A hiking trip usually lasts for several hours or a day, but some may stretch over a couple of days too. The amount and kinds of food you will need to carry hinge on the duration of the hike. However, a hiker will usually need to carry at least one meal along. More important than any meal though, is water. The human body is 66% water. It is a known fact that a person can survive for about a month without food, but less than a week without water.
If you plan to go on a short hike lasting for a couple of hours, all you need to carry are some snacks or a meal. While planning the meal, some criteria to follow are foods that are light to carry, that can be kept cool, and those that can be safely transported. Options for a day hike range from sandwiches, fried chicken, bread and cheese, and salads. These foods can be made the previous night and refrigerated or frozen. They can be kept cold during the hike by packing them along with frozen box drinks. The drinks will thaw out and you will have a nice chilled drink to refresh yourself with. Alternately, you could take along non-perishable foods like nuts and crackers. Make sure you carry sufficient water, but if you run out of it, purify the water from streams or lakes by boiling or using a water purifier, filter or purification tablets.
If you are going on a longer hike, you will need to put some thought into planning your meals. While you can pack the above suggested foods for the first day, you will need to carry foods with a longer shelf life for the subsequent days. Some suggestions include canned tuna, ham, chicken, and beef, jars of peanut butter, dried noodles and soups, juice boxes, beef jerky and other dried meats, dried fruits and nuts, powdered milk and fruit drinks and dehydrated foods. Other options that will require a little bit of effort are powdered mixes for biscuits or pancakes. You could also carry dried pasta and powdered sauce mixes to go with it.
For a hike lasting a couple of days, you can carry foods that would be ideal for each of the three meals. Options for breakfast are a nutritious cereal or muesli that can be eaten with milk, made by mixing powdered sachets with water. Breakfast bars are a quick fussless option. If you are carrying equipment to cook food, or are ready to collect firewood and make your meal, you can feast on porridge (oats, cracked wheat, semolina polenta plus dried fruits).
For lunch or dinner you could use the tinned food, or make sandwiches (provided the bread stays fresh) using a solid bread-like rye or pita with cheese, salami (which will last longer if kept whole), or margarine, peanut butter, jam, or honey and pickles. Pre-prepared packet meals of rice or noodle base are another way to go. Frozen dried meals, though expensive are lightweight and yet another option to consider. It is also possible to prepare your own dehydrated foods. One may be surprised to learn that almost all foods can be dehydrated, from broccoli to lamb stew to mangoes.
If you really want to treat yourself for climbing the mountain, you could carry packets of instant pudding or dried custard sachets, to which you could add dried fruits while preparing. Rice pudding or chocolate are other options. To wash down your meal or start your day, powdered milk, hot chocolate, tea and coffee all come in sachets. Carry powdered sugar, and you can have a steaming hot cuppa' while enjoying the sunrise.
While packing food for your trip, pack smart and keep the weight to a minimum. One way to do that is to pack food in snap lock bags that are reusable. You can also label the bags with tags such as 'Day-1 Lunch', etc. It is very important to carry only as much as you need, and not over pack.
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