Backpacking is a great way to travel but one of the first things you need to address when planning your trip is what food you will take with you. Special consideration needs to be taken with food storage and preparation in the outdoors.
When carrying food, your backpack can become weighed down so it’s important to buy one of those ultralight backpacks when buying your backpacking gear.
There are several types of foods you can bring along on your hiking or backpacking trip:
- Freeze dried food
- Dried foods
- Dehydrated foods
- Survival foods
These camping foods will last longer than any fresh produce. Dried food such as Mountain House freeze dried foods have been specially formulated to last for long periods of time and to withstand harsh conditions. Backpackers will often take a large supply of this type of food.
Other foods you can take include:
- Beef jerky
- Canned meat
- Dried noodles
- Soups
- Juice concentrated boxes
- Peanut butter (in a jar)
- Dried pasta
- Powdered sauce mixes
These foods will allow for a wide variety and will provide enough energy for your daily activities.
Drinking Water
Despite a water source appearing to be clean, there is a chance that contaminants have entered the water from somewhere upstream. For this reason it is advised to never drink water from a lake or a stream unless you are aware of an official notice saying that the water is safe.
It is best to boil any water before drinking it. This kills the microorganisms which can cause sickness in people. You should always boil water taken from a water source of which you are unsure of the quality.
If you are backpacking for several days or weeks then it’s a good idea to top up your water supplies when you reach a town or location which has clean water.
The foods listed in this article are just an example of what you can take when backpacking, camping or hiking.