I've been really getting into DIY backcountry stuff lately. I'm looking for some good ideas that some of you may have for food options. I will be starting out without a stove, all cold meals. Except maybe a self heating mountain house. So what have you guys used in the past? Here's a couple I have so far Breakfast: Ziploc bag filled with cereal and vanilla protein powder, just add water Lunch: Flour tortilla w/ peanut butter two strips of bacon and some honey. Im looking for stuff that's packed with carbs and protein but packs light
I normally bring trail mix, lots of jerky and dried fruit. Lightweight foods that can keep for a long time and have lots of protien and carbs. I like the cereal protien powder idea.
I just went and built this, which could expand my food horizons some. Simple soda can stove; runs on any dentured alcohol, weighs about an ounce, and boils water quick. Just what you need in the backcountry, something quick, light, and efficent.
If you are packing a stove, I see no reason to look past Mountain House meals...pack very light, and in the backcountry are extremely tasty. I learned quickly that the taste test in your kitchen does zero good. I couldn't even choke down a bite at home, but gobbled them down as gourmet in Alaska. I eat pretty simple, and likely not enough. I eat two cereal bars for breakfast, a pack of ramen noodles dry for lunch, and a MH 2 serving pouch for dinner. I usually have a bag of trail mix and beef jerky to snack on throughout the trip to fight back hunger. Don't discount actual game meat if you are on a multi tag trip. We feasted on tenderloins and backstraps from the first 2 deer as we filled the last 4 tags in Alaska. I've never had a better meal than those skillet fried medallions of backstrap and instant potatoes. mmmm.... I've tried the whole tortilla/pb/bacon deal, just wasn't all that great to me. I may give it another shot this year though.
I wasn't big on the pb/bacon thing at first either. Once I got a decent raitio down (not too much peanut, not too much bacon) it actually tastes pretty good. What are some of your guy's favorite MH meals?
I did peanutbutter and jelly sandwich with sardines. It was cold and I was hungrey. Fost bite my toes in a tree stand that trip.
I pack mostly protein bars with me when I'm in the Colorado mountains... This year, I think I'll get the food dehydrator out and try to take a few ziploc bagfulls of dried bananas and apple chips with me as well, and probably throw some peanuts and raisins into the mix and maybe some almonds too. Different topic slightly, but I think I'm going to also start saving all the lint out of my drier to stuff into a ziploc bag for the trip in case I ever need emergency kindling at night to start a fire. Light, extremely packable and very flammable.
Military MRE's work for me. If you can boil water, that'll heat em up. I usually put them close to my torso so it at least warms up to 98. The new ones have a heating element built in. A couple of yrs ago, also bought some soup canisters that had a chemical heater built into the container.
I started to mention MREs but got sidetracked... Had a freakin' case of those things left over from my days in the Guard and Reserve... they were at my parents' house and Mom ended up throwing them away because she thought they were outdated. It was too late to explain to her that it didn't matter WHAT the date was on it, they were going to taste the same.
You can put anything in a tortilla, that's my motto. They pack flat to say the least. Trevor, I'm a ramen guy too packing them dry or pre-cooking them... either way. Often times, I will boil the noodles with the seasoning packet, drain them and let them dry. They stay moist in a ziploc or vacuum pack if it's well in advance and have all the flavor to boot. Greg/MO, if you'll put vaseline on your hands and roll the lint into balls about the size of a whopper, they'll burn wet or dry and they'll burn for quite a while. :D
I love the military MRE'S with the heater pack inside. There are others I like also, but these are my standby.
