[320icar]

ive been to their website a long time ago, thanks for remind me! so much info there.


so today was pretty quiet at work. gave me time to let my mind wander and think about food stuff while hiking or backpacking. im thinking about possible multi night excursions but NOT full on camping camping. if you can bring a cooler, then im not interested! if you have space for a cooler, a mini bbq and a two burner propane stove then you can cook and prepare anything you damn well please. so i thought of a few things.

K.I.S.S.: keep it simple, stupid! you have to bring things in your backpack. everything you need to eat, cook and prepare. want an elaborate roast beef dinner with gravy and all that? go check into a hotel. try to keep it to "just add water" ideas and you should be fine. dont bring bulky packaging and shit like that

Carry in/out: if youre out on the trail there aren't going to be convenient garbage cans for you. keep in mind that everything you bring in HAS to be brought back out with you. this is where ziploc bags come in handy. pack as much as you can in those little baggies because when its done, you can just stuff each one into the next bag and keep things super compact.

clean ass water: bc has some of the cleanest most fresh drinking water in the world. that does not mean that you can take a swig out of your nearest creek. if you have limited resources like fuel, boiling all your water can be quite time consuming and use all your fuel. either bring a fancy pants filter or UV light, or just keep a bunch of water tablets in your food prep container and clean your water a half our before you intent to use it.

no refrigeration: think of things you dont need to keep cold. you can go swing by a local shop (or diner) and swipe a handful of single serve butter packages as they keep very well. even the coffee/milk creamers you can get at 7-11 dont need to be kept cold as they are pasteurized, though fragile and squishable. you can get powdered milk or even powdered eggs. dont forget packets of things like ketchup, salt and pepper, soy sauce or hot sauce etc. anything you need to zing up some potentially boring food.

dehydrator: if you have a food dehydrator, then really your imagination is the only limitation. dehydrate some ground beef and make some awesome hamburger helper on the trail!

thats really the main tips. if you think of just some simple heat and add water meals, you can eat great the entire camping time! here are a few really simple things ive been thinking of. its always a good idea to maybe try cooking it at home first before a disaster happens when you least want it.

G.O.R.P.: good ol' raisins and peanuts. trail mix is delicious and is a great on the move snack. you can always buy it from a store, but i find mixing it yourself out of bulk-bins at superstore or whatever is better. that way you can add exactly what you like and to the ratios you prefer. raisins, peanuts, cashews, almonds, smarties, dried pineapple or mangos, craisins too. so many possibilities!

instant oatmeal: literally add hot water and wait 2 minutes. any flavour you want and you have a filling hot meal first thing in the morning. what else is there to say.

stovetop pasta or linguini: you can get those cheap stovetop noodles just about anywhere, and almost all of them just require some milk and to heat. this is where milk powder starts becoming useful. on its own its not very tasty, but when used in a cooking dish its really hard to tell.

instant noodles: these can be quite nice. can get dollar store cheap ones (which taste like shit) or some nice yakusoba (sp) noodles. bring some dehydrated veggies and toss it in with the flavour powder. just remember if you bring ones that come in their own plastic or styrofoam bowl, you have to carry that for the rest of the trip

mashed potatoes: i wouldn't normally recommend this unless i tried it for myself. definitely a winner and gets the thumbs up. just go buy some powdered instant mashed potatoes and add boiling water. to make it extra delicious, bring a tiny pack of butter to add in for creamyness, with some salt and pepper. if youre feeling extra baller, you can also throw in some garlic powder or even some bacon bits for an extra hearty, high carb lunch to keep you going.

Mac n' cheese: the college kid staple. so simple you can even follow the directions on the box. just cook the noodle, throw in a butter portion and some powdered milk. should make enough for two people too. just remember to put the noodle in a ziploc bag before you go so you dont have to carry the cardboard box around

pancakes: most pancake powders are really just add water and go. some ask you for an egg, but you can find a shit load that just say add water. if you really wanted you could bring syrup and stuff but i'd just eat it dry. cook extra in your pot (thicker the better) and you can make a bread substitute for later on in the trail. throw it in a ziploc and have it as a walking lunch.

fried rice: this is definitely more ambitious, but doable. cook your rice like you normally would. an option is to buy the instant rice that cuts down on the time necessary to cook. after thats done, throw in some spam (or pepperoni sticks you brought with you) and some dehydrated veggies like peas, corn or carrot bits. throw in a packet of soy sauce and again, you have a high carb, tasty meal for two.

canned foods: i hesitate to put this one on the list mainly because the cans are heavy and cumbersome. after consumed you WILL notice those cans still in your pack. if you can find a ziploc bag or similar that you trust to not rupture in your pack, then a can of beans, chili, chef boyardee or whatever can also be a very flavourful addition.

drinks!: everyone loves a hot cocoa or tea on the trail. coffee drinkers sometimes struggle as instant coffee can sometimes suck. there are percolators and espresso contraptions you can get for camping, but really just go buy some starbucks via and it will be better than some safeway freezedried shit. tea drinkers is easy, just add a bag and go!


will update more when i start thinking of more stuff. what do you guys love to eat while hiking, camping or out fishing?