Samantha Silverman

Best Overall		Good To-Go	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary A strong range of all-around quality backpacking meals
Best Backpacking Breakfast		Heather’s Choice Apple Pie Breakfast	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary Sweet, hearty, and filling
Do-it-Yourself		MEAT! 6-Tray Dehydrator	SEE IT	LEARN MORE	Summary Dry and package your own backpacking meals, snacks, and jerkys

Packing smart and light for the backcountry doesn’t have to mean “roughing it” on quality. In fact, my goal for every trip is to do the opposite. It’s great to be as comfortable as possible, and you can do that without bringing your whole fridge with you. And sometimes that comfort can come in a shockingly light package. The best backpacking food is lightweight, filled with calories and nutrients, and yes, actually tastes good. Your meals’ quality, the waste you’ll need to pack out, and the length of your trip are all critical to consider before heading into the backcountry. Poor planning can leave you hungry at best, and at worst, it could get you killed.

You might be surprised by the price of a dehydrated meal, but it’s usually worth spending a little extra. You will never be stronger than the mountain—or wherever you are—and you surely won’t need fewer calories than a regular day at home.

While fresh produce and some perishable items are healthy and delicious additions to your backpacking cuisine, it’s vital to have shelf-stable items and meals you can rely on during your trip.

You can pack for a backpacking trip with everything from freeze-dried “space” ice cream, to simple rice and canned beans. Backcountry cooking doesn’t have to break the bank, and there are some great options over a variety of price points and diets. Below are my top picks for the best backpacking foods, from gourmet dinners to how to make your own backcountry meals.

• Best Overall Backpacking Food Brand: Good To-Go 
• Best Backpacking Breakfast: Heather’s Choice Apple Pie Breakfast
• Best Backpacking Coffee: Trader Joe’s Instant Coffee Packets with Creamer & Sugar
• Best Backpacking Dinner: Heather’s Choice Smoked Sockeye Salmon Chowder
• Best Backpacking Food for Carnivores: Peak Refuel
• Best Vegan Meal: The Jackfruit Company Complete Jackfruit Meal
• Do-it-Yourself: MEAT! 6-Tray Dehydrator

For any backpacking food to qualify to make this list, it—above all—had to be as simple as possible to prepare. Combining smaller packets is OK, but any more preparation beyond combining ingredients, seal, and stir disqualified a meal. So, to test all of these meals, I boiled water using a backpacking stove, waited the packaging’s suggested time, and ate straight from the bag (with the exception of coffee).

Testing food comes down to some very subjective measurements like taste and fullness, but along with my general likes or dislikes of a certain backpacking food, here are the ways I evaluated each meal:

• Quality of ingredients (Is the meal made from organic or locally-, ethically- sourced ingredients? Is it plant-based?)
• Waste produced (How much do you have to pack out after consumption?)
• Nutrient density (What is the calorie and protein content? Will it keep you full and energized?)

I then developed a sustainability rating system where each product earns a star based on the following:

1. Free-range, wild-caught meat ingredients, or plant-based meals
2. Locally- and/or ethically-sourced ingredients
3. Minimal to no waste packed out
4. Packed out packaging is recyclable
5. Brand commitment to environment and conservation causes

Best Backpacking Food Brand Overall: Good To-Go

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Why It Made the Cut

You can’t miss with any of Good To-Go’s dehydrated meals. From spicy, Asian-inspired dinners to oatmeal and granola, I highly recommend any of their wide range of products.

Key Features

• Single and double serving packets
• Double serving packets can contain over 1,000 calories   
• Vegan, carnivore, vegetarian, and pescatrian options
• Gluten-free
• Sustainability rating: ★★★

Pros

• Flavorful, diverse meal options
• Single serving, double serving, bulk orders, and “weekender” packs
• Spicier options than most dehydrated food brands

Cons

• Expensive for someone needing a double serving
• Only two pescatarian and two chicken meals for meat eaters

Product Description

Based in Maine, Good To-Go is my pick for best backpacking food brand because you can taste it was co-founded by a professional chef. This is not only the best dehydrated food I’ve ever tasted, but it is also both filling and light.

The Pad Thai and Cuban Rice Bowl are among my favorites, but my winner has to be the Thai Curry. Each entree packet has a spice thermometer on the back, and with two out of three levels, it’s the perfect amount of spice to keep food interesting without being overpowering. These backing meals were clearly made by experts and are my new go-tos for future trips. Next on my list to try is the Kale & White Bean Stew and Indian Korma. If that doesn’t show range, then I don’t know what does.

Additionally, one of the best things about Good To-Go as a brand is its commitment to sustainability. While there is currently not a recyclable or compostable package on the market that is strong, can keep food, and can hold boiling water, Good To-Go produces zero food waste in their production process.

Best Backpacking Food for Breakfast: Heather’s Choice Apple Pie Breakfast

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Why It Made the Cut

I personally can’t take another backcountry morning of plain oats and peanut butter. Heather’s Choice’s Apple Pie Breakfast is nutrient dense, filling, and tastes better than some meals I cook in my own kitchen.

Key Features

• Calories/serving size: One serving of 530 calories, high in healthy fats
• Reusable packaging  
• Vegan and gluten-free
• Sustainability Rating: ★★★

Pros

• Delicious
• Quick to rehydrate
• Hearty and filling

Cons

• Dense
• Expensive compared to standard oats

Product Description

Based in Alaska, Heather’s Choice makes dehydrated backpacking meals and their signature “packaroons” that are all guten-, soy-, and dairy-free. Their food is packed with nutrients designed for backcountry adventures, and their meals are diverse and all natural.

Their Apple Pie Breakfast, specifically, is fantastic, sweet, energizing, and the best backpacking breakfast. There’s something to be said about being excited for a meal, especially after a long and potentially very wet day on the trail. I fully believe that backpacking food isn’t just food. It’s about morale, too. I’ll pay extra to start my day well.  

Albeit, for a single breakfast, it isn’t cheap—retailing around $7—but I will personally be heading to their website for at least one meal of my next trip instead of begrudgingly opting for another instant oats packet. Treat yourself to a day, or two, or three of an exciting breakfast. However long you’re out there, you deserve it.

Best Backpacking Food for Dinner: Heather’s Choice Smoked Sockeye Salmon Chowder

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Why It Made the Cut

This protein-rich entree is perfect for the hardest day of your trip because it’s filling and tastes great.

Key Features

• Calories/serving size: One serving 490 calories, high in healthy fats and protein
• Reusable packaging  
• Gluten-, soy-, and dairy-free
• Wild-caught salmon
• Sustainability rating: ★★★

Pros

• 39g of protein
• Calorie and nutrient rich
• Delicious Alaskan salmon meal

Cons

• Pricey

Product Description

This is Heather’s Choice’s favorite backpacking food. Heather’s Choice is the best backpacking dinner because of how unique their meals are, and this one definitely hits. Their Salmon Sockeye Salmon Chowder includes smoked wild caught Alaskan sockeye salmon, potatoes, coconut milk, carrots, celery, and spices. It’s a great meal, whether you’re in the backcountry or not. 

Its high-quality ingredients really shine, and it’s super filling. The only drawback is how expensive salmon is, but I would highly recommend purchasing one for each member of your group for the hardest and longest day of your trip.

Honorable Mention: Heather’s Choice Grass-Fed Bison Chili 

Best Backpacking Food for Carnivores: Peak Refuel

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Why It Made the Cut

Peak Refuel has the highest average protein count of any brand on this list and prioritizes high-quality ingredients—especially their 100% USDA inspected meat.

Key Features

• Two servings per packet
• 23-53 grams of protein per two-serving dinner
• 100% USDA inspected beef, sausage, and chicken meals
• Two-serving meals, meal packs, and desserts
• Sustainability rating: ★★★

Pros

• All natural, no TVP or other fillers in meat
• Creative, filling dinners
• High amounts of protein

Cons

• Only two non-meat dinners
• Err on the side of more time to rehydrate—meat and noodles are slightly dry

Product Description

Peak Refuel makes high-quality backpacking meals that have more protein—by far—than any other brand on this list. Even their granola breakfasts have ample carbs and protein to keep you going throughout the day. Made in the U.S., Peak Refuel’s meals only include ingredients from screened venders who meet their high standards, and meat from venders who don’t use TVP or other fillers. I tend to have reservations about bringing meat products (even dehydrated) into the backcountry that I didn’t prepare myself, but if you have a meat-heavy diet and don’t want to make changes on your next trip, know you’re getting quality stuff here.

Best Backpacking Vegan Meal: The Jackfruit Company Complete Jackfruit Meal

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Why It Made The Cut

Jackfruit is an incredibly versatile and sustainable plant-based meat alternative. The Jackfruit Company prepares jackfruit in a variety of styles that are ideal for a quick backpacking meal.

Key Features

• Calories/serving size: One serving of approximately 250-290 calories
• Four flavors including Tex-Mex, Thai, Garam Masala, and Tomato and Herb
• Vegan and gluten-free
• Sustainability rating: ★★★★

Pros

• Vegan, gluten-free, and nutrient-rich
• Convenient
• Multiple versatile flavors

Cons

• Low calorie count despite being filling
• Packaging is not recyclable

Product Description

This vegan, single-serve meal is by far the best backpacking vegan meal. Jackfruit is an incredibly versatile and savory fruit, and The Jackfruit Company does a great job of preparing it in a range of ways. Their coconut, vegetable, and thai green chile is my favorite flavor because it is filling and high in protein and other nutrients. Additionally, the meal comes in a convenient—although non-recyclable—bag that makes it easy to throw in a pot of hot water to heat up without any dirty dishes (the bag is also easy to eat out of without using a bowl). 

I have brought this meal on multi-day backpacking trips in its various flavors, including tomato/herb, chickpea/garam masala, and a southwest-inspired mix. Even after long days on the trail, I feel very satisfied after one bag due to its high fat and fiber content, although I am not a particularly large person.

Even if your diet isn’t solely plant based, bringing meat into the backcountry (that isn’t jerky), can be a tossup, and I would rather eat a jackfruit meal over canned chicken any day of the week. Additionally, The Jackfruit Company is committed to reducing negative environmental impacts, and is a natural, whole-food option to other meat-alternative products.

Best Backpacking Coffee: Trader Joe’s Instant Coffee Packets with Creamer & Sugar

Trader Joe’s

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Why It Made the Cut

Trader Joe’s Instant Coffee Packets with Creamer & Sugar is a quick and tasty caffeine fix.

Key Features

• Serving size: 1 cup of coffee per packet
• 10 packets
• Sustainability rating: ★

Pros

• Convenient, single-serve pouches
• Tastes great for instant coffee
• No need to carry milk or sugar
• Lightweight and quick

Cons

• Not very sustainable

Product Description

A pouch of Trader Joe’s Instant Coffee Packets with Creamer & Sugar is all you need for a morning pick-me-up. It’s quick and easy to make especially if you can’t do black coffee. If you don’t want to bother bringing an AeroPress or French press, these are great for cutting weight and time. Just boil water, dump the pouch in, and stir.

Do-it-Yourself: MEAT! 6-Tray Dehydrator

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Why It Made the Cut

If you can’t find what you’re looking for in pre-packaged dehydrated meals, or you want to save money and reduce waste, make your backpacking food at home from recipes online, or get creative and make your own.

Key Features

• Six stainless steel trays with a mesh and fruit roll tray
• Temperature range of 95-167 degrees
• Automatically turns off at the end of the timer
• Sustainability rating: ★★★★★

Pros

• Convenient and customizable meals
• Dehydrator turns off automatically
• Products have a long shelf life
• Zero waste from dehydrating and storing in reusable packaging

Cons

• Takes a lot of foresight and prep
• The manual is very vague about cook times, so experiment with cook times and temperatures
• Needs a well-ventilated area or your home will smell like whatever you’re dehydrating

Product Description

Investing in a dehydrator means you can create any meal, snack, or jerky you want. It’s the ultimate creative control over your backcountry cuisine, and not only is it fun to experiment in your kitchen as you look forward to your next trip, but you also could save a ton of money and waste.

The Meat! 6-Tray Dehydrator is easy to use, with six chrome-plated trays, a mesh tray (for smaller, sticky items), and a fruit roll tray. At 5,000+ feet of elevation, I find apple slices take about seven hours to be as crispy as I like, and bananas around 11 hours. While I put like fruits together for their initial hours of dehydrating (blueberries have been taking over 20 hours), make sure you’re OK with some smells crossing. Because these dehydrated foods have ample shelf life, please take the time you have. Even in a pinch, I would never throw in my 7-hour salmon jerky with my 7-hour apples and risk ruining both with the other’s flavor. Schedule your prepping up to weeks in advance.

Once you spend the time learning your recipes and getting your menu dialed in, you have an opportunity to take a huge step in becoming a minimal- to zero-waste outdoors person. I personally use Stasher Reusable Food Storage Bags, Losak Opsak bags or reusable Bee’s Wrap to put in my Ursak bear hang or BearValut Bear Canister to keep things separated and smell-free.

FAQs

Preparing for a backcountry trip can be overwhelming. The following questions and answers are a good place to start when planning your meals.

Final Thoughts On the Best Backpacking Food

Choosing and preparing backcountry meals start with planning your trip. Once you know your route, length, and gear, then it’s time to start thinking about the food you need. What stove do you have? How many people are in your group? It’s crucial everyone is on the same page about what they want to eat, how much they need, and how many extra meals you are going to bring, just in case. There’s a fine line between packing efficiently and having extra food in case of an emergency situation.

While I fully recommend any of the packaged meals on this list, check the ingredients and try every food before you take it with you into the backcountry. You never want to be in a situation where you don’t like the food that is supposed to fuel your next day, or worse, contains an allergen.

I am taking this winter to really hone in on my dehydrated recipes to commit to Leave No Trace principles this spring and summer on my treks, climbs, and other outdoor activities. But that being said, sometimes, whether I’m in a time crunch or finally admit I’m not quite the chef I think I am, I’ll be happily packing one of the meals on this list.

The post Best Backpacking Food of 2022 appeared first on Outdoor Life.

By: Samantha Silverman
Title: Best Backpacking Food of 2022
Sourced From: www.outdoorlife.com/gear/best-backpacking-food/
Published Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2022 07:44:00 +0000

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