How To Pack Enough Food For A Week In A PLCE Side Pocket
In a previous video I packed up all of the kit that I take when I working on UK bushcraft courses or camping in that way. It’s my typical baseline northern temperate kit. It all fits easily into a Karrimor Sabre 45 with side pockets, with room to spare.
At the end of the video I said there was still room to pack a week’s worth of food into the side pocket which remained empty after packing all of my kit.
Really?!
A fair few people have questioned my claim about being able to pack enough food; Or at least, they’ve asked if I could show them how to get a week’s worth of food into the side pocket of a Sabre 45 rucksack. That is, a week’s worth of food in a PLCE side pocket.
Being Realistic
If you’ve watched the previous video, you’ve probably noticed that I use the Arktis side pockets, which are a bit bigger than some of the side pockets available. But they are also quite difficult to get hold of these days.
So, what I’ve done is take one of the smallest side pockets that I could find in my cupboard, the side pocket of my Berghaus Vulcan rucksack. These are definitely smaller than the Arktis pockets. I wanted to make sure I demonstrated something that can be replicated by other people, even if they are not using a larger PLCE side pocket.
Enough Food, Even In A Smaller Side Pocket
I selected a menu and filled the side pocket with food. It is, for me, enough food for the week if I were hiking outside of the winter months.
I think the key thing to think about when planning this type of menu is to think not about the volume you might want on your plate but to think about the calories you need and to make sure you get a balanced split between carbohydrates, fats and protein, along with other nutrients.
Dual Purpose
I should point out that I’m attempting to kill two birds with one stone here.
I’m regularly asked about packing food for camping trips, backpacking journeys, bushcraft outings and even attending self-catering bushcraft courses.
I also hear from people that they are turned off by the price of some of the specialist pre-prepared camping meals.
And those who turn to British military 24-hour ration packs often complain about the weight and bulk.
So, what I also wanted to share with you in this video were some ideas on inexpensive, compact and lightweight foods that you can find in any supermarket. Moreover, I wanted to show you how you can combine these into a tasty, varied and nutritious menu.
If you’d like to learn more, then please watch the following video:
[You can also view How To Pack A Week’s Food Into A PLCE Side Pocket on YouTube.]
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below…
Related Material On Paul Kirtley’s Blog
How To Pack A Bushcraft Camping Outfit
A Bushcraft Camping Outfit – Equipment For Living In The Woods
165 thoughts on “How To Pack Enough Food For A Week In A PLCE Side Pocket”
Exellent, video!
There is a lot of option for food to find in the supermarket. Which is good both for adding flavours and for the wallet. In Sweden a freeze-dried meal is about 7-9 euro, which is ridiculous overpriced. Also if you add some supplemental home-dried vegetable (both easy to make, and light, not a lot of calories though) into the mix you get some more flavours and cooking options. I also generally like to bring some Blueberry Soup Mix to supplement my evenings hot-drinks.
The biggest problem I have is to find dehydrated meat in the supermarket, different kinds of air-dried sausage is a good option. You can also dehydrating mince meat yourself in your oven.
For more info about home dehydrating http://www.backpackingchef.com/dehydrating-food.html
Besides spending some time cooking is one of the high-points of the day, after all it is all about enjoying the outdoors right?
Hans, you can buy MRE’s on Addnature for 49 kronas called Outmeals (It’s among the freeze dried food), main problem is that they weigh 400g (has sauce in it) and you cannot be too choosy about quality of taste… – but it’s MRE, open up, heat it (optional) and chow down. There are some other brands and i’m not sure if Outnorth, Naturkompaniet or someone else have the same brand or is cheaper.
If you want taste and low weight, go for Mountain House, the ones i tasted are great and weight only around 100g per pack (1 kilo = 10 days of food). All you need is clean hot water to fill the bag, reseal it, put it down and let it self-cook it in the bag for 10 minutes (apple with custard = 5 minutes).
The most caloric-dense foods you can get are pure fats, which top out at about 900 kcal per 100g. The idea that you can get one ‘day of food’ in 100g, if that’s what you’re trying to suggest, is sheer fantasy
How much did the side pocket weigh before you unpacked it? Thanks.
Hi Paul, first class video has helped me recap how I go about feeding myself when out and about. The only thing I would add are hot chocolate sachets as a bit of a luxury.
Aldi Coffee Chocolate mokkas are great .
Excellent video, simple and very effective food selection. I dehydrate my own ground beef, peas and corns at home for variety (all very compact and lightweight). I like to bring dried fruits and chocolate peanut M&Ms for snack. Also, we all pack a mandatory flask of single malt in our neck of the Canadian woods… Question: do you have problems with black bears raiding your food in the U.K? Cheers!
Colette
+1 for the whiskey! A great morale booster, especially after a day of hard portages heavy on the biting flies!
The best whisky I have ever tasted was a fairly ordinary single malt, diluted slightly with ice cold water from one of the Angus glens. I’ve always said that whisky should be neat till I tasted that. They complemented each other like nothing else.
Yes, that highland water is special.
Paul,
Great video! I use Rice instead of pasta due my son having celiac disease same with the couscous I replace it with pre packaged rice with either chicken or veggies in it… I also take Chicken or beef Bouillon to add flavor to the rice. I take beef sticks as well as the chorizo, the beef sticks can be eaten on the move while I like adding the chorizo to my eggs or to the rice. We take powdered eggs for breakfast or gluten free granola. Depending on the temperature range of the trip the fats can go up much higher with Ghee and or olive oil… You are spot on with the cup of soup or bouillon at the evening meal it is a great morale booster if there is a chill in the air!
My best,
Kurt
That was an excellent video Paul and gave me some food for thought (pun intended) about the foods I take when I’m out and about.
Well done Paul, Just a great video for my up coming Canada trip! My Children just said you missed out marshmallows 1KG and I would also add Glenlivet 18 years ( if you find out how to dehydrate that then let me know)
Hamish
Glenlivet 18 … what a great idea!
Another excellent video, Paul. I often watch your videos, not only to learn anything new you might have thought of which I’ve missed, but also just to affirm that my own thinking isn’t way off the mark. It occurred to me a long time ago that the specialist camping foods weren’t any better than readily available convenience items. I also avoid heavy watery things, favouring dehydrated foods. I tend to go the Pasta’n’Sauce route, as well as savoury rice. I favour oat based porridge for breakfast, though it does involve heating which is ok if you have a quick stove or keep a fire going, which is necessary for most of my clean water needs anyway. Chorizo or salami is great, but also a traditional can of corned beef is quite good as a versatile ingredient… And the traditional key-opened can design is quite reclosable if you get it right. I like to take some flavourings like some salt & pepper, as well as some dried mixed herbs too. One original idea you’ve given me, which was a bit of a kick-yourself moment, was the dried mushrooms. I use them a lot at home, so they’ll be going with me in future.
Hey Paul. It never ceases to amaze me how people feel okay with spending silly amounts on those so called ‘camping meals’ when all it takes is a little thought and effort cooking, to feed oneself cheaply and still enjoy the food when out. Also, season and area permitting, we like to supplement our meals with various wild edibles, which will add wonderful flavours too.
Great advice, yet again Paul.
all the best.
Mine would be a Black Grouse!
Haha good plan. Like it. 🙂
Thanks at last your manage to fit this guide in nice one. Would be useful to attach the list of the items with some info on a PDF as a guide? Others may find this useful.
I second that – in fact I came here via the you tube video because it said there was a ist on here.
I’m particularly interested in where those ‘all-in-one’ sachets of coffee came from – I don’t recollect ever seeing them in my local supermarkets (usually Tesco).
Also interested in what brand those favouredtuna sachets are.
As everyone else has said, very helpful video, thanks
Hi Gemma,
Thanks for your comments. I’m glad you found the video helpful.
The coffee sachets are by Kenco. They make 2 in 1 (coffee and milk powder) and 3 in 1 (coffee, milk and sugar). If you can’t find them in your local store, you can order them (in quantity) directly from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2MXZvUm
The Tuna sachets are by John West. The used to be called “Tuna With A Twist” but recently they have rebranded them as “Jacket Toppers”, presumably because most people who buy them use them to put on top of jacket potatoes. Again, Amazon now deliver them direct – Lime and Black Pepper https://amzn.to/2MwgCj9 or Dried Tomato and Herb: https://amzn.to/2wayKVD
I hope this helps.
Warm regards,
Paul
Very good. I find it interesting that there is basically no fruit and veg. Dehydrated mixed veg like your dried mushrooms really can add to the flavour and texture of the meal. Downside is that they do take a big longer to cook.
Paul,
an absolutely brilliant video ! Please keep up this excellent work.
John
Hi Paul, very good video.The price of special food is silly money,I never use them.I pack much the same as you supermarket food .Rice instead of couscous and more cup of soups also Chocolate drinks last thing at night at the camp fire are a nice treat.Take Care
John.
Nice one Paul. Thanks. I will be watching this video again when I prepare for my next trip. A thought from me: flapjack gives you more long-acting carbohydrates per gram than cereal bars. And they’re really easy to make yourself.
Paul,
Once again an excellent video, thank you very much. I did a backpack with my Scouts and they were staggered (well their parents were) about the price difference and the quality of supermarket available food. I like the re-pack suggestion and also the use of pasta. To add one to your list we took Uncle Ben boil in the bag rice – its not dehydrated but it is fairly dense and weight:calorie efficient.
Your video has given me an idea for an extended hike-backpack-hike camp with them so thank you very much!
Julian
Another great and very informative video. It will certainly change the foods that I buy and the way in which I pack them. As a Type 1 diabetic, I do have certain things that I need to keep an eye on: the Snickers option for me is a bit of a non-starter so I would try and replace this with a slower release form of carbohydrate; generally, I only carry chocolate as a morale booster for the end of a heavy day. In a similar vein, I reckon that dried fruits – apricots and dates in particular – are a very useful form of fuel as they don’t melt or crumble when stuffed into a pocket or pack.
Many thanks for yet another really useful and interesting video!
Thanks Paul. Some fantastic tips. Too much maths for my brain, but I really should embrace the maths, seeing as it will eneure you get enough food but don’t overpack (I’m usually at one extreme or the other). I will be passing this on to my brother, who is training for his ML. Many thanks, Josh.
Hi Paul
Entertaining and informative video as always.
A good all-round feed for a week, packed into a small(ish) bag.
I like the comment about ‘nightmare for weight-watching’, for, as you so rightly say, this is the opposite; packing in maximum calories with minimum weight. Water is the obvious one, and I really can’t understand why, in our climate, folk cart around heavy and expensive ‘trail food’ packs.
I very much agree about taste too. After a hard day’s crafting the last thing one needs is tasteless mush. Bushcraft engenders heightened sensitivity to the world around, so palate tickling is a complementary must!
Most is down to personal preference, but I would certainly throw in some home-made gorp, rather than just the nuts. I’d put some some mixed dried fruit in there, and maybe even some chocolate raisins 😉
Along that line, I would make some fruit leathers and also some spicy jerky.
Now I’m getting hungry!
Great video.
Cheers Paul.
Steve
Thank you, another great video and some great tips …. My biggest challenge overpacking!
Hi Paul,
Again a nice video, thanks man.
gr
Cees
Ive been waiting for this video, mainly to compare notes, thanks Paul. You have a few things there I hadn’t thought of but I was pretty much on the same thoughts as what you had, the most helpful thing was the calories in each food item, I usually pack a small plastic jar of peanut butter for calories, I also include porridge, lots of dried fruit and nuts, but Im going to look more closely into Oatcakes, good energy source high in calories and again you divided up your cheese, good organization skills, ill have to start doing that, saves on spoiling through a whole block, and helps you keep track of what you have gone through. Its the little ways you have sub divided food that will make life easier when backpacking, and that makes for less kit explosions. I’ve learnt alot
P.S. I highly value chocolate and boiled sweets, Its great for morale and when food is sometimes a little bland its something to look forward to with a good brew.
Thanks Paul.
Hi Paul,
Great video again! I just came back from an 8 day hike recently in Mallorca and we ended up having the soups, which brought a lot of moral in the evenings and mornings sometimes, we were carrying a lot of peanut butter, nuts, raisins and biscuits to eat with the peanut butter. It turn out to be a great energy source for the size/weight and it kept us going fast. For reference we hiked about 190km in 7 days with a lot of ups and downs.
Thank you for the article again.
Regards,
Smilyan
Brilliant! Thanks Paul. Just packing for 10 days on the trail in Iceland. I had my food sorted (all supermarket faire) , but you have given me some great ideas to increase variety.
BTW, For breakfast I have 70g readybrek with 10g custard powder and a pinch of nutmeg – lovely!
A good video once again. Basically the same food as i use. Only difference is i use rice+pasta, dried beans, corn, peas,Deb potato,Milo and custard powder with some dried fruit/ground nuts.
Had to keep weight to a minimum on the two 14 day hikes in the Snowy Mountains in Australia. Weight was a premium with no food drops available.No fires also, as it was National Park so had to carry alcohol stove/fuel as well. Only plus was the longer you walked the lighter the 75 litre pack got including my weight lol!
Thanks again for another good video,keep the good work up.
Regards peter
Hi Paul
A good video once again. Basically the same food as i use. Only difference is i use rice+pasta, dried beans, corn, peas,Deb potato,Milo and custard powder with some dried fruit/ground nuts.
Had to keep weight to a minimum on the two 14 day hikes in the Snowy Mountains in Australia. Weight was a premium with no food drops available.No fires also, as it was National Park so had to carry alcohol stove/fuel as well. Only plus was the longer you walked the lighter the 75 litre pack got including my weight lol!
Thanks again for another good video,keep the good work up.
Regards peter
Hi Peter,
Thanks for your comments and sharing your experiences. Much appreciated.
Warm regards,
Paul
Good solid info in there. Pretty much the same as you, but I carry hot chocolate instead of tea/coffee now and I’m addicted to the wild boar/venison salami that Aldi sell. Oh, and a 58 patt water bottle full of mead 😉
A great video as always, thank you.
I do think olive oil in the pasta or couscous after rehydration makes it very palatable and is also a good source of a calorie dense food, something like 800 odd calories per 100ml.
Thanks again,
John
Hi Paul,
Thanks for sharing your system.
Tend to base my system more heavily on fats and there for use nuts as a base. These days you can buy almond and/or hazel meal in most stores in Sweden.
I also use regualar butter as well as dehydrated meat (dehydrate it myself in a regular oven). As for greens, in the summer I go with wild edibles but for winter I dehydrate it before hand, again just using the oven.
Another thing I tend to bring is dehydrated berries (lingonberry and or blueberry) not so much for energy as for the antioxidants, I do belive they help my immune system stay on top even when out and about.
Thanks again for a good vid.
Sincerely
Pehr
That’s really interesting. How do you use the ground nuts as a main meal? Do you mix them into a sauce? I would like to use more nuts in my outdoor cooking.
Cheers.
Josh
Hi Josh,
I tend use the nutmeal both for breakfast as well as my dinner.
For breakfast I tend cook it into a type of watery porrage, with a click of butter and chocolate powder it tasts very nice. A few times I have also done nut bread that I bake on split log by the fire (to get good consistency you do need to use an egg, so bread is mostly something I do for an overnighter when the risk of breaking the egg is not a huge deal).
For dinner I mostly do meat soup, I then use the nutmeal in the soup for consistency.
I hope that gives you some ideas.
Sincerely
Pehr
Hi Josh,
It’s good to hear from you. I hope you are well.
I think my comments in the video may have been a little ambiguous. I meant simply that I could eat some of the nuts at the evening mealtime, alongside my meal. I was implying nothing more complicated than putting them in my mouth and chewing.
But yes, I’m sure you could come up with all sorts of recipes. Some sort of Szechuan but sauce for perhaps?
A favourite campfire meal of mine is pan fried trout with capers and flaked almonds. But that, of course, is contingent on getting some fish…
Once you admit the possibilities of adding to menus from nature, the doors to a whole other world of possibilities are opened of course.
Lots to go at here….
Warm regards,
Paul
Thanks Paul really useful vidoe especially as I’m planning to canoe the Spey with some friends later this year, I’ll be sending then the link and challenging them to the side pocket requirement!!!
It’s spooky how similar your methods and tastes are to my own. As usual, I find it hard to disagree with anything you post.
I have taken at one time or another all the things you include and, in addition, I include at least one pack of noodles. This is because they need minimal cooking time and so less fuel. Much of my camping is in areas where fires are not allowed, so fuel has to be carried.
The fuel question is something I bear in mind when supermarket shopping. I always read the cooking instuctions carefully and reject anything that require lengthy simmering. It may be worth pointing out that different pastas have different cooking times and I always go for “quickcook” fusili as being the most versatile. I rely heavily on couscous because it need only boiling water to be added. 500cl makes enough for a brew and a cup of couscous.
I do so agree about taste. I include tiny packs of herbs and or spicesand always pepper sachets pinched from service stations!
Paul,
That’s great! I have never packed for a whole week only ever for a long weekend using the same principals. What I have done though is used those cuppa soups as a sauce with the pasta. Just drain off most of the cooking water then add the soup mix. Not as much water as for the soup which makes it thicker.
Stew
Hey, thanks Paul,
You’ve opened the door to a topic I’ve been interested in for some time, namely: the different tastes from other countries. You British like your tea, I get it.
Here’s my preferences from The States.
Lots of coffee
Spices & seasonings (especially Tobasco)
Olive oil packets
“coolaid with sugar”
Sardines canned
Oysters canned
Pop tarts
And, don’t forget the vitamin tablets!
An interesting and informative video, Paul. Thank you.
Jim
I really like those packs of couscous & with a little care they can be rehydrated in the packet. Little packs of Haribo and/or jelly babies are my sugar-boost treat. I also like the better quality noodles that can be had from good Asian super markets, Korean brands are a bit more chewy and satisfying (125g pack = 370 calories). Tom Yum stock cubes give anything a spicy kick, Knorr make them but again you have to scour the Asian supper markets, whilst your there look for powdered coconut milk too. As you say flavour is important. So +1 for dried ceps. And chilli flakes. And ras el-hanout (especially in couscous). Gravy granules are a good thickener for improvised pasta sauce, and parsley sauce granules go great with your tuna & Smash. Many supermarkets stock dried onion.
I keep a ‘camping food’ box at home and buy things with a long shelf-life when they are on offer and throw them in the store box for later. There are some good tips, especially regarding cooking times, in your video and in the comments.
Such a shame we don’t see powdered orange-juice in super markets any more. Typing this has also just made me think of Vesta curry! Classic camping food from the 1970s 😀
Powered orange juice Tang available from Amazon
Hi Paul, good video as always. Very similar to the way I pack, however I tend to prefer rice dishes over the pasta, beef jerky as my meat source, and hot chocolate and coffee to drink. Usually just put instant coffee in a ziplock mixed with brown sugar and coffee whitener. I also like to add to my food by fishing and foraging, but I always have enough incase I don’t catch or find anything.
Hi Paul,
A-ma-zing. Great! All packable into a side-pocket and all from a supermarket (Sainsbury’s? – my regular). I tend to be really conservative when it comes to food on my camping trips (usually only a few days long) – I take the same stuff each time and have pretty much the same for each meal each day give or take a few different flavours. Veg stew: potatoes, carrots, turnip, whatever, diced and boiled with a tin of mackerel or a tin of meat curry, say bunged into the billy can. Lunch is apples/bananas/clementines plus lump of cheese plus nuts/raisins. Breakfast is porridge with diced banana and ground almonds followed by apple. Tea throughout day. Occasional hot chocolate treat. And for morale (carried in first aid kit) is bournville chocolate, two chunks per day average. All this is really heavy and bulky. I now realise because of your article that it is because of the water in the veg, fruit and tins. It’s all good, healthy, delicious stuff … but no wonder I don’t get very far … it’s because of the weight! Thanks for the article, really useful.
Eric
Great video, this will really help.
No oats so simple though? (Or Oats very complicated if you are James Bath x)
🙂 I think James would say Oats So Sickening…
I’m a bit off OSS at the moment too Shakey.
Granola for me these days…
The two mixed together are alright too.
See you soon,
Paul
I might be wrong but looking at the food there I can see a lot of calories but almost no vitamins and minerals. Everything is heavily processed and nothing is fresh produce. When I pack I always try and take as much fresh fruit as possible. I know they take more space and weight more but are full of vitamins. I can’t imagine taking some bananas and dates for example. After eating such foods as in your video for a week I feel shit.
Another thing is animal protein, especially casein (protein found in cow’s milk) isn’t very good for you and even stimulates cancer growth. I would stick with plant protein. All details to back this up are in “the china study” by T.Campbell (sorry, I don’t know if I can post these details here, if not then please delete it) and couple other books.
Hi Kris,
Thanks for your comment.
While I agree that this is far from being a diet of fresh produce, it is highly impractical to pack fresh fruit and vegetables for a week long hike where you are covering any real distance (10-20 miles per day) due to the high water content. If you are bimbling around the woods or hiking for a day into a fixed camp then taking side walks away using only a day pack, then maybe.
There is much more scope for taking some fresh produce on a canoe trip – I favour carrots, onions and red cabbage in particular as they last a good long while. These can be used to cook as well as make nice salads, which can also contain dried fruit such as sultanas.
Remember that the proposed menu in my video is answering a specific question – how to get a week’s worth of food in a side pocket – and it is doing so in the context of equipment packed for woodland living/bushcraft in the northern temperate or boreal environment with the presence of trees. Therefore I’m working on the basis that their will be no shortage of either fuel (i.e. firewood) or water.
If you know that “after eating such foods as in your video for a week I feel shit”, then you don’t need the suggestions it contains and you should find alternatives which suit you, even if that means carrying a larger/heavier rucksack. Trips always involve compromise when it comes to packing and provisioning. The compromises we make have to be based on both our own physique and physiology as well as the aims and practical constraints of the trip.
Warm regards,
Paul
Paul,
Again great video about food. Food is a difficult subject for a lot of bushcrafters. Although the dehydrated vs hydrated food have both strong points. Hydrated food can be taken on short trips (2-3 days), because you mostly can eat them uncooked and do not use extra water (no fire needed and takes no water from your current water supply), but gives some extra weight. On the longer trips I would go for the dehydrated food, but still would take 1 day of food hydrated. Funny that I got 70-80% of the same food choice.
Hi Rody,
It’s good to hear from you.
I agree – you have more flexibility with food choices for shorter trips. Also, I think you are right that you can take fresh food for the start of a trip. This is something I do more on canoe trips than hiking trips but is a valid point for either.
Warm regards,
Paul
Paul,
I have been long awaiting this video as I knew it would benefit me.
I had some ideas from the elementary course when we did the short hike and stayed out, also I have been using the Freezer bags.
I have been taking Pasta, Oats, Tuna (or other fish), Cereal bars etc. Also I always have a bannok mix 😉 (it’s my fave ”camp” food)
My problem is meat. I will eat the dried spicy sausage type foods if I must, but I would much prefer an alternative as I’m not that keen on them.
Supermarkets carry beef stew & chilli in cans. Also, chicken and corned beef.
Hi Liam,
If your are not a fan of chorizo, you could always pack more fish. Alternatively, jerky is a good option. Also, in terms of protein, you could even take dried TVP mince aimed at vegetarians…
Cheers,
Paul
Excellent video as usual. When I went on a long distance hike I craved salted peanuts. I think salt is quite an important commodity. I walked the Ridgeway LDP and carried all my own food and worked out the calorific values before hand too, just like you did.
I am going on anothe long distance hike soon. It is good to have an adventure.
Sandy
Thanks Sandy.
I agree salt is important and I’ve craved it on walks before. Once your body gets used to the exertion of a multi-day hike, though, it craves things a lot less. I don’t eat a lot of salt generally and this side pocket diet contains a fair amount of salt (e.g. granola and oatcakes).
Adventures are indeed good. Where are you headed on your next hike?
Cheers,
Paul
Paul
Great informative video, gave me a good insight on how foods can be packed for week-long journeys and how to distribute the calories-intake over the days and meals. I’m getting to work right away, my food bag needs some modifications after seeing this!
Hey Ruud,
Thanks for your comment. I’m glad this was useful to you.
Let me know how you get on with the new ideas.
Warm regards,
Paul
Hi Paul, great video, I really enjoyed that.
I can’t stand the pre packaged pasta and sauce mixes, so the idea of taking the packets of powder is a brilliant idea I had not thought of!!
I would love to no the weight of the pouch full of good and maybe the cost please?
The only thing I would add to that is maybe some meat other than chrizo as I’m not a big fan, I would either dehydrate a big bunch of hamburger rocks/minced beef and also maybe buy some packs of flavoured and plain jerky to add to my pasta dishes as it rehydrated very well.
Other than just a few packets of instant hot chocolate as I love that before bed when I’m camping.
Keep the videos coming mate.
Hi Steve,
It’s good to know that the video provided a few ideas for you.
The weight of the food is in the video with other key data at 12:40 – 12:50. 5.2kg.
Jerky is good if you can make your own. Otherwise I think it’s very expensive – very small amounts in packets that make it look like you are buying more. I don’t disagree that it’s a good thing to take though. We pack several kilos when we head out winter camping on northern Sweden.
I’ll do my best to keep the camera rolling… 🙂
Cheers,
Paul
Hi Paul
Excellent video mate, your menu is about 90% the same as what i usually like to take out with me even down to the brands. I like to slip a few sachets of porridge oats into my pack, I find a hot breakfast in the morning is a good morale booster and i quite often take some flour to make bannock. I agree about the hydrated camping meals, too heavy too expensive and some of them are pretty rubbish (I slipped a couple into my pack for the bushcraft show and wasn’t impressed).
James
Ps. You can’t beat sesame snaps, have you tried the yoghurt coated ones.
Hi James,
As always, it’s good to hear from you.
I agree, sachets of porridge oats are good source of energy. I think I’ve eaten too much of them over the past ten years – we use them a lot on courses. I’m on a bit of a granola revival at the moment. I used to eat a lot of granola and muesli back in my mountain biking days. Granola mixed with plain Oats So Simple is a good combo – takes the edge off the sweetness of the granola but a lot more interesting (both in terms of flavour and texture) than plain OSS.
Yes, I’ve tried the yoghurt covered Sesame Snaps. Very good!
All the best,
Paul
Thanks for that link Paul, I’ve been having trouble finding them recently. I just ordered 2 packs.
All the best James
What are boiled sweets?
Hard candy
Hi Paul. Great video and some very useful tips. I would probably include some packeted savoury rice as an alternative to the pasta or maybe a combination of both. Thanks for taking the time to do the video and for sharing. Take care. ATB Chris
Hi Chris, yes rice is a good alternative. The flavoured/spiced packeted versions make a tasty, convenient option.
Good suggestion.
Warm regards,
Paul
Hi Paul, excellent video, there were a few things in there I would never have considered before but you have given me some food for thought (sorry, couldn’t resist) some excellent choice and menu options making the meals interesting, I shall spend my next shopping trip with the wife and kids with an alternate shopping list checking out the relative sizes and weights and even looking at other options. The one thing I do take with me are a few mug shots, they use near enough the same amount of water as a brew and not much longer to make and eat, they’re easy to pack and if you have space you can fit them anywhere. This article will make an interesting evening or two with my cubs and scouts,
Cheers, Gareth.
haha Gareth, good pun 🙂
I’m glad you found it interesting and hope you find it useful going forwards.
Good tip re the Mug Shots
Thanks for your comment.
Warm regards,
Paul
If you. Haven’t got much in the way of reserves atora atora atora at night, 50g+ will have you wide awake and full of energy
Hi Peter, yes lard and suet both increase the calorie count considerably.
Great video and it mirrors much of the packing that we do in Canada for northern canoe trips. Nevertheless, I would add a small bottle of cooking oil as oil has double the calories by weight of protein. As well, I make my own beef jerky, and also dry chick peas (from canned chick peas) – both are versatile and are good additions to stews.
Hi Jim,
Yes, fat is 9 calories per gram, more than double the 4 calories/gram of carbs or protein. The fat content of the food in the video is reasonably high but I agree a bottle of oil goes a long way to increasing this. I certainly take oil on canoe trips, where I have more room for bottles, etc., even in a small wannigan.
Another option for adding more fat content to your food, especially if you are carrying flour for bannock, pancakes, flatbreads, etc is to take some suet too. You can use this combined with the flour to make dumplings at least but also melt it and use it in a similar way to oil, without the risk of it leaking along the way.
I’m a big fan of chick peas – both in stews/tagines as well as making my own houmous at home. Good choice sir!
Warm regards,
Paul
Enjoyed the video,
We (my son and I), just returned from a backpacking trip in the Green Mountains of Vermont. (The Long Trail to be specific). We could have taken your menu exactly but we substituted instant oatmeal for our breakfasts. Something we often do is bring some frozen steak for our first evening meal. Yes, it’s heavy but by the time we get to where we’re going and set up camp, it is defrosted and makes a delicious entre’ for our first day on the trail. Besides, our packs are that much lighter when we start out the next morning!
Hi Rob,
It’s great to hear that you and your son go out hiking/camping together. Yup I also use instant oats sometimes but I find it a little harder to clean up after than granola. A granola/oat mix is also good.
I think your idea of taking out a steak for the first night is a nice one and something I’ve certainly done in the past. It fits well with the short/half-a-day start that works so well to ease you into a journey… like the Hudson’s Bay Start.
I hope you get to enjoy many more backpacking trips together (with good food!) 😉
Warm regards,
Paul
The side pouch is a useful pack limiter. If equipment and clothing fit into a pair of side pouches, chances are that’s going to work as a load, by the time food and water are added to the burden. At least in hotter climates. I have been known to set off to the airport with two well packed side pouches, inside a ruck with space to spare. There is such a thing as too much gear.
Hi John,
Yes, limiting kit or food to a particular volume definitely focuses your mind on what is important.
As hard as it is, sitting at home, cutting back to the bare necessities, you always thank yourself for having that discipline once you hit the trail.
Cheers,
Paul
Has this video been taken down? It’s the only one which does not play.
Nope. It’s still there!
Hi Paul,
A very informative video, I just wondered what your thoughts are on rice or mielie-meal in place of the pasta (maybe take portions of all 3?) to add further verity?
Thanks Jason
Hi Jason,
Yes rice or mealie-meal would make a decent substitute.
Long grain brown rice is around 370 calories/100g dry weight.
According to this resource, mealie-meal is 328 calories/100g, with 72g of carbohydrate.
Variety is always good but also take what you enjoy.
Warm regards,
Paul
What a timely video as i’ve been looking into exactly this, on my recent trips i’ve carried way too much crap and not enough calorie rich foods. It didn’t cross my mind to carry solely dehydrated foods as you are right, the water full ones are way to heavy. I’ve never been a fan of the camping meals as they are way over priced for what they are. Many thanks as always for taking the time to share this video and yes, I was one of those people who watched your previous video thinking “How the hell does he fit one weeks worth of food in that one side pouch…” 🙂 ~Peace~
Hi Zed,
Good to hear from you my friend. I’m glad this video was both timely and useful.
Let me know how you get on with some of my suggestions.
Warm regards,
Paul
Hi Paul thank you for posting the video about the food you take for a week, I have recently been taking packets of dehydrated rice, super noodles and salami, I do take stock cubes, packet soups, mixed nuts and raisons, small bars of chocolate small resealable bags of sugar, milk powder and packets of porridge, I still carry a 24hr ration pack in my kit (old habits)
Hi Ian,
My pleasure. Thanks also for sharing what works for you. Sounds like a good mix.
Warm regards,
Paul
I’d be interested to know at cookset you use Paul, for 7 days, packed in your sabre 45, and if your diet [and cookset] changes when you are in a canoe?
Thankyou.
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your message.
All the details of the kit and how I pack it are in the following two posts. If you haven’t seen them, you’ll find them interesting, I think:
http://paulkirtley.co.uk/2011/bushcraft-camping-equipment/
http://paulkirtley.co.uk/2013/how-to-pack-a-bushcraft-camping-outfit/
Yes, my diet and cooking apparatus do change somewhat when I am in a canoe. While I don’t subscribe to the notion that you can carry a tonne of kit in a 16ft canoe (anyone who claims you can has never done much portaging), you are afforded with more space for your kit as well as the fact it is not on your back ALL day.
The above article (and the two linked articles) very much revolve on packing minimally for the woods, using a modestly sized backpack.
I’ll add some articles about canoe outfits to my to-do list 😉
Warm regards,
Paul
Thanks for the links Paul. I ‘d seen one but not the other. The canoe outfits sounds good. Keep em coming! :0)
Will do Dave, will do.
I can’t really add much more to what everyone else has said, but I will say that I have always found your videos to be informative and instructional and I thank you for that. Well done Paul.
Comment #60 😉 LoL
Hey Duncan.
It’s good to hear from you. It’s been a while… 🙂
Thanks for your kind words about my material. While one is only as good as their last video, I’m glad you are still following what I do after all these years 🙂
Cheers.
Paul
PS well done for hitting comment #60 🙂
Thanks for this…again…perfect timing, and great ideas…I am planning a 10-day solo trip for this fall, and food planning is a big concern.
Hey Tom, good to hear from you. Glad this was timely.
Whereabouts are you headed for your solo trip?
Warm regards,
Paul
Hi Paul,
Great video, I didn’t think it possible when I read the title. I think I have been too reliant on boil in the bags in the past. Really like the tuna sachet idea. I do tend to carry the odd stock cube as well as sachets from instant noodles as a hot drink alternative, or additional seasoning, they take up virtually no space and weigh little. Glad to see you are a chorizo fan too.
All the best.
Chris
Hi Chris,
Yes, Chorizo is a firm favourite. Tasty as it comes; even more tasty cooked. A good, compact source of protein and fats on a trip too.
Stock cubes are a good idea, I agree. I particularly like them in winter as you can make a boullion drink with them too if you like.
Seasoning is a good idea too – a little salt, pepper and chilli go a long way 😉
Thanks for your comment.
Warm regards,
Paul
Hi Paul,
Thanks for the video. I have a Sabre 45 that I traded for with someone years ago, and enjoy the pack. I’m glad you posted this, as I often pack one of the side pouches the same, and the other with my stove & water kit. I want to pass on a little trick I picked up somewhere when it comes to packing food, and creating a little more room.
One thing I do is break down my food into a 24 hour ration pack. I usually use a quart bag for this. Inside it, I have my breakfast items, to include my coffee, lunch, a powdered power drink, snack, dinner, and usually a cocoa packet and some sort of dessert-cookies, candy bar, etc. I mix & match for variety, but find this useful, as I can simply pull whatever bag is on top, and that’s my bag for the day for all my food. I do usually have a separate, smaller GORP type snack, or something like sunflower seeds, or hard candy, that I munch on throughout the day, that doesn’t get packed in with the rest of the food, but I found that by making ration packs, it keeps the food more organized, and is usually already broken down into serving size. I’ve been able to get up to 7 days worth of these into a side pocket. Hopefully, this little tip helps you, or others! Thanks again from across the pond!
Hi Paul
Great vid. I’m on a bit of a weight saving exercise at the mo in an effort to extend me walking trips. And I like the ideas you have here, but have a question about your cook kit for it all.
I’m trying to get down to only carrying a small jetboil stove and wondered if you had tried cooking up your meals on such a device?
Currently I’m using dehydrated meals, but am looking for cheaper/more readily available alternatives.
Cheers
Jack
Hi Jack,
Good to hear from you my friend.
I have used Jetboils as well as the larger MSR Reactor. Both have excellent, low boil times. Neither are great for cooking with. They are designed to boil water quickly so boiling water for dehydrated meals is a strength and cooking starch staples such as rice or pasta works OK. Also boiling water to add to cous cous works fine. When it comes to adding sauces, they are not too great but it is possible. As long as you get the water levels right, it shouldn’t weld any food to the pot. If you are going to simmer dishes for any length of time, though, I’d look to a more versatile stove.
Hope this helps.
Warm regards,
Paul
Ha, just as I feared. Looks like I’ve got some experimenting to do. I must admit for my bushcraft trips you’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head for what I take. I did notice that you missed one vital element off of your list. And that was the 4kgs of sausages, but nobody’s perfect.
Hi Paul, really enjoyed your talk at the Bushcraft Show.:-) Here’s a variation that I like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG0rtPgmq0w
I do wilderness tripping. I have taken a lot of similar foods. One of the things I notice you don’t have is vegetables. And fresh vegetables are great on a trip after a couple of days. To that end I sometimes take mung beans and sprout them on the trip. They will grow fairly quickly and give you great fresh vegetables. Other than that, sometimes I take beef jerky…can either snack on it or use it in a meal. Also powdered hot chocolate mixes, and dried fruit (home made).
Great video Paul, I have forwarded a link to a group of my scouts who are doing several hikes in coming months….. Just to prove food can be lightweight, tasty and does not need to cost a fortune in the outdoor shops. Also like all the little tips like freezer lock bags
Mike
thanks for the great video. funny how many of us have the same basic menu. i tend to haunt my local asian supermarket and found some ‘instant’ barley – basically cooked then rehydrated – and found that it’s a nice alternative to pasta. i also typically get landjaeger rather than chorizo and stick it in the dehydrator if my butcher shop doesn’t have any that is nicely mummified, as i call it. i tend to break down my base meal ingredients into daily portions so i don’t have to mess with portioning out. i found a repice for home made lara bar type snacks, and make my own that are more suited to my tastes; it’s a great energy boost and is pretty healthy as it’s nuts, dates, cocoa, a bit of peanut butter and a pinch of salt.
a great way to bring fat is to fill a tube or small jar with ghee; it’s great to add to oatmeal or supper, or can be used if you plan on fishing. there’s a brand of bullion called ‘better than bullion’ (available in canada) that while it’s moist, it’s infinitely better than just plain dried bullion in terms of flavour in your evening meal.
Another superb presentation Paul, Thanks.
I learned the hard way walking the North Downs Way earlier this year. Each 24 hour ration pack did for two days (I needed to lose a bit of weight for the tracking course) but the weight! Ugh. This would have made a lot of difference going up some of the bigger hills. Only one thing, though; Chorizo is the work of the devil. However, John Deval’s wild boar and venison salami sounds worth a try as a substitute!
Again, another a top quality, well researched presentation, thanks for sharing.
Great article, I’m a big believer of the KISS rule and your video adheres to this principle totally.
One thing I tend to do is take a few sachets of instant porridge along with some sachets of hot chocolate for breakfast. It makes the porridge taste a little less bland and mixes well with the porridge as it already contains powdered milk. A great little pick me up especially if it’s been a cold/wet night.
like many comments above, i tend to shy away from food that requires long simmering times. as you say, it’s less of an issue with wood fires in the woods rather than being reliant on petrochemical fuels on a hilltop.
smash (dehydrated potato flakes) is an amazingly versatile food. you can make an easy to drink pap with smash and a cup-a-soup when you’re just too knackered to eat a proper meal. it can be used to thicken stews and combined with oat flakes and or flour for alternatives to run of the mill bannock.
the little sachets of dried vegetables don’t add much in the way of calories, but do add a little bit of colour to yet another meal of mash or rice, (not a huge pasta fan me) as does a sprinkling of chilli flakes.
good article, cheers, and.
Hello Paul,
Yet another great video….thankyou, I found it very informative.
Personally I like to have some bannock pre mixed with some chopped hazelnuts, chopped or flaked almonds & raisons with me. I know it’s weighty & a little bulky but it’s just so tasty. I also like them smoked sausages as they go well in with pasta or with chorizo to make kebabs when cooked over the fire. I don’t have a sweet tooth & suffer quite badly from tooth ache when I eat sweet things so I carry Dextro Energy tablets instead of the boiled sweets.
I’m a big fan of finding & catching other food sources while I’m out….you can’t beat natures larder! 🙂
Nice video. I’m just back from a seven day hike in Sweden, my first longer multi-day hike, and I’m pleased to see you pretty much have the same foods as I’d brought. Although I have to admit I had less at 2.4kg after dumping all my lunches which brought it down from 4.4. I was fine although by day 6 I felt I didn’t have the strength to chance a 30km walk involving climbing Kebnekaisse, which was a disappointment given the amazing weather. I had about 240g of porridge inc mixed in lentils and dried fruit for brekkie, followed by a Snickers bar for lunch, and a Cuppa-Soup and bag of noodles or cous-cous for evening meal, and that was it. All from Lidl and Aldi. I’m 6 foot and usually weigh about 87kgs and after four days stuffing my face in Stockholm I’m still about half a stone under what I’d started out with. Had the forecast been worse or it been longer duration I’d definitely have had all the extra stuff, but I know from multiple 1 to 2 day hikes at home that I can easily survive on this much without being hungry so I decided a week was easily do-able and a good way to lose some flab.
Smashin’ video amigo. Will take some of those ideas on board. Off into Sandwood Bay area for a few days wilderness and fishing. Smoked sausage is a nice alternative to chorizo too. I always take some herbs n spices, chilli powder, curry powder, corriander just to add some flavour. Might also stop en route at Glen Turret to see if they’ve perfected some dehydrated single malt. 🙂
Cheers fur noo and dinnae be a stranger.
Windy
Smashin’ video amigo. Will take some of those ideas on board. Off into Sandwood Bay area for a few days wilderness and fishing. Smoked sausage is a nice alternative to chorizo too. I always take some herbs n spices, chilli powder, curry powder, corriander just to add some flavour. Might also stop en route at Dalwhinnie to see if they’ve perfected some dehydrated single malt. 🙂
Cheers fur noo and dinnae be a stranger.
Windy
Howdy Duderino,
Thanks for your comment on the video.
Glad you liked it.
The spices and flavours you mentioned are all good ones – yum!
Dalwhinnie is always worth a stop, whatever the excuse. Let me know if they have the dehydrated version yet. If not, I’ll check again soon 😉
TTFN
Hi Paul,
Good factual video as always, thanks for putting in the effort. I always take dried oats as it doesn’t take long to cook, especially if you can pre soak for a bit. I can’t stand skimmed milk, but in the Asian stores you can get full cream dried milk, much tastier. Condensed milk in a tube might be a bit extra weight, but so worth it for breakfast and brews. Chocolate raisins or M&M’s are also worth considering. I add oxo cubes for a brew or food use as I’m not keen on cup soups, and dried ‘erbs chile powder etc for pasta and rice. Spicy dried sausage is great at the end of the day toasted over the fire with a wee dram of Jameson, and a brucey bonus if the stars are out.
Hi Martin,
Thanks. I’m glad you like the video.
I like your additons, particularly the M&Ms and the Jameson’s 🙂
All the best,
Paul
Really informative video Paul, thank you!
It was very useful for me to be shown the concept of thinking in terms of calories I and not just size of meal as I do eat a lot and tend to take quite a lot of food but this has allowed me to reduce the amount I take by being more efficient with the calories.
One thing that I would perhaps replace one of the chorizo sausages with is a can of corned beef (opened and stored in a bag) because I find it adds some more variety and contains a good amount of protein and fat.
One again, an excellent video!
Joe
Hi Joe,
It’s good to hear from you. I hope you are well and everything is going well?
I agree regarding corned beef as a good alternative. I use it more on canoe trips, when absolute weight (and bulk) of packaging is less of an issue.
Good stuff!
Warm regards,
Paul
Hi Paul!
Yes thanks, got on the instructor’s course and start on the 10th, very excited! Also starting work as a Judo instructor which should be fun!
That makes a lot of sense. I haven’t done a walking trip longer than 4 days where we have taken all our food but I can imagine that any weight that can be saved should be for a longer trip.
Best wishes,
Joe
Hello Paul, I have just returned from my six week trek through the Alps and found this video waiting for me. I thought I would share some of my recent experience. I found that over a long period you need to be adaptable. This led me, when I found a shop, to choosing food that could be used in a variety of ways. The logic of this took me to carrying more basic ingredients. When the granola ran out I found myself eating a custard made with dried milk, powdered egg, and raisins and sugar, thickened with polenta for breakfast. This dish developed after my supply of Birds Eye custard ran out! In fact powdered egg, which I found marketed as a sports food supplement is incredibly useful, although a little smelly! The powdered egg also went into spaghetti carbonnade, scrambled egg, pancakes and scones and drunk neat as a sports supplement. The polenta, which is similar to semolina, also thickened packet soups and of course could be used as simple carbohydrate with cheese and tomato sauce. The raisins could be eaten as a trail food and were also put into the scones. The other decision I made was to give up the coffee, which contains hardly any calories for hot chocolate. A thick mug of hot chocolate makes a good calorific pudding for very little weight. I also bought dried mountain sausage and ham which can be eaten heated in a dish or uncooked.
I have one final thought. On the trail I developed a routine at the end of each day of making myself drink 600ml of water ie a nearly full mug of water with a dissolved fizzy electrolyte tablet. The difference this made to my energy levels after a long hot day was remarkable, and gave me that boost to enjoy setting up camp. Best wishes James
Hi James,
It’s great to hear from you. I was thinking about you just the other day actually – I wondered how you were doing and remembered I still owe you an email from way back at the beginning of the year!
Thanks for sharing your experiences – and concoctions – from your Alps trip. Even from your discussion of the menu, it sounds like you had a great adventure.
I agree powdered egg is useful – I’ve used it regularly in Canada, where it is more easily available. Carrying flour, powdered eggs and powdered milk, along with baking powder allows you to make a whole range of things, including pancakes.
I hope you are not now coming back down to reality with too much of a bump?
Warm regards,
Paul
Excellent video Paul, enjoyed watching it and love your presentation of it including the breakdown table to review all the portions and the calorific content. It’s important to remember the calories needed and just watching the video after you showed all the things you would take for a week I don’t see how people couldn’t think that wasn’t a weeks worth of food or wasn’t a “big” meal. I thought they were all huge and could easily see myself getting by on that and I’m a bigger lad too 🙂
Hi Paul,
Great video and after a sly watch at work, I’ve sent the link home to watch in comfort! I think it’s great you break it down so well and cover nutritional needs properly, rather than just cramming in even more noodles!
I don’t get many extended trips to the woods, but as a strength athlete I take a lot of food when comparing it to other folk on nights out. Of course, I accept my diet will suffer when I’m away from my fridge full of steak and brown rice – I don’t try to gain weight in the woods nor worry about power – but doing my best to stick to my meals ensures I don’t start flaking out when I’m solo – and remain human when in company! I joke, but on a recent walk across South Downs, wildcamping all the way with all my kit plus heavy tripod and camera, it REALLY became important I remained positive and focussed, for my sake and my two friends also.
I don’t exactly count my macros (aka calorie counting), but I’m well attuned to the amounts of each (protein, fats, carbs) I need to function right – stops that “I’ve just eaten dinner and I’m already eating tomorrow’s lunch” kind of situation developing. I need to do a lot more research though, as I understand some of my regular foods aren’t a good idea in the outdoors. Walnuts for example, I’ve been warned away from by Bushcrafters, as with dried mango. It’s stuff I’ve seen hints of but as I say, I need to research it in depth. Not sure if it’s all down to them “costing” you a lot of water in digestion… I’ll work it out though.
Cheers for the the vid and all the other info I’m absorbing on your site!
All the best
Brady
Just as an alternative if you aren’t partial to pasta, I like to use polenta as a main source of crabs. It has some advantages over pasta, firstly you save lots of fuel in cooking it as you don’t need to boil it like pasta and rice, you bring your water to the boil then add your maize to it and you can, with experience adjust the texture to you own preference. Second it can be made into both savoury meals or sweet. Try making a quick caramel sauce in your in your Billy can with sugar and water. Add milk powder to your polenta water ( make it on the runnier side) a pinch of nutmeg then drizzle the caramel over your pud. “jumbo delish”. Try different combinations of savoury or sweet.
Excellent vid, with some top tips. I take powdered potato, Mr Mash as it lacks the back taste of other brands. For sachets, look on e-bay especially for ‘Squash Stix’ also for sachets of various other things use e-bay or ‘sachetsandmore.com’. Butter will keep if kept out the sun and powdered egg is a must for me. It’s available and not a WWII thing, Dried fruit including blueberries or ‘Erts’ (ertleberries) down here are easily available and of course nuts of varying hues……..Good item and well written/commentated/researched. Taken a lot of the mathematical homework out of it for the serious explorer and like myself bumbler/ambler alike
Thanks very interesting video I will share with members of my scout troop to try and further their thinking and imaginations for hiking
hey Paul thank you for the video i find it very informative i was surprised at how much food you got the pack. it certainly give me food for thought. being a big guy i always have a problem with food but after watching your video i have now a better idea of how to Pack for long term camping .
please keep the videos coming i learnt so much from you and others it really is a blessing thanks again. Keep er lit
Hi Vinny,
Thanks for your comments. I’m very happy to read that you found this article and video valuable. Thanks for your feedback on the usefulness of my material. Keep getting out there and trying things, making them your own.
Warm regards,
Paul
paul an add to your dried noodles just tried Tiger instant noodles singapore curry flavour wow .Not your average instant noodles three sachets to add oil/soy spice/chilli and a separate flavouring.The tastiest i have ever tried and only 50p .Great blog
Cheers Kez
Thanks for the tip Kez.
Any Chinese supermarket sells Nong Shim (they’re Korean and a superior ramen) and I’ve also seen them in Tescos.
If you want to get serious about varieties:
http://www.theramenrater.com/tag/ramen-reviews/
!!
Thanks Phil. Ramentastic! 🙂
Hi Paul.
Some people I hear are saying that there is too much fat in the 7 day survival side pack. Well everyone, guess what? When you are out doing things in the outdoors, you burn a lot of energy. Being a diabetic, any physical activity burns a energy like crazy. It then becomes a yo yo to regulate blood gluclose levels. When outdoors, you burn more energy and the cellular structure of your body goes into high gear. Fat and more food are a must and requirement just to survive. You can go to the “food guide” and preach about healthy foods you should be eating but the bottom line is are you going to survive comfortably or are you going to be “wanting” more food and feeling anxiety about the situation. The trick is to “spoil” yourself and get along without pshycological strees to an already stressful situation.
Hi Murray,
Indeed, I think we are on the same wavelength.
I hope you also saw the additional article I wrote to look at the nutritional breakdown of the side pouch menu: http://paulkirtley.co.uk/2014/nutritional-breakdown-of-the-plce-side-pocket-menu/
All the best,
Paul
Just recently started looking at your site. Live in Texas so a few things are a tad different here. One thing I take is a variation of a trail food indigenous to native Americans of the SW deserts. Pinole. Can be made in various forms but all are healthy and sustainable. I toast chia seeds, quinoa flour, masa harina, oats, cinnamon, salt, red pepper in a dry skillet add stevia to taste. Grind to a powder In food processor. Will keep months if kept dry. Eat for breakfast by adding dry milk and fruit or a couple tsp fulls and water. Also can add shredded wheat.
Hi Mark,
Welcome and thanks for your comment.
That’s an interesting recipe and one I might try if I can source the ingredients or most of them.
Thanks for sharing this with me and other readers.
Warm regards,
Paul
Many thanks for such another very informative video. (My son recommended you – he spends most weekends on Dartmoor) I am doing 315 miles of the South West Coast Path for charity and will be re-supplied at the end of each week, so this has been invaluable.
My problem is that my very comfortable Berghaus Torridon 65 litre rucksack has internal side-pockets, which in my opinion aren’t very practical. The Berghaus Vulcan attachable side-pockets seem quite expensive, but I feel that I need an attachment to carry my food. Any alternative suggestions would be most gratefully accepted.
Hi Mel,
Thanks for getting in touch.
For many years I backpacked with a pack without sidepockets. It’s perfectly feasible to put your food inside your main pack. Not having (heavy) sidepockets also has some advantages with respect to your balance.
What I would recommend is getting some lightweight stuff-sacks in various colours and putting evening meals in one, lunch supplies in another and breakfasts and brew kit in a third. If you can get three different colours to make them easily recognisable, then all the better.
These can then be placed inside your main pack compartment and will fit better for packing amongst other items than trying to have all your food in one lump.
In the morning, take your lunch and snacks for the day and put them in your top lid pocket or side pocket for easy access.
I hope this helps.
Warm regards,
Paul
I used this menu on a recent week long packrafting trip in Scotland and it was excellent, we never ran out of energy and looked forward to every meal, plus I’m pretty sure I went down a belt loop which was a bonus. Boiled sweets in hip pockets are essential in my view (especially the ones with sherbet in the middle of them), the dried mushrooms went down very well also. Only slight miss was the fish and sauce packets, best that could probably be said is that they tasted better than they looked…
Thanks very much for sharing
Hi Paul,
As a base menus this is really good, I trialled it for a short 4 night trip and I’ve just done a 7 nights with the same menu as your article (with some spicy peperami to liven things up a bit). Fairly busy week, felling , limbing, sectioning and spitting trees. Came home and unpacked and I still had a day if not a day and halfs worth of calories in the bag ! and I wasn’t going hungry for the week either. I’m a 6′ , 80kg guy with a reasonable amount of muscle so I would be burning a decent amount of calories a day. Really impressed with this. Thank you.
Hi Paul !Thank you for another informative video.
I just wanted to say that I carry with me, along with all the other foods I have, beans and dark chocolate for cooking.
Thank you and wishing I expect a new video.
Respect!
Bozidar
Croatia
Hi paul, spent a lot of time trekking.! For every 7days I would carry ‘breakfasts’-1kg rolled oats,500g dry dates(boil dates then add oats, cinnamon &more water, let soak overnight), ‘evening meals’-1kg basmati rice, 200g dry mix veg, a load of powder packet soups for flavour & 500g jar peanut butter(great thickener). I would also take 1kg salted peanuts and 14 muesli bars-‘daytime snacks’. & 1 or 2x 200g bar chocolate(evening treat). I know this is repetitive meals but this is just fuel to me. I would also catch fish and forage any other local wild foods. The only luxury was fresh ground coffee.! Double the amounts, This was about 9kg at the start and, along with water, was heavy added to 12kg pack but I was positively skipping by the end of a 2week journey.! Great way to loose weight though ;0)
Hi Paul,
Great video and very informative. I was interested in what you had to say as I am looking into a unsupported trip which will last for 30 days, and quite frankly the thought of trying to carry a months worth of food and fuel scares the hell out of me. We are about the same build, so the calorie count works for me. I was wondering if you had any experience or advice on setting up caches on the trail. It’s a possible option but haven’t done it before. It’ll be in the UK… I know what your going to say, ‘why not buy stuff on the route’… Well it’s more than a hike and need to stay off grid completely… It’s a kind of game/quest/challenge sort of thing. I know your a busy man, so any advice would be very gratefully received. Loving the blog
Regards Dave
David,
Hope Paul doesn’t mind me answering before him, but thought I’d add my thoughts. Also you could try the ‘ask Paul Kirtley’ – via twit/Instagram ?
I don’t see why you couldn’t. Think the biggest problems would be animals. So airtight containers, then put that in a metal (or wooden – easy fuel for the night) box to protect from digging damage. I’d also leave a note on top and inside saying what’s it for and contact details just incase some one does dig it up.
Depth, do some research but your probably looking at 600mm/2 feet + depth of box to keep animals away from it – might be less with airtight kit??
Location. Absolutely crushal, don’t forget where you’ve put it 😉 . Don’t mark the hole, attracts attention and probably won’t last anyway. You want at least three unmovable markers that lead you to that exact location. ie, when the trunk of the oak is inline with the gully on the distant hill and your perpendicular to the rocky out crop/bend in stream/…… that’s where you dig. Do this three or four times, aproaching the location from differant directions each time. Mark each attempt with a twig/coin that is pushed in flush with the ground and lightly cover so it blends in and doesn’t distract you on you next attempt. That shows you how good your markers are and embeds it in your head. Then wright it down. Jobs a gooden.
Oh and don’t forget to pack the spade 😉
Sounds like a great trip
Hi, I u look at my last post b4 ur’s I could live on 4.5kg total food per week & that was trekking in remote parts of NZ. The terrain there is very heavy going like some parts of wales or Scotland but sometimes no trails at all… If u X4 then in theory u could carry 18kg food if u had very little and mega lightweight camp kit, ie golite pack, terra nova tent,1kg sleep bag&neo air mat, titanium stove&pan etc. (6kg.?)
In my 12kg base kit I was overseas so had extra luxuries like spare clothes, sandals, iPod/solar/batteries, book, comprehensive medical & survival kits, water filter etc. So if u went for mega minimal and lightweight kit then u could carry it.
This way you can change ur route and stay flexible. Heavy to start but the pack would get lighter as u go.!
If u do decide to cache, then Adrian’s advice is all very sound. Bury in metal boxes 2 feet deep because most metal detectorists won’t find it. If u do this though, be careful not to be seen as this will definitely arouse suspicion and possible police involvement. If u do get bumped by a walker then explain what ur doing and make sure u always carry an extra 2days food just incase ur caches are robbed.!!
Have fun
Hi David,
This sounds like fun 🙂
If you know your route and can access places along it, then caches would work well. If you are “on the run” as it were, you’d need to be careful about your pursuers working out a pattern for your caches and using it to locate/catch you.
Adrian has already given some good practical advice and I won’t repeat that. Don’t underestimate the chance of random dog walkers uncovering your stuff. When I was working at Woodlore, we had the police called to one of our latrine sites as a dog walker thought it was a shallow grave given their dog’s interest in it! 🙂
You should also check out my conversation with Chris Townsend about backpacking, in particular his comments on the longer unsupported sections of trails he has walked in North America.
Finally, another option would be shipping food to trusted “agents” for you to collect – either directly or have them bury them for you and provide GPS grid reference of a land mark as well as a description of exactly how to locate the cache from the landmark.
Good luck.
Cheers,
Paul
Great video Paul, useful for the roving fisherman too, one thing though thought you might have included some Bannock mix ?
Hi Paul great video,that for taking the time to Show what food you would ear for a week in the Outdoors,i am quite new to bushcraft after watching this i have to rethink the food i take with me on days in the forest,once again thanx. TONY
Not seen anyone else mention it, you could include a tic tac box of chilli or curry powder or an even smaller box of chilli flakes. A bottle of tobacco does wonders for repetitive menus.
Tony
Hi Tony, no one has mentioned it because it goes without saying ;0) Any trip or expedition into the wilderness without Tabasco or masala power is doomed from the outset.!! ;0D The famous & great survival instructor Ron Hoods (RIP) always took Tabasco with him because it just makes even the blandest of ‘survival food’ taste good. Chilli is also good for morale as it releases dopamine naturally from our brains and creates a feeling of well being.
Time for a chilli dOm’elette me thinks… ;0)
All the best dOm
Agreed guys – Tabasco, chilly flakes and curry powder will see you right on any trip.
Oh, and some garlic – fresh or powdered as appropriate.
Cheers,
Paul
Also don’t think anyone has mentioned soreens malt loaf or if you can get it the aldi/lidl versions which must surely be the best value trail food you can buy.
Yet another very interesting video! Similar to the food I usually take with me, only add Parmesan cheese (highest kcal content) even as a snack and a tube of tomato double concentrate for sauces or soups , it’s supposed to be refrigerated, but keeps pretty well for up to 10 days after being open. Also if I may suggest a chocolate drink before bedtime, with its sugars it really helps boosting your body heat and grants you a warm night in the sack.
Super video, I have always used MRE’s but the weight is a joke when going for more than 2 days. I will be putting this to the test in the coming weeks. I think there maybe a dehidrator going on my christmas list as well.
I came across your videos for the first time this morning, and am now part of your mailing list. Having read many of the replies above I have not seen an answer to the “bulk” problem you mentioned regarding the mushrooms. What I would do is to blitz the mushrooms into a powder, which not only reduces the bulk, but also cooking time, as all you need to do is add a pinch to whatever you’re cooking. I use this all the time in my kitchen at home, at Heston Blumenthal’s suggestion.
I look forward to watching lots more of your videos.
Best wishes, Dave.
Hi Paul
Great video as usual. I would need to replace the pasta with rice as neither of us like pasta, (or couscous or tuna) which causes a problem 🙂 I will have to check out the local supermarket shelves to see what can be used instead.
Happy bush crafting
Angela
Good idea with the tuna sachets.
Does anybody know where to get these in Germany?
I only ever find canned tuna here which is way too bulky and too heavy.
Thanks for the great advice and video, Paul!
Great informative video. I am planning a 14 day walk for charity in the summer and had been wondering if I would have to detour to buy stuff along the way as I didn’t see how I could carry more than a couple of days-worth of food. Now I can see I will have to have another think as I can carry most of what I need for a week.
I wasn’t planning to take a stove either as I thought it would be too heavy but I can see I can compensate for that by using lots of dried foods. Thanks for the tips.
Hi Chris,
I’m glad this was useful to you. With a lightweight stove and a single titanium pot, you should be able to prepare most, if not all, of what is here, while keeping the weight right down.
Good luck with your walk.
Warm regards,
Paul
What are the dimensions of the side pocket? I’m looking for something similar with MOLLE/PALS attachment. Is there a way to connect PLCE to MOLLE?
I’ll see if I can find exact dimensions for you Mark…