[Packer]

For a 2 night backpack, what kind of food does everybody pack for dinner?

[Dslayer]

I take MRE's for dinners, sometimes lunch, although I like Top Ramen, and I take oatmeal packets for breakfast-I also take tin foil, butter/oil and other tasties to cook fish in the event I get lucky. If you've never eaten a fresh caught trout caught this way-you're missing out.

[salish]

This is dangerous ground for me, as evidenced by my growing waistline. I usually end up hiking to some lake, so I'll second DSlayers comments about trout. I throw in some lemon pepper for mine, and I've been known to pack a steel #44 cold handle fry pan for trout. On long trips with lot's of hiking we generally bring the traditional instant oatmeal and dehydrated stuff for dinner, but on two-nighters my buddies and I usually pack all kinds of stuff like fresh vegetables, fruits, a loaf of dark rye bread and tillamook smokey cheddar cheese, and sometimes get very elaborate around the dinner. We have a thing for a large black bean soup dish that we top with spanish rice and then top with diced red & yellow bell peppers, which we've blanched before hand. This follows a crisp cucumber salad. and rye bread. We keep returning to "Rays" book and his stress on importance of good fresh food, while we try to scale down the weight in other areas. More often than not we still have heavy packs, but at least they are lighter on the way out.

[Minute Cooker]

Couscous, Minute Rice, Corn Pasta, Potato Flakes, Bulgar Wheat, Taboulli, oatmeal, Cream of Wheat and Rice, nuts of various kinds (Trader Joes a good source), dried fruit, hot chocolate, some kind of candy or other similar treat (chocolate!), peanut butter, tortilla, sandwiches for first day, fresh fruit first day or two, Parmesan cheese (freshly grated night before), string cheese, dried milk, various spices. Everything that requires cooking (except oatmeal -- don't like those teeny packets, so I use regular slow-cook) just need boiling water... except Corn Pasta has to be brought back to a boil then turn off the stove. After 20+ years, I've never bought those expensive fancy "energy bars", freeze-dried overly salty dinners. Besides they are heavy and too much packaging. The ever-popular Top Ramen is even more MSG/salty for my tastes. All this stuff is very lightweight, much can be bought in bulk at PCC or other markets.

[MtnGoat]

Used to fry my trout, but after discovering the simplicity, speed and taste of a fire baked trout in foil, I'll never go back. A couple wraps of foil, some lemon pepper and a dollop of a butter like product, and 10-15 minutes in the coals leaves the fried version standing at the starting line, IMO. Also, though not low cal by a long shot but tasty enough to start a fight, is the new pre-fried bacon strips. packed in vacuum bags, non refrigerated, it weighs only a few ounces but is awesome straight from the bag, or heated up, or added to another dish.

[Dante]

I like bagels with hard salami, laughing cow cheese and a little mustard. It all holds up well enough for 2 nights unless its really hot. Seattle's Tall Grass Bakery makes some awesome seeded bread that is calorically dense, relatively crush proof and great alone, with a cheese or spread or with soup. I usually bring dried fruit. If I want to go really light I pack a variety of boil and eat or add hot water entrees. Nowadays the taste of freeze dried meals is more of a detriment than their cost. For the ultimate in ultralight cuisine, compute your caloric needs and then bring the indicated quantity of PoweBars and your favorite electrolite replacement beverage. You can leave 1/3 behind because after the second day you'll never want to look at a PowerBar again. Don't ask me how I know (ask Backpacker Joe )

[MtnGoat]

Interesting. I used to hate freeze dried because of the taste (and cost), but have found quite the reverse, that the taste has vastly improved in the last ten years. Portion sizes have also increased. One outfit makes a thai peanut chicken thingy so freaking tasty I sometimes eat it at home! I've come to enjoy quite a few freeze drieds since I decided to try them again a few years ago, and with the weight bonus and cooking simplicity they provide, find them indispensible for long multi day trips, in spite of the cost. I don't use them on weekenders, but on any trip over three days they save a lot of weight and fuss IMO. I like food more than I care about weight, and have zero patience with working hard all day to eat oatmeal, ramen, or other minimalist foods. Eating well in the backcountry is half the trip!

[Dante]

Agreed. Eating well is important. That's why I generally prefer "real food" to freeze dried--especially on shorter trips where the weight penalty is negligable. I also agree freeze-dried meals have come a long way from my first Mountain House entree in the '70s, which seemed an awful lot like dog food. Like you I use them on longer trips.

[Allison]

Well, I've been drying stuff all week, so let me share what I learned. The following things do not dehydrate well: green beans, celery, cherries, chicken. The chicken was 1/2 frozen and raw, sliced thin, came out super tough. Thumbs down. And these things came out better: Carrots, mushrooms, salsa (salsa leather to be rehydrated) jalapenos, shallots. And, the super-duper surprise winner: (drumroll please) WATERMELON. It's sooooo good, and I am not making this up! After messing with cleaning and slicing all those 'shrooms I found dried shiitakes at Uwajimaya for about a buck. They also have dried coconut milk, $.79 for a pack that makes a can's worth. I had to mail order dried butter from the Amish.

[Newt]

Allison, Make sure you have the beans cut up. I slice them and the celery about 3/8"-1/2" with a diagonal cut. They should dry just fine. I also found with shiitakes and portobellos that the flavor can be strong so unless you like it that way be cautious about how much you use. A little goes a long way flavorwise. IMO Also cook the chicken first. Slice thin and don't over dry. If these items are fully rehydrated and cooked/boiled for a while they should be just fine. I have carrots, beans, potatoes, celery, mushrooms and peas that I make soup from. Mix what you want and reyhdrate for around and hr and then cook 5-15 min. Per person I use about a tbs each except the mushrooms + vegetable seasoning from the health food store. Will make a large cup-o-soup. Add noodles if you like. Wanna thicken it up then add instant potatoes. Cook in water that was used to rehydrate and add more as needed. Also dried bananas and apples are great on the trail or road. Have you tried pineapple? yummy But you may already know all this. Played with the idea of getting a dehydrator for 4 years. Glad I finally did. What a gas. Never heard of dehydrated butter. Let me know how it is. NN

[lopper]

Stove-top stuffing or cheapo MJB rice dinners Ramen or hot cider mix to wash the pot. Reload.

[Mike Collins]

Dslayer and I cook alike. It is Top Ramen in the evening with oatmeal packets for breakfast and hot cocoa to drink. I often mix my water with some sugary product to give instant energy when on the go. Energy bars (Kudos or whatever) provide quick sustenance during the day. I like to take tea packets in case I get a caffeine withdrawl headache.

[MCaver]

Anyone else a caffeine addict? I've wondered what I'd do about it on a multi-night camping trip, since I get a caffeine headache after about 24 hours. Making coffee or tea is an idea, but I wouldn't want to drink too much at night since it would keep me up. I'm a morning caffeine person, but not a "morning person", so lots of effort making something before my caffeine isn't going to happen . I've thought of taking along some caffeine pills like Vivarin, but I just don't like the thought of that for some reason. Too much like popping pills. Maybe I could just chew on some coffee beans.

[-lol-]

[salish]

I've been experimenting with hiking coffee for years and have tried both and bags & that goofy filter system shown above. The bags were awful, as was the filter. I also tried this little plastic "spoon" thing where you put the grounds in the mesh pocket of the spoon and steep it in the cup. I didn't like that, either. Basically, I've gone back to what Damian uses, pretty much. I grind my own beans (kona) and I pack a small coffee pot - with and sometimes without the basket. I follow the same boil routine as Damian, but I don't filter my coffee. I actually enjoy chewing on the grains a little bit, and a little dash a cold water will settle them anyway. This is close to "cowboy coffee" as you can get. Sometimes I just boil the coffee in my cookpot in order to save weight. I know that boiling coffee will drive the coffee purists up the wall, but I like it that way.