Why make your own trail food
Commercial backpacking meals are convenient, but they can be expensive per serving and are not always what you feel like eating on day four. Making your own food lets you control ingredients, portion size, flavor, and cost. It also helps with dietary restrictions, since you decide exactly what goes in the bag.
The trade-off is time and planning. You need to shop, prep, portion, and pack, and you should test recipes at home before relying on them in the backcountry.
Three ways to make DIY backpacking meals
Most homemade trail food falls into one of three approaches:
- No-cook and cold-soak meals. Ingredients are eaten as-is or soaked in cold water in a sealed container while you hike. This saves stove fuel and weight. See our guide to no cook food for backpacking.
- Just-add-water bag meals. You combine quick-cooking carbs, dried protein, dried vegetables, and seasoning at home. On the trail you add boiling water, seal the bag or pot, and let it sit.
- Dehydrated or freeze-dried home-cooked meals. You cook a full meal at home (chili, risotto, pasta sauce), dry it, and rehydrate it later. A food dehydrator or an oven on low can work for dehydrating, and some people use a home freeze dryer. See freeze drying food for backpacking for how that compares.
Many hikers mix all three on one trip: no-cook breakfasts and lunches, with a hot just-add-water dinner.
Planning calories, weight, and variety
Energy needs vary widely by person, pace, terrain, and weather, so treat any number as a starting point. Many backpackers plan roughly 1.5 to 2.5 pounds of food per person per day, and aim for foods that provide a good amount of calories per ounce. Fats such as olive oil, nut butters, and cheese are calorie-dense. Carbohydrates give quick energy, and protein helps with recovery.
A few planning habits help:
- Write a simple day-by-day menu before you shop; our 3-day backpacking food list is a useful template.
- Pack more snacks than you think you need. Appetite often increases on multi-day trips.
- Vary textures and flavors. Salty, sweet, crunchy, and hot foods all have a place.
- Keep an extra meal or snack as a buffer in case the trip runs long.
Grocery store staples that work
You do not need specialty ingredients to get started. Common lightweight options include:
- Carbs: instant rice, instant mashed potatoes, couscous, ramen or rice noodles, instant oats, tortillas, crackers.
- Protein: foil pouches of tuna or chicken, jerky, powdered milk, textured vegetable protein, hard cheese, nuts, nut butters.
- Vegetables: dried vegetable blends, dehydrated peas or corn, sun-dried tomatoes, instant soup mixes.
- Flavor: bouillon, spice blends, hot sauce packets, olive oil, dried herbs.
Cheap backpacking food ideas
If cost is the main concern, shop the ordinary grocery aisles rather than the outdoor store. Oats, instant rice, pasta, instant potatoes, peanut butter, tortillas, dried beans or lentils (the quick-cooking kinds), and bulk nuts are generally inexpensive. Buying in bulk and repackaging into smaller bags keeps costs down. Cooking at home and dehydrating your own meals is another route, especially if you already own a dehydrator.
Simple just-add-water recipes
A basic formula works for many bag meals: a quick-cooking starch, a protein, a dried vegetable, and a flavor base. For example, instant couscous with dried vegetables, bouillon, olive oil, and a foil pouch of chicken, or instant mashed potatoes with powdered milk, dried onion, and cheese. Add boiling water, stir, and let it sit covered for several minutes. Check package times for the ingredients you choose, and test at home first.
An insulated cozy around the bag or pot helps hold heat while the food rehydrates, and it protects your hands.
Dehydrating meals at home
Dehydrating works best with foods that are cooked, relatively lean, and spread thinly. Chili, tomato-based pasta sauces, and bean dishes are common choices. Very fatty foods dry poorly and can go rancid sooner, so trim fat from meats and keep added oil for the trail. Dry foods until they are brittle or leathery as the food requires, let them cool, and store in airtight containers.
If you plan to keep dehydrated meals for a long time or want to include meat, follow guidance from a reputable food safety source, such as national extension services, about temperatures and storage. When in doubt, store meals in the refrigerator or freezer until your trip and use them within a shorter window.
Packing, labeling, and food safety
- Portion each meal into its own bag (more in how to pack food for backpacking) and label it with the contents, water amount, and any extra ingredient to add.
- Use sturdy freezer bags or vacuum-seal bags to cut down on bulk and moisture.
- Keep perishable items cool and eat them early in the trip.
- Carry and store food following the rules for the area you visit, which may require a bear canister or hanging system.
Eating for several days
For a trip of around five days (see 5-day backpacking trips for route ideas), a common approach is to eat the most perishable or heavy items on days one and two, then rely on shelf-stable and dehydrated meals later. Have a hot dinner most nights, simple breakfasts that can be eaten while packing up, and a variety of snacks you can reach without taking off your pack.
Special diets and gourmet upgrades
DIY food is a natural fit for diet-specific trips. See our guides to vegan backpacking food and ketogenic backpacking food. If you want meals that feel like a treat, read about gourmet backpacking food.
FAQ
What is the best food to bring for backpacking? Foods that are light, shelf-stable, calorie-dense, and that you actually enjoy eating. Test them at home first.
What are the cheapest foods for backpacking? Oats, instant rice, pasta, instant potatoes, peanut butter, tortillas, and bulk nuts are typically budget-friendly.
How can I eat cheaply while backpacking? Shop at regular grocery stores, buy in bulk, repackage into small portions, and make your own meals rather than buying pre-made pouches.
Do I need a dehydrator? No. Plenty of good trail meals use only grocery-store ingredients and need no home drying at all.