Healthy Foods to Pack for a Backpacking Trip

A roundup of my GO-TO picks for non-perishable, portable, healthy food products to pack with you on your next backpacking adventure. Natural products made with REAL food ingredients to give you all the nutrients you need to energized and satisfied while on the trail. Great for camping trips as well!

The name of the game when it comes to backpacking is to be able to carry everything you’ll need for your trip…on your back. ;) Duh right? Well yes of course. But I’ll tell you, it’s HARD to pack for even something as short of as a weeklong backpacking trip and still be able close your pack and physically lift it. We’re talking… -tents -sleep bags -clothing -sandals -first aid supplies -a bear can to put food and scented stuff in -cooking supplies And a ton of other necessary miscellaneous things! Not to mention FOOD itself. One thing I learned immediately upon meeting my group and guides for my backpacking trip in Yosemite is that a lot of things you THINK are necessary, aren’t actually needed. First thing they told me to cross off my list? Deodorant. Ha! Needless to say, we all were in dire need of a shower after a week on the trail. But back to the main focus of this post….FOOD for backpacking. I was SO impressed by the meals planned by the guides with Lasting Adventures for Yosemite. So much fresh, healthy, flavorful dishes. Definitely not your typical camping/backpacking fare. But having gone backpacking on my own before, I know that intricate hot meals are not always feasible. Especially since you can only carry so much as I said. When I was walking across Spain, I relied a lot on portable, non-perishable healthy foods for easy meals and snacks on the go. There was no way I was carry cooking equipment and fuel in addition to everything else I already had with me. And funny enough, one of the most commonly asked questions I get asked about backpacking is “what did you eat?”. I covered a lot of the meals specific to Yosemite here but I thought it would be helpful to do a roundup of my TOP PICKS for healthy backpacking/camping/hiking foods that are portable, non-perishable, and cover all the necessary nutrients you need to stay fueled for your adventures!

Protein

Single Serve Tuna Packets Single Serve Salmon Packets Nick’s Turkey Sticks Seapoint Farms Dry-Roasted Edamame Vegetarian Traveler Protein Toppers

Healthy Fats

RxBar Nut Butter Mixed Nuts Peanuts Seeds

Fruits & Vegetables

Crunchies Freeze Dried Fruits Just Veggies Freeze Dried Mixed Veggies POSHI Marinated Crispy Veggies Solely Fruit Jerky Kind Pressed Fruit & Veggie Bars Fruit & Greens Larabars Amazing Grass Chocolate Greens Powder

Carbs

GG Bran Fiber Crackers Brown Rice Cakes/Thins Instant Oatmeal

Snacks

Thunderbird Bars Clif Whole Lotta Bars Larabars RXBars SKOUT Trail Bars Dried Apricots Prunes

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Have you ever gone backpacking? What are your favorite portable snacks to bring with you on outdoor adventures?