Weight limitation is a typical attribute of backpacking and meals for such trips are no exception. Considering the vitality of a meal, backpackers need to take smart calls so that they can include the best backpacking food without compromising on taste preference, nutritional value, the caloric density in the least weight possible.
In addition to that, backpackers also need to consider the cooking methodology and cooking time for any meal and map it to their capability of preparation and discipline. Plus, details such as exclusions and inclusions also need specific attention. As you can guess, equating all these to sort the best backpacking meals is quite challenging.
Need help with backpacker food ideas? We’ve taken the challenge, gone through several backpacking food reviews, and listed down the 10 Best Backpacking Food In 2020 with a comprehensive buying guide on how to choose the right food for your backpacking trip.
OUR TOP PICK
Backpacker's Pantry Kathmandu Curry
Based on the regional specialty called Dahl Baht, Backpacker's Pantry Kathmandu Curry is the best backpacking food on our list for its delicious combination of curry rice, lentils, potatoes, and freeze-dried vegetables with spices.
Nutrition
This Nepalese vegetarian delight is gluten-free, vegan, and dairy-free. High in protein with 18 grams per serving, Kathmandu is a hearty meal to consume. The backpack food includes highly nutritious lentils and brown rice with the highest quality turmeric to support brain and joint health. Further, it includes potatoes, peas, and carrots that are freeze-dried but add flavor and color to the meal. Being so low in fat yet high in protein and high fiber, Pantry Kathmandu Curry is an optimal meal for emergencies.
Convenience
Weighing less than 200 grams a pack, this backpackers food is highly nutritious and enough to serve two people. Moreover, preparing it is one of the simplest things you can do as all you need to do is to add two cups of boiling water to it and wait for 15-20 minutes. Plus, the blend of spices makes it a delight to eat, not to mention the smell of the curry!
What Makes This Food For Backpacking Stand Out
- Authentic flavors
- Two servings per pack
- Rich taste
- Highly nutritious
MODEL & ACCESSORY SPECS
Best For: Vegetarian Meal
Servings-per-Pack: 2
Calories-Per-Serving: 340
Weight-per-Packet: 6.6 ounces
Pack Size: 1 Pack
EDITORS CHOICE
Quaker Instant Oatmeal
Packed with the goodness of a complete grain, Quaker Instant Oatmeal grabs the Editor’s Choice spot on our list for its best in class high fiber ratio that contributes to a healthy digestive system and gives the required energy for a complete day.
Nutrition
Perhaps, the most impressive aspect of Quaker Instant Oatmeal is the inclusion of whole grain with the kernel to create this packed meal. Such grains are rich in vitamins, minerals, and a lot of fibers. With at least 2-4 grams of fiber per 27 grams of whole grains that are included in each packet, these packs of backpacking breakfast include no artificial preservatives, gluten, and GMO, thus making them the best meals for backpacking to start the day with.
Convenience
Coming as a combination of 32 small and easy to carry packages of 41 grams each, this super pack of backpacking meals has exciting flavors to satisfy the urge for different tastes. Further, preparing them is as easy as a pie because all you need to is add fluid to it and it is ready. Further, you can prepare it in your style by mixing different flavors and controlling the level of fluid, which makes your breakfast a bit more exciting.
What Makes This Food For Backpacking Stand Out
- Certified for organic inclusions
- High fiber content
- Comes in different flavors
- Easy to carry
MODEL & ACCESSORY SPECS
Best For: Breakfast
Servings-per-Pack: 1
Calories-per-Serving: 150
Weight-per-packet: 1.45 ounces
Pack Size: 32 Packets
BEST VALUE
PEAK REFUEL Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Offering a protein-rich mix of real chicken breast, creamy cheeses, and Alfredo sauce that's served up mush-free to hit the spot, PEAK REFUEL Chicken Alfredo Pasta is the most budget-friendly option on our list that offers 2 delicious meal servings at a price that seems affordable to many.
Nutrition
Packed with 44 grams of protein, each pack of this mouth-watering trail foods include 100% authentic chicken breasts, pasteurized milk ingredients, and a unique craft-style alfredo sauce. These ingredients are freeze-dried in one of the best facilities in the USA, to ensure the minimum loss of nutrition and taste in comparison to the original ones. Plus, the contains of each pack are certified by USDA to mark the seal on its nutrients.
Convenience
With a massive self-life of 5 years, Peak Refuel focuses on meals that don’t compromise on nutrients as all of its meals are fully prepared and cooked before they begin the freeze-drying process. Further, this food is microbe-tested to ensure the highest possible quality. When it comes to preparation, all you need to do is to add boiling water, stir, let it sit for 15 minutes, and eat as you can eat right out of the bag.
What Makes This Food For Backpacking Stand Out
- High-quality ingredients
- Freeze-dried meals
- Needs less water to cook and rehydrate
- Five-year shelf life
MODEL & ACCESSORY SPECS
Best For: Non-Vegetarian Meal
Servings-per-Pack: 2
Calories-per-Serving: 340
Weight-per-Packet: 4.97 ounces
Pack Size: 1 Packet
OvaEasy Dehydrated Egg Crystals
Made with 100% all-natural egg ingredients with no preservatives or chemicals, OvaEasy Dehydrated Egg Crystals gets featured on our list for its innovative freeze-drying technology that maintains the taste of whole eggs and provides high-quality protein when you are outdoors.
Nutrition
OvaEasy Crystal Egg is a delicious, all-natural dried egg that tastes just like fresh eggs. Each pack of this backpacking breakfast weighs 4.5 Oz and is equivalent to 12 real fresh eggs. Adding on, the added eggs in the bag are non-GMO eggs, which make the final product more nutritious. Plus, you can store it for 30 months without opening it for 6 months in case you have opened it.
Convenience
OvaEasy uses a unique method of evaporating the water, but the egg crystals remain uncooked. This leaves them with a great flavor when you rehydrate and cook them. To prepare, you should add cold water first, whisk it, let it rest a bit, and then cook it as you would regularly cook eggs. For this meal, you will need a pot or pan to cook them in. OvaEasy is an all-natural, pure whole egg and requires no refrigeration until prepared, which makes it a perfect option for satisfying egg carvings when you are out on an adventure.
What Makes This Food For Backpacking Stand Out
- Made of Non-GMO eggs
- Provides original smooth texture
- Needs no refrigeration to store
- Gives nutrition of 12 egg
MODEL & ACCESSORY SPECS
Best For: Egg Meal
Servings-per-Pack: 12
Calories-Per-Serving: 70
Weight-per-Packet: 4.5 ounces
Pack Size: 3 Packet
Mountain House 4-Day Emergency Food Supply Kit
Ideal for emergency preparedness at home or a long weekend in the backcountry, the Mountain House 4-Day Emergency Food Supply kit gets featured on this list for its impressive capability of providing 4 days' worth of tasty, wholesome meals to a single person or backpacker.
Nutrition
With 9 total pouches of delicious just-add-water breakfast, lunch, and dinner entrees, you can be ready to take on anything with this food supply kit. The backpacking meal prep includes 2 pouches of Granola with Milk & Blueberries, 1 Pouch of biscuits & gravy, 2 pouches of chicken fried rice, 2 pouches of chicken and dumplings, and 2 pouches of beef stroganoff with noodles. Depending on the type of pouch, you get 2/3rd to 1.5 cups of serving, which gives you enough energy to remain active up to the next meal.
Convenience
Thanks to the convenient and healthy packaging of its content, Mountain House easy backpacker meals secure their tastes for an amazing 30-years after they're made. Each of its packets needs 1.3 cups of water and takes just 9 minutes to convert them into a delicious meal whenever you need it. Moreover, these house meals are always fully cooked in a cooking pot before getting freeze-dried, which ensures original taste and nutrition once you rehydrate them.
What Makes This Food For Backpacking Stand Out
- Includes meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Takes less time and water to get ready
- Gluten-free inclusions
- Massive self-life of 30 years
MODEL & ACCESSORY SPECS
Best For: All-purpose
Servings-per-Kit: 18
Calories-per-Kit: 1706
Weight-per-Kit: 39.4 ounces
Kit Size: 9 Pouches
Greenbelly Backpacking Meals
Coming as a pack of 2 big, fluffy meal bars to provide daily values of calories, carbs, protein, sodium, fat, and fiber, Greenbelly Backpacking Meals are one of the top rated easy backpacking meals that are featured on this list as they don’t require any preparation time and give a strong and immediate energy boost, whenever needed.
Nutrition
These meal bars from Greenbelly are lightweight, but at the same time, packed with calories. A single meal weighs just over 5oz and contains around 650 calories, which is significantly more than many other meal bars. One bag equals one serving portion and includes two bars inside to give meet your daily nutritional needs such as protein, carbohydrates, fat, and electrolytes.
Convenience
With no cooking, no dishes, no clean-up, these meals are simple, lightweight, and easy to consume. Further, these bars are made of chunks of dried fruit and nuts mixed with fluffy crisped rice to ensure a rich taste. With all gluten-free ingredients inside, these bars use a foil bag that has an easy tear notch above a resealable zip lock to avoid any struggle between you and your meal.
What Makes This Food For Backpacking Stand Out
- Rich in nutrients and calories
- Gluten-free
- Convenient package
- Ready-to-Eat
MODEL & ACCESSORY SPECS
Best For: Fast Meal
Servings-per-Pack: 1
Calories-per-Serving: 650
Weight-per-Packet: 5.29 ounces
Pack Size: 30 Packet
Meal Kit Supply Ready to Eat Three-Course Meal
Included with flameless ration heaters to offer a 3-course meal of America's favorite comfort food, Meal Kit Supply Ready to Eat Three-Course Meal are included in this list as they take down the worry of getting several packs for entrée, side dish, and dessert, as it provides all these in one convenient package.
Nutrition
Coming as a pack of 12, you get 12 different menus inside in each kit. Each MRE pack includes an entrée, a side dish, bread, a spread, a dessert, a drink mix with electrolytes, condiments, a spoon, and a napkin, and a flameless ration heater. The entrée options are beef ravioli, chili, spaghetti, meatballs, and oatmeal. While the side dishes options are fried-rice or hash browns, each pack weighs about 2lbs and can keep its nutrition intact for 5 years on the self.
Convenience
Perhaps the best thing about these backpacking dinners is the fact that they do not need any hot water. This is because each MRE comes with a flameless ration heater, which can be activated with 30ml of any water. Once activated, the heater can be wrapped around your entrée and side dish. Ten minutes later, you'll have a hot, delicious meal. Moreover, these meals come in a secure, hermetically sealed package that ensures no wildlife can be able to smell it in your backpack.
What Makes This Food For Backpacking Stand Out
- Includes 12 different menus
- Durable sealed package
- Needs no hot water
- Offers high calorie and nutritional value
MODEL & ACCESSORY SPECS
Best For: Variety
Servings-per-Pack: Subjective
Calories-per-Pack: 1200
Weight-per-Packet: 30 ounces
Pack Size: 12 Packet
AlpineAire Foods Ready Meal Kit
Offering 14 great-tasting, nutritious meals, AlpineAire Foods Ready Meal Kit grab their spot on our list for its high-quality ingredients and unique combination of ingredients to fuel your activities without much effort.
Nutrition
With best-in-class flavors and textures, this kit comes with 14 different meals that provide 28 meals. Each of the kits includes 2 Mountain Chili, 2 Pasta Roma, 2 Santa Fe Black Beans & Rice, 2 Himalayan Lentils & Rice, 2 Sweet Potato Chicken & Rice, 2 Chicken Gumbo, and 2 Three Cheese Lasagna to give you finger licking taste and variety. Plus, each of the meals offers zero trans-fat, which makes them much suitable for health.
Convenience
Except for the pasta Roma, each of these meals are completely free from gluten and takes 12-15 minutes for getting ready. For preparing them you don't even need a measuring cup as the packs come with an indicating line to guide you. Fill up to the line, wait for a few minutes and your delicious meals are ready. With 5 years of shelf-life, this kit is a pack of delight that lasts long to accompany you on many of your future adventures.
What Makes This Food For Backpacking Stand Out
- Includes 7 meals
- High-quality ingredient
- Comes with a guiding line for filling water
- 5 year of shelf-life
MODEL & ACCESSORY SPECS
Best For: Taste
Servings-per-Pack: 28
Calories-per-Pack: 240-340
Weight-per-Packet: 2.5-3.5 ounces
Pack Size: 14 Packet
Maruchan Flavor Ramen Noodles
Classic and flavorsome, Maruchan Flavor Ramen Noodles is one of the all-time favorite backpacking foods that is included in this list for offering a delicious taste of tradition with just 3 minutes of preparation time.
Nutrition
Coming as a case that contains 24 packs of Maruchan Ramen, this backpacking food comes in all classical flavors, including chili, Chicken mushroom, lime shrimp, roast beef, pork amongst many others. One pack of Maruchan Ramen Noodle has two servings, and each serving has 190 calories. Moreover, these meals come with less sodium and include authentic ethnic flavor to retain its classic taste.
Convenience
These ramen noodle packs are lightweight and small, convenient to be packed and carried around. Additionally, they have a long shelf life, so you don’t have to worry about it going bad fast. To prepare it, mix with two cups of water, and while you can cook it on a stove for a couple of minutes, you can also mix these ramens with hot water in a mug. Overall, it is one of the best backpacking foods if you want something to warm you up on the trail, but also don't want to spend a lot of time making it.
What Makes This Food For Backpacking Stand Out
- Offers classical noodle taste
- Gets ready in 3-minutes
- Can be prepared in many ways
- long self-life
MODEL & ACCESSORY SPECS
Best For: Low Sodium Diet
Servings-per-Pack: 2
Calories-per-Pack: 190
Weight-per-Packet: 3 ounces
Pack Size: 24 Packet
Wild Zora Paleo Meals To Go
A perfect solution for the Paleo diet on backpacking trips, Wild Zora Paleo Meals To Go grabs the last spot on our list for its 100% grass-fed beef and natural veggies ingredients, to offer a beef stew without disturbing your diet plan.
Nutrition
Mountain Beef Stew by Wild Zora is a hale and hearty freeze-dried meal to keep your hunger at bay and offers 37 grams of protein and 410 calories to keep you going on an active day. Along with beef, this pack includes carrots, kale, and mushroom and excludes gluten, grain, nuts, milk, or added sugar. Plus, the pack has a shelf life of 36 months in its sealed packaging after the date of manufacture.
Convenience
Whether you’re backpacking in the great outdoors, globetrotting abroad, or are just pressed for time and need a quick fix, dive into a bowl of delicious Paleo stew. It needs no preparation or dishes and creates no mess. Featuring a reseal mechanism on the pack itself, all you need to do is to open the bag, add 1.5 cups of water, seal it for 5-15 minutes, stir it and eat directly from the pack. No doubt, this is one of the most delicious, nutritious, healthy, and conveniently packed backpacking meals to go for.
What Makes This Food For Backpacking Stand Out
- Paleo ingredients
- Includes no Gluten
- Convenient packaging
- Offers High protein
MODEL & ACCESSORY SPECS
Best For: Paleo diet
Servings-per-Pack: 1
Calories-per-Pack: 410
Weight-per-Packet: 3 Ounces
Pack Size: 1 Packet
How To Choose A Backpacking Food – Buying Guide
Cooking Method
One of the first things to consider regarding any good to go meals is its cooking methodology. For cooking, you need access to a pot, stove, and other accessories to give you the capability of preparing the meal outdoors. For this reason, while choosing the best backpacking food, study the cooking method, and map it to your capability.
Cooking Time
Different backpack lunches have different cooking times which may vary between zero to what not. Here depending on your capabilities to prepare a meal and the liking of your taste, try to pick a backpacking lunch that takes the least time to get ready.
Calories Intake and Caloric Density
On average, hikers usually burn between 3000-4000 calories per day. That is why it’s crucial to pack enough nutrients to give your body the energy it needs. This vital calculation also depends on your size, weight, age, and activity level.
Weight
Look for lightweight trail food with a small volume, which is still packed with enough nutrients and calories. Water is the main culprit for added weight, so dehydrated trail meals are an obvious choice here.
Shelf Life
Foods for backpacking have different shelf lives depending on their preservation method. Though trail snacks come with a long shelf life to fit required durations, still it is advisable to have a look at it before you make a decision.
Ingredients
While many manufacturers try to find the right balance between proteins, carbohydrates, and fat in their backpacker foods, you must read the ingredients before you purchase them. A backing packing food may contain an allergen, which can provoke a reaction. Some lower-quality backpackers meals contain many preservatives and food stabilizers, which aren’t exactly right for your health. Instead, it is better to go with natural ingredients.
Taste
It makes sense that you bring something you like to eat. All the things we have discussed so far are important, but you shouldn’t be forced to eat something you hate or something that tastes like cardboard. So, make your choice accordingly.
FAQs
Q: What Is the Difference Between Dehydrated vs. Freeze-Dried Food?
A: These represent two different processes of eliminating water from backcountry meals. In dehydration, a food backpacking is exposed to hot, dry air for a short period while in another a backcountry food is frozen, and then the ice is removed by sublimation.
Q: How Do I Store My Backpacking Food?
A: You must store your backpacking meal in a manner that eliminates any chance of animals catching the scent of your food and trying to reach for it.
Q: How Much Food Should I Bring?
A: it depends on your size, weight, and exertion level. In general, it is 1.5 to 2.5 lbs. of backpacking meal per person per day, so simply use it to the equate amount.
Q: If I Don’t Have Access To Water And Stove What Should I Do?
A: In that case, you should carry ready-to-eat backpack meals with you.
Globo Surf Overview
Did you need help with ideas for backpacking foods? Bringing the right type and amount of backpacker food is one of the most important things to think about when you plan a backpacking trip. As we’ve illustrated, many factors need to be considered when choosing the right backpack meal – the nutritional value, calories, diet, preparation, volume, and weight. We’ve selected some of the best backpacking meals, in our opinion, which can give you the right balance, and still taste delicious!
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