Cookless Food Ideas

[Shawn]

I believe it was @neidholdt who said he doesn't bring food that you have to cook hiking.

I like that idea.

So, I thought it would make for a great topic...

What ideas does everyone have for food that will fuel you up and make you full but doesn't require any sort of cooking when you're out hiking and backpacking?

Reply with your ideas!

 

[neidholdt]

I keep it simple. I do alot of day hiking and generally short backpacking trips of 2-3 days. I quite cooking 15 years ago. I did it because I was to lazy to do dishes But that is one plus, but it also lightened pack weight in not having to carry a stove and fuel. (before I quite cooking I ditched my stove much earlier and went to a homemade stove out of a tin can and burned natural fuel found at the trailside). The homemade stove actually saved weight but I still had those darn dishes to do! So I ended up going no-cook. So, no cook saves weight, running out of stove fuel or dealing with a finicky backpack stove, less food aroma to attract bears, racoons, and other nuisances. more time hiking and less in meal preparation - meal prep doesn't take two minutes, I don't have to find just the right spot to set up the stove, don't have to worry about fire bans, or burning the forest up. And since I don't drink coffee it makes is easy for me.

Not necessarily in this order of importance, this is what I look for in determining food choices is; 1)a lot of calories per oz - though that is somewhat minor to me; 2)Packaging weight and trash generated (which generally means I repackage some of it for that reason 3) taste; 4) Preparation time; 5) durability - not crushed in the pack; 6) and a little variety. I suppose their are other reasons but this is what immediately comes to mind.

I am cost concious so the only thing I buy as premade products are sugarfree koolaid packets for water, trail mix, and occasionally jerky (jerky is easy to make homemade, and to my taste, in the oven of our gas stove). I never buy prepackaged commercially sold meals.

One of my first go to is tortilla shells to make wraps, - they have proven indestructable. I will make wraps with chicken or tuna foil packs, maynaise, mustard, relish, onion salsa, and other packets donated by Quick Trip. On day one I will sometimes carefully pack some shredded cheese to use on the wraps and sometimes I will freeze a lb of ground sausage to make a wrap out of - it is good for about a day and half. I know it is not a weight savings, but sometimes on day 1 I will pack an apple or two or an orange. I also will supplement meals or make a meal out of Jerky and/or trailmix. And I can't do with out my baby Pay Day candy bars - they are indestructable in the pack or even in the heat of the desert.

This is just an intro into what I do for no-cook. Share what you do or what you think would make a good meal.