Food - What to take?

[jhawk]

Hi all,

As some of you know, I've had to put off my cross-Canada trip for a year. Financially it wasn't possible this year, and last year's circumstances meant that I couldn't do any of the little test trips that I had planned to do. But, thinking positively, I'll be doing those this year.

Now, I've a question for you all regarding food. What do you take on tour? I'm going to be planning several short trips, and one obstacle (or maybe not, maybe it's real simple) that I've come up against is food. I'm looking for suggestions as to what to bring for food.

Obviously, granola bars are a staple - I love 'em! And biscuits are my weakness... Aside from that, I'm thinking canned soups, beans, canned stews, chili, etc.

I'll be shopping at dollar stores like it's going out of fashion, I expect.

Any other tips for food,nutrition, hydration, etc?

Cheers,

Jack.

 

[Dayvo]

Canned food is heavy and bulky. What about buying packets of soup or ready-made /meals etc. that you just add boiling water to. Stop en route for a hearty meal, or top up on fruit cake/bread, mllk etc. when you get the chance. Oh, and lots of chocolate.

Are you going to take a stove of some description with you? Gas or spirits? Trangia are to be recommended.

 

[doog]

Packs of couscous, rice etc anything that I can mix with water on the stove and usually keep a couple in reserve for the odd day when I cant find a shop. Like you say canned stuff when stopping at supermarkets but no more than I need that night or the next due to weight (anything that can be heated quickly in a pan... )..small loafs of granular type bread that I can chew on all day, packs of nuts..etc.. pain au chocolate (individually wrapped)...etc etc

 

[jhawk]

Canned food is heavy and bulky. What about buying packets of soup or ready-made /meals etc. that you just add boiling water to. Stop en route for a hearty meal, or top up on fruit cake/bread, mllk etc. when you get the chance. Oh, and lots of chocolate.

Are you going to take a stove of some description with you? Gas or spirits? Trangia are to be recommended.

I'll be taking a Trangia stove, aye. Powered by alcohol... Spirits that is, not the beer-type (I'd never be able to afford it!)

 

[jhawk]

Oh, and lots of chocolate.

Now we're talking!

 

[Wandrin]

Muesli, protein powder, coffee and sugar, almost everything else can be picked up a day or two's supply at a time.

 

[psmiffy]

I do not take any food on tour - buy everything during the day as I go along - No idea what shops would be like out of urban areas in Canada - I suspect probably better than in New Zealand and parts of Europe where I have often spent the day going from shop to shop collecting the ingredients for dinner

 

[slowmotion]

^^^^^^ I would just buy new food supplies each day too. Food is heavy, and the light stuff is pretty boring. We once hiked over the mountains of Corsica carrying six days' food in our backpacks ( the mountain refuges had no food, just water ). It weighed an awful lot and the freeze dried stuff tasted vile.

BTW, take some Marmite.

 

[psmiffy]

freeze dried stuff tasted vile.

In general - yes - when I visited New Zealand a friend of mine over there gave me two packs - she obviously knew better the stock levels of small Kiwi shops in the middle of nowhere - they were chicken based - I felt honour bound to eat them and they were actually edible compared to the few european ones i've tried - cannot remember the brand and ive never seen them again

 

[slowmotion]

In general - yes - when I visited New Zealand a friend of mine over there gave me two packs - she obviously knew better the stock levels of small Kiwi shops in the middle of nowhere - they were chicken based - I felt honour bound to eat them and they were actually edible compared to the few european ones i've tried - cannot remember the brand and ive never seen them again

You were lucky. The freeze dried stuff we lugged over the mountains set up like concrete in our tripes. Avoid.