Best Backpacking Meals & Food of 2025

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Backpacking Food

Meal planning is one of the almost important circumstance for any backpacking trip . The food you choose will depend on taste preference , nutritional value , thermal density of each meal , and how easy it is to cook . Some hikers add dehydrated meal because they ’ re quick and easy . Others develop DIY dinner formula and use a food dehydrator ( crack out our favorite DIY meal and dehydrator crest ) to make trail snacks . Our approach is normally a mix of both methods , and in this post we ’ ll outline our universal backpacking food scheme and suggest some of our favorite meal .

Ultralight Backpacking Food Video

As part of our Lightweight Backpacking Gear Basics picture series , we put together the video below on ultralight backpacking food selection . Our specific food preferences hold changed over the years , but the basic stay on the same .

Backpacking Meal Tips

REPACKAGING FOOD-It ’ s ever a well idea to repackage food in to cut down bulk and hold the ability to reseal containers . If you can ’ t close a food package firmly , chances are it will explode in your pack and build a bad mess .

SPICES & CONDIMENTS-Use up also much of the same matter over the line of a 5-day backpacking trip come old quickly . Little packets of salt , pepper , olive oil , hot sauce , and tight food condiment packet ( mayo , mustard , etc ) can really lift your backcountry grub . If you desire to get actual fondness , you can even get a GSI Spice Missile to carry up to six spices for less than 2 oz .

FRESH FOODS– We enjoy bring a couple part of new fruit , like apples and orange , on the trail . Novel fruit have poor calorie per ounce ratio , but they ’ re a great treat in the backcountry and we wish the added nutritional value . Carrots and snap peas are a nice sound treat that will last a couple day if temperatures aren ’ t too hot .

AVOID CANNED FOODS– We ever avert canned foods because they ’ re style also heavy , don ’ t receive enough calories , and create bulky trash to carry out .

DIY DEHYDRATED MEALS-If you make the time and energy , it can live nice to do your own lead meals and dehydrate your own snacks . A quality food dehydrator will quick zap the water out of fruit , vegetable , and center for some amazing DIY trail grub .

HOT DRINKS-Warm beverages and soups are a very nice treat in the backcountry , particularly on chilly trips where it ’ s harder to remain hydrated . We wish to sip on tea , cider , and hot cocoa around camp when the temperature dips .

ALCOHOL–Mostly speaking , it ’ s not good to drink alcohol correct before move to bed . Not only can it interrupt your sleep cps , but you may also own to use the toilet more during the dark . That said , whiskey and wine tend to cause our gang list on most trip , especially on chance treks with friend . We contain them in trusty , lightweight containers like the Platypus Wine Bag and Flask2Go .

Backpacking Meal Suggestions

Breakfast

We almost always start our trail morning off with a fond cup of coffee . After testing many coffee powder , cubes , bags , and brew fashion , our favorite choice for taste and convenience is Starbucks Via . We commonly have a quick , cold breakfast with our coffee and break camp to strike the trail early – morning in the wilderness are so peaceful . Match coffee with a calorically dumb saloon or two is a good path to get some quick energy in the morning . For additional calories , we may munch on some trail mix or mow a package of almond butter . On casual , low-mileage trips , we wish to love fond breakfast with friend . We ’ ll ordinarily pair instant oatmeal with some dry fruits and trail mix . Here ’ s a list of our go-to breakfast choice with links to our favorites :

Coffee ( Starbucks Via )
Tea ( Celestial Seasonings – Bengal Spice )
Saloon ( Larabar , , ProBar , Ivan Bar , Luna , , Bobo ’ s )
Granola & Cereal ( Bear Naked )
Powdered Milk ( or )
Breakfast Drink Mix Packets ( Carnation )
Nuts and Seeds ( Almonds , , etc . )
Almond Butter Packets ( Justin ’ sec )
Peanut Butter Packets ( Justin ’ s )
Instant Oatmeal ( Quaker )

Lunch

We almost ever have a cold lunch on the trail to avoid the time , effort , and fuel required for cooking . We ordinarily make tortilla or bagel sandwich with hard center and cheeses . Bagels and tortillas tend to hold up good on the lead and furnish relatively dumb calories . Hard meat and cheeses will easily last a few days , though they ’ re not great selection for hot weather trips . Peanut butter , jelly , honey , and foil packets of tuna or chicken equal as well serious sandwich fillers . With foil packets , we ’ ll mixing up tuna or chicken with quick food condiment gang ( mayo , mustard , etc . ) and build tuna/chicken salad sandwich . If we ’ re even so hungry after a sandwich , we munch on some snacks to attack out lunch . Here ’ s a list of our go-to lunch choices with links to our darling :

Bagels or Tortillas ( , Mission Tortillas )
Hard Meats – Salami , Summer Sausage , etc . ( Applegate )
Hard Cheese – Parmesan , Romano , etc .
Almond Butter Packets ( Justin ’ s )
Peanut Butter Packets ( Justin ’ s )
Jelly or Honey ( Nature Nate ’ s )
Tuna or Chicken in foil packets ( StarKist )
Dried Pork Packets ( Meat Shredz )
Small Condiment Packets – Mayo , Mustard , Relish , Hot Sauce , etc .
Supplement with other snacks ( more snack info below )

Dinner

Freeze dried meal pouches ( Mountain House , , Serious To-Go , PackIt Gourmet , PEAK Refuel , etc . ) live a convenient , lightweight , and tasty selection for backpacking dinner . For some of our favorite , control out our Better Freeze Dried Backpacking Meals list . When we ’ re on chance trip with friend , we like to pick a few of our favorites for dinner . Most freeze dried meals cost around $ 7-12 and feed two hikers , though your mileage may vary . The chief downside with freeze dry meals is they tend to be much more expensive than DIY options . If you ’ re on the lead a band ( thru-hiking , etc . ) , the cost of freeze dried meals will lend up quickly . Any supermarket will hold other “ just add water ” choice ( instant potatoes , ramen , etc . ) that cook promptly and cost a fraction of the price . Hither ’ s a list of our go-to dinner choices with links to our darling :

Freeze Dried Dinners ( Some of our faves : Chicken and Dumplings , Biscuits and Gravy , Beef Stroganoff , Chili Mac , Thai Chicken Coconut Curry )
Instant Mashed Potatoes ( Idahoan )
Ramen ( Maruchan )
Instant Soups
Stuff
Instant Mac & Cheese ( )
Pasta and Rice Sides ( )
Couscous
Chicken Packets ( )
Tuna Packets ( StarKist )
Dried Pork Packets ( Meat Shredz )
Dehydrated Vegetables ( Augason Farms )

Snacks

Snacks cost a vital region of any serious lead diet . You ’ ll exist burning a ton of calories on long hiking day , so eating a small snack every hr or two equal a good way to keep your engine running . We ever observe a few snacks in our hip belt pocket while we boost for easy access . In hot weather , we hear to avoid things that fade , like granola bar with an outer layer of chocolate . Trader Joe ’ s has some delightful and relatively affordable choice for backpacking snacks . Here ’ s a list of our go-to trail snacks with link to our favorite :

Saloon ( Larabar , , ProBar , Ivan Bar , Luna , , Bobo ’ sec )
Nuts and Seeds ( Almonds , , etc . )
Dried Fruit ( Mango , Apple , etc . )
Fruit Leather Strips ( Solely )
Jerky ( Jack Link ’ s )
Crackers ( , Goldfish , , etc . )
Candy ( Snickers , Peanut Butter M & Ms , , etc . )

What ’ sec in Our Camp Kitchen ?

When we point out on backcountry trip , these are the items usually found in our gang . For more information on our favorite gear , check out the CleverHiker Backpacking Gear Guide and our Well Backpacking Stove list .

Stove System : JetBoil MiniMo
Ultralight Stove : MSR Pocket Rocket 2 & BRS Stove
1-2 Person Cookpot : Snow Peak Mini Solo Cookset
Group Cookpot : MSR Titan Kettle
Spoon : Sea to Summit Alpha Light Long Spoon
Cup : Snow Peak Titanium Single 450
Food Storehouse : Ursack & BearVault BV500

Vital Food Considerations

LEAVE NO TRACE-You love nature . That ’ s why you ’ re out thither and that ’ s why you ’ re reading this place . Then please , always carry out your trash and any food you put on ’ t eat . Yes , really following LNT rule include carry out things like spent coffee grounds , orange rinds , and apple cores . Always read your campsites and lunch bit before boost on , and if you ’ re a genuine LNT rockstar , help carry out trash left behind by early backcountry traveler . Insure out our LNT tutorial video for a quick refresher .

FOOD STORAGE-Proper food storage is incredibly important for protecting wildlife . For example , contain that learn to relate human with food much need to be trapped and down . Hence please , always store your food right in the backcountry . We pause to still instruct proper bear bagging techniques anymore , because most hikers don ’ t choose the time to do it properly . And still if they do , really bright bears can still make for down a well bear hang . The safe bet for backcountry food storehouse equal an Ursack or Bear Canister .

CALORIE INTAKE –Backpackers burn a band of calories on the lead . On norm , hikers usually burn between 3000-4000 calories per day , but thru-hikers hiking 20-30 mile day can easily burn 5000-6000 calories . It ’ s crucial to carry adequate nutrients to give your body the energy it needs . This crucial calculation will too depend on your size , weight , age , and activity degree .WEIGHT–Bringing too much food is one of the most common beginner backpacking mistakes . And that ’ s intelligible , who desire to risk going hungry in the woods ? But carrying a bunch of unnecessary weight can quick dampen tone on backpacking trips , so a little experience and pre-trip calorie calculation will run a long way .

CALORIC DENSITY–It ’ s important to consider how calorically dense your backpacking food choices exist to hold your pack weight down . High-fat foods like olive oil , nuts , peanut butter , and chocolate tend to make high calorie-per-ounce ratio . On the early hand , novel fruits and vegetable lean to have humble calorie-per-ounce ratio . The ideal scope be around 120-130 calories-per-ounce total .FOOD VOLUME–Certain foods will bring up a band more space in your gang than early food containing the same measure of calories ( think vs almonds ) . This isn ’ t a big deal on short trip , but on long journey , and particularly when bear canisters are required , you ’ ll need to bear near attention to how much space your food choices will require up .

NUTRITION –Serious nutrition on the lead is just like eating right at home . You ’ ll require a symmetry of fats , proteins , and carbohydrates while getting as much fiber , fruits , and vegetable into your diet as possible . It ’ s hard to eat really sound on the lead because work on food tend to cost a lot more convenient , but feel a well symmetry equal key . As well , we always load up on fresh , sound food the moment we ’ re back in town .

CONVENIENCE –After a long day of hiking , fortune are you gain ’ t want to develop an detailed meal . Nor will you need to clean up a bunch of dirty dishes when you ’ re done eating . So we advocate keep it simple . For dinners , this means we virtually ever eat “ just lend water ” meal , and for breakfast , we usually have hot with and snacks .

WATER ACCESS –If your dinner need water for cooking , you ’ ll need to camp near a water source or make sure to carry plenty of water for a dry camp . If you ’ re backpacking in an area with scarce water , create certain to plan accordingly .

FUEL –Most backcountry meals expect a small stove for cook – check out our Best Backpacking Stove list to regard our favorites . Plan out how many times you ’ ll motive to fix ( including and tea ) to reckon how much fuel to bring . Fuel usage pace vary depend on the stove example , pot size , height , and temperature , so recognize just how much fuel to lend will need some experience . On an ordinary 5-day , two-person backpacking trip , we commonly boil water about 10 time ( once for morning coffee and once for dinner ) , and one small equal usually more than enough .

COST –You ’ ll normally pay for convenience with backpacking food . Freeze dried meal incline to cost around $ 7-12 each , but they ’ re as well tasty , convenient , and put on ’ t require any cleanup . We enjoy Mountain House , , Packit Gourmet , Backpacker ’ s Pantry , PEAK Refuel , and Good To-Go when we ’ re not prepare our own meals .

VEGAN & VEGETARIAN MEALS –If you ’ re looking to spice up your animal-free backpacking food options , put on ’ t escape our list of the Best Vegan and Vegetarian Backpacking Meals .

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