Unlike the short hikes where the food is more of a nice to have, the long hikes require adequate food supply. And whether going 7-mile walk or a 700-mile long-distance trek, you should always have some food with you.
Food for this type of trips need to be light, yet tasty. With no refrigeration available, you have to be really careful about the food and how long the food you will carry with you will last. A pack is a good insulator and will keep properly packed food cool. But if the weather is hot it will still deteriorate. You also need to be very careful in long walks as well. Dried fruits, powdered milk and mettwurst will survive without refrigeration. Avoid bulky, heavy food! You won’t have much time and tools for cooking, so bring foods that are easy to prepare.
The key considerations before your camping or hiking adventure include:
- Length of the trip
- What foods and drinks you will carry
- How you will eat and drink
- What utensils you will need
There’s plenty to consider besides simply gabbing a bottle of water and an energy bar. Follow these meal suggestions to ensure you have a safe food experience on your next camping or hiking adventure:
Breakfast:
- Musli
- Musli bars
- Powdered milk
- Porridge
- Cereal
- Tea or coffee
You can add sugar, milk or boiling water to the cereal or muesli.
Lunch:
- Chocolates and nuts
- Dried fruit
- Fresh fruit
- Small tins of fish, meat paste
- Peanut paste, honey, jam
- Fritz, kabana, mettwurst, salami
- Cheese
- Mountain bread or pitta bread
- Cracker biscuits
If the weather is cold, you can consider boiling some water for soup.
Dinner:
- noodles, pasta or rice,
- fresh vegetables (radishes, carrots and snow peas survive hot conditions)
- dehydrated vegetables
- cup of soup
- biscuits and cheese
- metwrust, kabana, beed jerjy, dried meat
- small cans of sardines, smoked oysters and mussels
- instant puddings
- dried fruit
- tea or coffee
- hot chocolate
- chocolates and nuts
You can find pasta dishes in the market, which only require the addition of water and butter. These require between 5 to 10 min to cook and are very tasty too.
Don’t forget that it is essential to stay hydrated!
You can drink at least four cups of water before a hike so you have less to carry. Then, plan for about two cups of fluid for every hour of hiking.
