After a long, grueling hike in the wilderness, hikers need meals and snacks packed with plenty of protein, carbohydrates and calories. Though hikers may be hungry enough to eat their own hiking boots, it's important to pack appealing foods that suit each hiker's own preferences. When preparing for a backpacking trip, consider the weight of the packed foods; a burdensome backpack can sour even the most thrilling backpacking adventure.
Freeze-Dried Foods
Freeze-dried foods specially designed for backpackers come in a wide array of flavors to suit any tastebud. The advantages of freeze-dried meals are that they are lightweight, usually packaged in foil pouches and only require boiling water to create an appetizing fireside meal. The downside is that freeze-dried meals can be quite expensive.
Rice and Pasta
Small amounts of rice and pasta are relatively lightweight items to carry and just need a little boiling water to hydrate them. Rice mixed with raisins makes a good morning meal, and cooked pasta sprinkled with a few herbs or dehydrated vegetables or mixed with a can of tomato sauce provides a carbohydrate-packed, invigorating meal.
Dehydrated Fruits and Vegetables
Dehydrated fruits and vegetables are essential foods in any hiker's backpack. The sugar in raisins, dried cherries, cranberries, banana chips, dried mangoes and papayas give the backpacker a quick energy boost, as well as critical vitamins required to maintain a nationally balanced diet. Dried vegetables, such as string beans, peas, a mix of dehydrated green peppers, onions and spices for pasta and rice recipes create a flavorful, varied diet on the trail.
High-Protein Peanut Butter
For hikers who don't have peanut allergies, peanut butter is a high-protein staple food that can be eaten with your fingers or spread on bread, crackers or bagels. It's inexpensive, easy to eat and can be combined with chocolate bars, chocolate-covered peanuts, bananas and the like.
Good Old Gorp
Backpackers and GORP make a good marriage. This easy-to-fix snack is a mix of peanuts, granola, raisins, dried fruits, sunflower seeds, almonds--the possibilities are endless. GORP stands for "good old resins and peanuts," according to the Wilderness Cooking website, because the trail mix has been a staple of hikers and backpackers for years.
Torillas and Bagels
For a snack on the run, roll cheese up in a tortilla or take the time to heat up a can of refried beans and stuff the tortilla with the warm beans, cheese and salsa. Bagels are good for eating on the run or in the morning when a hiker doesn't want to take the time to prepare a hot breakfast.
Lightweight Canned Goods
If there's room enough in the backpack and the additional weight doesn't encumber the backpacker, add a can of soup, tomato sauce or tuna. The GORP website says a loaded backpack should weigh about 30 to 40 pounds--if your backpack is well within this range, pack a few canned goods. Don't forget to bring a can opener. Tuna, however, is also available in lightweight pouches, as are many other meats, seafood and fish products.
Crackers and Cookies
Individually wrapped cookies and cheese- or peanut-butter-filled crackers are essential food items for any backpack. Substantial wheat or other whole-grained crackers supply more nutrition to a hiker's daily diet. Energy-filled, vitamin-dense foods are far better for the trail than lackluster refined foods.
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