Backpacking Food!!!

[Cricket24]

I'm planning a backpacking trip with some meat-eating friends, and the guy who's organizing it is quite an experienced backpacker. He says that it will be difficult to get all the nutrients I need for backing (especially protein & fat) on a vegan diet. He said I "may have to go light on the veganism while we're there." I don't want to do that! Can anyone help me come up with light food I can bring on a two-week backpacking trip that has all the nutrients I need to hike 10-15 miles (16-24 km) per day?

[RubyDuby]

I am not an expert and have only gone on backpacking day trips, but have always brought way too much food.

what I've brought:

Sandwiches: hearty Ezekiel sprouted bread, nut butter and fruit or jelly
Trail mixes: Clif mountain mojo bars, bulk almonds, walnuts, dried fruits, oats, sunflower seeds
Whole Fruit: apples could prob survive weeks

Other ideas: dry soup mixes such as Miso and sweet and sour, instant oatmeal, instant grits, instant rice, couscous, ramen, powdered soy milk, instant pudding, tortillas, single serving powdered drinks like crystal light and instant coffee, popcorn, dehydrated veg and TVP for soup, dry red lentils cook fast, crackers, peanut butter...

You can just as easily bring veggie stock as you could beef so that shouldn't be an issue.

I don't know about water filters but you could call the company?

Good luck and have fun!

[Jivattatva]

Hi

Are you going to stay even for a short time in a place where you can have access to a fridge? If so, but then you want to maintain your "purity" as in you dont want to use a fridge where meat could have been stored, then you can only mostly bring tinned ready to eat food.

Rubyduby has nice recommendations and mine are just additionals. I recommend for your protein needs to bring tinned beans like chick peas, red beans, canellini beans, and other mixed beans -- you can prepare easy to cook stuff with these beans, like mexican chili beans for example. Just roast in one tbsp oil for 30 seconds to one minute, spices like cumin, coriander, ginger, pepper, chilli flakes or paste and then put the beans into the spices mix (you dont even need to drain the beans), cook for 4-5 minutes and then add salt to taste. If you have capsicum/bell pepper then that would make the stuff even tastier, sautee it after the spices. And if along the way you can buy other leafy vegetables then you can include that also in your beans preparations. Doing this everyday you can meet your protein needs from different type of beans each day.

Also as mentioned by RubyDuby dry noodles variety that will only need soaking in boiled water to get them ready.

Also bring vegemite/marmite. Fresh fruits obviously or even dried fruits will do, dried apricots, raisins, dried bananas etc, whatever you can find. ALso muesli with dried fruits would be good.

Depends on the weather, liquid soy milk can still be of good quality for a few hours to 24 hrs maybe. If some of your non-vegie friends drink soy milk then each one of you can have his/her turn opening one soy milk container a day which you can all share. If small packest are avialbe then that would be more convenient. If powder soy milk is available then that would be good.

Also before leaving for the trip you can fry tofu slices pre-soaked in maple syrup and brown sugar and I think they will still be eatable until evening , so maybe that takes care of you protein needs for your first day at least.

[Eat Y'self Fitter]

Hey hey don't freak out it's completely possible. I have a friend whose real into out-doorsy stuff and does this all time and he's vegan. He used to be on the forum but he rarely uses the internet. I'll talk to him tomorrow and relay the advice to you ASAP!

[DiaShel]

Yeah, I go backpacking all the time, you'll be fine! Ruby's ideas are excellent. The dehydrated backpackers meals (like backpackers pantry)have vegan varieties. They are really light to carry and huge (one packet is like 800 calories). I do that for dinner and then breakfast I do oatmeal (as do almost ALL backpackers, vegan or not) and then I'll do something calorie dense like bagel and PB for lunch. Also trail mix, dried fruit and bars for snacks. Noodle bowls that you just add water are great too. I find any fresh fruit and veg too heavy to carry.

[Eat Y'self Fitter]

My friend suggests dehydrated fruits and veggies. Clif Bars, Vega Powder if you can afford it, coscous, oatmeal. He also says there are a bunch of prepackaged vegan camping foods. Check out this link for ideas on dehydrated back packing foods. http://www.rei.com/category/4500533

[Festered]

Yeah, I go backpacking all the time, you'll be fine! Ruby's ideas are excellent. The dehydrated backpackers meals (like backpackers pantry)have vegan varieties. They are really light to carry and huge (one packet is like 800 calories). I do that for dinner and then breakfast I do oatmeal (as do almost ALL backpackers, vegan or not) and then I'll do something calorie dense like bagel and PB for lunch. Also trail mix, dried fruit and bars for snacks. Noodle bowls that you just add water are great too. I find any fresh fruit and veg too heavy to carry.

That site's amazing!I may be greedy and order some stuffs off there for festival usage!

[imothepixie]

I've not carried everything on my back for a while but I can do it! Tent, stove and pots an all! My staples would be... Main Meal....tvp/soya mince, rice, pasta/noodles, a little bottle of oil, tomato puree, garlic puree a few spices and condiments (to make it tasty!) all actually dry or light!.... For Breakfast... Fruit and nuts and lots of oats (soya milk if you can squeeze it in... for Muesli) or make nice creamy porridge! (that will keep you going all day!) AND of course Kendal Mint Cake for little boosts... Not by any means gourmet but :satisfied:

I actually think hiking 'Vegan' makes more sense than trying to be a meat eater unless you plan to kill things enroute! :amazed_ani:

[RubyDuby]

I actually think hiking 'Vegan' makes more sense than trying to be a meat eater unless you plan to kill things enroute! :amazed_ani:
that's what i was thinking!

and like dia said, there are ready made vegan meal options. Problem solved!

:)

Now I wanna go backpacking. :(

[imothepixie]

that's what i was thinking!

and like dia said, there are ready made vegan meal options. Problem solved!

:)

Now I wanna go backpacking. :(

Don't have to go to specialist shops to find it! Most Supermarkets have some kind of 'Instant' rice or pasta and making your own chilli or such to go with it is a doddle! :smile:

[Cricket24]

Thanks for all the advice, guys!
This is what I have on my list so far. Please let me know how it sounds:

Breakfast
oatmeal

Lunch
Clif Bars/Luna Bars

Snacks
trail mix (nuts, dried fruit, etc.)
Multi-Grain Cheerios (they're like vitamins in snack form!)

Dinner (this is what I need the most help with)
canned beans? (not for every day because they're heavy?)
couscous?
dehydrated fruit?
(looking into instant rice/pasta)

Any more ideas for dinner? I need protein and fat, along with anything else (nutrient-wise) that I need more than normal. Keep in mind that everything I listed, I'd need x9, so anything lighter/smaller that can get the job done is welcomed.

We're carrying everything the whole way and we'll be there 9 days (shorter than the original plan), and we can't stop anywhere for more food along the way. So I can't bring cold stuff, or stuff that can't get squished in the pack. (I'm thinking of cartons of soy milk. I don't think that'll work because they would explode or leak or something.) I'd need food that can either be eaten as is, or needs a minimum amount of time to cook in water. (Minimum water, if possible.)

Thanks again!

[RubyDuby]

Total has 100% of tons of vitamins and minerals. Total Cinnamon Crunch is really yummy too!

For dinner, red lentils (near the rice or in the international section of your grocery store) and instant rice are both very quick cooking in boiling water. Dried lentil (and other beans) will take up much less room and be lighter to carry than canned beans. Bring a tube of tomato paste and a ziplock baggy with a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, chile powder, oregano, salt, dried mustard and a little sugar to add to your lentils.

Also, TVP has a lot of protein and just needs hot water to prepare. You could bring some taco seasoning to add to TVP for quick tacos. Soft tortillas don't take up much room or just eat the taco flavored tvp on rice.
If your grocery store doesn't carry TVP any health store will! Check the bulk bins! It isn't very expensive.

Your menu is very low in veg. Maybe you could find some dehydrated vegetables (and fruit! to add to trail mixes and oatmeal). I've seen containers of dehydrated peas, carrots and corn. Check the bulk bins at your local health food store. Also powdered vegetable bouillion. It might be worth ordering a couple of backpacker meals for dinners, just to get some vegges in your stomach!

The nuts and seeds in trail mix and clif bars will give you a nice burst of fats and protein, but it wouldn't hurt to bring a sall bottle of olive oil to add to your dinners. My grocery store has individual packets of peanut and almond butter for sale if you wanted to add pb&j to lunches. Or to save a buck you can find those in diners too (like Denny's)! Just throw some in your pocket off the table along with little jellies and jams. :p

Keep us upated!

[Eat Y'self Fitter]

I mean to be more insightful then critical, I wouldn't focus solely on the idea of added protein and fat. Your doing something physical therefore your caloric intake will be higher. You'll probably need to be eating 3,000-3,500 calories a day. This amount of food regardless of it's source is more than sufficient in protein. Example

3,000 calories of oatmeal=100 grams of protein
3,000 calories of kale=200 grams of Protein!

Both those values are sufficient for extreme physical effort. However obviously you'd be lacking some nutrients and eating that much kale is absurd. Don't forget the fact that complex carbohydrates are energy foods I'd focus on carbs and fats more than anything else. If you're eating a varied whole foods diet (as unprocessed as possible) you're getting sufficient vitimans never mind the cherios they're super processed.

That said I'd say you're on the right track. Oatmeals fantastic for protein and carbs and you can easily get 500 calories out of a bowl if it's big enough. If you wanna up your fat intake you can add nuts like almonds to it and if it's not too heavy raw almond butter is a great addition.

Clif bars and natural sports nutrition products apply these ideas. They're high in carbs, fat and protein. If you notice they're brilliantly crafted to be under 300 calories because you should never consume more than 300 calories an hour during physically activity.

So your on the right track. I just wanted to throw in my two sense that you're going to be eating a lot and often therefore meeting protein and fat with ease.

Be sure to include as plenty of freeze dried fruits as possible, fruits contain natural electrolytes, the stuff the wards off dehydration.

[Cricket24]

Total has 100% of tons of vitamins and minerals. Total Cinnamon Crunch is really yummy too!

For dinner, red lentils (near the rice or in the international section of your grocery store) and instant rice are both very quick cooking in boiling water.
...
Also, TVP has a lot of protein and just needs hot water to prepare.
...
Your menu is very low in veg. Maybe you could find some dehydrated vegetables (and fruit! to add to trail mixes and oatmeal).
...
The nuts and seeds in trail mix and clif bars will give you a nice burst of fats and protein, but it wouldn't hurt to bring a sall bottle of olive oil to add to your dinners.
...

Keep us upated!

Thank you Ruby Duby for your input. I will definitely look into red lentils and instant rice (they cook in less than 20 minutes?), and I will try to get dehydrated veggies at the store, as well as dried fruits (like in the trail mix).

I've never had TVP, but I'll look for it. I'm sure my natural food store has some.

My friend (who is a good cook, but claims to not know how to cook without meat, but agreed try cooking recipes I give her) already suggested that I bring olive oil, but I don't know how to bring a small bottle. Do I have to buy it in a small bottle? I don't know if I want to have glass in my pack. Is it okay to use a plastic bottle? I'm still afraid of it not sealing properly. But I do like the idea of olive oil!

To make things easier (and lighter) we would usually share meals like dinner, you know, cook a pot of rice or something and divvy it up among us, but they seem hesitant to do that if all the meals would have to be vegan... (I think they just think it can't be done healthfully and conveniently on a backpacking trip...) But hopefully when they see all the meals I have to choose from, they'll decide sharing will work after all, and they can experience veganism for 9 days. (Though I can't control what they add to their meal once we divide it up, or what they pack for their snacks.)

[Cricket24]

I mean to be more insightful then critical, I wouldn't focus solely on the idea of added protein and fat. Your doing something physical therefore your caloric intake will be higher. You'll probably need to be eating 3,000-3,500 calories a day. This amount of food regardless of it's source is more than sufficient in protein. Example

3,000 calories of oatmeal=100 grams of protein
3,000 calories of kale=200 grams of Protein!

Both those values are sufficient for extreme physical effort. However obviously you'd be lacking some nutrients and eating that much kale is absurd. Don't forget the fact that complex carbohydrates are energy foods I'd focus on carbs and fats more than anything else. If you're eating a varied whole foods diet (as unprocessed as possible) you're getting sufficient vitimans never mind the cherios they're super processed.

That said I'd say you're on the right track. Oatmeals fantastic for protein and carbs and you can easily get 500 calories out of a bowl if it's big enough. If you wanna up your fat intake you can add nuts like almonds to it and if it's not too heavy raw almond butter is a great addition.

Clif bars and natural sports nutrition products apply these ideas. They're high in carbs, fat and protein. If you notice they're brilliantly crafted to be under 300 calories because you should never consume more than 300 calories an hour during physically activity.

So your on the right track. I just wanted to throw in my two sense that you're going to be eating a lot and often therefore meeting protein and fat with ease.

Be sure to include as plenty of freeze dried fruits as possible, fruits contain natural electrolytes, the stuff the wards off dehydration.

Thank you. What you say makes sense, so maybe I'll skip the Cheerios. But I've only been backpacking once before just on a weekend. So I believe what you say that protein should be taken care of by just eating more calories, etc. But with the menu I was thinking of (plus some things that RubyDuby suggested), I can't imagine I'd be eating much more than a regular day. For example, oatmeal for breakfast, Clif Bar for lunch, rice & lentils for dinner (with TVP & dried veggies), and trail mix (with dried fruit) for snacks throughout the day. Unless the snacks are accounting for more than I imagine, or if I'm just eating more at dinner than normal (not sure about that, because I'd still stop when I get full, right?), then I don't see how I'm eating that much more. I believe you, I just want to make sure I understand so I don't make the mistake of packing too much or too little food-wise.

Not only do I not want to be miserable or sick, but I want to do this backpacking trip right to set an example that vegans can do anything! :cool:

Story time! I went backpacking with the same people a few summers ago. I was just a vegetarian then. We hiked a short distance to camp, set up and ate dinner (beans and rice, not cooked fully). After I was in my hammock for the night, I started not feeling so hot. I ended up being ill several times that night and I was worried that I wouldn't be up to hiking the next day. I didn't want to ruin it for my friends. I cautiously ate a 6-pack of peanut butter crackers in the morning, and we successfully hiked the 15 miles planned for that day. I'm still not sure what made me sick, but I've been wary of beige (pinto?) beans ever since.

P.S. I will try to keep track of what I eat, how I feel that day, reactions, etc. so that I can report back what I learn about backpacking as a vegan.

[RubyDuby]

Yes, red lentils are very small and cook much faster than large beans, like pintos.

I hope your trip goes better this time!

[Cricket24]

Update: my friend who's the experienced backpacker and is in charge of the trip, has informed me that we're only going to try to use the portable gas stove thing once per day, so probably supper. That sounds like oatmeal is out of the question most mornings (which I don't understand, because I thought he told me that oatmeal was the best/ideal breakfast). And beans and rice are out because they have to cook for a while and simmer, which one go would use 1/3 of the can of gas...

So I'm a little frustrated that he told me to figure out my food without telling me that we couldn't have oatmeal every morning as I was taught (by him).

Here's the message I got from him:


Breakfast:
oatmeal will only be viable for 3 breakfasts tops... because we only plan to break out the stove once per day (supper), except on the occasional late morning. Dry granola makes a good substitute for early mornings, and we can buy it bulk, since we will be eating granola, too.

Dinner:
lentils take 15-30 minutes of continuous simmering to cook, which is 1/3 of a fuel bottle. Besides,my stove can't simmer; it's either all on or all off.
Dried beans won't work because they have to rehydrate for 8 hours; freezedried beans are OK, but hard to find unless you get a soup or rice mix. anything canned is bad. Its heavy, and the trash from it can't be compacted, cleaned, or easily carried (its still heavy).
Couscous is nothing but carbs, so its a base for a larger meal at best. TVP would add protein (and a little fat) to the couscous, though little flavor.
Pastas are fine, but same concerns as couscous. Angel hair and ramen cooks the fastest (thus using up the least fuel and water).
Most of the taco seasonings we looked at (for our food) have meat/animal products in it.

Lunch:
There's no such thing as a backpacking lunch, just a string of snacks while you are hiking. That said, combine the "lunch" and "snack" part of your menu, and mix the cheerios into your trail mix, and you're good. We like to bring crackers, peanut butter, honey, and raisins for longer, more relaxed lunches.

tooth brushing:
You can brush your teeth, you just have to swallow it. (actually thats the same for mouthwash too) because its a smellable and bears will come to where you spat it.

water:
I looked into my filter, and still don't know if it uses bone char as carbon. It might use coal or plant char instead; no telling. And customer service doesn't know either. So you could always use my filter, since there are the same uncertainties with the city water you're drinking right now,and any other filter would have the same issues.
If you're not comfortable with my filter, you could buy chlorine tablets. I've had success with Katadyn brand Micropur.

On Sharing:
I like the sound of Veggie Chili or a bean soup mix. With some smart shopping and a few innovations (and research from you) we should be able to find about 5 (more or less depending on what you find and would like) meals to share with you. Sharing is of course, optimal because it reduced the use of fuel; which is very heavy and finite. as for breakfast and lunch,.. most is actually incentively vegan anyway... (unless theres something i don't know about granola) so we have no issue there.

(NOTE: our menu was low in vegetables because those aren't difficult to put in... the issue of veganism on hiking trips is the necessity of protein and fat traditionally solved with animals)

[RubyDuby]

Just for my own future reference, what veg are you eating on the trip? I have a hard time thinking of ways to get them while camping! Protein and fat however, are really not hard at all. I'm not sure your friend knows the difference between red and green lentils? Red lentils are tiny and cook in 5 minutes in boiling water, but they aren't necessary! It's just an option. :) I forgot to say you can buy a small plastic bottle of olive oil and put it in a Ziplock bag to prevent leaking. A small glass bottle is fine too. The glass is very thick, but I can see why you would want to avoid glass.

Couscous is a great idea. It's delicious and you just add hot water, cover and wait... same as TVP! (quick google search challenges the sentiment that couscous is nothing but carbs- 12% carbs, 10% protein, 8% fiber, plus many vitamins and minerals... could be argued to be healthier than instant rice and plain pasta) Granola is basically oatmeal, so you'll be fine there, but if you really want a bowl of oatmeal you can just add regular water to instant oats and wait 5 minutes. It's not hot but it's still a bowl of mushy oatmeal.

Are you not using a camp fire? I don't know why I just assumed that was how you were cooking, but I guess the gas stove makes more sense, but yes will have the issue of gas usage. :(

Ortega taco seasoning packets are safe. I have one right here... plus you can bring spices in a baggy to flavor the tvp. Plain cooked dead animal isn't very tasty without seasoning either from what i remember. *pukeface*

Will the veggie chili and bean soup be from the backpacker meals?

[isabella]

Parched corn and hard tack are a couple more.

[SeitanWorshiper]

Quinoa is a complete protein, cooks much like rice, and is full of essential nutrients. You can add it to soups, salads or just add oliveoil, olives, sun dried tomatoes, maybe some greens. I am planning a backpacking trip for next month, so ive begun dehydrating some veggies to make a quinoa soup. You can also make your own trail mix bars with dates (which hold everything together), whatever dried fruit and nuts you like, pop in a food processor, make into bars and cover with shredded coconut. Chia seeds are a good addition. They don't taste like much, but are packed full of vitamins and nutrients. Smoked tofu will keep longer and is edible without cooking. Also consider smoked seitan like jerky. It is available at natural food stores, but if you have a smoker, it is much cheaper to make your own.