Not many people give much thought on what to pack for your hiking expedition. Day hikers are especially notorious for being unprepared. I've come up with 10 foods that you should always have in your pack. It's very important to have the right nutrition in your pack. Not having the proper meal plan could lead to dizziness, tiredness, nausea, and cramps.
NUMBER 10 Tuna with crackers. It's very easy to buy small cans of tuna with the crackers already packed with the tuna. It's recommended you buy the cans with the pull up top so you don't have to carry a can opener. Some tuna packages come with mayo and relish.
NUMBER 9 Hard Cheese and crackers. I would particularly recommend a sharp cheddar cheese as this tends to withstand the warm weather better than other cheeses. Bring along whole wheat crackers to add some flavor.
NUMBER 8 Peanut Butter. Peanut butter provides a lot of different options. I would recommend you repackage the peanut butter in a squeeze tube, which are quite readily available at most camping stores.
NUMBER 7 Candy Bars. This is really only recommended for moderate conditions. Under hot conditions obviously the candy bars will melt. Candy bars provide a quick burst of energy and of course everyone loves the taste of candy bars.
NUMBER 6 Fresh fruit. I recommend carrying fruit that can take rolling around in your backpack, you might find peaches, bananas, and plums less than desirable when you sit down to eat. Fruit gets very high marks for a nutritional carbohydrate fix, and almost everyone has a favorite fruit.
NUMBER 5 Beef jerky. If you can get the real beef jerky I would recommend that, otherwise packing a slim jim in your pack would be okay too. Beef jerky is a sure bet, extremely lightweight, and offers a very good balance of fat, protein, and carbohydrates.
NUMBER 4 Dried fruit. Dried fruit is more durable than fresh fruit and they pack more caloric bang per ounce. They are also flexible enough to be used with peanut butter or cheese.
NUMBER 3 Granola. Granola has become one of the go to foods for hikers and comes in a variety of flavors ranging from honey, and nut to more exotic combinations like blueberry or cherry. Loaded with fat and carbohydrates, granola is an excellent food source out on the trail.
NUMBER 2 Energy Bars. Sports nutrition energy bars are an excellent food source out on the trail. However, they can be expensive, so if you hike a lot I would recommend buying them in bulk. If you are fortunate enough to live where there is a Trader Joes, they offer great prices on energy bars.
NUMBER 1 Trail mix. A lot of times I love making trail mix myself. I find it just tastes better. A combination of any of your favorites including M&M's, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, Cheerios, Chex cereal, raisins, peanuts, cashews, and dried coconut are some of my favorites. This is definitely the best food to have on the trail.
