Expedition food

Stephen_Leak

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

Hi there

How about flapjacks as a quick energy boost and just think how many nuts, seeds and fruit you can wedge in

Flapjacks are the serious walkers' snack of choice, as they are "energy dense", ie. they contain a high calorific value but only take up a small amount of pack space.

PS. Don't forget the classic essentials for any walking/survival/E&E (escape & evasion) kit, the Mars bar and/or Quiggins Kendal mint cake.

whatatwit

Penny, when DD did an expedition thing last year, she took cous cous, (think it was Ainsleys) and made a second pack which she did in a tupperware container and used it for lunch on the 2nd day.

They had rat-packs in the CCF and she liked those if you see any.

AussieLass

twink wrote: »

well yes i have, but i sneaked out before aussie could mention anzacs

Anzacs would be good to take. Bit more goodness with the coconut in them.

Lots of fruit as well. Instant custard goes well with banana for a quick pud.

spaghetti_monster

Hi there! I do loads of hiking and am one of the previously mentioned crazy people who get obsessed about weight and contents of backpack - you really notice even small differences.
For example, I've hiked hundreds of miles, lots of long distance trips, with no blisters until last summer when I got a couple of huge nasty ones on my heels. The main difference was my pack weighed a couple of kilos more than normal. (for blisters by the way you have to get compeed and follow instructions - they are amazing!)

But for food; already lots of good suggestions - stick to dried packs and the dense sweet things (flapjacks/malt loaf/etc).
As she's only going for 2 days I would keep it really basic - don't worry about taste and variety, just enough to fill you up and keep you going (she can have a proper tasty fresh OS meal when she gets home!).
As said above, anything will taste good after a day hiking.

Also, are they camping at a camping site? That's where you could chuck rubbish if necessary. Also I guess that those organising the trip know where you can get water refills and so how much water they have to carry? This is one of the heaviest things in your pack (and obviously you'll need it too for cooking the dried food as well as drinking).

And as a lover of hiking I have to wish your daughter a good trip and hope she really enjoys it!

patchwork_cat

Not conventionally old style!, but my DS is doing his gold D of E expedition and has a trial (1 of 3 weekends) shortly and we have been told he needs food!

They have recommended special dehydrated packets, but these are seriously expensive and I have my concerns. Best compromise on cost I can think of are Pasta n Sauce /sav rice ( He doesn't like cous cous) and biscuits. Has anyone got any ideas - I don't want him to stand out like a sore thumb, but £5 a meal X 3 or 4 a day for a week is far too much for rubbish.

seraphina

Make up a mix of porridge oats, sugar and dried milk powder - this you can just add water to and you have porridge without the hassle of trying to keep milk fresh.

Stuff dried in packets rather than cans is probably the way to go to avoid carrying lots of weight - so am thinking along the lines of the pasta and sauce as you have already suggested. Not sure how to make things like that yourself though!

Edited to say, do you have a Scout Shop/Army surplus or other outdoors shop near you - they often have expedition type meals and probably cheaper than what you've been told to get.

MrsBartolozzi

My DS1 only did the bronze DofE so don't know if Gold requires any specific cooking but from personal camping experience I'd stay away from rice. It takes a long time to cook and is inedible if underdone (very windy or tipping it down could make cooking difficult). We take noodles as they don't take long to do, and still cook in warm (not boiling water). Instant soup, tins tuna, instant mash. Remember for the first night/morning's meals you can take chilled things as they will still be ok - grated cheese or cold meats in a bag(weighs nothing once empty ). Good quality cereal/seeds bars are useful. They have lots of good nutrition, don't require cooking and can be eaten on the go. I'm sure you'll get more ideas soon

Pink.

Hi patchwork cat,

When my son was doing his silver last year I made breakfasts of porridge/dried milk/sugar up in a ziplock bag so he just had to add water and homemade cereal bars. For the first day we sent a packed lunch and for the first night we sent frozen bacon and sausages which were defrosted by tea time when they wanted to cook them. For other meals he took cous cous, dried pasta in sauce, dried soups. For snacks hm calorie packed flapjacks and biscuits, dried fruit and nuts, sachets of instant hot drinks and of course, the obligatory chocolate. Ok, not an ideal diet but I figured for three days it wouldn't kill him.

If you can, get him to put his head together with the others in his group to plan what they are going to eat for the evening meal, it will make things easier for them if their food can be cooked together.

These earlier threads have more ideas:

Food for a teenage backpacker

Collective wisdom required please

I'll add your thread to those two later to keep the suggestions together. Pink

tori.k

Pot noodles are light and he has the added bonus on not having to scrub his billy can out, also loads of mars bars and hot chocolate are a must.
Ration packs are the pits and are only edible if they are laced with large amounts of tabasco sauce, the american self heating ones are worse, (even the yanks will swap for British rations over these) so i would save your money and sick to your idea of pasta in sauce

ubamother

if pre-cooked is the way to go, most supermarkets sell precooked potato rosti type breakfast/side dish items in foil packets. You just transfer these to a frying pan and cook.