Show me your back country menu's for a 7-9 day hunt

[hflier]

Would you be so kind as to post your back-country menu's for a 7-9 day hunt. I am trying to figure out a good menu for my 9 day Elk hunt this year. I am concerned about weight and want to see what others do to keep the calories up, but the weight down.

Ron

 

[TJ]

Here is what I packed for food last year.

Not too exciting but it worked for me!

Packing Food for each day:

2 Oatmeal 320 cal
1 Cheese crackers 200 cal
1 P&J crackers 190 cal
1 PB Chocolate squeeze pack 170 cal
2 Cliff Bars 460 cal
1 Mountain House (average) 576 cal
---------
1916 calories

11 days food = 14lbs - 7.4 oz

I also had about 15 energy gels that aren't shown above and Vias coffee.

 

[blb078]

When you all take a mountain house are you taking the 5oz packages that serve two? It seems like one of those would last me for 2 dinners.

 

[ohhiitznik]

Breakfast
Granola Bar or Instant Oatmeal or Dehydrated Breakfast Casserole

Lunch
Tuna pouches/tortillas
Peanut Butter/Bacon/Honey on toasted Bagel
Homemade trail mix
Jerky
Fruit Leather
Granola bar
Ramen Noodles

Dinner
Home Dehydrated dinner
Idahoan Potatoes with Spam Lite Packet

Desserts
BPP Cheesecake/Mousse Chocolate Pie
Snickers bar/Payday

Drink
WA Hydrate/recover
MiO Energy


I mix and match things, and I usually come out to around 1.5 lbs of food per day. And that is somewhere in the range of 2000-2400 calories per day. a

 

[Matt Cashell]

When you all take a mountain house are you taking the 5oz packages that serve two? It seems like one of those would last me for 2 dinners.

I need all the calories in the 2 serving packages typically, but sometimes I get away with the ProPak versions, which are just a little smaller.

 

[TJ]

When you all take a mountain house are you taking the 5oz packages that serve two? It seems like one of those would last me for 2 dinners.

I need all the calories in the 2 serving packages typically, but sometimes I get away with the ProPak versions, which are just a little smaller.

Yes, I take the two serving MH meals. Like Bitterroot says, I need the extra calories.

 

[shaun]

I always take 2 serving packages as I need the calories

 

[Beastmode]

I always take the 2 servings. Im usually pretty hungry by dinner.

Breakfast
Oatmeal two packets
Dehydrated fruit

Snacks throughout day
Salami and cheese tortilla rolls
Peanut butter honey bagels
Cliff bars
Costco trail mix
Jerky

Dinner
MH

About day 3 or 4 small bag of sour patch kids of similar candy for pick me up. Same on day 6 or 7

 

[ohhiitznik]

Thats what I use the snickers for, my pick me up. I might have to try salami and cheese tortillas along with my tuna tortillas

 

[shanevg]

The 2 seving MH meels are a must for me. I've even used 4 serving meals before.

 

[Beastmode]

The 2 seving MH meels are a must for me. I've even used 4 serving meals before.

I wasn't gonna say it because im self conscious about my body and didn't want to hear any fat jokes , but I too have eaten two MH for dinner a couple times. Sitting on a bedded buck all afternoon and not being able to eat will make anyone starved for sure.

 

[Curtis C]

Dehydrated Breakfast Casserole

Willing to share your recipe?

 

[dirtytough]

I just walk through the store a day or two before I leave and get what looks good. My fave food I brought last year were Lay's stax. I ate a can of those a day.

 

[gobbler1662]

For me two packs instant oatmeal for breakfast. Snacks througnout the day are 3 energh bars, either cliff, odwalla, or power bars. Mountain house meal for lunch and one for dinner. I also take a couple packs of or ida instant potatoes and can always have a serving of instant spuds if I get hungry

 

[Becca]

Breakfast: 2 oatmeal packets with a Costco package of dried fruit/nuts to mix in, and Starbucks VIAs. When working under a strict weight limit (flying in on Supercub) we have done packets of peanut butter instead of nuts, but the texture is kind of like glue have also done granola with powdered milk. We aim for around 500 calories for breakfast.

Day snacks: I usually allot 4 snacks per person per day (we don't eat a formal "lunch") although we don't always eat them all depending on how hard we are working. I aim for between 200 and 300 calories per snack. Usually some combination of Lara bars, snickers, cliff bars, peanut butter filled pretzels, and almond or peanut M&Ms. Also bring along at least 1 GU each (100 calories) per day, and a couple packets of instant potatoes as extra food. I aim for about 1000 cal per day from our day snacks with a little extra for heavy packing days or getting weathered in.

Dinner is a 2 serving MH or backpackers pantry per person. I bring a variety, these vary in calories a lot...some have only about 400 in two servings while others (Mac and cheese!) are closer to 1000. We try to pick our dinner entree based on how hard we worked that day.

The total ends up around 2000-2500 calories per person per day, and usually around 1.5lbs per person per day.

I love having yummy extras along like smoked salmon, jerky, tortillas, cheese, tuna packets etc. but they are too heavy to bring along on most hunting trips. They do get the nod for early season backpacking and scouting trips, or float trips with packrafts.

 

[jquarnberg]

Breakfast: Im not a breakfast guy. Ill have a good snack at like 9 or so after im out and about like a cliff bar. But when I have time and feel like it ill do one of these 2 options 1. Couple packs of oatmeal in a ziplock with a tablespoon of powder milk and tablespoon of brown sugar. 2. Hot chocolate

Lunch: 1. Bagels with pb/honey in a ziplock bag to squeeze onto the bagel. 2. Pack of Salami (by itself or maybe with some cheese and tortilla, also I get the vinegar and olive oil packs from subway and you can make a nice Italian salami wrap). 3. Pack of Tuna Creations (by itself or with some crackers). 4. I like cup of soop and ramen, but along those lines I really love an instant noodle called Indomie Mi Goreng (Its so good... it comes with little packs of soy, oil, seasoning, chili, and dried onions. You can find it at orential stores or order it online, trust me you would all love it).

Dinner: 1. Mountain House Propacks (packed smaller and more appropriate serving size for one but are plenty of food IMO). 2. I hate most the mountain house so sometimes I dehydrate my own and vacuum seal them, but im still learning. 3. Pack of instant potatoes mixed with a pack of bacon bits.

Snacks: The main snacks I love are... Fruit leather, jerkey, cliff bar, sweet chilli cashew packs, water enhancer packs the energy kind. I also always take one or two of those mini coke cans to treat myself right with a dinner or two.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I'm pretty bland, usually start out the day with a granola or Cliff bar or pop tart or something of that ilk since I don't normally eat breakfast.
Around 10-11 or so I generally eat an energy bar, or homemade trailmix.
Lunch = PBB tortilla or BBQ chicken tortilla....some sort of quick sandwich type meal.
Dinner = Mountain House, Backpackers Pantry, dehydrated food of some sort.

 

[TheRambler]

I love my food and try to bring a large variety.

Breakfast items: Oatmeal, granola, dried blueberries, powdered milk-for making either hot or cold cereals/porages. Eggs-qty varies depending on length of trip, but usually at least 1 or 2 per day. Coffee-starbucks via
Lunch: Pepperonni, sharp cheddar, gold fish crackers, tuna packets, tortilla wraps, pitas
Dinners: dehydrated soups/chilis/stews, dehydrated pasta and sauces, dehydrated shredded beef, canned chicken, instant mashed potatoes, various other homemade dehydrated meals and seasonings, sometimes i will bring 1 or 2 mountain house meals
**regarding the mountain house meals, the 2 serving packages IMO are barely enough to feed me after a hard day of hiking etc. no way i could stretch them for 2 meals**
Snacks and misc items: ramen, various energy bars or similar, hot chocolate, tea, chocolate covered almonds, cookies, beef jerky, dried smoked sausage, various condiment packets such as mayo,relish,brown mustard, tabasco etc, honey, olive oil in a squeeze bottle, red onion, avocado, lettuce.

Obviously any of that can be combined in a bunch of different ways to make different meals but i typically eat things like:
hot or cold cereals
hard boiled eggs
blueberry muffins or pancakes(steam baking)
scrambled eggs with onion and cheddar
tuna wrap w/cheddar, onion, avocado, lettuce, mayo, relish, mustard
pepperonni and cheddar pita pizza (sauce made with dehydrated pizza sauce)
soups/stews/chilis-dehydrated
chicken wraps w/lettuce, onion, avocado
zatterans dirty rice w/ ground beef(dehydrated) and onion
shredded beef wraps w/cheddar,onion
sheperds pie using dehydrated mashed potatoes, dehydrated ground beef, and freeze dried corn.

Most items i bring are dehydrated except for the eggs, onion,lettuce and avocado. The fresh items get used up the first day or two typically, except for the eggs.

Like I said i like to eat good, and cant stand more than a few flavors of MH etc. I carry on average about 1.5lbs of food per day, and can be upwards of 2 lbs a day the colder it is.

 

[ohhiitznik]

Willing to share your recipe?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwyzZA3PYPA


I stole this guy's recipe. Its amazing I totally suggest it.

 

[ohhiitznik]

HE does overcrowd his skillet, I cook the stuff separate to brown the hashbrowns and sausage, then I add the eggs and slowly mix it. He made a huge batch, I usually cut it in half and I get 4-6 breakfasts out of it.