50 Miler, Backpacking Foods and Cooking

In the past, I’ve always done things like oatmeal for breakfast, and for dinner we would pre-dry some hamburger to go with hamburger helper meals and lipton noodle meals.  That way they were cheap, and lightweight.  This time we decided to simplify and try some of the pre-prepared freeze-dried meals.  They were expensive, but they were pretty easy to cook and prepare, and they were very lightweight.

Only brought one spoon?  It's ok, you can fix it

For low budget meals, try hamburger helper.  You usually just need to add water and hamburger and then boil it.  So, try cooking the hamburger before you go, and then drying it on a food dehydrator.  That way you don’t need to refrigerate it, and it will be as lightweight as the freeze dried foods.

For breakfasts, you can’t go wrong with instant oatmeal packets, but if you want to add some variety, there’s also instant cream of wheat packs, and instant grits packs.  Then you can just boil some water and add it to your oats (or whatever) in your bowl and eat it.

Lunches are always hard because your usually hiking during lunch, and you don’t want to stop and set up a kitchen.  We typically bring granola bars, jerky, trail mix, and I’ve found that string cheese will stay good for the whole week in your pack.  One time we brought a “yard of beef”, it was actually only about 18 inches, but it was a summer sausage.  It added 3 pounds of meat to someone’s pack, but it was good when we brought it out part way through the week!

I know everyone thinks they need one of those fancy mess kits to eat with and cook with – you know, the aluminum ones like the ones your father had when he was a kid?  I like to go to All-A-Dollar and buy a cheap Tupperware type bowl and cup and plastic spoon.  I’ve found that you rarely need a plate on a backpacking trip.  Then I’ve got a lightweight “mess kit”, that won’t burn my fingers as I try to hold the bowl with hot food in it like an aluminum bowl would.

I have one, 2 liter pot with a lid that’s aluminum.  I use that for anything while backpacking.  Most foods only require heating up water so it’s perfect for that.  If you will be able to catch fish and are planning on eating them, bring a small frying pan as well, or if you can have fires, bring some aluminum foil and cook in the fire.

I like the "old fashioned" coleman backpacking stoves that run off of white gas.  They have them out now that run unleaded fuel, white gas, or kerosene as well.  They work at low temperatures, and you can see how much fuel you have available.

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