On multi-day hikes, the right food goes hand-in-hand with the right equipment.

​Food is the fuel in your tank, so you definitely don't want to run out, but at the same time, you should avoid overloading your pack with bulky, heavy items. With today's camping equipment, your pack should weigh between 25 and 35 lbs when filled with several days worth of food and gear.

​Prepackaged freeze-dried meals are readily available, but can be expensive and bulky. Points in their favor are that they will keep for years, and help to simplify meal planning. You can save room in your pack by transferring these meals to zip lock freezer bags.

​One thing to consider with do-it-yourself recipes, and also the store-bought meals, is that you may not like their taste. Therefore, it's a important to try the meals at home, before taking them on the trail. This will help you avoid a backpack filled with food that you really - really don't want to eat. Winter is a great time to experiment with new backpacking meals at home.

​Aim to keep meal planning simple. After a long day of hiking, most people don't want to cook a complicated meal. Also, you do not need a different meal for every day of the week, so bring just a few simple snacks and meals that you like. It's also more efficient to have 2 snacks during the day rather than an actual cooked lunch. Finally, it's a good idea to bring along an extra days rations, just in case....and the store-bought meals are good for this purpose.

The information provided here is focused on do-it-yourself One-Pot and Freezer-Bag meals.

Some Basic Backpacking Recipes
​Backpacking Meal Planner
Backpacking Food Staples
​Backpacking Breakfasts
​Energy Bars + Trail Breads
​One-Pot Meals
​Freezer Bag Cooking Tips
​Freezer Bag Meals
Freezer Bag Cookbook +
Backpacking Recipe Book