Anyone who backpacks with me know that I love to mix things up and experiment with new techniques while on the trail. If you have been with me from the beginning, you know I started out with the freezer bag method for my meals. This meant preparing the ingredients for my meals in a quart size Ziploc bag that I would pour water into on trail, let the food rehydrate and then eat. It had been a fairly faithful way to enjoy my dinners on the trail.
Over the last two years a few things have changed. One, my lovely husband bought me a stove which meant I was using hot water more with my meals than the no stove method. And two, I bought a food sealer and began packaging my meals that way. This meant that I didn’t have a bag to add water to because I am using as little a bag I can to store each meal and it doesn’t reseal once I open it. The food sealer allows me to keep my foods in the freezer without worrying about frostbite on my vittles. I’m not sure it is a better plastic option but I do reuse the meal bags at least once for something smaller like a butter pat or olives. I plan to share more about that in another post!
Any who, on my scout of my adopted section of the Pacific Crest Trail this summer, I took some pictures of my routine to share with you if you are new to backpacking, want to learn a new method or are just curious about how I eat dinner while out on the trail!
First, I rarely eat my dinner at camp if I can plan it help it. When possible, I eat before I arrive at my camp or in a spot away from camp once I get there. Usually I will set up camp and then find a little hike to a lovely spot to eat. Although I don’t necessarily “cook”, this is just another way to avoid the smell of food in my camp.
To open the package, I use a simple duct tape handled razor blade in a cardboard case. I don’t carry a knife.
I empty the ingredients in a bowl with a screw top lid. In this case, it was my Nightshade Free Marinara with my Rosemary Lamb Jerky and vegetables.
I add enough hot water to cover.
Because I had the benefit of the sun, I put on the lid and let it rest for about 5 minutes.
I fluff with my spoon…
…and add any extras like green olives and a packet of olive oil.
Yum!!! Now for clean up. I get as much as I can scraped up with my spoon.
Then, I add a little bit of leftover warm water (I kept the lid on my pot while I ate). My pot is only for water, I never add food. That way, I don’t have to worry about food smell and hanging it.
I add the lid again and shake to get all the food off the sides and make a bit of broth. I usually add a pinch of salt I keep in a film canister. Remember those?
And then I drink up! Yes, I drink the “grey water”. This means I am left with very little to clean and I don’t need to scrub or use soap. I sometimes pack a small piece of paper towel with each meal, just use my bandanna to finish drying it or add a touch more water and scatter out at least 200 feet from any water source or camp. But normally, I just pack it up like this (and store it in the same bag I keep my food for hanging).
If I don’t have the benefit of the sun during the rehydrating phase, I use an insulated bag like. You can make one with a used envelope or foil bubble insulation (like this) pretty easy or order one online.
That’s it!
How about you? How do you prepare dinner on the trail? What are some of the ways you follow Leave No Trace and keep packaging to a minimum?
Editor’s note: now in 2023, I tend to use the food sealer less and store my dried meals and ingredients in glass jars until I need them. Then, I use these bags on trail because they are reusable. The snack size is the perfect meal size for me and it eliminates the need for a separate bowl. But the meal process at camp is still the same. Also, I use this for my knife now.
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