Registered: 01/04/02
Posts: 1228
Loc: Eastern MA, USA
Maybe some of you guys remember a frequent poster from long ago. Like nearly 15 years ago. He was very knowledgeable and so kind to everyone. I think he may have used the handle, "Old Ranger." I often felt as if I were conversing with a kindly uncle. He was older and hasn't chimed in for quite a few years, so I fear he is gone to the big hiking trails in the sky, so to speak.
One idea he put forth for pemmican was using dark chocolate for all or most of the fat in pemmican. Dark chocolate, maybe with some coconut oil, cranberries, possibly other dried fruit, and jerky could be rather palatable. Be careful with coconut oil, though. It is solid when cool, but around 80 F or so, becomes liquid. It is always interesting to me to open the bin and be able to pour out what I had to spoon out the day before...
That is an interesting recipe. But, they don't replace the fat with chocolate, they just add baking chocolate powder to the mix. I enjoyed the link. I will try some of the things recommended.
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I've taken a vow of poverty. To annoy me, send money.
Going without a stove is easy, once you find what works for you. Use a calorie tracker like myfitnesspal or livestrong to make sure you have all the nutrition you need. Scoobysworkshop.com is a great (and completely free) website to use for calculating exactly what should eat (how many calories etc.) Personally, I eat right around 1800 calories per day and I consume a LOT of protein. Here's what my daily intake looks like:
-80g of quick oats + 1 cup (after hydration) goats milk, 1 small baggie of organic fruit snacks. Add water and eat directly out of the bag. This tastes a lot better than it sounds. -180g of apricots -One 74g pouch of low sodium light chunk tuna. Some people might be concerned with mercury content. If you're unsure, ask your doctor. -One 196g pouch of chicken breast. Add seasoning. -One 56g pouch of wild sardines. I can no longer find these in a pouch, so I package them myself with a foodsaver (vacuum sealer). -85g Turkey Jerky -28g Beef Jerky -28g Dried, seasoned lentil beans or snap peas.
This is healthy enough to eat every day (if you need that much protein) and still pretty light. A day's worth of food, not including extra seasonings, is 760g or 26.8oz That's not the lightest, but (for me) it sure beats having to clean up after every meal!
Hope this helps. Cheers!
Edited by Johannes (01/09/1608:06 PM)
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"Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind." - Johannes Brahms
I've tried this with the firebox nano . Mine is the first generation and works fantastic. The only issue (not a design flaw) is that the stove will get filthy with soot and ash if you're burning a wood fire. That was enough to turn me off. I would save a bit of money AND weight by rigging your pot with some picture wire so it can hang above a small fire like this:
Hope this helps. Cheers!
Edited by Johannes (01/09/1608:16 PM)
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"Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind." - Johannes Brahms
Registered: 01/04/02
Posts: 1228
Loc: Eastern MA, USA
It depends on the coffee and your taste. Instant coffee dissolves, well, pretty much instantly, regardless of water temperature. Powdered "creamer" takes a bit more time and effort in my experience. A coffee shake seems to work quite well. If I am mixing up a batch in advance, I might use Better Than Milk soy milk powder or keep the dry milk/coffee/sweetener mix in the freezer until the trip. One of my unfortunate discoveries was that dry milk can go rancid once exposed to air, as does fat. Instant coffee for cold consumption might also work with Nido instead of creamer, considering its higher fat content. Same advice about protecting the opened Nido applies, of course. If you like mocha, try instant coffee with cocoa mix. Add cinnamon for a Mexican twist.
After doing some more research (I'm no doctor) and field testing my old system, I've discovered a few things. One: I went overboard on the protein. Two: I didn't include enough fat or carbs. Three: The system could be lighter. Four: The system is too expensive.
I've revised the system and come up with the following daily food list: -100g of quick oats + 1 cup (after hydration) goat milk, 1 small baggie of organic fruit snacks. Add water and eat directly out of the bag. -180g of dried apricots -85g turkey jerky -28g beef jerky -56g lentil chips -100g pouch of sardines (I found some online by Chicken of the Sea) Total weight: 622.6g or 21.96oz
Maybe one day, I'll find a way to leave the spoon at home, too!
Hope this helps. Cheers!
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"Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind." - Johannes Brahms
Registered: 01/04/02
Posts: 1228
Loc: Eastern MA, USA
Food can be another HYOH situation. This plan looks a bit short for me on vegetables, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Supplements can help, of course, but are not the best long-term solution.
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6799
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Depends on how long you're going to be gone. For a weekend, no big deal. For a week or more, having reasonably nutritious food will definitely make a difference!
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
Registered: 01/04/02
Posts: 1228
Loc: Eastern MA, USA
I agree, but "daily food list" said longer than a weekend to me. Actually, risking TMI, I can get bound up pretty fast when hiking. It seems I sweat enough that there isn't much water left in my GI tract. Fiber can hold on to some of that
I'm not out longer than a few days, usually. I don't think there's any, "perfect system," unfortunately. To me, it goes like this: -Lightweight -Nutritious -Tasty ...pick 2
That being said, this is not a bad balance, if you ask me. It'll get tiresome after a while, but I can usually scrounge up something while in the woods to add some variety. Even if it's just some mushrooms.
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"Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind." - Johannes Brahms
Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 1149
Loc: Washington State, King County
Quote:
"To me, it goes like this: -Lightweight -Nutritious -Tasty ...pick 2"
IMO there are at least a couple more criteria, those being -Cheap -Easy (and yes, with the combination of those two items I am still talking about food ... )
Some folks, at least, find that buying special "for backpacking" meals is somewhat costly, and of course requires a trip to a sporting goods store or online order. As opposed to just picking up things as part of a normal trip to the grocery store.
By 'easy' I mean little effort in preparation. Perhaps some people truly enjoy making special backpacking meals; when I've done these I've regarded it more as a chore, and tend to eschew such effort now.
And while these could perhaps come under the "nutritious" category, there are other nuances such as limiting sodium intake, issues for those with special dietary desires or requirements (vegan, gluten-free, whatever).
So I would submit that it's a little more complicated. But at the same time I'd agree that it doesn't have to be TOO complicated either!
Cheap and easy. Heh. I've tried the dehydrated meals like mountain house and they're tasty. They're great for camping, but not for backpacking, unless you're willing to give up a significant amount of trail time to cook. I never used to think about food when I went out. In the past, I would bring a few pounds of food for each day. Shame on me. Now I keep coming up with new revisions... It's like when you make your first ultralight system. I get the same feeling of excitement as I go lighter and simpler. I made another one that's even lighter and a little higher Calorie for longer hikes:
Super Cereal: 100g oats, 1oz powdered goat milk, one package fruit snacks, 23g unflavored whey powder. Add water and eat directly out of the bag. Nutrition:704 Calories - 94g Carbs, 16g Fat, 42g protein
Registered: 01/04/02
Posts: 1228
Loc: Eastern MA, USA
Hmm! The Mountain House foods with which I am familiar are cooked and freeze-dried, at least for the most part. All that was needed was to add water and wait a few minutes. Some egg dishes-not all-required adding water, stirring, tnen cooking, and some desserts required cooking. Spaghetti with meat sauce, rice and chicken, etc., just needed hot water and a waiting period.
Registered: 01/04/02
Posts: 1228
Loc: Eastern MA, USA
I cook at home. "In the field," I boil water and dump it into a bag with my pre-cooked, dehydrated meal, then let it sit while I do other chores. Some meals are hot, some cold and can be prepped with cold water or eaten as is. Who wants to do dishes in the field?
After years of "traditional" camp cooking over a SVEA 123, I migrated to freezer bag style meals with water heated by an alcohol stove, and more recently took a trip without a stove. While hot food and drinks are nice, I didn't miss them (and didn't miss the weight of a stove and pot and fuel either ; ). Here is a picture of the food I brought (and had a LOT of leftovers). Food for a four day trip
I have used chocolate covered coffee beans when I need to stay awake (like during long shifts working on an ambulance) or in tedious but necessary lectures. They taste great and used to be available in multiple flavors, including latte! I noted recently that you can now get, in Aldi's a gorp/trail food noted as something like "breakfast mix." It contains along with the nuts, fruit, etc, chocolate covered beans. You get calories and a caffeine rush. I once saw boxes of the chocolate beans sold in a dollar store. The sales pitch on the box was basically that is was a legal form of speed, Which is pretty much what coffee itself is. How about using a pint or smaller Nalgene bottle adding instant coffee and shaking to mix? Just a thought. The last version of The Complete Walker has a variety of cunning ways to brew with filters. I have used a single cup Melitta cone designed for funnel shaped filters. I decided it was not worth the hassle. It was also bulky to pack, although light. I am told that MSR (I think) sells or used to an ultra light version. I just found in the local dollar store a device designed for a single cup, but with a permanent gold plated filter. I tossed the cup it came with but have not yet tried it.
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