grocery store food that will work as lightweight backpack food?

[vash]

i admit, i am a food snob.

i dont eat processed food. not much anyways. i have a trip coming up. no telling what they put into a pack of Mountain House dehydrated food..

one of the guys going just sent me this fuzzy out of focus picture of the food he is taking. remarkably very little mountain house, and a bunch of (i cant) unidentifiable store bought food. he has HASH BROWNS!! wtf?

tonight, i am gonna venture into the processed food department and suss it out. a packet of Mountain house is $7.

any lightweight store bought food ideas? hamburger helper without the hamburger?

i do know i am buying plain instant oatmeal. and lots of it.

[stomachmonkey]

Get some meat, make some jerky.

[Head416]

hamburger helper without the hamburger?

I'd rather have Mountain House chili mac.

[Don Ro]

Bumble Bee already cooked in sealed envelope.
.
Tuna Fish | Healthy Seafood Recipes & Products | Bumble Bee Foods, LLC

[recycled sixtie]

I have done food as simple as bread buns, peanut butter and apples. More deluxe backpacking carrying a stove I have bought freeze dried spaghetti sauce and noodles. Also east indian dried food. You obviously need water and a portable stove.
Lots of freeze dried packs at camping stores. Dried eggs. Anything in cans tends to be too heavy.

A neighbor I hiked/backpacked with a few years ago had deer meat and moose meat. Of course unrefrigerated for a long time can be risky. I keep it simple. Apples, nuts, buns, freeze dried foods.

[BK911]

Nuts and raisins

[id10t]

Oatmeal, rice, instant potatoes, pastas, GORP (and m&ms), etc.

When I did 100 miles on the AT for a summer camp (twice) lunch was always beef stick (summer sausage, no refrigeration needed), wheat thins, and sharp cheddar cheese on a block. Day 4 or 5 the cheese would get small mold spots, just carve 'em off before cutting a hunk off. Smaller blocks still in factory wrapper wouldn't get moldy.

Depending on where you are going and how much you know, you can often find extra edibles on the trail. Again on the AT, often made mint and sassafras tea just by picking the mint and digging the sassafras roots.

[RWebb]

ramen


for more fun, go with some big strong young kid who likes to brag about how much he can carry, then sneak a bunch of canned stuff into his bedroll and see how he responds; you can also add rocks

[craigster59]

Have you tried any of the Tasty Bite stuff? Noodles, rice, entrees aren't bad, you can pick them up at Cost Plus World Market or I think Trader Joe's has knockoffs of their stuff. Not dehydrated and not bad. Also, Cost Plus has Yellowtail belly filets in olive oil that are good. All Natural Tasty Bite: Indian Food, Asian Noodles, Vegetarian Food, Gluten Free Food, Vegan Food, Kosher Food

[craigster59]

Also, when backpacking, I usually take along an onion or 2, dried mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, etc. to liven up some of the boring Lipton Rice Meals.

[aigel]

When is the trip?

I have a very large mountain house variety pack from costco that will likely expire if it isn't eaten. Want me to send it to you?

Instant rice is better than rice IMHO, as it cooks much faster.

Dry pasta works too with an instant sauce bought separately. Definitely take CARBS, as you will be hiking.

G

[gtc]

How about that pre-cooked bacon they sell now? I know it's kind of funky, but it's light weight and it would certainly help to perk up the typical bland camp food. And all the calories can't hurt, either.

http://www.amazon.com/Yoders-Canned-Fully-Cooked-Bacon/dp/B006YXOOI6/ref=pd_sim_sbs_gro_2

[Nostril Cheese]

[BRPORSCHE]

Love Kraft mac and cheese when out on the trail for dinner. Bring some dehydrated milk with you. Light and yummy. Big fan of the tuna packs that were mentioned above. Also like to bring pasta with dehydrated corn and tomatoes. Add those taco seasoning packs to eat and you have quite the meal.

CARBS!!

[john70t]

Originally Posted by id10t

When I did 100 miles on the AT for a summer camp

I once did a small norther part of it with someone who did the entirety.
Up and down was brutal with only 10-20 miles per day. It would be much less today

Fwiw, the record is currently held by a woman btw: The Appalachian Trail Speed Record Holder Has Mercy On Us : Condé Nast Traveler
There is a documentary(or three) on those nutty thru-hikers.

The AT system has send-ahead mailing stations which are a godsend for food, socks, shovel, or that mini saw which fell in the river.
They also have a good maps which show campsites and rivers, but we have smart phones and google maps these days.

[einreb]

tuna packs, pepperoni/hard salami, instant potatoes, hard cheeses

I also like falafal/tahini (sesame paste). you need to pack a little oil to pan fry, but make little patties and pack pita (easier than bread).

pita/nutella instead of power bar type stuff

[craigster59]

Backpacking Recipes | Wild Backpacker

[emcon5]

Probably not to be found at a grocery store, but MRE entrees.

[RWebb]

yes - you can use them to kill squirrels with and then eat the squirrels

or to drive in tent stakes

[look 171]

I usually take packages of Ramen noodles. they end up getting crushed all the time but it still taste damn good. I get the ones from a Chinese market. Flat and easy to store and a bit bigger then the ramen packages. it taste so much better too especially if super hungry and cold.