Backpacking dinner suggestions?

[Lone_Hunter]

So last year, I overdid it, ran short on water, couldn't find any more as everything had dried up, and ended up having to ration what little water I had left. Part what I had left, went into a romen bomb. I had to, because it was what I brought to eat. I didn't like using any of the water I had left aside from drinking, and it turned out to be a waste because I couldn't finish my dinner. I didn't have enough water in my system to digest it i think.

So this coming year, I'm thinking I need to pack something other then a romen bomb incase I run into a similar situation where all the water sources are dried up.

So I'm looking for something that is:

- light in weight
- caloricly dense
- affordable
- doesn't need much if any water.
- hot chow (a hot meal at the end of the day is always a morale booster)

Any ideas or suggestions?
If I can't have all of the above, i'll settle for calorically dense and doesn't need much if any water.

[Critter]

That will be a big problem. Your body needs water for a lot of things and digestion is one of them.

Perhaps you need to really look at the area that you are backpacking into. There is usually some sort of water source, you might not enjoy hiking down to it and then back up to your camping are but it is there.

A big thing that I did years ago was learn how to make a solar still and get water off of green brush and such using a small tarp.

[justismi28]

I've run into the same problem in one of the areas I've hunted. Come September, the only water I've found is dried up. When I hunted and scouted it regularly I had a cache hidden that I would bring water into during the summer. Never had any problems with it disappearing.

When it came to food, I actually found the Bridgford ready to eat sandwiches and pizzas to be ok. You can heat them up or eat them cold, but they are much better when heated.

[Vanilla]

Originally Posted by Lone_Hunter

So I'm looking for something that is:

- light in weight
- caloricly dense
- affordable
- doesn't need much if any water.
- hot chow (a hot meal at the end of the day is always a morale booster)

Any ideas or suggestions?
If I can't have all of the above, i'll settle for calorically dense and doesn't need much if any water.

I don't know if all of the above exists in one item. Tortillas might be close, as they can be heated up over a small fire on a stick. They are good supplemental calories while out on trips, but I wouldn't try and live off them.

I've really become a fan of the packaged salmon or tuna packets. You can put them on crackers or eat with a tortilla. They won't be warm (unless you heated the package over a fire) but they are a decent source of protein, and they taste pretty good. They don't cost much but they are also not a stand alone meal. Not big enough for that.

If people are aware of things that cross off all the criteria above, I'd love to know about them as well!

[justismi28]

Originally Posted by Vanilla

If people are aware of things that cross off all the criteria above, I'd love to know about them as well!

Check out the Bridgford sandwiches\wraps and pizzas I mentioned above. Can be heated if wanted, but ~3oz and between 340-370 calories I would say they are pretty light and calorically dense, or at least similar to Mtn House. You can eat them hot or cold. I like to take the french toast out with me when I leave the tent to glass. I don't need to take the stove as it tastes fine cold, but also washes down well with instant coffee.

They don't require water to heat or cook, and honestly don't taste awful.
Here is the nutritional information for the sandwiches
https://www.bridgford.com/readytoeat...2-Count-HR.pdf

[Vanilla]

I’ve never seen these before. I’ll give them a taste.

[middlefork]

You need to pack water no matter what form it is in. It can be a liter bottle or a can of soup. It still hydrates you.

Back in the day when I was backpacking a lot we never bothered with dehydrated food until we were looking at more than 3 days at a time. And this was packing climbing gear in addition so at least comparable to hunting gear weight.

As much as I hate the idea of caches if you don't have some reliable source for water that is probably what you are going to end up doing. And if you are going to stoop to that you might as well throw in some cans of whatever suits you fancy for food. It is all just sweat equity.

[Ray]

You can eat ramen without water, it’s referred to as raw ramen. I always figure out a water source and pack in dehydrated food, jerky, nuts, peanut butter packs and for the first night I always have a hobo dinner ready in my pack, just put it in a ziplock bag.

One thing I’ve done is made an entire loaf of bread into Peanut butter and honey sandwiches, stuffed them back into the bag and smashed it down so it didn’t take up much space and it really didn’t weigh all that much. A smashed sandwich tastes like a normal sandwich.

Again, I always make sure there’s a water source and plan my meals out so I’m Over my needed daily caloric intake.

[Bax*]

Zatarans dirty rice (or jambalaya if you like less spice) and diced up summer sausage. If you have space, a bell pepper or onion mixed in. Mmmmm

[Bax*]

Originally Posted by Bax*

Zatarans dirty rice (or jambalaya if you like less spice) and diced up summer sausage. If you have space, a bell pepper or onion mixed in. Mmmmm

I split my bag in half. One box is too much for me and the meal keeps me warm all night.

Oh and steaks rock.