grub to leave in a pack

[Man of Tanith]

I don't mean dwarf bread which all Pratchett fans will know helps people travel for weeks as they know tats all they have to eat.
I mean food that I can leave in my pack between tips so it speeds up my preparing for the next one.
I keep 90% of my kit packed as its convenient that way.
I was thinkin stuff like couscous, porridge, noodles, stock cubes and such like. Stuff that's versatile and can be used in various ways to avoid repetitive meals.
so far my ideas are
couscous
porridge oats
bannock mix
rice
noodles
stock cubes
dried onions
garlic granules.
Worcestershire sauce
soy sauce.
tobasco sauce
dried mushrooms
mug shots
dried herbs
instant mash potatoes
brown sugar
tomato sauce sachets
salt and pepper
pasta
dried fruit

I think these supplemented with some hard cheese, jam, chorizo, smoked sausage and any wild foods gathered will allow a reasonably variable diet when out and about but i would really appreciate other suggestions

 

[tiger stacker]

Crackers are always a good alternative to oatmeal block biscuits.

 

[rik_uk3]

Pumpernickel, an often overlooked bread and which lasts for months.

 

[Dave Budd]

also good old ration packs and premade meals of that sort, they last for years and when you can't be bothered cooking are dead handy!

 

[John Fenna]

German "brick"rye bread (my term) from Aldi - a bit like Riks pumpernickle but not so black....
Sealed jerky
Most dehydrated ration packets and dried supermarket foods
Tinned stuff
be sure to store it all carefully to avoid mice issues ... they do come into houses!

 

[Albus Culter]

I'm a bad one for snacks. They keep you fuelled through the day. Flapjacks, chocolate bars, etc. pack well and last an age.

 

[plastic-ninja]

You need to be careful with the supermarket dried stuff.It often contains huge amounts of salt and monosodium glutamate amongst other chemistry set stuff.
It can be very easy to get dehydrated eating this stuff : you may need to carry extra water!
I keep a tiny bottle of Tabasco in my rucksack: it even makes filling station sandwiches palatable.
Cheers , Simon

 

[Man of Tanith]

hmm rye bread and pumperknikle I hadn't thought of them.
currently it will be shop bought dried stuff
but aiming to get a dehydrator

 

[John Fenna]

OK - I had not realy thought of dried stuff in terms of anything other than pasta, flour based stuff, sun dried toms etc
Having a dehydrator spoils you

 

[presterjohn]

Packs of shortbread fingers last quite a long while and are nice for a snack with a cup of tea or a quick lazy boy breakfast.

 

[John Fenna]

Packs of shortbread fingers last quite a long while and are nice for a snack with a cup of tea or a quick lazy boy breakfast.

Oh yes!
But it has to be "packs" in the plural ... I can eat a pack complete in one hit with a crusader mug of strong black coffee!

.....sealed packs of ground coffee and strongly wrapped bags of sugar store well and are essential to the wellbeing of a true bushy boy!

 

[Man of Tanith]

sugar yes
coffee take it or leave it....
tea in the other hand essential piece
shortbread is meh

 

[John Fenna]

Obviously the man has never had decent coffee ..... NESCAF/MOXWIL SHED ETC DO NOT COUNT AS COFFEE!

 

[Man of Tanith]

I''ve had coffee made by you john and Dr Jones. and mesquite
it's still take it or leave it for me

 

[oldtimer]

My list has most of the same staples but is slightly simpler and shorter than the OP's. In addition I carry small containers of honey, olive oil and Marmite. I sometimes leave a pack of dried dates in the food bag- good calorie to weight value and used by nomadic arabs for centuries. I used to carry a bag of home made trailmix which I topped up from time to time until I got very sick along the Cotswold Way once. It turned out that the nuts were the problem. I've noticed that cereal bars with nuts in taste very bad if they've been in the pack too long. And I don't have a nut allergy, by the way.

My younger son carries sushi nori in his pack. I don't know about the food value, but it is very light and gives a welcome umami boost to the basic stodge.

I'm interested in the pumpernickel and similar. I recall my father telling me that he developed a taste for German black bread during the war. His platoon used to get issues with a daily ration of one slice of white bread and two slices of black: the black was very unpopular and he used to swap one slice of white for two slices of black.

I've always found breadstuff a problem and rely on oatmeal biscuits. My wife always buys a bag of French breakfast roll just before any trip. They squash into her pack -never mine- and last for a couple of weeks. They have the advantage of high calorie/low weight, but I find them unsatisfying and too sweet. They go an interesting shade of mottled green if left in the pack between trips.

 

[tiger stacker]

I used to carry a bag of home made trailmix which I topped up from time to time until I got very sick along the Cotswold Way once. It turned out that the nuts were the problem. I've noticed that cereal bars with nuts in taste very bad if they've been in the pack too long. And I don't have a nut allergy, by the way.

Did you visit the doctors for medical feedback on the nuts. Would be interesting to see if it was a common problem.

 

[johnnytheboy]

Why dont you make up 10 rashion type bags with all the ness stuff for one trip rather than hauling all that each time, they you can start to tailor them to what you need and what you will use! i.e. break the above pack size down, then its a sort of grab and go bag of the ness!!

 

[copper_head]

This stuff is really good, its my go to carb option when hiking plus you get perfect rice every time. Great when used with 'Look what we Found' type stuff. Chuck it all in a pan of boiling water for 12 mins and you got a nice meal with no mess.

 

[johnnytheboy]

But is it really rice :-D

 

[ateallthepies]

Good thread. I would pack some cheese powder but finding some you like may be hard, may have to buy from USA? Along this line is Macaroni Cheese, the US style Kraft Mac N Cheese pack is very, very good and will satisfy one large appetite or two regular ones but you do need extra butter and milk.

I have been buying some Fray Bentos pies but would wonder how to cook when out and about? An oven or such would be ideal but I wonder if putting on a heat source would work too? Downside is they are heavy.

Tinned food. Most stuff can be dehydrated and will last a year in a pack if vacuum sealed. I am going to try mylar bags and Oxy absorbers next to see if they store better?

Ready made freeze dried pouches. I have tried all the Adventure foods packs and they are all OK and with good portion sizes. Have recently got in a few Mountain House packs but only had the scrambled eggs and ham but that was OK and a decent portion. Advantage, last years in a pack and are the easiest hot meals requiring no cook pot.

Dumpling mix. If your making a stew or goulash you gotta have dumplings!

Cake/muffin mix. There has been a surge of youtube vids lately on dry bake muffins made on alcohol stoves.

Dried rice pudding mix. Takes a while to cook and a pot cozy comes in handy to save fuel.

Honey. Can be made into small individual pouches with a vacuum sealer to save weight and space.

Fresh steak. Again vacuum seal this and maybe freeze? Take a small grill or cook on a flat hot rock? Am unsure on it's pack use by date but frozen and wrapped in an insulated pouch maybe several days, maybe someone will know?

Dry Chicken noodle soups. Tasty and quick to make and good with bread.

Kendal mint cake for a quick refreshing boost.

Bag of dehydrated mince beef. Vacuum sealed will last up to a year in a pack. Once open will last several weeks to months if chilled. Not sure about it's open life in a pack but would be at least a week. A great meaty filler for loads of meals.

Tin of bacon. Makes dried egg scrambled eggs taste a whole lot better. Eat hot or cold.

Faita, taco or enchilada kit for a different meal?

Steve.