backpacking food?
08-11-2004, 08:23 AM
#11
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 6,357
RE: backpacking food?
RustyOlRanger4x4:
Yes, the idea is to carry dry food and add water obtained near your campsite. The water is the heaviest part of most food. If you can get the water at your campsite, carry it maybe 40 feet from the stream to your cooking, isn't this better than hauling it 15 miles and an aggregate climb of 7,000' (up 2000', down 1500', up 3000', down 1000', and up 2000')?
An important point made by txhunter58 is to filter or otherwise treat your water. Parasites are common in stream water, even mountain stream water. One particular parasite, giardia, is common in the Rocky Mountains and is very unpleasant. In the morning as part of breaking camp filter enough water to drink during the day. When I backpack I stash a quart of fresh filtered water in an accessible outside pocket of my pack. Hiking/backpacking authorities recommend that you drink more water in high altitude to ward off altitude sickness. When you make camp at night and cook, filter more water. Typically you chose to make your camp sites close to water.
Yes, the idea is to carry dry food and add water obtained near your campsite. The water is the heaviest part of most food. If you can get the water at your campsite, carry it maybe 40 feet from the stream to your cooking, isn't this better than hauling it 15 miles and an aggregate climb of 7,000' (up 2000', down 1500', up 3000', down 1000', and up 2000')?
An important point made by txhunter58 is to filter or otherwise treat your water. Parasites are common in stream water, even mountain stream water. One particular parasite, giardia, is common in the Rocky Mountains and is very unpleasant. In the morning as part of breaking camp filter enough water to drink during the day. When I backpack I stash a quart of fresh filtered water in an accessible outside pocket of my pack. Hiking/backpacking authorities recommend that you drink more water in high altitude to ward off altitude sickness. When you make camp at night and cook, filter more water. Typically you chose to make your camp sites close to water.
08-11-2004, 11:00 AM
#12
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 6,357
RE: backpacking food?
RustyOlRanger4x4:
As txhunter58 indicates, you carry a filter or other means to treat water and then draw it from streams as you need it . . . unless you are backpacking/hunting the desert.
Carry enough water in your pack to quench your thirst during the day of backpacking/hunting. For me this is typically a quart bottle stuffed into an easily accessible outside pocket of my pack. The experts, however, advise that you drink plenty of fluids at altitude to avoid altitude sickness, so maybe it is better to carry two quarts of water.
When you choose a campsite for the night, you will choose a spot close to water. Draw water for cooking and cleaning through your filter as part of cooking operations. In the morning, draw water to fill your water bottles as part of camp breaking operations.
It is much easier on your back to haul dried foods which do not have the water in them and rehydrate them at cooking time than to haul fully hydrated foods. The more day's worth of food you must haul the more critical this consideration becomes. Hauling fully hydrated food on an overnighter would be no big deal. Hauling fully hydrated food for a 7 day trip is a different story.
Be advised that there are parasites in streams, even apparently pure, pristine mountain streams. The giardia parasite, for example, is common in streams in the rocky mountains. I have had giardesis and it isn't fun. Vomiting and diahrea concurrently is a challenge you don't need to experience on a backpacking trip. It left me with an unquenchable thirst and a very low energy level. Treat your water if you are wise.
As txhunter58 indicates, you carry a filter or other means to treat water and then draw it from streams as you need it . . . unless you are backpacking/hunting the desert.
Carry enough water in your pack to quench your thirst during the day of backpacking/hunting. For me this is typically a quart bottle stuffed into an easily accessible outside pocket of my pack. The experts, however, advise that you drink plenty of fluids at altitude to avoid altitude sickness, so maybe it is better to carry two quarts of water.
When you choose a campsite for the night, you will choose a spot close to water. Draw water for cooking and cleaning through your filter as part of cooking operations. In the morning, draw water to fill your water bottles as part of camp breaking operations.
It is much easier on your back to haul dried foods which do not have the water in them and rehydrate them at cooking time than to haul fully hydrated foods. The more day's worth of food you must haul the more critical this consideration becomes. Hauling fully hydrated food on an overnighter would be no big deal. Hauling fully hydrated food for a 7 day trip is a different story.
Be advised that there are parasites in streams, even apparently pure, pristine mountain streams. The giardia parasite, for example, is common in streams in the rocky mountains. I have had giardesis and it isn't fun. Vomiting and diahrea concurrently is a challenge you don't need to experience on a backpacking trip. It left me with an unquenchable thirst and a very low energy level. Treat your water if you are wise.
08-11-2004, 11:08 AM
#13
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 6,357
RE: backpacking food?
Oops! Didn't see my earlier post and thought operator error on my part had caused it to disappear. Didn't see a new page had generated! Sorry. Tried to delete the second post but couldn't figure this out.
08-11-2004, 01:07 PM
#15
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 590
RE: backpacking food?
I don't cook at all, in fact, I take no dishes or silverware of any kind. Not cooking and not building fires lets me insert my camps close to the elk. I commonly camp out within 600 yards of a main elk honeyhole, which lets you get right in the middle of them at daylight.
Breakfast is pop tarts or just dry cereal, like honey grahams or lucky charms. I rebag the cereal into ziplocs. Lunch is usually canned oysters (my one heavy item) speared with a stick, and crackers - again rebagged. Supper I alternate between Pringles potato chips and Ritz crackers and cheddar cheese. Throw in a daily dose of dried fruit and various drink mixes - tang, etc. - and that does it for me.
I've gone up to 13 days on this in summer, up to 8 days in hunting season.
Breakfast is pop tarts or just dry cereal, like honey grahams or lucky charms. I rebag the cereal into ziplocs. Lunch is usually canned oysters (my one heavy item) speared with a stick, and crackers - again rebagged. Supper I alternate between Pringles potato chips and Ritz crackers and cheddar cheese. Throw in a daily dose of dried fruit and various drink mixes - tang, etc. - and that does it for me.
I've gone up to 13 days on this in summer, up to 8 days in hunting season.
08-11-2004, 05:16 PM
#16
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location:
Posts: 1,572
RE: backpacking food?
I just got back from a 16 day backpacking trip. My advice: DO NOT take dehydrated food like Mountain House. You won't get near enough calories and your energy level will drop through the ****ter. Your much better off packing the extra weight and taking real food like MRE's or something.
08-31-2004, 05:04 PM
#17
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location:
Posts: 815
RE: backpacking food?
GORP mix is good and lite. I usually eat fresh fruit bananas,apples, oranges, bagles in the morning; gorp type foods(granola bars, nuts jerky,dried fruit) while hunting; then do the better stuff at camp for supper, steak, chili,stew. If you have horses eat like your at home.
