pack in trip food

[vandeman17]

We will be packing in for an archery elk hunt in NE Oregon on August 30th and out September 8th. It will be about a 14 mile ride in so the plan is to take two smaller coolers and then our gear. On our last few hunts, I have burned a lot of calories and ended up losing a good amount of weight each trip. I am trying to dial in what to bring to eat that will not only be convenient since the days are super long this early in the season but also that will last for the duration of our trip. I normally pre cook big things of stews and such and vacuum seal/freezer for our suppers. These stay in one cooler that we try to only get into when we have to so we can try to stretch out the cold effect as long as we can. Snacks during the day are your usual trail mixes, jerk, snack bars and all that but I am trying to figure out breakfast/lunch. Some ideas I had for breakfast would be to make wraps with scrambled eggs, peppers etc and individually wrap and freeze but not sure how they do going that route and how long they last. Hard boiled eggs are another option but again, not sure how long they will last since we aren't sure how hot it will be.

Thoughts?

[mburrows]

I think Im late to the game but I recently discovered overnight oats. Pretty good tasting, convenient and you can tailor to your preferences.  Also super light to pack in.

In a zip lock bag, mix in your chosen amount of oatmeal, add in some dehydrated fruit, protein powder, some nuts or seeds.  Before you go to bed add water and let it sit out or in your cooler over night.  When you wake up, dig in. 

Im adding some coconut oil to my next batch for some extra calories.  Still doing some fine tuning to my food list as well.

[vandeman17]

I think Im late to the game but I recently discovered overnight oats. Pretty good tasting, convenient and you can tailor to your preferences.  Also super light to pack in.

In a zip lock bag, mix in your chosen amount of oatmeal, add in some dehydrated fruit, protein powder, some nuts or seeds.  Before you go to bed add water and let it sit out or in your cooler over night.  When you wake up, dig in. 

Im adding some coconut oil to my next batch for some extra calories.  Still doing some fine tuning to my food list as well.

Good call on those. I used to eat them at home a lot but didn't even think about bringing them for the hunt. Good grief

[WapitiTalk1]

Vande, you're packing coolers in 14 miles?  When you say riding, are you talking horses or quads?  Just getting clarification on your mode of ingress before I chime in 

[vandeman17]

Vande, you're packing coolers in 14 miles?  When you say riding, are you talking horses or quads?  Just getting clarification on your mode of ingress before I chime in 

Pack string so riding in on horses with a few mules for gear

[Stein]

My favorite camp food is razor clam chowder without a doubt.  Smoked salmon chowder is a very close second.  You can really bulk up the calories with cream and butter and the taste is beyond good.

I would also bring some frozen steaks, maybe lasagna.  If you fill a quality cooler with frozen stuff it will stay that way for a week easy.  Nothing is easier than plunking a bag into boiling water as soon as you get back to camp and then having a ready meal by the time you sort, clean and prep your gear for the next day.

[2MANY]

In one cooler I would pre freeze everything, Pack dry ice, small piece of block ice, and duct tape all that cooler's seams. In the other one I would pre freeze everything possible, add a block of ice, and treat it more like a fridge. If necessary I keep the coolers against each other, store in 100% shade, and even wrap them with the horse blankets. I've gone 14 days with this approach and eaten like a king. Of course some of that is driven by how many times you open coolers and ambient temps. Usually my frozen cooler is packed tight and everything is 100% frozen. Plan ahead and thaw frozen items in the fridge to help keep those things cool too.
I also do the pre cooked breakfast wraps you described. I pre wrap them in foil and toss on the top of the wood stove in the am while making coffee. Yum.

[theleo]

How many guys? Cooler = 1 pannier? 2 coolers + 1 box for dry goods? How many pack animals and how much extra crap? I need more details.

[2MANY]

LOL.
Oh so true.

[vandeman17]

How many guys? Cooler = 1 pannier? 2 coolers + 1 box for dry goods? How many pack animals and how much extra crap? I need more details.

2 guys and we get two mules each but doubt we will need that many. Plan is 2 cooler and our gear which will be camp clothes, hunting clothes, boots, bows, the normal stuff.

[dilleytech]

Sounds like a very comfy vacation. If you want more calories why not just pack a bunch of noodles, rice and bread? That should keep a person fat and happy.

[vandeman17]

Sounds like a very comfy vacation. If you want more calories why not just pack a bunch of noodles, rice and bread? That should keep a person fat and happy.

I am an active gym/crossfit guy so I track what I eat at home and no those type of calories just make me slow and sleepy. I perform and feel better are more complete or calorie dense foods.

[bornhunter]

Canned meat from costco. Chicken, tuna, beef. Dont have to worry about keeping it cold.

[Skyvalhunter]

 :yeah:Or the extra weight it entails

[Jpmiller]

We did a mess of fried chicken on our last pack trip and froze it in vac seal bags. We brought way more food than we ate but none of the chicken came home.