Posted February 2023
Mountain Breakfast Food
Mountain Snack Food
Mountain Lunch Food
Mountain Dinner Food
Mountain Beverages
The Search for Good Mountain Food
It seems that I have spent most of my life in an endless search for mountain foods and beverages that are tasty, lightweight, compact, convenient, and loaded with either proteins or carbohydrates. Considering that my wife and I typically spend 40 to 60 nights per year sleeping in a tent, variety is also important to both of us. Thankfully, there are new products coming onto the market all the time, so we are continually able to bring new items into the mix. Our favorite foods and beverages are frequently changing, but the text sections below present some of our current favorites and describe how we combine these items into backpacking meals. We also share some easy tricks to make basic pre-package foods more interesting.
Affiliate Disclosure: The backpacking food and beverage comments below may contain affiliate links, which means that if you purchase something that I’ve linked to, I might get a small commission at no additional cost to you. Be assured, though, that my comments are unbiased and involve only products that my wife and I have used extensively.
<<< ————– >>>
Typical Backpacking Meals
Breakfast Food & Drinks
Although instant oatmeal is probably the most compact and convenient of all breakfast foods, I reached my lifetime allotment of this uninspiring grain many years ago. Freeze-dried eggs are a high-protein option, but I tend toward a high-carb breakfast. Here is my currently favorite morning meal:
- Starbucks Via Instant Coffee with Swiss Miss Dark Chocolate (my take on a “mountain mocha”)
- Half a Muffin (for protection, I store a muffin in my drinking mug and often use my wife’s mug for a second muffin)
- 2 oz. of Granola with ¼ cup of Nido Powdered Whole Milk (I add a handful of freshly picked huckleberries when available)
Snack Food
Over the years, I have eaten my share of gorp—traditionally consisting of peanuts, M&Ms, raisins, and chocolate chips. With so many companies now creating their own tasty versions of “trail mix,” I have a difficult time getting excited about the traditional mixture. Sahale Snacks is probably the gold standard for delicious trail mix, but Target actually sells a wonderful variety of sweet, salty, and crunchy snacks. These are the items that you will typically find in my snack food pouch today:
- Gummy Fruit Chews (I like small individual packets that fit in my pants pocket)
- Candy (a variety; some sweet, some sour, some crunchy, some chewy)
- Energy Bars (My wife keeps me in a wide variety of flavors and textures)
- Glazed Nuts (lately, I’ve been eating a homemade savory mix loosely based on a PCC recipe.)
- Trail Mix (anything but traditional; I prefer mixes with and interesting combination of nuts, savory crackers, and chocolate)
Lunch Food
Some people just eat snack food for lunch, but I prefer an actual lunch stop—preferably on a summit or beside a lake—with a distinct lunch food. Because my breakfasts and trail snacks tend to be carb-heavy, I try to load up on protein and fat at lunchtime. Here is a typical lunch for me:
- Meat Sticks (about 1.0 to 1.5 oz. total)
- Cheese Sticks (usually two standard 1 oz. sticks)
- Salty Nuts
- Dark Chocolate
Dinner Food & Drinks
My wife and I typically share one appetizer and one entree for dinner. Freeze-dried foods have come a long ways since those early days with little variety and little flavor; now there are numerous brands producing some delicious options. Even the less-flavorful products can be jazzed up by adding a garnish or condiment, such as chopped green olives, sun-dried tomatoe slices, crumbled nuts, or a packet of hot sauce. Our specific dinner courses vary from day to day, depending on factors such as time, temperature, and hunger, but here’s what a full dinner spread looks like for the two of us:
- Starter Soup (something simple with lots of liquid and salt, for those cold nights after a hard day)
- Appetizer (freeze-dried cheese dip, hearty soup, or hummus, served with corn chips or crackers)
- Entree (usually a two-serving, freeze-dried, cook-in-pouch meal)
- Dessert (usually cookies or a chocolate bar)
- Hot Cocoa or Tea (with a shot of whiskey or liqueur added after a successful summit day)
Electrolyte & Recovery Drinks
Electrolyte Drinks: Staying hydrated with electrolyte drinks is an important part of backpacking or any mountain travel. On long, hot days, we often consume 3 to 6 quarts. I like to start a trip with 2 to 3 quarts of electrolyte drink, then when that runs out, I switch to mountain water with an electrolyte supplement added. My wife prefers to start a trip with 1 or 2 quarts of domestic water supplemented with electrolyte powder, then when that runs out, she switches to mountain water supplemented with electrolyte tablets.
Recovery Drinks: My wife and I started using Hammer Recoverite on mountain trips several years ago. We mix up a pint and drink it as soon as we reach camp, often while putting up our tent. The protein-rich beverage satisfies any pre-dinner hunger pangs, and the creamy consistency makes it go down easily after drinking electolyte water all day.
<<< ————– >>>
Favorite Backpacking Foods & Beverages
Dinner Entrees
My wife and I have tried many of the freeze-dried backpacking foods on the market, and the following entrees are some of our current favorites. Many of these will be familiar to most backpackers, but a few might be relatively unknown.
| Peak Refuel – available at REI stores. | |
 | Thai Chicken Coconut Curry Adding a handful of peanuts or cashews gives a delightful crunch. |
 | Beef Stroganoff |
 | Beef Pasta Marinara Throw in some chopped up Kalamata Olives for some added flavor. |
| Backpacker Pantry – available at REI and most sporting goods stores | |
 | Pad Thai with Chicken For more calories, add an additional packet of Peanut Butter |
| Packit Gourmet – only available online, direct from the manufacturer | |
 | Big’un Burrito with Fajita Chicken We enjoy with Fritos Corn Chips, Scoops |
 | Tuscan Beef Stew with Italian Polenta |
 | Texas State Fair Chili |
<<< ————– >>>
Soups
| Packit Gourmet – only available online, direct from the manufacturer | |
 | Austintacious Tortilla Soup |
 | Poblano Corn Chowder |
| Alpine Aire Foods – search online for it; REI stores haven’t had it lately | |
 | Country Potato Soup with Cheddar And Chives |
<<< ————– >>>
Appetizers
| Packit Gourmet – only available online, direct from the manufacturer Best enjoyed with a Moonshine Margarita |
|
 | Happy Hour Queso Rico Enjoy with your favorite corn chips. |
 | Smoked Cheddar-Jack Cheese Spread Enjoy with Fritos Corn Chips, Scoops |
<<< ————– >>>
Desserts & Treats
 | Girl Scout Toffee-Tastic (Gluten-Free) It was difficult for us to find a cookie that I liked and that was gluten-free for my wife. We both really enjoy these Girl Scout Cookies with hot cocoa. |
 | Theo Chocolate Organic Dark Chocolate + Sea Salt Variety |
<<< ————– >>>
Camp Beverages
These items can be found in most grocery stores. Bulk pricing is available on Amazon. Moonshine Margaritas are made by Packit Gourmet. You need to order directly from them.
 | Nestle Nido Milk Powder This full-fat powdered milk tastes remarkably like milk from a carton. Look for it in either the baking or baby food section grocery store, or order on-line. |
 | Meyenberg Whole Powdered Goat Milk My wife can’t drink cow’s milk, so she was super excited to find this tasty powdered goat’s milk. |
 | Starbucks VIA Instant Coffee—Medium Roast Coffee—Pike Place Roast |
 | Land O Lakes Cocoa Classics Hot Cocoa, Variety Pack Enjoy flavors like Salted Carmel, Mint, Smores, and Birthday Cake as well as the classics. |
 | Swiss Miss, Dark Chocolate Sensation, Hot Cocoa Mix |
 | Moonshine Margarita Mix with cold water, tequila, and a scoop of snow for a fabulous mountain cocktail. |
<<< ————– >>>
Snack Foods
Most of these foods can be found in the grocery store or REI stores. I usually find better prices and more selection if I buy in larger quantities on Amazon.
 | Tillamook Country Smoker Real Hardwood Smoked Sausages, Teriyaki |
 | Bavarian Meats Lil’ Landjaeger German Style Smoked Sausage |
 | GoMacro Macrobar Organic Vegan Protein Bars – Blueberry + Cashew We also enjoy Lemon+Lemon, Salted Carmel+Chocolate Chip, Cherries+Berries, and Peanut Butter Protein Replenishment. |
 | Authentic Bar Peanut Butter Pieces Protein Bars Also try their Kitchen Sink flavor. |
 | Kate’s Real Food Organic Energy Bars, Variety Pack |
 | Gluten-Free Prairie Hunger Buster Cookie We purchase 24 cookies at a time direct from the manufacturer. |
 | Spicy Herb-Roasted Nuts, recipe from PCC Community Markets We vary the spices to create our own flavors. |
 | Sour Punch Bites, Rad Reds Watermelon, Strawberry, Cherry & Raspberry Chewy Candy |
 | Sour Patch Kids Watermelon Candy An unusual, delightful flavor. Different than anything else in your pack. |
 | Chimes Peanut Butter Ginger Chews Candy Not a strong flavor. Everyone loves them. |
<<< ————– >>>
Trail Beverages
Hammer Nutrition products are available at REI stores or direct online from Hammer Nutrition. MIO can be purchased at most grocery stores.
 | Hammer Nutrition Recoverite Drink Mix Nice to enjoy something creamy and tasty as soon as you reach camp. |
 | Mio Electrolytes Berry Blast B Vitamins Liquid Water Enhancer Available in almost every grocery store. |
 | Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes Fizz Tube |
 | Hammer Nutrition Energy Gel |
…
<<< ————– >>>
Favorite Foods Photo Gallery
Click to enlarge…
…
<<< ————– >>>
Return to Trailcat Tips homepage
Return to Gear Reviews, Packing Lists & Trailcat Tips homepage