![\"Pinterest](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/backpacking-food-ideas-pin-150x150.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/p>\n Meal planning for your next backpacking trip? We\u2019ve compiled our favorite backpacking food, ingredients, and meal ideas to help you get started.<\/strong> <\/strong>Find out what food is best for hiking, discover new ingredients, and get inspired by some of our delicious DIY backpacking meals.<\/p>\n Backpacking is a great way to unplug, immerse yourself in nature, and challenge yourself both physically and mentally. While there\u2019s a lot of natural beauty to take in, experienced\u00a0backpackers know that no matter how spectacular the scenery is, much of the day is spent thinking about the next meal!\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n But figuring out what food to pack can a be challenge all on its own! Since you\u2019ll be carrying all of it on your back, backpacking food needs to strike the right balance between nutrition, weight, and ease of preparation.\u00a0<\/p>\n In this post, we share our favorite backpacking food ideas from hundreds of miles hiked over the past few years. From freeze-dried options to homemade meals, you\u2019ll find all kinds of filling and lightweight trail food to help keep your energy up and your taste buds satisfied.<\/p>\n\n A good\u00a0day on the trail starts with a solid breakfast. If you want to get through the morning without running out of steam, it\u2019s best to start with some calories in the tank. <\/p>\n Seasoned backpackers will be familiar with the tried-and-true instant oat pouches, but thankfully there are a lot more options to try out! <\/p>\n Here are some great backpacking breakfasts to check out.<\/p>\n When you need a substantial meal to start the day, it doesn\u2019t get any easier than adding boiling water to a meal pouch. Here are some of our favorite freeze-dried and dehydrated breakfasts:<\/p>\n If you don\u2019t mind cooking in the morning, OvaEasy\u2019s powdered egg crystals<\/a> are surprisingly close to the real thing! Enjoy scrambled eggs on their own, with dehydrated hash browns, or as a veggie scramble.<\/p>\n This easy DIY meal uses freeze-dried \u201cyogurt melts\u201d<\/a> (you can usually find them in the baby food aisle), granola, and dried fruit. Get our recipe here<\/a>!<\/p>\n Loaded with protein and packed with calories, our Quinoa Porridge dehydrator recipes are a great option if you have access to a food dehydrator<\/a>. Start with one of these or customize it with your own favorite flavors!<\/p>\n Instant oatmeal<\/a>\u00a0is quick, easy, cheap, and totally customizable. Just add hot water.\u00a0Pro Tip:<\/strong>\u00a0Use the packet as your bowl. Just tear off the top, pour the water in, and stir. The bag will get hot, but won\u2019t leak. Up the calories by adding coconut or whole milk powder, or stirring in a packet of nut butter.<\/p>\n A no-cook \u201cbreakfast\u201d bar is a great grab-and-go option for anyone who wants to streamline their morning routine. It can also be nice for people who don\u2019t wake up hungry and want to get a little hiking done before eating. We particularly like Bobo\u2019s Oat Bars<\/a> for breakfast, which pack 340+ calories into a 3oz bar.<\/p>\n There has been a huge improvement in the QUALITY of instant coffee in recent years. Our top go-to favorites are Mt. Hagen<\/a> and Alpine Start<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Prefer tea over coffee? No worries. Check out Instant Tea from Cusa, with flavors like English Breakfast<\/a>, Chai<\/a>, and a variety of herbal teas<\/a>. These tea packets dissolve entirely into the water, so there\u2019s no soggy tea bag to pack out with you.<\/p>\n When backpacking, the goal is to consume a constant stream of calories throughout the day. This slow drip offers your body a consistent and stable fuel source, preventing your blood sugar from taking a nosedive (i.e. bonking).\u00a0<\/p>\n So we like to think of hiking as one long, moveable feast. Lots of little backpacking snacks here and there, a big snack in the middle of the day (otherwise called lunch), and then more snacking throughout the afternoon. The key to making this work is variety<\/strong>. Don\u2019t get burnt out eating the same thing over and over.<\/p>\n Here are some of the best backpacking snacks<\/a> and lunch ideas to pack for your trip!<\/p>\n Greenbelly meal bars<\/a> boast 650 calories per serving and come in a bunch of flavors. They are basically a full meal that requires zero cooking\u2014perfect for lunch on the trail!<\/p>\n There are a variety of no-cook meal options available, such as\u00a0Outdoor Herbivore\u2019s\u00a0Waldorf Salad<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Lazy Lentil Salad<\/a>, and Packit Gourmet\u2019s\u00a0Curry Mango<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Cajun Ranch<\/a>\u00a0Chicken Salads.<\/p>\n If you have access to a food dehydrator<\/a>, try making your own cold-soak meals using a variety of pasta, beans, and veggies. Check out these recipes to start: Pasta Salad<\/a> or Cowboy Caviar<\/a>.<\/p>\n These might not be the most weight-efficient items in your bear canister, but they do a great job of providing protein. Buy them plain and doctor them up with condiments, or buy some of the many flavor options. <\/p>\n Our favorites were\u00a0Buffalo Chicken<\/a>,\u00a0Chicken Salad<\/a>,\u00a0Deli Style Tuna Salad<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0Lemon Pepper Tuna<\/a>.<\/p>\n These wild-caught\u00a0tuna packets<\/a>\u00a0are packed in oil for extra calories.<\/p>\n If salmon is more your speed,\u00a0Patagonia Provisions<\/a>\u00a0has some awesome options.<\/p>\n SPAM<\/a>\u00a0also comes in a foil packet and can be a nice change of pace from seafood. We were hesitant about this one, but it\u2019s actually very tasty.<\/p>\n NB: Make sure you\u2019re buying the foil packets, not cans!<\/em><\/p>\n These\u00a0macaroons<\/a>\u00a0pack in 170 calories per ounce, so they definitely pull their weight (pun intended) in your pack. They come in a few flavors including Amaretto, Blueberry Almond, and Sweet Coconut.<\/p>\n Our best advice when packing bars is to go for VARIETY. Don\u2019t just load up on your favorite bar for a multi-day hike. Because after your trip, it won\u2019t be your favorite anymore. There are more energy bar companies out there than we can keep track of, but here are some of the top brands that we\u2019ve tried:\u00a0Bobo<\/a>, RX Bars<\/a>,\u00a0Munkpack Nut & Seeds<\/a>, Kate\u2019s Real Food bars<\/a>,\u00a0GoMacro<\/a>, Lara Bar<\/a>,\u00a0Bearded Brothers<\/a>, and Aloha.<\/a><\/p>\n I was skeptical about these but I\u2019m kind of obsessed with them now! They have both Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites<\/a> and Fudge Brownie Bites<\/a>.<\/p>\n On a tortilla or straight from the packet, nut butter is a great addition to trail lunches. Our favorite on the JMT was\u00a0RX Vanilla Almond Butter<\/a>. Justin\u2019s<\/a> and\u00a0TrailButter<\/a>\u00a0are other good options.<\/p>\n Jerky and meat bars\u00a0tend to be a little low on calories, but high in protein \u2014 which is critical for muscle repair. We like Epic Provisions<\/a> and Wild Zora<\/a>. On longer multi-day hikes, these are good to eat towards the end of the day to help your body repair. Primal Spirit Food<\/a> and Louisville Vegan Jerky Co<\/a>\u00a0are good vegan options to try.<\/p>\n If you have a little bit of experience using a dehydrator, try your hand at making your own jerky! The flavor combinations are endless! Here\u2019s our basic beef jerky recipe<\/a>, and one for teriyaki beef jerky<\/a>.<\/p>\n A quick hit of energy, Honey Stingers Waffles<\/a> are a great little maintenance snack. Perfect for when you\u2019re feeling a little low-energy and need a little extra zip to get you up the next hill. They have a variety of flavors to choose from, and some even have a bit of caffeine for an extra little boost.<\/p>\n The solid, chewy form of a gel, there are a variety of energy gummies like Honey Stinger Chews<\/a>, Clif Shot Bloks<\/a>, GU Energy Chews<\/a>, and Scratch Lab Chews<\/a> These are great to have on hand if you ever start to feel yourself bonking. We think of these as a \u201cBreak Glass If In Need of Calories\u201d type of emergency snack.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d prefer to drink your calories, Tailwind Nutrition<\/a> is a great way to do it. One serving holds 200 calories along with 50g of carbohydrates, giving your body some quick energy to use (great if you feel yourself starting to hit the wall!).<\/p>\n We love peanut butter-filled pretzels! What mad hatter came up with the crazy idea, we don\u2019t know. But they\u2019re amazing.\u00a0Quinn has a variety of flavors worth checking out like Maple Almond Butter<\/a> and classic peanut butter.<\/a><\/p>\n We absolutely love olives when backpacking. Not only are they loaded with calories, but they offer a momentary burst of savory refinement that is hard to compare. Instant morale booster. We are big fans of Oloves<\/a> packable olives, or on shorter trips we\u2019ll pack some in small zip-top bags.<\/p>\n Hard cheese and cheeses that are individually packaged are great options. We also LOVE the Trader Joe\u2019s Baked Cheese Bites as well as\u00a0Parmesan or Cheddar Whisps<\/a>\u00a0(the latter are a bit less sturdy though).<\/p>\n Packing an assortment of trail mix,\u00a0nuts, and\u00a0dried fruits is a great way to have some calorie boosts on hand to eat while hiking (there\u2019s a reason GORP has been handed down through the generations!). Our favorite places for nuts and dried fruit in bulk are\u00a0Nuts.com\u00a0and Trader Joe\u2019s. You can find some of our favorite\u00a0trail mix recipes<\/a>\u00a0here.<\/p>\n Drying your own fruit is a great way to cut costs and take advantage of seasonal produce when it\u2019s on sale. We love dried apples<\/a>, dehydrated bananas<\/a>, pineapple<\/a>, and kiwis<\/a>!<\/p>\n The snack we didn\u2019t pack enough of for the JMT but we wish we did: Candy! We\u2019re not candy people normally, but the calorie and mid-day sugar boost would have been awesome. Black Forest Gummy Bears<\/a>,\u00a0Swedish Fish<\/a>, or Jelly Belly\u2019s \u201cSports Beans\u201d<\/a> are all good picks. Whatever you pick, make sure it won\u2019t be too melty.<\/p>\n After a long day on the trail, one of the best things is taking off your pack, finding a comfortable stop to sit, and enjoying a hot dinner! This is why it\u2019s so important to find a meal that will end your day on a happy and satisfying note.\u00a0<\/p>\n While there are more backpacking dinner options to choose from than ever before, our suggestion is to stick to your pre-existing food preferences. If a meal sounds good to you now, you will likely love it after a long day of hiking. But if you\u2019re not an adventurous eater at home, then you\u2019re likely not going to magically become one on the trail.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a list of some of the best backpacking food brands along with a few of their top-rated entrees:<\/p>\n Backpacker\u2019s Pantry<\/a>\u00a0makes one of our favorite freeze-dried backpacking meals of all time (Chicken Pad Thai<\/a>), and their production line runs 100% on solar energy, which is pretty cool. Here are a few favorite meals:\u00a0<\/p>\n Farm to Summit<\/a> makes dehydrated backpacking meals with low-impact packaging and seasonal farm-fresh produce. Meals to check out:<\/p>\n Producing dehydrated\u00a0meals from quality ingredients, Good To-Go<\/a> has really expanded its lineup in the past few years. We\u2019ll be honest, in our personal experience, we\u2019ve had some winner and loser meals from them. Nothing was bad<\/em>, we just found a few meals to be tragically undersalted.\u00a0Meals to check out:\u00a0<\/p>\n Based in Anchorage, Alaska, Heather\u2019s Choice<\/a> uses high-quality, whole foods ingredients to create packable, dehydrated provisions. We have not personally tried these meals yet, but they get good reviews online. They are gluten and dairy-free and have a diverse range of flavors. Meals to check out:<\/p>\n The OG of backpacking meals, Mountain House<\/a> has been making freeze-dried food since the 1970s. Over the years they have developed some absolute classic meals that remain some of our favorites:\u00a0<\/p>\n Based in British Columbia, Canada, Nomad Nutrition<\/a> offers an entirely plant-based line of dehydrated backpacking meals. Whether you\u2019re a vegan, vegetarian, or just looking to scale down your meat consumption on the trail, this is a great company to look into.\u00a0 Meals to check out:\u00a0<\/p>\n Even though they are relatively new to the space, Peak ReFuel<\/a> feels like it\u2019s been around for a while. That might be because their founder spent nearly a decade in the freeze-dried world before branching out to launch Peak ReFuel. They offer a lot of comfort food classics that are sure to hit the spot. Meals to check out:\u00a0<\/p>\n Founded by a formally trained chef, Gastro Gnome boasts a menu of legit freeze-dried meals like Indian Yogurt Braised Chicken<\/a>, Mushroom Ragu Farfalle<\/a>, Chicken Pozole<\/a>, and Montana Beef Shepherd\u2019s Pie<\/a>.<\/p>\n Vegetarian and vegan hikers will find tons of options at Outdoor Herbivore. The\u00a0Basil Walnut Penne<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Switchback Burrito Stuffer<\/a>\u00a0sound great.<\/p>\n This is a small company out of Texas that specializes in dehydrated fare. We\u2019re looking forward to trying the Texas State Fair Chili<\/a>, Tortilla Soup<\/a>, or the Fajita Chicken Burrito<\/a> on our next trip!<\/p>\n Based in Colorado, Wild Zora specializes in low-sugar, high-protein, gluten-free, and Paleo backpacking meals. They also offer a line of AIP (autoimmune protocol) meals<\/a>. If you have any dietary restrictions, this is a great company to check out. We\u2019ve heard great things about the Bedrock Beef Chili<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save some cash!<\/strong> If you buy 8 or more backpacking meals at a time from REI, you\u2019ll automatically get a 10% discount<\/a><\/strong> on all of them!<\/p>\n The sky\u2019s the limit if you\u2019re up to making your own homemade meals. While we\u2019ve developed a lot of different\u00a0backpacking recipes over there years, we\u2019ll give you a shortlist of our some of our favorites meals (ssh, don\u2019t tell the others!):<\/p>\n Dehydrator Recipes:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n No Dehydrator Required<\/strong>:<\/p>\n More DIY Backcountry Meal Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n Whether you\u2019re making your own custom meals or looking for a way to stretch a\u00a0freeze-dried meal, there are a bunch of store-bought ingredients you can pack along.<\/p>\n![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/best-backpacking-food-ideas.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Megan](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Backpacking-Food-Ideas-2.jpg)
Backpacking breakfast ideas<\/h2>\n
Freeze-Dried or Dehydrated Meals<\/h3>\n
![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Easy-Backpacking-Breakfast-Scramble-with-Peppers-and-Spinach-V-3.jpg)
OvaEasy Eggs<\/h3>\n
![\"Megan](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Backpacking-Breakfast-Yogurt-Parfait-H1.jpg)
DIY Yogurt Parfait<\/h3>\n
![\"Strawberries](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Dehydrated-Quinoa-Breakfast-Porridge-Backpacking-Meal-1400px-7.jpg)
Dehydrated Quinoa Porridge<\/h3>\n
Instant oatmeal<\/h3>\n
Bobo\u2019s Oat Bars<\/a><\/h3>\n
Instant Coffee<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Instant Tea\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Backpacking-Food-Ideas-12.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nBackpacking lunches, snacks, and bars<\/h2>\n
Greenbelly meal bars<\/a><\/h3>\n
No-cook meals<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cold-Soak-Pasta-Salad-11.jpg)
DIY Cold Soak Meals<\/h3>\n
Chicken, tuna, or SPAM packets<\/h3>\n
Packaroons<\/h3>\n
![\"Assorted](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Assorted-energy-bars.jpg)
Energy Bars<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Peak Refuel Cookie Dough Bites<\/h3>\n
Nut butter<\/h3>\n
![\"Beef](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Simple-beef-jerky-recipe-H1.jpg)
Jerky and meat bars<\/h3>\n
Honey Stinger Waffles\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Honey-Stinger-Energy-Chews-1.jpg)
Energy Gummies\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Tailwind Nutrition<\/h3>\n
Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Olives](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Olives-in-a-snack-bag.jpg)
Olives<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Cheese<\/h3>\n
![\"Nuts](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Hiking-snacks-dried-fruit-and-nuts-1400px.jpg)
Trail mix, nuts, and dried fruit<\/h3>\n
Candy<\/h3>\n
![\"Michael](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Dehydrated-Risotto-Backpacking-Food-10.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nBackpacking dinners<\/h2>\n
Backpacker\u2019s Pantry<\/h3>\n
Farm to Summit<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Good-To-Go<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Heather\u2019s Choice<\/h3>\n
Mountain House<\/h3>\n
Nomad Nutrition<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Peak ReFuel\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Gastro Gnome<\/a><\/h3>\n
Outdoor Herbivore<\/h3>\n
Packit Gourmet<\/h3>\n
Wild Zora<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Minestrone](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Dehydrated-Minestrone-Backpacking-Meal-2.jpg)
DIY Backpacking Meals<\/h2>\n
![\"Megan](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Backpacking-Food-Ideas-8.jpg\")
<\/figure>\nGrocery store backpacking food ideas<\/h2>\n
![\"Megan](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Backpacking-Food-Ideas-7.jpg)
![\"Megan](\"https:\/\/www.freshoffthegrid.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Megan-Mt-Whitney-Summit-Snickers.jpg)