Lunch Options on 10 day backpacking hunt

mobohunter

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Been going back and forth on what to bring for lunches. Read a lot of previous threads about options, but I keep coming back to a smaller dehydrated meal option for lunch. Has anyone else come to this conclusion?

Dehydrated Meal Weight - 3-4 ounces, high calorie per serving.

So I would be packing 1 for lunch and a larger calorie dehydrated meal for dinner. I think I could keep per day weight at 1lb this way.
 

Wyo_hntr

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I am in the I don't want to boil water every meal group. I will be taking greenbelly bars, jerky, and other snacks like cashews/peanuts.
 

ryanww

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I don't like to get out the stove for lunch. For me it's tortillas peanut butter and honey or something similar
 

TaperPin

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Variety is nice - these are potentials that get mixed and matched:
- handful of gorp
- salted nut roll
- two pieces of jerky
- Vienna sausages
- apple sauce cup (worth the weight to me)
- dried banana chips
- Summer sausage
- Ramen eaten like a cracker
- banana bread
- crunch and munch
- popcorn
- duritos
- bbq chips
- instant oatmeal eaten dry
- poptarts
- dry cereal
- power bars

In every meal
- stick of gum
- paper towel
- zip lock for trash
- Tick tacks/starburst
 

Wrench

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You don't HAVE to use hot water with freeze dried meals. Having a freeze dryer, I always take something delicious.
 
Joined
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Peanut butter tortillas…sometimes with jelly
Deer sausage
Ramen
Peak Refuel meal

I don’t mind boiling water during a break in the day. Probably a third of the days, we end up holed up under a tarp waiting out a storm anyway.
 

limpet

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Humboldt Co, California
I’ll throw in dehydrated hummus with some salami and cheese on a pita or tortilla is nice the break up pb&j type meals or bars. I just buy a tub of what lever hummus I like and put it on silicone dehydrator mats. Pretty simple very light and pretty tasty
 

LFC911

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@mobohunter are you really staying back there for 10-days? I ask for several reasons; one if you're not seeing anything could you go back to the truck and relocate or are you committed for 10 days no matter what? If there is a chance you could go back to the truck I would probably only take half or a 1/3 of the meals. 2nd If you get something you will be packing back to the truck, go to town for ice and can resupply before going back in. 3rd I found that i don't eat enough or as much as I should on the mountain; one freeze dried meal in the evening and snacks during the day, not 3 square meals...meaning you can get by with less than you think. Just something to think about.
 

EdP

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Cup of Soup if you want something hot. Get some hydration, flavor and warmth. Other than that eat all the other things listed like nuts, grains, fruit bars, etc. I don't want to carry a stove and gas and pot all day for a hot lunch, but with the newer tiny stoves I guess it isn't that much to carry. My problem is staying warm in the early morning and late afternoon. Mid-day I am good usually and don't need a hot lunch, just calories will do the trick. I guess it depends where you are hunting.
 

perm_dogg

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I'm also trying to plan daily meals for a trip. I'm used to eating a ton of protein daily for weightlifting reasons. Not sure how my body will take living off peanut butter tacos. But, I'm not picky so, I'm intrigued!
 

SixteenG

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May 25, 2022
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If I’m reading this correctly, you’re trying to keep your food at 1 pound per day? That’s pretty tough to do for 10 days of hunting. If you packed food that was 100 calories an ounce (not including weight of the packaging) you would only be bringing 1600 calories a day for the 1 pound. It’s one thing to do that for a couple of days, but for 10 is a different story.
 

hamkyl16

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Alaska
To second what’s been said above, is this a hunt where it even makes sense to go in for 10 days? Not to make assumptions but it’s not always advantageous to try and turn a normal lower 48 hunt into a sheep hunt. Maybe some more details would help people understand the nature of the trip. I just eat dried fruit, bars, cheese, couple ramens for weather days.
 
OP
mobohunter

mobohunter

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@mobohunter are you really staying back there for 10-days? I ask for several reasons; one if you're not seeing anything could you go back to the truck and relocate or are you committed for 10 days no matter what? If there is a chance you could go back to the truck I would probably only take half or a 1/3 of the meals. 2nd If you get something you will be packing back to the truck, go to town for ice and can resupply before going back in. 3rd I found that i don't eat enough or as much as I should on the mountain; one freeze dried meal in the evening and snacks during the day, not 3 square meals...meaning you can get by with less than you think. Just something to think about.

I hope we are successful day 1 but... 3 years ago we took in 5 days worth of food, thinking we would come back to the truck for a resupply. Ended up rationing food and staying in 8 days. Agree you don't need quite as much food as you think. HA!

After careful consideration, I have 10 days worth of food now packed into daily bags that come in at about 20 ounces per day, with about 2200 calories per day. So, I'm packing in 12.5lbs of food for a 10 day hunt, my pack is 45lbs excluding bow and water. I'll be dropping most of the items at camp and should be pretty lightweight during the hunt.

Mornings: Caffeine drink mix, PBJ bobo
Lunch: ProBar
Dinner: Peak
Snacks: Snickers, Stingers, Nuts, Jerky, Pro Gummies, Liquid IV
 

Mikido

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Dec 14, 2020
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listen to this advice: don’t overpack food. Its overrated. I’ve done several archery 10+ day trips…..and I like to hike several miles with 2000’ elevation +- a day.

-good to go oatmeal BREAKFAST
- 2 snickers, 1-2 wilderness athlete pack out bar throughout day
-peak refuel dinner at night.

good luck!
 
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I'm also trying to plan daily meals for a trip. I'm used to eating a ton of protein daily for weightlifting reasons. Not sure how my body will take living off peanut butter tacos. But, I'm not picky so, I'm intrigued!
I've done some interesting combos when not terribly concerned with weight. A Tortilla, tuna packet in oil, bag of Sun Chips makes a surprisingly yummy combo. Crush up the sun chips into the tuna.
 
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