Video: Hiking Food for Long Distance Backpacking

29 Comments

For more information on trail hiking food check out my 5,000 Calorie Hiking Food Article

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29 Responses to “Video: Hiking Food for Long Distance Backpacking”

  1. Goldpaint 19. Apr, 2010 at 5:26 pm

    Great video Mr. Black! Another lunch recommendation I would throw in would be Bear Valley Pemmican bars. They are loaded with calories and the taste is not too bad. They are a little heavy, but I don’t mind it.

    Thank you for sharing/blogging/emailing all your recommendations/process/gear. I’ve gotten many ideas from you and greatly appreciate it.

    See you at ADZPCTKO!

  2. Kathryn 19. Apr, 2010 at 6:17 pm

    Its always interesting to see what other people eat. I’ve eaten most of that at some point while hiking. I think the big thing though is that training trips are crucial to hammer out food preferences. I personal don’t care for tuna or fig newtons but that’s just me. Knowing what you’re willing to eat is essential when choices range from a grocery store to the snack aisle at the gas station.

  3. JERRY WELTER 19. Apr, 2010 at 6:19 pm

    another great video Eric , man I hope Im not maken a mistake only packin a smidge over a pound a day( 1500 calories ) .I just sent off our (2 of us) 4 day resupply and it was only 10 pounds and thats including toiletries,bug,soap,tp&toothpaste…well Im green @ thru hikin and need to loose about 20 pounds..your work is great ,and the more I play with your map books the more I appreciate the work and detail you put into them..thanks again…Jerry

  4. Ruffwork 19. Apr, 2010 at 6:56 pm

    Jerry, You will find that the first several weeks you will not eat 5K cals per day (in fact normally I don’t eat much at all the first week or two) but after burning off all the extra fat we all carry around BAM you will not be able to eat enough! You will be amazed how much you NEED to eat! (at least that’s how it works for me ;-)

    See you all at KO this weekend!

    HYOH, ruffwork

    The road goes ever on and on…

    PS – GREAT work as always, Eric the Black!

  5. Joe 19. Apr, 2010 at 9:31 pm

    This is more great stuff from Eric the Black. You impress me as someone who is truly dedicated to furthering the cause of long distance hiking.

    I would add Slim Jims. You can get a 16 ct pack for a few bucks almost anywhere. I also like to mix in electrolite chews (most any brand) and Pop Tarts (Mmmmm . . . 450 calories never tasted so good).

    Happy Trails – Joe

  6. Tag 20. Apr, 2010 at 12:45 am

    Another great video. All newbies should be thankful for your help. One question, what type of salami was that? Hard to tell on the video. Doesn’t it go bad quickly? I have tried dehydrating meats in meals but when you dehydrate, your pulling out the fats and oils in the meat. Adding water to rehydrate doesn’t replace those oils and you end up with a meal with good starch and little hard pieces of barely chewable meat. Any suggestions or does dehydrating meat just not work?

  7. Thomas 20. Apr, 2010 at 1:46 am

    Hi Eric
    again one of your goodies, thanx for that.
    Did you ever think about drinking bouillon to lke substitute the loss of fat and salt and to make the dinking water abit more tasty? 1000G make 45.5 liters and it’s very high concentrated and can easily be packed in small portions.
    1000G are 35.27 oz 45.5 Liters are 1538.53803 fl.oz

    Happy trails

    Thomas

  8. Shelly 20. Apr, 2010 at 10:53 am

    Great video Erik. It is always good to see what others eat…I know I get in a rut and forget there are other goodies out there to consume. Thanks for your efforts! Good luck out there this season!
    Shelly

  9. Marcy 21. Apr, 2010 at 6:35 am

    This was great, as were your other blogs and videos. Question though: when you eat one of the meals packed in Ziploc, do you save the bags to use again when you resupply at stores? Or do you just pack tons of Ziplocs (or keep them in your bounce box)?

  10. Erik The Black 22. Apr, 2010 at 4:54 pm

    Thanks everybody for your comments and food suggestions!

    @tag: The kind of Salami I use is made by Gallo and is available in most food stores on the west coast. It comes pre-sliced and packaged in 8 ounce containers. It seems to last just fine for 5 days at a time. Gets a little greasier than normal near the end but never had it spoil.

    @Thomas: I’ve never tried drinking bullion but I might give it a shot this year. Thanks for the suggestion.

    @Marcy: I typically don’t re-use ziplocs because I use them to rehydrate my food and to eat out of (which leaves sticky food residue inside). I throw the used ones away at the next town and buy a new box of ziplocs next time I shop, and transfer the food from it’s package into the ziplocs before leaving town (or sending off a mail drop).

  11. Ryan Perry 22. Apr, 2010 at 8:14 pm

    Erik the Black
    to hear that your so close to getting ready to take off makes me wish i was heading that way this year. I plan on thru-hiking next year. You’re videos are more than helpful and i will be purchasing your atlases. The only question i have is, how bad are the mosquitos and bugs along the trail? Do you bring head nets, stick with the spray or just bear with them?
    -Patches

  12. Brandon 31. Jan, 2011 at 7:29 pm

    Just found your site about a week ago and have really been enjoying it! Does the cheese and salami not go bad after a couple days?

  13. Alex M 06. Feb, 2011 at 8:57 pm

    Hi Eric,
    Thanks so much, me and my two sons looking forward to doing thru h. of JMT this summer.
    You actually rehydrate food in zip lock bag and then eat out of it? What about plastic residue,i.e. is it toxic? Best web sitye to make pot cozy?

    Thnx man, your the best.

  14. Erik The Black 07. Feb, 2011 at 6:51 am

    @Alex: I rehydrate and eat out of the ziplock about half the time. It’s very convenient because I don’t have to clean my cookpot after. This technique works better for some foods than others (works good for soft foods like mashed potatoes, cous cous, pasta). It doesn’t work too great with some other foods (like rice) because they require more cooking and rehydration. For those I put the food in the pot and simmer for a few minutes before putting it in the pot cozy.

    I have heard that boiling water can release some toxic residue from plastic, and I don’t doubt it. But the way I figure this world of ours is filled with toxic chemicals in the air, the food, the water and there’s no way to avoid it, so I don’t worry too much about that.

  15. Nate Simpson 03. Mar, 2011 at 3:07 am

    Erik!

    I just wanted to say hello and thanks for the blog posts, I’m trying to do some longer hiking so it’s really been coming in handy.
    Thanks again!

    -Nate

  16. Tim 22. Apr, 2011 at 12:19 pm

    Regarding cooking: you mention simply heating water to boiling, adding the food such as Mac & cheese, then turning off the heat to save fuel and letting the pot sit in a pot cozy for a while and it’s then ready to eat. I’ve never cooked this way and wondered how much water you boil? Is it relative to the food being cooked? If so, is this based on a certain ratio? Then I thought, maybe you just put a decent amount of water in and drain off the excess once it’s ready to eat? Also, at what point to you add the powdered cheese/cream mix for Mac & cheese or a Lipton noodle dish without screwing up the meal?

    By the way, your web site is nicely done and very informative. The articles are great and  the videos top it off. It’s been very helpful for me to learn all that I need for ultralight backpacking.

  17. Erik The Black 22. Apr, 2011 at 1:47 pm

    @Tim I try to use just enough water so that it gets soaked up by the food without any excess (so no water is wasted). For a box of macaroni and cheese I have found that 2 cups of water works well. For Liptons I typically use about 1.5 cups of water. It’s sort of a trail and error process and after doing it a few times you can get a feel for how much water to use. I add the powdered cheese mix to mac and cheese at the very end along with 1 ounce of olive oil (and possible a little bit of powdered milk if I have it). For Liptons the seasoning is usually already mixed in with the noodles or rice so I just add the boiling water, give it a quick stir and then stick it in the pot cozy.

  18. John 22. Apr, 2011 at 2:40 pm

    Great info and videos – thanks! Questions: Do you use a bear canister in the required areas of the Sierras or do you just “renegade it”? If so, what model do you use and where do you carry it in/on your ULA pack? I ask because It looks like only some of your demonstrated food preferences would be “bear canister friendly”.

  19. Erik The Black 22. Apr, 2011 at 2:43 pm

    @John I do use a bear canister (although I hate them). I use a Bear Vault BV500 and strap it to the top of my pack. When packing foods for the bear canister I prefer foods that are low bulk and flexible (like macaroni and cheese in a ziplock) as opposed to foods that are bulky and inflexible (like bagels).

  20. Cathy 31. Jul, 2011 at 5:41 am

    Hey Erik…nice video you’ve put together. Great to see we pack most of the same items–it is universal. We are caching 3 loads of food, for a 32 day trip, and wondered if you had any experience with your salami, while doing this? We will be using sticks of it, and each “leg/stage” is 7 to 9 days! Yep, big loads, but my concern is the safety of our lunch food. Yes- salt does rule! thanks for your thoughts. ps..these will be at high elevation locations, so the temps should be cooler.

  21. Erik The Black 02. Aug, 2011 at 9:40 am

    @Cathy The longest I’ve carried Salami personally is about 6 days. After that it seems to get pretty greasy and starts to turn a little bit green. There is so much salt and preservatives in it that I’m not sure how long it will take before it actually becomes dangerous, but I usually try to limit it to 3-5 days without refrigeration.

  22. Erik 05. Sep, 2011 at 6:45 am

    I put noodles (or rice or TVP) and a bit less cold untreated water than I think I’ll need in my pot and put it on my stove. I’ll open the lid and stir it a few times while it is heating, and if the water level is getting low, I’ll add more. If there is a separate flavor packet, that goes in at the end.

    Some summer sausage does not need to be refrigerated until it is opened.

  23. Mark 21. Nov, 2011 at 2:38 pm

    Hey Erik,

    Man, I just cant get enough of your website! Great job. I read on one of your pages that it’s better to resupply as you go, as opposed to sending yourself supplies(food). True? Or do you do half and half? I’m thinking about resupplying as I go on my thru hike of the PCT in 2012. Can I realistically pull it off? I agree with you regarding gear that I want to carry everything I need for the entire hike (except food and water of course) instead of switching back and forth gear I need, gear I no longer need. Also. is it easy to get butane fuel canisters all along the way of the PCT? Thanks! Mark

  24. Erik The Black 22. Nov, 2011 at 10:24 am

    @Mark: I always resupply as I go (in that I do not prepare any food at home before I leave) but sometimes on the trail I will buy several weeks worth of food and mail it forward to the next few town stops. This works good if the next couple of towns are really small and they have a Post Office, but do not have a big grocery store with a good selection of food (like some of the towns in Oregon and Washington on the PCT). This is also nice because sometimes you may want to enjoy your day off in town without having to go shopping. I prefer this approach to preparing food in advance because your appetite (both for taste and the amount of calories you need) will change as you hike, and it’s not realistic to make food decisions months in advance. This way you make your food decisions just a few days or weeks before you have to eat it, so it is more likely to meet your needs. I’ve used a canister stove for years (including on the PCT). Butane canisters are easy to find in California. Once you get into Oregon and Washington it becomes a little more complicated (because some of the small towns don’t sell them) so you have the choice of carrying larger canisters, multiple canisters, or mailing canisters forward to the smaller towns. But it is very doable and many PCT thru-hikers use canister stoves. Here is a partial list of places where you can usually find fuel canisters on the PCT.

  25. Mark 22. Nov, 2011 at 12:55 pm

    Hey Erik,

    Thanks for the quick reply. Much appreciated. Regarding the fuel canisters, does your PCT Atlas’s contain the places that sell canisters along the trail on the PCT? I am ordering your Atlas’s and this info would be most helpful. Also, I’ve been having some soreness with my Achilles Tendon (Tendonosis). Strained it backpacking. Any advice on treating this condition? Do you know if hiking with it is ok? Thru-hike? Any info you have would help. Thanks again. Mark

  26. Erik The Black 23. Nov, 2011 at 7:45 am

    @Mark: The current 2nd Edition PCT Atlas does not include fuel canister locations, but it will be included in the upcoming 3rd Editions. I’m not really an expert on foot pain so I can’t make any recommendations for Tendonitis other than lightening your pack weight (which will put less strain on it while hiking).

  27. Mark 23. Nov, 2011 at 11:30 am

    Hi Erik,

    When will the 3rd Edition PCT Atlas’s be available?

  28. Erik The Black 23. Nov, 2011 at 11:39 am

    @Mark: The first two volumes (Southern and Central California) will be available Spring 2012. Volume 5 (Washington) in Fall 2012 and Volumes 3 & 4 (Northern California and Oregon) Spring 2013.

  29. Johannes Zee German 18. Dec, 2011 at 10:23 am

    Erik,

    as an experienced distance backpacker I must give a thumbs up to your collective material. We continue to learn from one another in this little subculture, i.e. techniques, tips, recipes, cool new gear, lighter loads, etc. You added a different perspective for me in a few areas that I look forward to exploring on the Hayduke Trail.

    Cheers! Johannes

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