Many people find the purchase price of prepackaged "backpacking food" to be inhibitive. Such dehydrated foods are convenient, however, as well as light and easy to carry. This article details some very simple ways that you can save money when feeding yourself on backpacking trips while keeping that convenience and conservation of weight and space found in store-bought dehydrated foods.

In Appendix A, you can find a list of the many different types of food appropriate for dehydration and backpacking, and the best times of the year for their purchase.

FOOD TYPES

The fact remains that we need certain nutrients to survive. Something as mundane as Vitamin C becomes a valued commodity when you are out to sea for extended periods of time, lending meaning to that old pirate saying, "Argh, ye scurvy dog!"

Although you won't get scurvy by not eating an orange a day on a week-long backpack trip, nutrition is still a factor when it comes to keeping your body supplied with the necessary energy (in the form of carbohydrates, sugars and fat) to get your body back OUT of the woods.

The single most important food item you need when trekking the backcountry is water. Drink as much as possible. Period. You can survive much longer without food than you can without water. Even if you do eat, you still need water in your system in order to metabolize that food, much in the same way that wood needs oxygen in order to burn.

Many people find that meat is not a necessity when backpacking. Protein in sufficient quantities can be found through many lighter foods that won't spoil, such as nuts, beans, and peas. Peanuts are fairly high in protein, as well as lentils. Jerky, in all it's wonderful forms, is great for its flavor and munchability. Plus, it won't spoil the first day you hit the trail.

Carbohydrates keep your muscles fed with energy, and also help to keep your body warm as well. Carbos can be found in many wonderful food items such as pastas (great source!), fruit (dehydrated, of course!), and dairy products, such as powdered milk and cheese.

Fat, typically, is not a desired food item during the regular hustle and bustle of everyday life. At least not if you listen to TV commercials. But in the woods, it equates to energy, approaching carbohydrates in value. If you are taking a particular food item on a backpacking trip, and you have a choice between the regular or the low/non-fat type, get the regular kind. You'll be burning plenty of calories huffing it up that trail, so don't get paranoid about how wide your hips will be when you get back. Their high fat content is what makes grub worms such a highly valuable survival food.

Individual nutritional needs will vary, of course. Women, for example, have a significantly higher need of iron for several reasons. Women don't store iron as well as men do, and their monthly cycle drains their body of iron in the form of red blood cells.

In addition, iron becomes important at high altitudes because it enables your red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body more effectively.

PRESERVATION

This section deals with the two factors involved in packing your food with you on long trails: preservation and conservation. The former is obvious: how long will your food last without spoiling? The second deals with how light or how small the food becomes, thus helping to conserve weight and valuable pack space.

The standard method of preserving and conserving food is through a method called "dehydration". To dehydrate something is simply to remove any and all moisture from it, thereby making it "dry". This often results in a substantial space and weight reduction in the food item, while leaving most, if not all, of the nutrients in tact.

Many foods come without water in them right off the shelf, such as pastas, beans, peas and nuts. Meats, fruits, and vegetables, however, usually need to be dehydrated separately, or bought that way from the store.

Many different kinds of fruit can be purchased in a dehydrated state: apples, apricots and peaches can often be found either in the produce or baking section of the grocery store. Banana "chips" are found in the bulk-food isle, as well as other more exotic fruits such as papaya. You can also pick up "quickie" rolled oats in the bulk-food isle; add some dehydrated berries or banana chips to make some really great hot oatmeal for those cold mornings.

Meat is typically found in the form of jerky, as mentioned earlier. This author, however, will also take along tuna in the single-serving sized pull-tab cans. Granted, the empty can still takes up just as much space as it did full, but you can add the tuna to just about any hot dish to change the flavor significantly. (Get the water-packed type, not the oil-packed variety.)

Vegetables, however, aren't very easy to find dehydrated in the store. At least this author has never been able to find any. This usually requires the use of a food dehydrator at home...

Food dehydrators range in cost from $29.95 (mail order) to several hundred dollars, depending on quality and capacity. They all, however, basically work the same. A heat source, as well as air movement, combine to slowly remove all moisture from the food items placed on the stackable trays. Just about anything can be dehydrated using these appliances; most come with a booklet describing how to properly dehydrate various foods, as well as estimated time requirements.

Homemade dehydrators are also possible, with the use of plexiglass, plywood, several wood-framed screens and a well placed lightbulb.

Seal dehydrated foods in a zipped bag, or for people that backpack several times a year, a vacuum sealed plastic bag. The latter is the best method for long-term storage. Vacuum sealers range in cost between $40 to several hundred dollars.

SAVING MONEY

If you backpack often enough, the cost of a dehydrator and vacuum sealer can easily be justified. Pre- packaged dehydrated backpacking meals can be quite expensive. In order to save money on food, buy your granola, beans, peas, and pasta in the bulk-food isle of your grocery store. Then head over to the soup isle and pick up several packets of the old stand-by "instant soup". I recommend you avoid the Ramen-type noodles as they take a large amount of water and fuel to heat it up. Rice-a-Roni also makes a two-serving package of "quick fix" flavored rice dishes that work great on the trail, all for around $1.10 per package.

Keep your eye open when traveling the aisles of your grocery store. If something requires that you add hot water in order to prepare it, it is a good candidate for backpack food. Base your ultimate decision on the nutrition gained vs. the preparation time, weight, and size.

Even some prepackaged backpacking foods would require a professionaly trained chef to prepare, so read the label. "Boil 3.5 oz of water for 7.5 minutes, then slowly add the contents of packet 2C, stirring in a counter-clockwise motion, for another 3.25 minutes. Begin mixing the contents of packet 1D in a sterile brass container with 2.3 oz of water (at a temperature of 184 degrees Fahrenheit)..."

PREPARATION

Assuming you have plenty of no-cook food items, such as granola, fruit, or jerky, there is then little or no preparation to be done, thus saving fuel and time. However, most other food items described herein that require cooking only need the addition of hot water.

Feel free to experiment with combinations of foods. Take along a small container of table spices, such as Mrs. Dash, to liven up otherwise boring soup mixes or pastas. Add dried tomatoes and corn to a hot pot of tortellini. Better yet, add your spices ahead of time when "bagging" your home-dried foods.

Below are some sample recipes for combining dehydrated food items to make a regular meal. It is usually most convenient to pre-mix these items into a single bag before setting out:

WAKE-UP OATMEAL

• "Quickie" rolled oats
• Powdered milk
• Cinnamon Apple chips, in 1/4" chunks or slices
• Half-packet of hot chocolate mix

This makes an apple/cinnamon oatmeal with a little bit of a chocolate taste that really helps to warm yourself up on a cold morning. Some people substitute "Instant Breakfast" mix for the hot chocolate mix - - in order to get more vitamins and minerals -- although it doesn't usually taste quite as good. You can also add brown sugar if desired.

TASTY OMELETS

• Powdered eggs
• Dehydrated tomatoes
• Dehydrated green peppers
• Onion flakes

Use differing quantities of tomato, peppers, and onion to taste. The trick is to pre-mix everything at home, after experiment with spice quantities, so that all you have to do is pour your powdered concoction into a pan of hot water to get a morning or lunch omelet that doesn't have the traditional "powdered egg blahs."

BEAN AND PASTA SOUP

• Pasta (tortellini, elbow macaroni, etc.)
• Pinto beans
• Cous cous (sp)
• Dehydrated red peppers
• Dehydrated green onions
• Onion flakes
• Garlic powder

Again, experiment with the quantity of spices, then combine ahead of time in single-serving bags. This dish tastes great and provides lots of protein and carbohydrates. Be sure to pre-soak the beans for about an hour prior to cooking. This can be done while still on the trail.

RICE POCKETS

• Rice-A-Roni (quick cook) or 5-minute white rice
• Parmesan cheese
• Dehydrated green peppers
• Dehydrated mushrooms
• Pita Bread

Cook the rice as directed, along with the green peppers and mushrooms. When the rice is done, scoop it into a pita bread pocket along with the parmesan cheese. This dish is loaded with carbohydrates and fiber, and tastes great.

TANGY WATER

• Gatorade/Kool-Aid packet (w/o sugar)
• Water

Tired of tasting the iodine in your treated water? Keep a zipped bag of flavored, granulated drink mix with you. After treating your water for the prescribed duration, add just enough drink mix to it to cover up any foul taste from the purification tablets. If you carry a survival water filter, your water should have no noticeable taste.

APPENDIX A

Most foods will cost you less money if you buy them during certain months of the year. This is usually due to their availability, harvest times, and perceived consumer demand.

JANUARY:

Potatoes, turnips, winter squash, cauliflower, avocados, bananas, cabbage, mushrooms and pears.

FEBRUARY:

Bananas, avocados, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, tangerines, winter squash, muschrooms, and pears.

MARCH:

Radishes, spinach, avocados, artichokes, asparagus, bananas, broccoli, grapefruit, mushrooms, and lettuce.

APRIL:

Strawberries, asparagus, cabbage, bananas, chicory, onions, pineapples, escarole, rhubarb, and spinach.

MAY:

Tomatoes, watercress, asparagus, celery, bananas, papayas, peas, pineapples, potatoes, stawberries, and watercress.

JUNE:

Peas, avocados, bananas, apricots, cantaloupes, cucumbers, cherries, corn, figs, green beans, limes, mangos, nectarines, onions, peaches, peppers, pineapples, plums, and summer squash.

JULY:

Prunes, watermelon, apricots, bananas, blueberries, raspberries, cabbage, cantaloupes, cherries, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, figs, dill, apples, green beans, nectarines, peaches, peppers, and okra.

AUGUST:

Summer squash, tomatoes, apples, bananas, beets, berries, cabbage, carrots, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, dill, figs, melons, nectarines, pears, peaches, plums, and potatoes.

SEPTEMBER:

Squash, tomatoes, yams, apples, bananas, broccoli, corn, cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower, dill, figs, grapes, greens, melons, okra, onions, pears, peppers, potatoes, summer squash, and apples.

OCTOBER:

Apples, pumpkins, yams, bananas, broccoli, grapes, peppers, and persimmons.

NOVEMBER:

Pumpkins, sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, broccoli, cranberries, cabbage, cauliflower, dates, eggplant, and mushrooms.

DECEMBER:

Apples, tangerines, avocados, bananas, lemons, grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes, mushrooms, pears and pineapple.