[Geography Nerd]

All - I'm usually a glutton for punishment when it comes to food (get it? glutton), and my trips have been limited enough I can get away with a little extra weight/volume in the pack when it comes to food. BUT I'm going to hike the west coast trail next month - 7 days on the trail and no food drops. so I'm soliciting your favorite lightweight/low volume trail food ideas. I'm thinking breakfast and lunch will be no-cook. Your thoughts are appreciated.

[Sennin]

Beef Jerky, quick cooking polenta, instant rice, instant potato. Buy some boil-in bags, put some polenta, seasoning (salt, pepper, garlic powder), dried parm, and bacon bits in there. Boil some water, add it to the bag, and let sit for 5 mins. Good for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Make it for dinner one night, and make sure you have the right water/polenta ratio. You can get boil-in bags at www.packitgourmet.com. (They also have great tortilla soup!)

[Slugman]

The absolute best low volume, light weight, no cook backpacking lunch food is Trader Joe's Organic Mini Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers. A 450 calorie lunch or snack weighs just 3 ozs and takes up the approximate volume of a pack of cigarettes. I also like Trader Joe's Buffalo Jerky and Turkey Jerky (package says "best if used within three days of opening" but needs no refrigeration before or after opening). Chewy but not tough or stringy, very tasty. Sharp cheddar cheese is also good. Cheese in an unopened wrapper will stay good for several days at room temps. For me, the golden rule is at least 100 calories per ounce. The crackers, at 150 calories per ounce, are the best I've ever come across. They have protein, complex carbs, little sugar, not too salty, and have a decent amount of iron.

[jenjen]

While you're checking out Pack it Gourmet, check out the jamaican peanut porridge. Seriously good stuff. It's listed as a breakfast food, but you can eat it any time. Dehydrated refried beans are magical things. They rehydrate fast, are tasty, filling, and good for you. Bring along some tortillas and cheese and you're set. (if the tortillas break, just use the pieces as scoops for the beans, or stir the tortilla pieces in and eat it like a weird tasty stew) Hot sauce packets are worth their weight just for the flavor they provide. Flavored instant mashed potatoes. I don't remember who turned me onto dumping a pouch of tuna into some instant mashed taters for dinner (I'm thinking it was Kleet, but not positive) - but it's seriously good backcountry eating. And when you get clumsy and dump your regular dinner into the dirt, having some instant mashed taters on hand means you won't go hungry - they're tasty and filling on their own. Foods I take along that are not low volume and light - but are totally worth their weight are: Sharp cheddar cheese. I pack a block along. The cheese will get kind of oily looking, but it's safe to eat and tasty. I also pack a head of green cabbage. I slice it thin so it's kind of shredded, then toss it with oil and seasonings for a salad, or add it to burritos for some crunch. You know how after a few days on the trail you crave fresh crunchy veggies? You can satisfy that craving with cabbage. It travels really, really well.

[sarbar]

A simple way to lower food bag volume and weight is to figure what you really love to eat. Then find ways to find ALL of that food in either freeze dried or dehydrated versions. To further save weight, yes, no cook lunches are a good choice (less fuel carried). You don't have to live on energy bars though, many meals can be "cooked" with cool water if given 30 minutes time.