Hiking Food Guide

Choosing the right food for a hike can be challenging, particularly for multi day hiking. The issue of not having a full indoor kitchen, or the availability of all the ingredients can be restricting. Often eating feels like a chore, we simply do it to survive whilst we’re completing a hike. The most important factor is eating the right amount of calories so we can continue safely on our journey.

The amount of calories people require will differ but generally the average person requires between 2500 and 45000 calories per day. Typically, hikers burn 300-550 calories per hour depending on a variety of factors including; body weight, fitness level, pack weight, and terrain.

Below is a list we’ve prepared of examples that we use on hikes with a brief explanation.

Snacks

Nuts

A hiking favourite. Nuts are a fantastic way to get the protein and calories you’ll need for a hike. You can make your own, or purchase a ready-made trail mix (known as scroggin in some parts of the world)

Snack bars

There are so many options available of different snack bars from granola, protein, fibre and cereal. The main thing you’d be looking for a high amount of calories for long hikes.

Sweets

Sweets can be great for a quick hit of energy. Haribo are a great pocket snack on the go. There are products available that have a slower sugar release rate. It doesn’t all have to be technical, sometimes it’s just nice to have a sweet comfort.

Biscuits

As with sweets biscuits are a sweet comfort. Packed with calories and sugar that can help if your blood sugar is dropping. They keep well for several days if packed in an air tight container.

Crackers

Whether it’s cream cracker, crispbread, or water biscuit crackers can be very easy snack or meal on the go. They’re fine but can be topped with almost anything in no time at all.

Meals

Bread

A great companion on any hike. Bread can be used for toast as a breakfast, or for filling for a sandwich, or to enjoy with soup. Bread travels well and has plenty of carbohydrates to give you e energy you need to climb.

Pasta

Non-perishable, quick, and easy to cook, pasta is a versatile ingredient for camp cooking. This carbohydrate rich staple helps keep energy levels up and can be enjoyed hot or cold. Prepare extra in the evening for a convenient, clean meal the next day.

Ready Meals

Well, the easiest of all meal options is a ready meal. Pre-prepared, pre-cooked meals designed for ease and convenience while on outdoor adventures. They often come in convenient packaging and can be eaten hot or cold, eliminating the need for extensive cooking or meal preparation. The variety of foods available now has grown considerably.

Tinned Foods

When selecting food for a camping trip, tinned items are a practical option thanks to their simplicity and long shelf life. That said, they can weight to your pack. Planning your meals in advance helps minimise what you carry, especially important if you’re hiking on foot.

Soup

It doesn’t get much easier than soup. It’s quite common to use the sachet soups widely available and add water. Fresh soups can be nutritious, and go well with bread.

Savory Pastries

Now this is controversial. Pies, sausage rolls and pasties are common place in the U.K, ad many countries in Europe have similar products. As the food is already cooked, they can be safely eaten cold if necessary or heated by a fire. Pastries contain a lot of protein and carbohydrates with no work needed.

Cured Meats

Cured meats like chorizo are lightweight and can be eaten straight out of the pack, or cooked and added to pasta or bread. Packed with protein and calories, and tastes great.

Drinks

Water

Quite obvious but worth mentioning. You require around 2 litres of water a day, and up to 5 litres is recommended for high altitude hiking. Carrying the amount of water, you require isn’t always realistic. If there isn’t clean water available on your trail consider the following options;

1. Boil it - Avoid stagnant water, only collect from running water sources. When boiled water is considered clean regardless of colour but it’s more pleasant to drink clear water. Of course, this method is great as long as you have a means of boiling the water.

2. Water treatment tablets - The active ingredient in these tablets is chlorine. They’re often called “iodine tablets” but iodine hasn’t been used for water purification for some time. These tablets are great because they ensure as long as there is a water source you can have drinking water. The only down side is that they take quite a while to work, and therefore require some planning.

3. Water filtration – The market is packed with many different products and designs. The technology removes contaminants from water by passing it through a fine filter, typically a hollow fibre membrane or activated carbon. The filters do need to be changed but often only after 1000 gallons have been used.

4. UV Purification methods – This chemical free method is becoming more and more popular with hikers. The devices kill bacteria and viruses without altering the taste and appearance of water. The devices can be quite expensive and add a small amount of weight to your bag comparatively.

Squash

Known as squash in the U.K other names around the world include cordial, dilute, or diluting juice. These terms all refer to a concentrated, syrup that is diluted with water before drinking. These can be found in tiny packs that are extra concentrated and light to carry, and even powdered form. They just make water a bit more interesting.

Electrolytes

Electrolyte drinks are not necessarily more hydrating than water, but they can be more effective at replenishing fluids lost through sweat, especially during intense exercise or in hot conditions. While both water and electrolyte drinks contribute to overall hydration, electrolyte solutions can help improve fluid retention due to the presence of electrolytes.

Tea/Coffee

Where would most people be without a caffeine hit in the morning? For some people this is a ritual that cannot be overlooked, and there’s no reason it should be. Instant coffee, and bagged tea are both incredibly lightweight. As long as you have hot water there’s no need to go without a hot beverage.

Milk

Fresh milk will of course turn bad quickly in heat and must be kept refrigerated. Alternatives such as UHT and long-life milk can be better particularly if they’re smaller sachets. Another alternative is powdered milk. Powdered milk is a fraction of the weight of any liquid milk and by adding water you can make large quantities of milk to drink or add to cereals.