Have you grown tired of subsisting primarily on dehydrated/freeze-dried meals while camping? I know I have! Heading into the backcountry delivers a wealth of fresh air, fresh smells, and fresh experiences. So I think it's time to freshen up the culinary game too.
Recently, I rolled into the Montana wilderness for some van camping/hiking and vowed to do all of my own cooking. Based on my thorough and tasty research, I'm now going to walk you through how to make delicious and nourishing meals, with lively ingredients that can be found at any old grocery store. Bon Appetit!
How do you pack food for backpacking?
If you want to eat lively, home-cooked-style grub while hiking, then the key is to prep and pack appropriately. Chop/dice up those bulky vegetables, remove noodles and grains from their chunky boxes, ditch any glass jars, and just generally compress everything down as much as possible. I like to use a combination of fancy/durable pouches and sealable zip-lock bags. Not only does this save space in your pack, but it also helps to create strategic portions for each meal. Once you get out there, eat the heavier stuff first so that you're carrying less and less each day.
What kind of meat can you take backpacking?
Jerky is the classic go-to for meat-loving backpackers, but in this article, I'm skipping over the dehydrated stuff. My personal favorite meat item is Aidells Sausages – specifically, the pre-cooked spicy mango with jalapeño ones. It does say to keep them refrigerated, but I have found that you can stretch it for a few days, as long as the air temperature isn't scorching. 1-2 days is reasonable, and I have even creeped into the 3rd and 4th day, on occasion. So if you have been hesitant to bring meat along for your hiking trips, fear not, it can be done, and it's a great way to add in some much-needed protein.
What is good food to eat while camping?
For our two-nighter hiking trip, Kristi and I made two special dinners that I want to tell you about. The first was a butter curry with rice noodles and lots of those pre-diced veggies. The full recipe included: Annie's rice noodles, the aforementioned Aidells mango jalapeño sausages, onion, bell pepper, broccoli, sweet potato, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, coconut oil, and “Kitchens of India” butter chicken curry paste.
The next night, we cooked up some fancy mac n' cheese. This once again involved using Annie's as the base, and the left-over Aidells sausages, plus broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and the SECRET INGREDIENT…cream cheese. I often bring along a bit of powdered milk to punch up this meal (which, by the way, is my absolute favorite), but I failed to resupply and so had to get creative.
The coconut oil, oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, and the cream cheese all helped to amp up that buttery goodness. If you're fast-packing or short on any of the fancier stuff late in your trip, it also works to just use the flavor pack that comes with the mac n' cheese, and then leave a bit of extra water in the pot to keep everything from getting dry and gunky.
What type of stove is best for backpacking?
For proper cooking, I rotate between the JetBoil MiniMo and the MSR PocketRocket. If you’ve been following along with BackpackingTV and/or In4Adventure.com then you may recall my blurb on ditching Jetboil in favor of the MSR Pocket Rocket. At the time, my main takeaway was that being able to simmer was a powerful tool for cooking actual meals, rather than just boiling water to use for dehydrated foods.
What I failed to take into account was that JetBoil has different stoves and attachments to accommodate nuanced cooking. Yes, the Flash is designed to give you boiled water in an instant, but with the MiniMo, you can adjust the flame and use a skillet. This was the set-up we used for both our curry and fancy mac n' cheese dinners. We started by cooking the veggies and sausages in the skillet (but not quite to completion), then set the pan aside while we boiled the noodles (which the MiniMo can still do lickety-split), and then went back into simmer mode to re-heat the skillet grub.
What is the best food to bring while camping?
Though I'm championing the art of real cooking in the backcountry, I have to admit that bringing along all those fresh ingredients, and the pots/skillets to cook them in, does add a lot of weight. This is why dehydrated meals have become so popular. Perhaps the ultimate sweet spot is to do a mix of both.
I recommend making a special meal for at least your first night out. It sets a nice tone for the trip, and again, will significantly lighten your load if you're hiking to another campsite the next day. After that, tagging in some store-bought camping meals can bridge the gap until you get back to home base.
Talking about all this food has made me hungry again (a regular occurrence for all avid backpackers), so I'm going to leave it there and head back to the mobile kitchen. If you've been in a bit of a cooking rut lately then I hope that these methods/recipes inspired you to switch it up for your next adventure. If you want some more backcountry cooking content, check out my buddy Chef Corso. And for more hiking/camping content of all kinds, head on over to BackpackingTV. Aprovecho!
My favorite backpacking gear list
NOTE: These are affiliate links where I’ll earn a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you, but it’s a great way to show your support. Thanks!
Lifestraw Peak Series Squeeze: https://bit.ly/3A8T7nk
Jetboil Minimo: https://bit.ly/3pvrWxL
Jetboil Skillet: https://bit.ly/3Au14ow
Cotopaxi Cielo Rain Jacket: https://bit.ly/3dynCv5
Salewa Alpenrose 2 Women’s Boots: https://bit.ly/3dPxL6K
Women’s Mystery Ranch Bridger 55: https://bit.ly/3Ae1qy9
Komperdell Trekking Poles: https://bit.ly/3e67yBd
Hyperlite Mountain Gear pack: https://bit.ly/3prGVcm
