Trail Foods: Snacks

If you are doing any amount of hiking you are going to want and need snacks in between your meals. Depending on the amount and difficulty of your hiking you could be burning a ton of calories and if you don’t replenish with some energy food you will become exhausted and weak. You also don’t want to be overeating or eating things that sit heavy in your stomach because that will also make you feel tired and sluggish. You need to know your body and what types of snacks work best for you. Every hiking, camping or backpacking trip will be different. If you’re just staying around camp you won’t need to eat as much as somebody who is hiking 15-30 miles per day. This is where preparing ahead of time comes in very handy instead of just throwing some food in your bag an hour before you leave.

Here is just a small sample list of some things I use for snacks out on the trail. I rarely just take a big bag of raisins and peanuts or homemade trail mix. If I do take some I make sure to separate it out into portion sizes for each day. This way I don’t end up eating way too much, which is an easy tendency. For me trail mix tends to sit way to heavy in my stomach and makes me feel sluggish. I tend to prefer homemade jerky because of the sustained energy from the protein and it doesn’t make me feel sluggish. If I take trail mix, it is mixed together by me. I don’t buy the premixed kind. I use good quality mixed nuts, a mix of dehydrated fruit and seeds.

Sample List of Snacks

• Venison Jerky (Homemade)
• Beef Jerky
• Granola Bars (Homemade)
• Homemade Trail Mix
• Apples (keep at the top of your bag)
• Fiber Now Bars (Aldis Brand, Cheaper than Fiber Now and better quality ingredients)
• Cliff Bars or any good quality sports bars ( don’t buy glorified candy bars labeled as protein bars)
• Cliff Bar Shot Bloks (these are great for quick energy)
• Homemade Graham Crackers
• Protein Shake Powder (mixed with water when ready to drink)
•  Fruit Leather

This is just a sample list of some of the things I use for snacks just to give you a few ideas. I eat the higher calorie snacks for my mid morning snacks since I will be needing the higher calories throughout the day and the lower calorie snacks in the afternoon since my day will be winding down shortly. This works best for me. You’ll need to test and see what snacks and order of use will work best for you. Again this is why preparing ahead of time will help immensely. Keep a journal well you’re out on the trail and write down what works and doesn’t work until you get everything fine tuned. What kinds of snacks do you use when hiking, backpacking or camping? Don’t just enjoy the trip (hiking, backpacking, hunting, boating or camping), try to also enjoy the preparations and anticipation of your upcoming trip.