food for longer trips

Thanks, Philip.
Nice summary!

After a couple of trials, I've struck the Knorr Sidekicks off my list - they are too salty (and I generally like salt) for me and I also found the pasta took forever to cook.
One pasta that is worth a try is Orzo: rice-sized pasta.
Idahoan Instant mashed potatoes ( I can eat a bag if I am hungry) are good.
Some of the ready-to-eat in a bag Indian foods are OK if you like Indian food. Try them at home first.
Do you not use any 'complete meal' canned foods (chunky soup, canned stew,etc..)? That's my go-to choice if I'm tired and wet.
Canned stuff was a no-no when backpacking, but there water was usually available. If I'm carrying water on a kayak trip, the argument changes.
 
I like the larger size of corn tortillas for lunch rollups, easy quesadillas as appetizer or the main event at dinner, and especially burritos. The latter require canned goods: refried beans [also available dried, and very good], sliced olives, mild or wild chiles, salsa; prepared foods: shredded cheese; and some freshies: sliced cabbage, shredded carrots, and onions, or any other vegie with some crunch. Burritos are hearty and satisfy palates adjusted for heat range, etc. Really too much trouble for one, but good for 4 or more. The vegies survive 10 days or so on cold water.
 
I just picked up that book a few weeks ago. The Quinoa Bars on page 46 are really good. I have made about 4 batches but they keep getting eaten up! There are a lot of good recipes and great ideas on how/what to prepare ahead and what to do to finish up at camp for a healthy meal.

Just got the dehydrator out tonight in preparation for an 8 night South Brooks, Bunsbys, Kyouquot trip in 2 weeks. Spaghetti Sauce and Chili are my go to dehydrated meals. And dehydrated apples for a snack.

I too find the Knorr Sidekicks too salty as well as some of the Lipton Noodles and Sauces. I take a bag or two as Emergency Food. Luckily, we have never needed to open the bags!

Lila
 
LAM said:
I take a bag or two as Emergency Food. Luckily, we have never needed to open the bags!
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Years ago I had a (Brit) climbing friend who carried dog cookies in the bottom of his sac as emergency bivvy food. He said he used to carry 'good stuff' like candy bars but he always ate it early, so it was never there as a reserve. The dog cookies took away the temptation!
 
And dehydrated apples for a snack
I really like home dehydrated bananas (cut lengthwise into thirds, then each piece into quarters)
 
JohnAbercrombie said:
Thanks, Philip.Nice summary!
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And thank you John.

JohnAbercrombie said:
Do you not use any 'complete meal' canned foods (chunky soup, canned stew,etc..)? That's my go-to choice if I'm tired and wet. Canned stuff was a no-no when backpacking, but there water was usually available. If I'm carrying water on a kayak trip, the argument changes.
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I don't use a lot of canned food - baked beans and canned hash mostly. While it's true you are carrying water anyway, you aren't typically carrying all your water for a multi week trip at once - you're usually rewatering every few days. So dried food can save you weight over canned stuff. Plus I find there's greater variety to be had with the dried stuff, both FD and home-dried.
 
About a year ago I picked up some freeze-dried chicken and a variety of other ingredients from Thrive Life (there have been posts here about it in the past, and I get mine here: https://canada.thrivelife.com/tednshannonthrive) and I've been very happy with it - I will be incorporating it into meals the way I'd use the home-dried ingredients. This is a bit different than the freeze-dried prepared meal packages that Philip refers to, but essentially I'm making up my own meal packages using both home-dried and purchased freeze-dried ingredients.

I'll be using some of the recipes from Laurie Ann March's A Fork in the Trail that Philip linked to. That's one of my favourite recipe books (I do have a couple that I really like; another is Cooking The One Burner Way which includes some very simple easy stuff, whereas Fork is a little more gourmet - both books complement each other). My meal planning includes a mixture of ready to go dehydrated stuff (chili, stew), and meals that need a bit more preparation in the field. The latter come largely from the recipe books, the former come largely from making an extra-large family meal and drying a portion of that night's supper for use on our trip.

Home-dehydrated bananas are fantastic! So much better than the banana chips that you normally buy. For apples, we have found apple chips in large bags at costco. They are crisp and much tastier than the usual leathery dehydrated apples. Although they are extremely light, they are bulky and will crumble - like a bag of chips. I plan to bring some, then use the remaining crumbled apple bits in a dessert (e.g. apple crisp) or mixed into pancakes, bannock, etc. Maybe I'll just smash them up a bit to begin with, or vacuum seal them and see how broken up they come out at the other end.

Thanks for the article kayakwriter!

Cheers,
Bryan
 
Pawistik said:
Home-dehydrated bananas are fantastic! So much better than the banana chips that you normally buy. For apples, we have found apple chips in large bags at costco. They are crisp and much tastier than the usual leathery dehydrated apples. Although they are extremely light, they are bulky and will crumble - like a bag of chips. I plan to bring some, then use the remaining crumbled apple bits in a dessert (e.g. apple crisp) or mixed into pancakes, bannock, etc. Maybe I'll just smash them up a bit to begin with, or vacuum seal them and see how broken up they come out at the other end.
Thanks for the article kayakwriter!

Cheers,
Bryan
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And thanks for the additional suggestions Byran. Like you, I enjoy using dried add-ons to improve the taste/texture of home-dried or commercial meals.

Dried bananas go great on pancakes, and make a nice addition to this dinner:
http://www.backpackerspantry.com/produc ... -rice.html
which is often served with fresh bananas when made at home.
(That's one of my favourite FD dinners BTY, even though I'm not a vegetarian. Hearty peasant food for the end of a long day. It's what I'm preparing in the second photo down in my blog posting.)

You can also home-dry chutneys into fruit leather, then rehydrate them slowly in simmering water to serve with FD or home-dried curries. Dried apple slices also make a nice side for curries and a good addition to oatmeal when the morning is misty and damp and you're hesitant to swap a warm sleeping bag for a cold cockpit.
 
I respect your desire for "pleasantries" but maybe it would help to keep in mind, people fast for 5 to 7 days on purpose. It was always puzzling to me, during three day weekend meditation retreats, how people started obsessing over not having enough protein (meals were mostly rice, soup, vegetables) when the event duration was usually 2.5 days or less. Guess the mind will come up with whatever content it thinks will catch hold. My point is, when clearly seeing something as desirable rather than required, it can take some stress off the issue.

I tell my friends that if I'm lost in the woods for two weeks, as long as I have water, I'll probably be healthier when I come out.

Back to kayaking - I use those soy or almond milk cartons that don't need refrigeration off the shelf. They say to refrigerate once opened but I've found, if not placed in direct heat/sunlight they will last for several days before becoming "funky". Although the the price per volume nearly doubles, you can buy smaller container sizes and only open them the day of use.

Lunch is my weakest meal - usually some brand of energy bar - so the last couple of trips I tried cream cheese and bagels. The bagels were fine and the single tub of cream cheese lasted five days. However - I've found that during such kayaking/hiking adventures, my taste buds get more sensitive and the "flavors" are too flavorful. So next time I'll skip the large tub of strawberry cream cheese and just go for plain in individual servings. The fact that the individual servings won't be opened until use will extend their non-refrigerated life.

I pre-make bags of oatmeal with seeds/nuts/dried fruit at home, one for each breakfast. I have "just add water" Starbucks coffee and/or hot chocolate. For dinner I can't eat a whole bag of dried mash potatoes (serving size says "serves 4") so pre-trip I split the original bag content into two bags and I add a bag of the topping where you put the pouch in boiling water for 5 minutes. Adding freeze dried vegetables, like green peas, gives some flavor variation. I used to buy boxed wine but a while back, for promotion at a health fair, a local hospital was giving away 16 oz. soft liquid pouches (not hard shelled water bottle). Instead of paying a premium for the boxed wine ("premium" for boxed wine?) I can buy a regular bottle and use my own soft containers.

So pretty much, the only cooking is boiling water. It's not a preference per say - just a weak skill set. I have seen some packaged eggs (re-sealable bag) at REI and I may try those out next trip - to add to the mash potato ... glop. Hey, it's all fuel, all calories. And there is wine and chocolates to erase the memory of it.

I'm very hesitant to store food in the boat. I've seen little scratches on the rubber hatch covers of people's boats when they keep food in there.

Keeping the food submerged in a dry bag sounds like it would work. It doesn't need to be on the bottom. if you have enough air so the bag will float, you just have to anchor the line and have the submerged bag suspended like a ballon in air.
 
designer said:
I respect your desire for "pleasantries" but maybe it would help to keep in mind, people fast for 5 to 7 days on purpose. It was always puzzling to me, during three day weekend meditation retreats, how people started obsessing over not having enough protein (meals were mostly rice, soup, vegetables) when the event duration was usually 2.5 days or less. Guess the mind will come up with whatever content it thinks will catch hold. My point is, when clearly seeing something as desirable rather than required, it can take some stress off the issue
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I take your point. North Americans on average eat way more protein than we need. Personally, my cravings for carbs and fats go way up when I'm paddling, especially in cold weather.

designer said:
I tell my friends that if I'm lost in the woods for two weeks, as long as I have water, I'll probably be healthier when I come out..
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Sounds as if, like me, you carry an emergency calorie supply wrapped around your midriff at all times. While I'd survive a couple of weeks without food, I doubt I'd thrive. Years back, on my first extended solo kayak trip, I left lunch and snacks off the menu to save room in the boat (due to my inexperience, I packed stuff I didn't need and omitted things I now never leave home without).
I was younger and tougher then, so fasting from breakfast to supper while putting in a full day on the water was doable, though I found myself plodding and pushing towards day's end. Halfway through that trip, the guide of a kayak tour group that was leaving on a boat made me a present of a big bag of gorp. The difference a few handfuls of peanuts, raisins and M&Ms made to each day was amazing; my drive no longer plummeted like the post-Brexit pound in the afternoons. Since then, while I may not have a formal lunch, I make sure I have snacks for every day. They increase not only my energy, but also my enjoyment. I think there's also a strong case to be made that they also increase my safety, since I'm not weak or muddle-headed from hunger while coping with whatever challenges the route and weather throw at me.

designer said:
Keeping the food submerged in a dry bag sounds like it would work. It doesn't need to be on the bottom. if you have enough air so the bag will float, you just have to anchor the line and have the submerged bag suspended like a ballon in air.
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That might work if you have a steep cliff to lower the drybag off. And a good anchor to ensure it doesn't get swept away by current, waves and driftwood logs. On a long beach with a shallow slope, I think it could be a real challenge to get it in deep enough water that low tide wouldn't serve it up to foraging bears and raccoons. Unless you wanted to paddle out to place it and retrieve it each time...
 
Keeping the food submerged in a dry bag sounds like it would work. It doesn't need to be on the bottom. if you have enough air so the bag will float, you just have to anchor the line and have the submerged bag suspended like a ballon in air.
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I tried this on a lake with an active bear population, but I let the drybag float. I dropped it off via kayak, but had a rope to pull it in. The act of pulling anchor and drybag to shore resulted in water getting into the drybag (after all, they are only water resistant).
On the ocean, to keep the contents dry, the bag would have to stay on the surface, hence you would need enough rope to account for high tide. Which means lots of slack rope at low tide. Which means paddling out to drop off and fetch, and no unplanned late night snacks.
 
Nice list. We have this neighbor who gave us a souvenir of packed dehydrated mangoes from the Philippines. It's the best snack I brought on a trip.
 
Mowog73

Mowog73

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Several people mention in different threads using Idahoan Instant mashed potatoes. Although I love the taste of them, I don't care for all the preservatives that are added and the portion size isn't always what I want, its usually too big a serving. But pain-old instant mashed potatoes are really bland, they aren't appealing.

So, I have developed my own instant mash potato concoction , which I mix up at home and package into smaller portions than commercial instant potatoes are available in. My recipe for one serving is:
  • 1 C instant mashed potatoes (really cheap at the Bulk Barn
  • 2 T powdered whole milk
  • Add garlic & onion powder, salt, pepper to taste
Mix dry ingredients together, package into a zip-lock baggie. To this serving size, I add 1.5 C of boiling water and 1 or 2 spoonfuls of clarified butter/ghee.
 
Mowog73, I could be wrong about this - I don't have a sample to check - but I recall someone telling me that not of all the flavors of those Instant mashed potatoes have a lot of preservatives. I think there were two varieties (maybe the 4 cheeses and the herbal) that had much less; i.e. only as much as any other packaged food.
 
I generally use the Idahoan Original mashed potato flakes, and combine into other recipes.
Or if just in the 'bulk' food bag on a trip, they can be combined with soup mixes, etc. as a thickener.
I'm not a big worrier about food additives, especially when camping, as that time is (unfortunately) is such a miniscule fraction of my existence. At home it's 'from scratch' almost always.
Some data:
Bulk Barn
Potatoes, mono and diglycerides, sodium acid pyrophosphate, citric acid.

Idahoan original
INGREDIENTS: IDAHO® POTATOES, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, SODIUM BISULFITE, CITRIC ACID.

Idahoan Butter Herb
Ingredients: Idaho® potatoes, Oil (coconut, sunflower), Whey, Salt, Buttermilk powder, Sugar, Skim milk powder, Monoglycerides, Calcium stearoyl lactylate, Dried onion, Natural flavours, Spices, Butter, Sodium acid pyrophosphate, Sodium bisulfite, Citric acid, Mixed tocopherols.

Idahoan 4 Cheese
Ingredients: Idaho® potatoes, Cheddar/Parmesan/Blue/Romano cheeses (milk, bacterial cultures, salt, enzymes), Salt, Oil (coconut, sunflower, soybean), Whey, Maltodextrin, Sugar, Skim milk powder, Buttermilk powder, Monoglycerides, Calcium stearoyl lactylate, Natural flavours, Yeast extract, Paprika extract, Annatto extract, Sodium acid pyrophosphate, Sodium bisulfite, Citric acid, Mixed tocopherols.
 
JohnAbercrombie said:
I'm not a big worrier about food additives, especially when camping, as that time is (unfortunately) is such a miniscule fraction of my existence. At home it's 'from scratch' almost always.
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That is true for me too, additives are a miniscule fraction of my existence, and my reason for making my own instant potato mix is really for proportion size more so that additives, its just nice to reduce additives where possible. In my earlier post, I didn't really have to mention the additives, its just a bonus to making my own to reduce the amount, although they are still there is in the bulk instant potatoes as has been pointed out.
 
Breakfast: Home made granola w/ lots of nuts & seeds, w/ powdered milk.
Lunch: 2 handfuls of mixed nuts, 6 pieces dried fruit, a handful of spicy Indian style dried peas, homemade beef jerky, chocolate.
Dinner: Bullion cube soup with dried herbs and seaweed. Rehydrated homemade bean & veg stew (various regional/ethnic flavoured sauces) and a rehydrated whole grain. Stew gets a spoonful of olive oil per serving.
Rest day treats: Hawkins Cheezies, Pringles, various cookies & biscuits.

Even though dinner fills me up, I'm generally hungry most of the summer. This year I lost about 12 pounds over the course of 3 months of paddling, despite some serious eating and drinking whenever I was in town.

Mrs Dimit and I like to go out for 4+ weeks, so we usually take 5 weeks of food. Space in the kayak is the biggest limitation to our diet. Our food weighs about 60kgs at the start of a trip. A 5 week solo trip is generally about 1/2 that amount of food.
 
I disagree with the “too much protein” idea. From what I’ve read, most adults (particularly those over 50) don’t consume anywhere near enough protein. The standard formula is X grams per kilo of body weight, and formulas are all over the place…but the military assumes 1.5-2g per kilo. And even at the low end (0.8g per kilo) that’s 77g for a sedentary, 215lb male. Many people struggle to get anywhere near that at home—much less on a long wilderness trip.

I’ve experimented at home with consuming 90-100g of protein per day while doing fairly intense, 60-90min workouts burning 1200-1600 calories…and I’ve been amazed at how good I feel! Even at age 63, my recovery times are far better/faster after workouts and I rarely ever feel any muscular stiffness or soreness.

I recognize that on an extended wilderness trip carbs and calories rule…but I’m making more of an effort to pack in the protein as well. :thumbsup:
 
Protein needs to increase with age, especially in menopausal women. There are a ton of ways to sneak a bit of extra in while on a trip, particularly now that so many pantry stables are available with pea proteins added to them. I'd aim for whatever is the most calorically dense method or getting in your required protein (I aim for closer to 1-1.5g myself) and them load up on healthy fats.

Going by pure caloric density, protein loses out to fat. Fat is also very easy to carry on a trip and add to meals. Protein also tends to make me feel full more easily than a meal with more carbs and fat. This is probably true for most people, if you look at the composition of most 'junk food'. When I'm trying to fuel the expedition machine, feeling full is the enemy. I want to be able to keep throwing fuel on the metabolic fire, so satiety is kind of my enemy.
 
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