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Backpacking Food What To Bring
eight is always a backpacking food question. You
concern with backpacking have to balance the
food you'll be carrying weight/health/taste/cost issues
everything on your back. Some in your own way. Consider the
will tell you to find your weight following points, though, in
savings in other areas, and making your choices.
argue for the necessity of
healthy, meaning heavy, food. My The lightest food is that which
experience, however, tells me has the most calories per ounce.
that we can enjoy lighter loads Pure fat wins the contest (oils),
and worry less about healthy food followed by high-fat foods
on short trips. (nuts), low moisture
carbohydrates (granola bars),
In the Sierra Nevada I ate more proteins (beef jerky), and then
than 60 granola bars in five days bread, fruit, veggies, etc. Nuts,
with no ill effects. No stove for example, because of their fat
meant a lighter pack, and it was content, have 50% more calories
very convenient to not cook. Of per pound than pure sugar.
course, I usually supplement my
backpacking diet with berries and Look at the lables. Choose foods
other wild foods, so it probably you like, but choose the ones
wasn't all that unhealthy. that are higher in calories for
their weight. In that way, you
Different Foods For Different get what you want, what your body
Backpackers needs for energy, and you keep it
light. I usually plan for about
Each of us is unique. I don't 3000 calories a day. This isn't
suffer when I have no cooked quite enough (I'm 6'3", 160
meals, but you may. There isn't a pounds), so I'll lose a pound or
one-size-fits-all solution to the two on a weekend trip.
concentrate on bringing only
Bringing high-calorie foods like light backpacking food, and your
mixed nuts (2700/pound) and health won't suffer.
tortilla chips (2100/pound), I
can get by with about 20 ounces A more obvious alternative is to
of food per day. For a four day spend some money. Enough money,
trip I'll carry around 5 pounds. and you can feast on
Eat a big meal before you go, and nutrition-packed, calorie-rich
you can carry less food (although foods the whole time you are
you'll carry it inside you hiking. Try bee pollen,
anyhow). You can cut weight if spirolina, raw nuts and seeds,
you know which berries to eat molasses, dried papaya - I could
along the trail. I've eaten an go on, but you get the idea.
entire meal of rasberries during
one break while hiking in Finally, don't forget the
Colorado. freeze-dried meals and other
traditional backpacking foods.
Healthy Backpacking Food They are not necessasrily
healthy, and can be very
For a healthier trip, try this: expensive, but they sure are
Eat a large salad right before convenient and tasty. You can
you leave, and right after you always pack ramen noodles if you
get back. If you also eat berries want cheap food.
and herbs along the way, you can
About the Author:
Steve Gillman is a long-time advocate of lightweight backpacking. Visit his website for tips, photos, gear recommendations, a free book and a new wilderness survival section:
The Ultralight Backpacking Site : http://www.The-Ultralight-Site.com
Read more articles by: Steve Gillman
Article Source: www.iSnare.com |
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