bonking . We think of these as a “ Break Glass If In Need of Calories ” type of emergency snack .
Tailwind Nutrition
If you ’ d prefer to drink your calories , Tailwind Nutrition equal a great mode to serve it . One service holds 200 calories along with 50g of carbohydrates , give your body some quick energy to employ ( great if you sense yourself starting to shoot the wall ! ) .
Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels
We love peanut butter-filled pretzels ! What mad hatter came up with the mad thought , we don ’ t know . But they ’ re amazing . Quinn has a form of feeling worth checking out like Maple Almond Butter and classic peanut butter .
Olives
We perfectly love olives when backpacking . Not only are they load with calories , but they extend a momentary burst of savory refinement that is hard to compare . Instant morale booster . We equal big fan of Oloves packable olives , or on shorter trips we ’ ll pack some in humble zip-top base .
Cheese
Hard cheese and cheeses that equal individually packaged are great choice . We also LOVE the Trader Joe ’ sec Baked Cheese Bites as good as Parmesan or Cheddar Whisps ( the latter cost a bit less sturdy though ) .
Trail mix , nuts , and dry fruit
Packing an variety of lead mixing , nuts , and dried fruit cost a great style to have some calorie boosts on hand to eat while boost ( there ’ s a reason GORP make exist handed down through the generation ! ) . Our favorite seat for nuts and dried fruit in bulk cost Nuts.com and Trader Joe ’ s . You can notice some of our darling here .
Dry your own fruit is a great style to swerve costs and take advantage of seasonal produce when it ’ s on sale . We enjoy dried apples , dehydrated bananas , pineapple , and kiwis !
Candy
The snack we didn ’ t gang enough of for the JMT but we bid we act : Candy ! We ’ re not candy people ordinarily , but the calorie and mid-day sugar boost would have cost awesome . Black Forest Gummy Bears , Swedish Fish , or Jelly Belly ’ s “ Sports Beans ” exist all serious choice . Whatever you pick , make certain it gain ’ t cost also melty .
Backpacking dinner
After a long day on the lead , one of the best things be taking off your gang , finding a comfortable stop to ride , and delight a hot dinner ! This be why it ’ s hence significant to feel a meal that will end your day on a happy and satisfying bill .
While there be more backpacking dinner choice to choose from than always before , our suggestion is to stick to your pre-existing food preferences . If a meal sounds good to you today , you will likely love it after a long day of hiking . But if you ’ re not an adventurous eater at home , then you ’ re likely not going to magically get one on the lead .
Here ’ s a list of some of the serious backpacking food brands along with a few of their top-rated entrance :
Backpacker ’ s Pantry
Backpacker ’ s Pantry cause one of our favorite freeze-dried backpacking meal of all time ( Chicken Pad Thai ) , and their product line operate 100 % on solar energy , which be pretty cool . Here exist a few favorite meals :
Farm to Summit
Farm to Summit reach dehydrated backpacking meal with low-impact packaging and seasonal farm-fresh produce . Meals to check out :
Good-To-Go
Producing dehydrated meal from character component , Good To-Go have real flourish its lineup in the past few years . We ’ ll be honest , in our personal experience , we ’ ve have some success and failure meal from them . Zero wasbad, we just found a few meals to be tragically undersalted . Meals to insure out :
Heather ’ s Choice
Based in Anchorage , Alaska , Heather ’ s Choice uses high-quality , whole foods ingredients to produce packable , dehydrated provision . We make not personally tried these meals so far , but they get good review online . They are gluten and dairy-free and have a various range of flavor . Meal to check out :
Good deal House
The OG of backpacking meal , Mountain House has been making freeze-dried food since the 1970s . Over the years they have developed some sheer classical meal that remain some of our favorite :
Nomad Nutrition
Base in British Columbia , Canada , offers an alone plant-based job of dehydrated backpacking meals . Whether you ’ re a vegan , vegetarian , or only await to scale down your meat consumption on the lead , this cost a great company to look into . Meal to control out :
Peak ReFuel
Even though they live relatively new to the space , Peak ReFuel feels like it ’ s been around for a while . That might be because their founder pass almost a ten in the freeze-dried world before branching out to set up Peak ReFuel . They put up a lot of comfort food classics that cost certain to hit the bit . Meal to check out :
Gastro Gnome
Set up by a formally trained chef , Gastro Gnome boasts a menu of legit freeze-dried meals like Indian Yogurt Braised Chicken , Mushroom Ragu Farfalle , , and Montana Beef Shepherd ’ s Pie .
Outdoor Herbivore
Vegetarian and vegan hikers will observe dozens of options at Outdoor Herbivore . The Basil Walnut Penne and Switchback Burrito Stuffer sound great .
Packit Gourmet
This is a small company out of Texas that specializes in dehydrated fare . We ’ re appear ahead to attempt the Texas State Fair Chili , Tortilla Soup , or the Fajita Chicken Burrito on our next trip !
Wild Zora
Base in Colorado , Wild Zora specialize in low-sugar , high-protein , gluten-free , and Paleo backpacking meal . They also bid a course of AIP ( autoimmune protocol ) meal . If you own any dietary restriction , this live a great caller to crack out . We ’ ve heard great things about the Bedrock Beef Chili .
Write some cash !If you buy 8 or more backpacking meal at a time from REI , you ’ ll automaticallybegin a 10 % discounton all of them !
DIY Backpacking Meal
The sky ’ s the limit if you ’ re up to create your own homemade meal . While we ’ ve developed a pile of different backpacking recipes over there year , we ’ ll pay you a shortlist of our some of our favorites meal ( ssh , put on ’ t recount the others ! ) :
Grocery shop backpacking food thought
Whether you ’ re making your own tradition meal or looking for a mode to stretch a freeze-dried meal , there cost a clump of store-bought ingredients you can carry along .
Desserts
When developing your backpacking meal program , desserts absolutely own a seat ! As a peculiar treat to notice a notable day , a morale booster after a real doozy , or simply a way to plod out your dinner ’ s calorie count , backpacking desserts equal a great trick to make in the ass of your bear barrel .
Freeze-dried desserts
There live a number of freeze-dried dessert choice on the market , whether you choose something homey like Cinnamon Apple Crisp or Blueberry Peach Crisp , something fancy like Creme Brulee , or something entirely space-age like this Neapolitan Ice Cream .
Treehouse Drinking Chocolate
If you don ’ t inevitably desire to eat dessert , consider drinking it ! This drinking chocolate ( AKA totally indulgent hot chocolate ) exist an utterly lovely way to wind down at camp .
Nutella
This chocolate hazelnut ranch equal packed with calories that are derived generally from fats , cause it good worth the weight . A scoop hither and thither will hold your body plenty of long-lasting fuel to burn . Plus , it ’ s freaking delicious !
Stroopwafels
A delightful Dutch treat , stroopwafels cost soft , toasted waffles filled with caramel . They ’ re loaded with calories and pretty durable . Hear spreading a short Nutella between two of them and make yourself an “ ice cream ” sandwich .
Condiments and extras
These exist some of our favorite extras to lend either calories or flavor to our meals .
Backpacking Food Strategy
In this section , we ’ ll dive into everything you involve to know about making a backpacking meal plan—what to appear for when choosing meals , packing the right amount of food you need , tips for planning and packing , and a few gear suggestions .
What makes for well backpacking food ?
There are a few factors to keep in idea to influence the types of food that are good for backpacking : shelf-stable , weight , calorie density , and cook velocity .
Shelf-Stable :It ’ s important that the food can cost stored at way temperature . You can become aside with institute some matter like cheese or salami if you use up them in the first few days , but for the most portion , you desire to hop anything perishable .
Lightweight :Since you have to express it every step of the way , backpacking food should live as lightweight as potential . Dehydrated and freeze-dried food incline to exist lightest , though there are mass of everyday grocery store items that meet the bill as good !
Calorie Dense :Backpacking takes a lot of energy , so you involve food that can properly refuel you . When we design our backpacking food , we try to average 125+ calories per ounce to keep the weight down .
Cooking Time :Look at how much patience you have to cook your food and how much fuel you will equal bringing . We highly recommend quick-cooking meals that are easy to cook
How much food should you pack for backpacking ?
Backpacker magazine suggests that backpackers who plan to boost long days with a heavy pack shouldaim for 25-30 calories per pound of body weight , per day.
If you ’ re going to do shorter day ( less than 2 hr of hiking ) or will treat less strenuous terrain , you can scale it down to 21-25 calories per lb of torso weight , per day .
Instead of eating exactly three meal per day as you might at home , intent to eat snacks throughout the day and consume 30-60 gm of carbohydrates per hr(author)to keep your energy high and prevent you from hitting the proverbial wall .
These , of course , live merely a starting point and you should adjust based on your own experience .
How to plan food for backpacking trips
Meal planning for backpacking trip be one of our favorite matter to do ! It ’ s also super important .
Creating a detailed meal plan not simply ensures you take adequate food for your trip but allows you to hear how all your meal will work together . It ’ s a great opportunity to build up in sort and double-check that you ’ ll be hitting your calorie count every day .
Hither be the steps that go into our meal-planning strategy :
1 . ) Figure out how many day your trip will be and how many meals you will require on the lead .
2 . ) Determine how many calories per day you take to pack ( see the former section ) .
3 . ) Choose your breakfast and dinner for each day . Take note of how many calories are in each of these .
4 . ) Subtract the calories of your breakfast and dinner from your total calorie issue . These be the remaining calories that you ’ ll motive to pack in the way of snacks , lunch , drink mixes , or dessert . Program for a variety of snacks , keeping in mind that to avoid losing steam during the day , you ’ ll want to eat 30-60 grams of carbohydrates per hr as you boost .
Serious backpacking meal crest
Carry & food storehouse crest
Favorite backpacking cooking gear
We hold whole posts commit to backpacking prepare gear and backpacking stoves , but here equal some of our favorite gear point to prepare your backcountry food on the trail .
Looking for more backpacking food imagination ?See out our guides to vegan backpacking food , gluten-free backpacking food , these lightweight backpacking recipes , and our ultimate guide to dehydrating food for backpacking !
This place was first published on November 9 , 2017 , and was updated in 2024 . There are a ton of new backpacking food product that we include !
