Worst trail foods!

[Jaeagle]

Ok so let’s have some fun what’s the worst trail foods you have seen or have had to stop someone from bringing? For me it was myself thinking a can of soup would be a good idea because I could cook it in the can. Not only was I regretting the weight from mile one I also was stuck carrying out the can for the other 3 days. I look forward to hearing all the awful things you have heard of or seen! 

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Back in the day I cooked in the can fireside many times, although all on overnights. Have had my share of times where I’ve tried to overdo it with the meal plan, on up to barbecued ribs...some things are just not a great fit for backpacking. Tried many freeze dried meals as well that were memorable for all the wrong reasons...I will never forget you chicken Dijon. These days, I like to keep it simple and quick, but good. Lots of testing on trail and at home and I always take notes. 

[Jaeagle]

Any great success from diy meals? The mountain houses always come out....nasty. I had a backpackers kitchen that was great but I came away feeling like I could do better. 

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

The freeze dried meals can definitely be hit or miss. Recently detailed my 10 all time favorites here on the blog though, and I like to mix them in for dinners or as a base for dinners. Some are pretty good on their own, or with just a little help with some extra additions. Usually alternate these in with some pasta and noodle dishes on other nights that I'm honestly always working on and seem to always be evolving...but overall pretty basic stuff like sprucing up mac and cheese or ramen variations, rice and bean based dishes, mashed potatoes, etc. Lots of great homemade recipes and ideas in the back issues of the magazine as well that might be worth checking out.

[ppine]

Worse trail foods to me are rice and beans in a foil pouch. Yuck. 

I buy all my food at a grocery store for backpacking trips. 

[jay]

I avoid freeze dried meals as a rule.  I have yet to have one that didn't seem to me that sawdust was a main ingredient.  It might have something to do with my preparing of them, but I'm not a fan.

I have seen newbies carrying canned goods on hikes before.  for a day hike it isn't so bad, but as mentioned above, carrying empty cans for a few days gets ridiculous.

For me the best is fresh fish.  Just caught, prepared and cooked over an open fire:  That's my ultimate happy meal.

The worst, many years ago I decided to slice up some salt cured ham to take along as a jerky type treat.  It isn't a good idea.  I forgot that salt cured hams are supposed to be boiled for a good while before consumption.  A painful lesson well learned.

[Dogwood]

Egg whites and nut butters make for a rancid nasty tasting combination. Well within the expiration date, I got sick from this combination and couldn't get the rancid egg white taste out of my mouth for days.

[ppine]

Back in the early  60s we carried Dinty Moore beef stew in a can, Chef BoyRD spaghetti and hot dogs.   The food was not so great and really heavy.  But we were kids and did not know the difference.  There was no light weight food.

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

I did try freeze dried guacamole recently - luckily the taste test was at home. At least for now I’ll be sticking with fresh when it comes to avocados in the backcountry.

[jay]

On ‎12‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 11:45 AM, ppine said:

Back in the early  60s we carried Dinty Moore beef stew in a can, Chef BoyRD spaghetti and hot dogs.   The food was not so great and really heavy.  But we were kids and did not know the difference.  There was no light weight food.

and Spam...we carried Spam as well.  The best part was you could open the can and then set it in the coals to heat up.  That was camp cooking for me when I was a kid.  I'm glad I have improved!