Food for Dayzzz: Packing Food for Adventures

Ever wonder what you should be eating when you’re out adventuring to give yourself the best chance at success? I know I did for a long time. I struggled to find the balance between getting the right calories, minimal weight and

space, and cost. After a lot of research and trial and error I’ve come up with a system that works extremely well and I am constantly refining this system.

When planning my meals for my time in the mountains I try to hit between 3,100-3,500 calories a day. While this can be challenging, focusing on fats and protein puts me right in this target range. I’ve found that shooting for 135-160 calories per ounce helps me reach this goal. Everybody is different, so do some research, try some different strategies, and see what works best for you.

Keeping the weight of my food down is also a high priority for me. I tend to lean more towards meal replacement options (i.e. bars and powders) because they are light, high in calories, and don’t require me to bring cooking gear with me. However, there is something comforting about a warm meal while spending time in the mountains and when the opportunity presents itself I bring a hot meal with me.

Packing in traditional, dehydrated meals takes up a lot of space, as does packing in enough “real food” to meet my caloric needs. Many new companies, such as Heather’s Choice, have shaved down the size of their packaging making them more compact. Naturally, meal replacement bars are the most compact option. ­

Finally, considering the cost of food is typically where the rubber meets the road. After researching my options, while the cheapest option would be to make my own meals, taking into consideration the time and resources that it would take to make my own food, I chose to purchase my food for the time being.

If you’re looking for a place to start, here is a list of the food I use during my outdoor adventures.

  • Heather’s Choice: Born in Alaska, these meals are light, calorically dense, and taste amazing. Designed by Heather herself, she brings a wealth of knowledge on nutrition and you can trust that these meals will fuel you right. And taste good. Did I mention they taste good?
  • Good 2 Go: G2G meals, much like Heather’s Choice, are responsibly sourced and extremely healthy. With recipes like Pad Thai, G2G provides a nice variety. While the packaging could be smaller, these meals are very light.
  • MTN OPS: MTN OPS is a supplement company geared towards hunters and outdoorsmen. For hunting, I like their Ignite product for sustained energy, Enduro for cardio enhancement (i.e. when you gotta hike your butt off), Ammo and Magnum for quick meals in the morning. These are just a few of the products they offer and I suggest looking at their website to see what products fit your needs.
  • Pro Bar: Whether I need a snack or a meal, Pro Bar has a solution for whatever I need. I like their coconut, chocolate chip meals and Bolt energy product.
  • Jerky: When it comes to buying jerky, I like the thick cut beef strips from Costco. Their only drawback is they have a short shelf life (3 days) once opened. Ideally, I prefer to make my own.
  • Green Belly Meals: GB meals were designed by adventurer Chris Cage. They have 1/3 of your daily nutrients and are light and compact. I recommend the cranberry almond.
  • F-bombs: F-bombs aren’t your traditional nut butter. These will knock your socks off. With their various flavors and dense caloric nature, these are a great snack when you’re in a hurry.

 Have fun, shoot straight, and make your life an epic one!

 

Feeding Yourself Right with Heather’s Choice

My introduction to back country meals was lackluster. I grabbed whatever I could find at Walmart and some protein bars. I was under-fueled and carrying too much weight. The meals were salty and tasted like cardboard. I reasoned that my newness to the world of backpacking was to blame for my dislike of the meals I had tried and that if I just kept trying them I would come to enjoy them. After all, everyone else seemed to like them. But I wanted better. I busted my butt eight months out of the year training and watching my nutrition and I lost so much of that progress during hunting season because of my poor nutrition. 

While stuck in this quandary I heard about this little start up in Alaska called Heather’s Choice that was making back country meals made from Paleo and organic ingredients. I read some killer reviews. People had nothing but good things to say, but the thing that sold me on Heather’s Choice was listening to Heather talk about Heather’s Choice. Her philosophy on nutrition and her attitude on adventure sold me. I decided to give it a try.

I first took Heather’s Smoked Sockeye Salmon Chowder into the field while on an 11 mile trip into Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park. Something about testing out these new meals at a glacier just seemed right. Sitting on the edge of the glacial lake watching chunks of ice lose their grip on the cliff and fall to the lake below as I chowed down on Smoked Sockeye Salmon Chowder (let that sink in), I came to the conclusion that life couldn’t get any better.

(Smoked Sockeye Salmon Chowder, Grinnel Glacier adventure, 2016)

Since then I have used Heather’s Choice as my main staple for my adventures in the field. As an elk hunter I need nutrient dense fuel, that is light, compact, and tasty. Heather’s Choice checks all of these boxes for me. My two favorite meals are the Dark Chocolate Chili and, of course, Smoked Sockeye Salmon Chowder. While these are my favorite, Heather has many different flavors, so check them out HERE. I must warn you that Heather’s packaroons are addictive and I’m hooked. No help needed.

(Blueberry Buckwheat Breakfast, scouting trip 2017)

When I started Urban to Country I made a commitment to only partner with quality people and brands. This statement from Heather sealed the deal for me:

“My mission is to provide healthy, delicious, packable food for adventurers worldwide! Whether at home, on the road, or in the back country, you deserve to eat well. I hope to encourage more people to improve the quality of the food they eat, whether that is at home or in the back country.”

So next time you need to fuel your adventure and make it epic, give Heather’s Choice a chance, you’ll be glad you did.

(Chipotle Cherry Chili, elk hunting, 2016)