CAMPING/TRAIL/SURVIVAL FOODS...here's my ratings...

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


I thought this would be a proper place to summarize my opinions of the camp/trail/survival type foods I've been sampling this week...mostly for taste.

The Great Value Strawberries & Cream (WalMart) was by far the best tasting breakfast cereal. Whole grain rolled oats with fruit pieces. 120 calories per serving (you need AT LEAST two servings to be considered a "meal"). Total fat 2g, protein 3g, total carbs 27g, total calories 130. Just add 1/3 cup hot water per pouch. Wait only a minute or two and it's ready to eat. Yummm.

These three were next in line regarding taste:

Special K Protien Meal Bar - chocolate and caramel. Calories 170, total fat 4.5 g, total carbs 26g, total protien 10g.

Special K Protien Bar - double chocolate. Calories 170, total fat 4.5g, total carbs 26g, total protien 10g.

Keebler Granola Fudge Bars - peanut butter. Calories 150, total fat 6g, total carbs 24g, total protien 2g.

Power Bar Triple Threat Long Lasting Energy - chocolate peanut butter crisp. Calories 220, total fat 6g, total carbs 32 g, total protien 11g. (These were not as tasty as the other bars).

All the bars survived heat in excess of 80 F.

What are some of YOUR favorite camp/trail/survival snacks?

[Grandpa]

My favorite snack is still the Snickers Marathon Caramel Nut Rush; Cal 290, Total Fat 10 g, total carbs 40 g, protein 20g.

[charley]

oatmeal, quick cook takes a little longer than instant and much cheaper. run half through a food processor for a cpl. seconds and you have instant without the artificial flavors. add cinnamon and brn sugar. I sometimes dump some coffee on my oatmeal. I will also bring a bag of dry cereal like shredded wheat and cheerios ith walnuts and raisins and just eat it dry. I have never tried this just read it, add jello powder (half teaspoon or so) to oatmeal. I eat a lot of jerky and dehydrate my owm meals. I have dehydrated a coleslaw that tastes fine dry.

[Pathfinder1]

charley;
oatmeal, quick cook takes a little longer than instant and much cheaper. run half through a food processor for a cpl. seconds and you have instant without the artificial flavors. add cinnamon and brn sugar. I sometimes dump some coffee on my oatmeal. I will also bring a bag of dry cereal like shredded wheat and cheerios ith walnuts and raisins and just eat it dry. I have never tried this just read it, add jello powder (half teaspoon or so) to oatmeal. I eat a lot of jerky and dehydrate my owm meals. I have dehydrated a coleslaw that tastes fine dry.




Hi...


You've got some interesting thoughts there, Charlie. Thanks.

I've not eaten cereal dry yet, but must try it sometime. Your dehydrated cole slaw sounds super interesting.

I also left out (I was thinking of store-bought only at the time) my home-made pemmican. Very simple: shredded jerkey, diced cooked bacon, raisins, and some honey.

PS...now I have to diet all next week...!!

[Gunny Webb]

I buy very few MH meals now. They are OK for a while, but they get boring. I use a pack of rice or potatos and some meat in a pouch. If on a trail with little or no water I buy those meals in a sealed tub, they have a large variety.
Im not a trail mix and granola guy. Pass the meat and taters!
For breakfast I use the age old trick of carying an egg or two in the oatmeal container. The cereal keeps the eggs safe, you eat the eggs first and then eat the oatmeal.

[Michael]

I'm not picky. I grab anything that has an okay amount of fiber, protein, and fat, along with a good supply of calories. Sugars break down quickly to give you energy, and the other stuff makes you feel fuller for longer, and I like it when I feel satisfied for a while after eating stuff. Carbs, fat, and protein together give you a more balanced snack that will keep your blood sugar high enough for hours.

Peanuts and chocolate are a plus, too.

Clif Bars are a nice standby. They've got the stuff I want, and they come in a bunch of varieties.

Builder Bars are good for when you're going all out and you need the extra energy.

There are a couple of ridiculously protein-tastic bars out there, like 20 and 30 grams of the stuff per bar. It's not great for energy, and it's actually bad for you to have gigantic amounts of protein all the time without other stuff, but it's amazingly, shockingly filling. So it's good if you want something filling that won't get crushed and have eaten enough energy to get you through your trip.

And don't overlook good old fashioned granola bars. It's fat and sugar, which you can't beat when you're hiking hard. I like to augment them with fruit. I eat apples or bananas early in the hike for a quick boost, then have the granola a couple hours into a hike to carry me back out.

Brand names aren't that important to me. The important part is to be sure that it's got the stuff you need. Which means that I end up hanging out in the aisle of the grocery store with the things reading the backs of all of them for like a half hour and annoying the other customers.

[Pathfinder1]

Hi,


Just discovered a different kind of trail food. Had it with my hamburger steak that was topped with blue cheese, and covered with A1 sauce. I call it meatless pemmican.

It's Michael's Choice cranberry-raisen chutney...delicious. Made from cranberries, sugar, water, orange, rum, ascorbic acid, spices.

Two tbsp = 60 calories, 15g carbs, vitamin a, c, iron. Has the density of very firm meatloaf (no liquid to leak). Came in a 14 oz jar.

An interesting accompanyment for almost any meat.

[dinosaur]

I'll eat almost anything but I do prefer having some form of dead animal as a part of my meals. When it comes to those energy bars, I read the ingredient panel. If there are any ingredients I don't recognize or can't pronounce, I won't eat it.

[ChadTower]

It's heavy but I will carry peanut butter and jerky if I can. Bread too if it's only a day trip. You just don't get much better than peanut butter, the pack gets lighter with every meal, and the jar is still useful once it is empty. I like simple things with reusable containers. Variety is not a concern for me.

A recently emptied peanut butter jar is great for storing dried tinder. The jar is sealed and the tinder absorbs leftover peanut oil.

I've never had to do it but I suppose peanut butter would also be great for attracting dinosaur food.

[GROUNDpounder]

Originally Posted by charley

oatmeal, quick cook takes a little longer than instant and much cheaper. run half through a food processor for a cpl. seconds and you have instant without the artificial flavors. add cinnamon and brn sugar. I sometimes dump some coffee on my oatmeal. I will also bring a bag of dry cereal like shredded wheat and cheerios ith walnuts and raisins and just eat it dry. I have never tried this just read it, add jello powder (half teaspoon or so) to oatmeal. I eat a lot of jerky and dehydrate my owm meals. I have dehydrated a coleslaw that tastes fine dry.

I've done that too, in regards to the dry cereal. It makes a great snack while out hiking.

I love the kashi brand serials, very little in the way of artificial ingredients and low in added sugar. Whole grains and such for those that care about that sort of thing.