Article: Meal Planning Tips for Backpacking

Article:  Meal Planning Tips for Backpacking

By REI Staff

rating:***

This article is about planning for food for your backpacking trips.  It covers things like how much food you should pack for an overnight trip and how much food should be packed for a longer trip.  It mentions meal planning considerations such as packing food that the members of the trip might like, as well as planning for weight considerations.  It also mentions the importance of planning for calories as backpacking can use up a lot of calories and food should be packed that has both nutrition and calories.  It also talks about the importance of planning your meals around whether there will be water available on the trip.  It also mentions the importance of planning for fuel to cook your food.  Will there be dry wood available or will you have to bring your own fuel?  This factor will make a huge impact on the type of food you should bring on your trip.

Other items mentioned in this article cover considerations on how long your food will take to cook.  Try not to bring foods that take a long time to cook as you will need a lot of fuel to cook them.  also, be certain to balance the types of food between fresh and dry foods.  Will you consider freeze-dried foods?  Many of these are very light but expensive.  You should plan each day and arrange for foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  You should also remember to bring snacks as they will be needed for energy.  Energy bars, trail mix, and other foods are quick and very easy to pack.

This article was very interesting to me as it covered a wide variety of topics necessary for planning for a short or long backpacking trip.  It also covered the cost of planning for meals and how extra weight on food can affect a trip.  It covers not wasting food and emphasized bringing good, healthy foods.  I really thought a lot about this article and really think it will change my attitude towards food on backpacking trips.  It made me realize that I can’t just pack any food but that time and thought is needed to plan for the best foods that will make the best trip.  Lastly, it inspired me to think more about healthy eating.  Calories can be good for you if you are using up a lot of energy.

here is the website for more info:

http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/planning-menu.html