Buying Food for A Trek? Read This!

While preparing for a trek, most people tend to get the trekking gear and outfits sorted well in advance. Even water purifying arrangements are taken care of. The thought of packing food occurs at the last moment, and they tend to hurriedly pack in any dry snacks that they can without sparing much thought. During the trek however, this hurried packing creates problems. If food for a trek is not packed cautiously, it may not give the right kind of energy to your body while keeping it light and fresh. You may lose stamina quickly or even get sick. Hence it is very important to understand what kind of food to pack, how much to pack, and what to look out for while buying backpacking food.

Quantity: If you are confused about how much food to carry, we suggest carry a little extra. Sure, it may add weight to your backpack, but it is definitely better than running out of food in the middle of the woods.

Food considerations: As a smart backpacker, you should not just randomly buy the first things that you see on the store shelves, or even blindly go for what your friend suggested. Every person has different taste and needs. Hence you should consider the following while buying food:

·         Taste: Buy what you are comfortable eating. Do not take food that you don’t like just because it is healthy. It is not worth the risk of getting sick on a trek.

·         Calories: You need enough food to keep your energy up throughout the hike, so do not take low calorie options. Counting calories on a trek may end up giving you nausea and headaches.

·         Weight and nutrition: It is best to carry food that is not too bulky but provides enough nutrition anyway. Nuts and dry fruits are the perfect choice in this aspect.

·         Ease of cooking: This is probably the most important factor to consider whole buying food for treks. You must have food that does not need cooking or is easy to cook. At the end of a long day of hiking, you may not have enough energy left to cook an elaborate meal. Also, availability of clean water may be limited. Your portable oven may use up all the fuel while cooking and you end up having to sacrifice that all-important morning coffee. So it is best to take food that cooks easily like instant ramen, instant oats and ready-to-eat meals. You can even carry soup mixes and canned food like tuna. Even if they turn out to be a little costlier than your regular meals, it will be worth it.

We hope you turn to this guide before planning your net trek and stay energised throughout. Happy hiking!