How to Have Great Food on Multi-Day Hikes

!±8± How to Have Great Food on Multi-Day Hikes

Good food is essential for multi-day hiking trips, but food is generally the heaviest part of a pack. Food is usually between 25% and 35% of the weight of the pack on a 5 to 7 day hike. This means that somewhere between 5 kg (11 lb.) and 8 kg (17 lb.) is food. If you are taking a longer hike, then it adds up to more. Unless you have done some research and spent a fair amount of money to keep all your hiking gear extremely light, then you are probably going to carry a heavy pack. But there are several things you can do to keep the weight down and the nutrition up.

If you are travelling with a larger group of 5 to 10 people, then you have a fairly large pool of resources to problem solve. On multi-day hikes, if you can split the food in half, then you are carrying only half the food weight at most at any time. This can make a tremendous difference in managing the safety and exertion on the trail. A food drop into the trail may be possible. For many hikes, there are local services that deal with transporting people and supplies into remote locations. If you can plan your route to have a common trail entry in the middle, then a food drop is possible. Let's look at some of the options here.

On coastal hikes, water taxi service is usually possible to places along the trail. The West Coast Trail, North Coast Trail, Juan de Fuca Marine Trail, Hesquiat Peninsula, and Nootka Island can all be reached by water taxi. These locations can also be reached by float plane. Helicopter service may also be available, but is probably the most expensive option. Some trails have a fairly easy hike into a central location where a loop can be taken, such as in the South Chilcotin Mountains' Spruce Lake area. This area is also serviced by regular float plane flights and horse packing. The Juan de Fuca Marine Trail has a parking lot entry point near the middle of the trail at Sombrio Beach. More remote locations without lakes may only be accessible by hiking in or by helicopter, such as in the Stein Valley. But hiking food into an area kind of defeats the purpose of a food drop. Although these trails are all in British Columbia, the same idea applies elsewhere. 

The next major option is to plan ahead and dehydrate food.  Most anything can be dehydrated, from meats, to vegetables, to fruits.  Dehydrated food can be very tasty if it is relatively fresh and if it has been kept in refrigeration.  Rehydrating means cooking a little longer, but the additional fuel weight is minimal.  Adding spices to meats before dehydrating helps with preparation.  An entire meal can be dehydrated, thus reducing the weight by as much as 75%.  This can make a very big difference in weight without compromising the nutrition, variety, and taste.  If you are a regular hiker, taking several multi-day hikes a year, a good quality food dehydrator is well worth the money.  Of course, you can buy dehydrated meals, but the cost can be considerable for a trip if you are 5 to 10 people, and the freshness and flavor are usually compromised because of the age of the packaged food.  If a food drop is prohibitive because of location or cost, then dehydrating food is the second best option. On a recent 8-day hike of the North Coast Trail, I carried less than 5 kg in food because of dehydrating. I ate very well.

Whether you plan on having a food drop in the middle of your hike or plan on dehydrating food to reduce the weight, good pre-trip planning is necessary.  Either way can make sure that you have plenty of good, nutritious food and minimized weight in your pack.  Having enough food means that your energy can be maintained to meet the increased demands on your energy reserves.  So plan your trip with one of these effective ways to reduce weight in place, and enjoy!

How to Have Great Food on Multi-Day Hikes

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5-Day Backpacking Meal Combo (Serves 2+)

!±8± 5-Day Backpacking Meal Combo (Serves 2+)

Rate : | Price : | Post Date : Oct 22, 2011 21:34:03
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A complete 5-day supply of dehydrated meals consisting of three (3) full meals per day. Total weight is 9 lbs and 17,260 calories. Note: Denver Scramble contains EGG and DAIRY; Bee Good Couscous contains Bee Pollen and DAIRY. Meals Include: Rice Cereal: Hot rice cereal packed with granny smith apple chunks, raisins and nuts. Vegan; Toasted Muesli (no-cook): a powerhouse cold cereal featuring rolled wheat, oats, fruit and nuts with instant non-GMO soy milk. Vegan; Apple Quinoa Oatmeal: hot cereal with apples, cinnamon, sunflower seeds, & almonds. Vegan; Denver Veggie Scramble: dehydrated organic eggs, hashed potato, bell pepper, and white cheddar cheese; Coconut Chia Peel (no-cook): chia seed, powdered banana, coconut, dates and spices. Vegan; Sunny Sunflower Salad (no-cook): a blend of seasonings tossed with sweet corn, sunflower seeds, flaked black beans & bell peppers. Vegan; Pinto Bean Spread (no-cook): smashed dried pinto beans and spices for bread/tortilla. Vegan; Blackened Quinoa: dehydrated organic quinoa, flaked black beans, carrots, and robust seasonings. Vegan; Waldorf Slaw (no-cook): fruit and walnut slaw with eggless mayo. Vegan; Pesto Spread (no-cook): a walnut pesto spread / sauce for noodles or potatoes. Vegan; Basil Walnut Penne: crushed basil & walnuts with organic whole wheat penne, and olive oil (included). Vegan; Lickety-Split Lentils: split lentils, brown rice, roasted peanuts, vegetables, and Indian spices. Vegan; Chickpea Sesame Penne: organic whole wheat penne with creamy flavors of chickpea, sesame, roasted red pepper, and garlic. Vegan; Naked Freckle Burrito: dehydrated black beans, organic instant brown basmati rice, bell peppers, and zesty southwestern flavors! Vegan; Bee Good Couscous: durum wheat couscous, raisins, roasted peanut, domestic bee pollen; Note: Bee pollen can cause an allergic reaction in some people.

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The Shelf Life of Long Term Food Storage Items

!±8± The Shelf Life of Long Term Food Storage Items

There are four main factors that can determine the length of the long-term storage of food. If you found us on a storage of food for your family, or already have one, you should be aware of these things possible to ensure maximum durability.

The four factors are as follows. The temperature of the surface, the moisture content of the food, the atmosphere in the tank and the tank itself. We see eachthose factors.

1) Temperature of the Storage Area

Temperature has more to do with how long storable food will last than anything else. If you are planning on storing your food in a warm environment, it will only last a fraction of the time it would last in a cool, dry place. Some feel that the optimum temperature is 40 degrees F or less. However, not everyone will be able to achieve that. Another factor is that you have a place where the temperature is relatively constant. Frequent temperature changes can also shorten the life of storable food.

Remember to choose a cool, dry, dark place, where the temperature remains relatively constant, for storing your food.

2) Moisture Content of the Food

Foods with excess moisture can spoil in their containers. Food chosen for long term storage should have a moisture content of 10% or less. This is hard to achieve because most people don't have access to specialized equipment.

An alternative is to get freeze-dried food, which has been specially-prepared for this purpose. The moisture content of these foods has been taken care of in the preparation process.

3) Atmosphere in the Storage Container

Oxygen oxidizes many of the compounds in food, so foods packed in air in storage containers will not store as well as Nitrogen, which is a popular gas for storing food, and one that works very well.

Some people use oxygen absorber packets. You simply place one in the storage container and seal. When you use these, you must have a storage container that is able to withstand some vacuum pressure. This is because the absorber packet will create a slight vacuum as it absorbs the oxygen.

Most food units that are packaged and sold for long term food storage have been packed with nitrogen in the #10 cans.

4) The Storage Container

Storage containers should have a hermetic seal (air tight) in order to get the longest life out of your stored foods. #10 Cans and sealable food-grade storage buckets work very well for this.

You must make certain that the storage containers you use are food grade containers. #10 cans that are used for food storage often have an enamel lining for this purpose. You can also buy plastic food-grade 5 gallon buckets.

If you buy a commercially-prepared food unit with #10 cans, then the second, third, and fourth factors are already addressed for you. In order to satisfy the first factor, you will still want to store the food in a cool, dry, dark place.

If you decide to buy plastic buckets, add the food, and seal them yourself, you will need to rent a nitrogen cylinder to fill the airspace in the buckets. When you do this, the oxygen will be displaced leaving only the nitrogen. Again, make sure that you purchase food-grade quality buckets. This is very important.

Remember these things when purchasing or creating a supply of long term storable food for your family.

The Shelf Life of Long Term Food Storage Items

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Food Dehydrator Buying Tips and Uses

!±8± Food Dehydrator Buying Tips and Uses

How to buy a dehydrator food? What are the watts on a dehydrator? Even more important, because it has a food dehydrator? Well in this article you will learn something more about all three issues are important and why, and why you should consider holding a food dehydrator.

If you are looking for a dehydrator choose not to spend more money and never buy a food dehydrator units huge if you're not going to use it. Buy the size you need for most people buy a dehydrator food that isor too cheap or too expensive, and both can be just as bad. If you are thinking of buying a really expensive food dehydrator, its going to be the best that it can not meet your needs. Or, if you buy too cheap considering its cheaper than can not do enough to force what you want or even dry food through.

A food dehydrators power is measured in terms of performance and you can think so much like a light bulb. If you have a 100-watt light bulb, the brighter the right thing? But as brightwould be a 100-watt bulb in an area of ​​2000 square meters? It would still be brilliant, but do not fill the entire room. So if you buy a food dehydrator with a 20-tray capacity, and all 20 trays and fill them, and you can have 500 watts of power, not dried up at the bottom. Rather, the focus should be on small batches of perhaps 80-10 people total at the same time dehydration. My favorite type of food dehydrator is probably a 1000-watt dehydrator that up to 20 trays can be expanded. Once again, I neveruse all 20 trays at once for the fact it doesn't dehydrate as well. On the opposite end of the spectrum if you buy a 1000 watt food dehydrator and you only use 2 trays in it it might over dehydrate and that you do not want either. If ever in doubt shoot for 1000 watts and 10 trays to keep it at a happy medium.

Avoid mixing too many different kinds of items in the same batch of a food dehydrator. If you have to many different things that dehydrate at different levels you can end up with some items over dehydrated and some under and having under dehydrated food leaves the chance the food could develop bacteria which could give you on afternoon in the bathroom. So owning a food dehydrator and having the right one is as important as using the food dehydrator correctly.

If you are questioning why you should even own a food dehydrator here are a few reasons to ponder. If you like to buy dried fruits or meats you know they can be expensive. However drying them and dehydrating them yourself can save quite a bit of money and that alone will quickly pay for the -0 you could spend on one. Another great thing with a food dehydrator is drying and curing meats. If you like dried and dehydrated meat this is great. Again money comes into play here as a 1lb bag of store bought jerky goes for about 5 dollars or more. You could easily make 2 lbs or more for the same price yourself. Another great thing about a food dehydrator is that you can make your own snacks with as little or as much salt and sugar as you'd like and you know exactly what is in your food. These tips may just help you the next time you decide to buy a food dehydrator or when you are doing your next batch of dehydrated food.

Food Dehydrator Buying Tips and Uses

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