Topic: Best Backpacking Food of 2022 (Read 42 times)
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I personally can’t take another backcountry morning of plain oats and peanut butter. Heather’s Choice’s Apple Pie Breakfast is nutrient dense, filling, and tastes better than some meals I cook in my own kitchen.
Based in Alaska, Heather’s Choice makes dehydrated backpacking meals and their signature “packaroons” that are all guten-, soy-, and dairy-free. Their food is packed with nutrients designed for backcountry adventures, and their meals are diverse and all natural.
Their Apple Pie Breakfast, specifically, is fantastic, sweet, energizing, and the best backpacking breakfast. There’s something to be said about being excited for a meal, especially after a long and potentially very wet day on the trail. I fully believe that backpacking food isn’t just food. It’s about morale, too. I’ll pay extra to start my day well.
Albeit, for a single breakfast, it isn’t cheap—retailing around $7—but I will personally be heading to their website for at least one meal of my next trip instead of begrudgingly opting for another instant oats packet. Treat yourself to a day, or two, or three of an exciting breakfast. However long you’re out there, you deserve it.
This protein-rich entree is perfect for the hardest day of your trip because it’s filling and tastes great.
This is Heather’s Choice’s favorite backpacking food. Heather’s Choice is the best backpacking dinner because of how unique their meals are, and this one definitely hits. Their Salmon Sockeye Salmon Chowder includes smoked wild caught Alaskan sockeye salmon, potatoes, coconut milk, carrots, celery, and spices. It’s a great meal, whether you’re in the backcountry or not.
Its high-quality ingredients really shine, and it’s super filling. The only drawback is how expensive salmon is, but I would highly reco*mend purchasing one for each member of your group for the hardest and longest day of your trip.
Honorable Mention: Heather’s Choice Grass-Fed Bison Chili
Peak Refuel has the highest average protein count of any brand on this list and prioritizes high-quality ingredients—especially their 100% USDA inspected meat.
Peak Refuel makes high-quality backpacking meals that have more protein—by far—than any other brand on this list. Even their granola breakfasts have ample carbs and protein to keep you going throughout the day. Made in the U.S., Peak Refuel’s meals only include ingredients from screened venders who meet their high standards, and meat from venders who don’t use TVP or other fillers. I tend to have reservations about bringing meat products (even dehydrated) into the backcountry that I didn’t prepare myself, but if you have a meat-heavy diet and don’t want to make changes on your next trip, know you’re getting quality stuff here.
Jackfruit is an incredibly versatile and sustainable plant-based meat alternative. The Jackfruit co*pany prepares jackfruit in a variety of styles that are ideal for a quick backpacking meal.
This vegan, single-serve meal is by far the best backpacking vegan meal. Jackfruit is an incredibly versatile and savory fruit, and The Jackfruit co*pany does a great job of preparing it in a range of ways. Their coconut, vegetable, and thai green chile is my favorite flavor because it is filling and high in protein and other nutrients. Additionally, the meal co*es in a convenient—although non-recyclable—bag that makes it easy to throw in a pot of hot water to heat up without any dirty dishes (the bag is also easy to eat out of without using a bowl).
I have brought this meal on multi-day backpacking trips in its various flavors, including tomato/herb, chickpea/garam masala, and a southwest-inspired mix. Even after long days on the trail, I feel very satisfied after one bag due to its high fat and fiber content, although I am not a particularly large person.
Even if your diet isn’t solely plant based, bringing meat into the backcountry (that isn’t jerky), can be a tossup, and I would rather eat a jackfruit meal over canned chicken any day of the week. Additionally, The Jackfruit co*pany is co*mitted to reducing negative environmental impacts, and is a natural, whole-food option to other meat-alternative products.
Trader Joe’s Instant Coffee Packets with Creamer & Sugar is a quick and tasty caffeine fix.
A pouch of Trader Joe’s Instant Coffee Packets with Creamer & Sugar is all you need for a morning pick-me-up. It’s quick and easy to make especially if you can’t do black coffee. If you don’t want to bother bringing an AeroPress or French press, these are great for cutting weight and time. Just boil water, dump the pouch in, and stir.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for in pre-packaged dehydrated meals, or you want to save money and reduce waste, make your backpacking food at home from recipes online, or get creative and make your own.
Investing in a dehydrator means you can create any meal, snack, or jerky you want. It’s the ultimate creative control over your backcountry cuisine, and not only is it fun to experiment in your kitchen as you look forward to your next trip, but you also could save a ton of money and waste.
The Meat! 6-Tray Dehydrator is easy to use, with six chrome-plated trays, a mesh tray (for smaller, sticky items), and a fruit roll tray. At 5,000+ feet of elevation, I find apple slices take about seven hours to be as crispy as I like, and bananas around 11 hours. While I put like fruits together for their initial hours of dehydrating (blueberries have been taking over 20 hours), make sure you’re OK with some smells crossing. Because these dehydrated foods have ample shelf life, please take the time you have. Even in a pinch, I would never throw in my 7-hour salmon jerky with my 7-hour apples and risk ruining both with the other’s flavor. Schedule your prepping up to weeks in advance.
Once you spend the time learning your recipes and getting your menu dialed in, you have an opportunity to take a huge step in beco*ing a minimal- to zero-waste outdoors person. I personally use Stasher Reusable Food Storage Bags, Losak Opsak bags or reusable Bee’s Wrap to put in my Ursak bear hang or BearValut Bear Canister to keep things separated and smell-free.
Preparing for a backcountry trip can be overwhelming. The following questions and answers are a good place to start when planning your meals.
As I said before, the backcountry is not the place to try new food. You want to make sure you know you like it, it’ll make you feel full, and it won’t disagree with you in any way.
While all of the foods on this list are either freeze-dried or non-perishable, I like to make a peanut butter sandwich for my first day, and bring some fresh apples for snacks and veggies for my first dinner or two. If I am not in a particularly hot environment, I feel co*fortable bringing perishable foods like those for the initial leg of my trip (I eat plant-based on the trail besides jerky I’ve made or eaten before).
Backpacking food truly costs as much as you’re willing to pay and what your priorities are. If you’re new to backpacking and can pay to take some of the stress of planning off, buy a dehydrated breakfast and dinner for each day (~$7-15 each), and only focus on planning your trail lunches and snacks. But if you’re going the DIY route, your backpacking meals don’t have to cost any more than a standard grocery trip.