Dehydrated Backpacking Foods

Ready to pack. Photo courtesy of the author.

When backpacking, every ounce and cubic inch count. Careful planning to balance calories and bulk against weight and pack capacity can enhance a trip in which you tote everything on your back. Use each item as many ways as possible. Pack nothing empty. Eschew luxuries. Leave large food containers at home. Take as much as is needed but no more. For desert packing, water composes a large proportion of pack weight. Prepare meals that absorb water, such as rice, millet and dried foods. Dehydrated foods offer taste, variety, a compact profile and ease of preparation.

Commercial

Organic Jambalaya. Photo courtesy of Mary Jane's Farm, www.maryjanesfarm.org

Online, chain and local camping supply stores stock dehydrated entrees, condiments, side dishes, snacks, drink powders and desserts to satisfy meat lovers and vegetarians alike. Organic and ethnic dishes can be interesting as well as filling. Some suppliers assemble multi-day backpacking food kits.

Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI)
Sumner, WA 98352-0001
(800) 426-4840
www.rei.com

Campmor
810 Route 17 North
Paramus, NJ 07652
(888) 226-7667
www.campmor.com

Backpacker's Pantry
(800) 641-0500
www.backpackerspantry.com

Backcountry.com
2607 South 3200 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84119
(800) 409-4502
www.backcountry.com

Mary Jane's Farm
1000 Wild Iris Lane
Moscow, ID 83843
(888) 750-6004
www.maryjanesfarm.org

Homemade

Food dehydrator, ingredients, finished food. Photo courtesy of the author.

For a personal and economic approach, make your food yourself. Granola, snack mixes, hot cocoa and flavoring packets are easy to assemble. If you're more adventurous, cook entrees and dehydrate them. The same goes for energy bars, fruits and vegetables. The most reliable way to dehydrate food is in an appliance made for that purpose. Buy a dehydrator or build it yourself, and you will quickly recoup its cost.

Off the Shelf

Sugar and spice mix in vitamin bottles, hot cocoa, soup mixes, parboiled rice.

Don't neglect easy dehydrated meals from the grocer: Indian food, grain-based entrees and stove-top meals, hummus and couscous. A dried soup mix becomes delicious stew if you add veggies, parboiled rice and dried meat. Spice anything up with a mixture of salt, pepper and your favorite herbs, stowed in a sandwich baggie or prescription medicine vial.

Resources

Article Written By Lani Johnson

Lani Johnson is a hiking, writing musician. Recent published work includes journalism, poetry and research. See her online writing at Trails.com or at Azacda.presspublisher.us.

Editor's Pick

Backcountry Camping Tips

You've already tried car and RV camping. You've camped at commercial campsites that had a convenient restroom and water supply. Now, you want to explore the road less traveled. Backcountry camping, also known as primitive camping, is a wonderful way to explore the remote...
More Backcountry Camping...
Popular Article

Beach Camping Near Pismo Beach, California

Pismo State Beach, California, has many attractions and activities including camping, swimming, hiking and wildlife viewing. Birdwatching is one of the primary activities in the area. The park also has the largest over-wintering colony of monarch butterflies in the natio...
More Beach Camping...
Featured Video

Common Sense Hiking Tips

The first and most fundamental thing is never hike alone. There are too many situations, especially as an unexperienced hiker, where you may find yourself without anyone to help you. So the buddy system works and applies very much in hiking.
More Camping Basics...