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Eating From a Backpack
Better Backpacking Grub - Camping Food Goes Gourmet

By Kathleen Crislip, About.com

Backpacking Food

Backpacker's Pantry

Eating from a backpack is way mo better than it used to be -- freeze dried or dehydrated food has changed drastically in the last decade, and it's a fine way to eat in a hostel that offers little more than a hot plate. Backpackers who once had to make do with gorp and powdered eggs that tasted like wet dust have a whole lot more choices these days - how about "Beef Stroganoff With Wild Forest Mushrooms" (beef, sour cream sauce, noodles and a wild forest mushroom mix)?

BackPacker's Pantry - that dish and others like "Southwestern Smoked Salmon Pasta" (a two ounce smoked salmon fillet, packed in its own pouch, with a citrus dill chipotle cream sauce and Rotini pasta) can be found at Backpacker's Pantry.

Cache Lake offers yummy stuff like "Blueberry Wild Rice Pancakes" (freshly ground wheat and wild rice flour and real blueberries).

Enertia Trail Foods - mouth-watering dish descriptions whet your appetite: "Beartooth Beans" (navy beans and crunchy smoked ham in a rich pepper gravy with onions, red peppers and cabbage) or "Cherokee Cinnamon Rice" (rice with pineapple and papaya - packed with calories from butter and raisins and spiced with cinnamon).

Wilderness Dining offers a round up of several backpacking food companies offerings as well as its own goodies, like "Grand Canyon Cheesecake" (cheesecake topped with almond crunch). Wilderness Dining's website also features camp cookware, a bear resistant container, recipes and food tips.

Other BackPacker Food Sites

  • AlpineAire Foods
  • Richmoor and Natural High Lightweight Camping Foods

    Most of the foods available from the companies above are "boil in a bag" or "add hot water" dishes. Food descriptions come from the companies' websites.

    Please go to the next page for more economical food choices.

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