High Country/Backcountry gear lists...

[MLHSN]

Does any one else out there not eat hardly anything when there in the back country? I never finish all of the food I bring and am surprised how little I eat. I have a hard time eating my entire mnt house dinner but usually force it down before bed. Have a few granola bars and thats it. All of the crackers and cup a noodles I bring along come back to the truck with me.

I have that problem when I eat mountain house.  That's why I stopped.  It just turns my stomach.  I loose my appetite.  I've noticed that when I exert myself quite a bit I loose my appetite.  If I rest a couple hours after exertion then I get my appetite back.  That's why I've just started biting the bullet and packing food I really enjoy eating.  I need the calories or else I bonk bad. If I take superlight food that I don't like the taste off then I'm not getting the calories I need because I throw it out.  Also, a shot or two of an adult beverage usually helps bring my appetite back.  It's the exertion that get's you.  Your body releases all kinds of chemicals to get your body moving while hiking.  Unfortunately, all that adrenaline causes a loss of appetite.

A couple foods I have an easier time choking down when not feeling hungry:  powdered mash potatoes, the real buttery kind.  Dried banana chips (extremely high in calories per weight), top ramen (add some tuna for protein, in a bag not can).  Liberty Orchard bars <----Amazing, gotta get them from Cashmere though.

[jackelope]

You guys obviously have not tried MH Chili Mac and beef. Pure awesome.

I couldn't eat much at 9500' last summer. I was good to go at 7k and ok at 11k but had no appetite and wanted to barf at 9500. I guess just that elevation got to me.

[MLHSN]

I've had more then a few MH chili mac.  If I need to eat freeze-dried food, I go Packit Gormet.  Gotta love Bangers & Mash, or pumpkin cheesecake, All-American burger wrap.

This one is next on my list to try:

http://www.packitgourmet.com/PotatoSamosas.html

[deerslyr]

That makes sense about losing appetite due to exertion. I do the same thing when I go to the gym and do a hard work out. I like the taste of mnt house just cant seem to have the appetite. I havent gone on many extended trips mostly over nights and 2 dayers so it hasnt affected me too much yet. I will say my buddies and I did an experiment on hunting on empty stomachs. I could definitely tell an increase in all my senses, but it also makes for a terrible time to trophy hunt because you just want to fill your tag 

[DRENALINJUNKIE]

Tagging

[kentrek]

one more thing before i hit the hay...

when i was younger and out on a trip my attention was mostly  on survival..i was very concerned about food,water,camping locations,and cozy camp set ups..so thats what i spent alot of time doing..wasted hunting time

now a days i dont think about eating,i just eat if im hungry..same with water...i camp where ever i end up and camp set ups tend to be the best looking spot with in view of where i end up..i just focus on hunting

this also could explain my "lack" of food/gear compared to most

[Hunter mike]

I don't have the best appetite in the backcountry, but I manage to get enough food down.  For me a MH meal every night is essential even though it's not the best.

The ones that go down best for me (and have decent nutrition comparatively) are:

1) Chicken Fajita mix filling (I never bring a tortilla, but it would be good)
2) Beef Stroganoff
3) Chili Mac

Other than that, I have a baggie of granola and powdered milk (pre-mix) for breakfast, a couple of sweet and salty nut bars during the day and lots of snacks.  I try to make a ziplock per day of food and I usually have a bit left for a safety margin.

I eat a lot of soy nuts - good energy and protein for the weight and very cheap at Fred Meyer bulk.  I force myself to eat a handful every time I stop.  I get really sick of them by the end of the season...

[thatkidwho]

Two pounds of food for 3 days sounds about right. My usual meal plan is oatmeal w/ dried fruit for breakfast, smoked salmon or dried meats for lunch and noodle soup for dinner or something instant mash based for dinner. I'm also a big fan of the Salmon pouches. Salmon is an excellent fuel. I will also bring trail mix for snacking. I also may bring 1 bagged meal just in case or a few energy bars.

I went backcountry with some friends last summer and they all had over packed on food. By the third day nobody wanted to think about Chili Mac. For the 2 nights/3 days all of my food fit inside of a gallon ziplock.

Average pack weight is 26 lbs including food and water. I looking to cut another 5 lbs this year by upgrading my sleeping bag and tent. I currently use a 20+ old school pup tent. I'm a small guy and aim for the 15-20% of body weight for my pack.

A few post back some mentioned vacuum sealing, there are re-usable vacuum seal bags. You seal them and then roll them to express the air. I like the e-vent dry bags for my clothes and sleeping bag. It also doubles as my bear bag sometimes.

There are a lot of great list/ideas in this thread.

[300rum]

I lose my appetite too sometimes.  I wouldn't say I am ever "starving" on a trip or really even get hungry.  Too tired, anxious, overlook it, I don't know.  I force myself to eat though.

[fillthefreezer]

i guess im the old ball here, im eating constantly while in the backcountry. always hungry and if i dont stay up on it i crash. i usually lose about 1lb per day while out. my meal plans are usually:
shot blocks and mixed nuts for breakfast on the move, jerky, peanut butter crackers, fruit leather, bar of some sort, peanut butter-bacon-honey whole wheat bagel for lunch, more snacks, split mh and instant potatoes for dinner. mh that usually get packed are stroganoff, lasag, chilli mac, spag, turky t, chicken a la king

[Fishhuntmike]

I ground up lean meat like deer and fry it with salt and onion.  Put it in the food dehydrator.  Ends up looking like grape nuts and weighs almost nothing.  Put it in water when you heat it up to a boil then add soup mix or what ever you decide to cook and youve got your protein.  Makes any meal much more filling and you don't get hungry like you normally would with the empty calories like the freeze dried stuff.
I also like homemade granola and powdered milk for breakfast and it makes a great trail snack.

[shanevg]

That makes sense about losing appetite due to exertion. I do the same thing when I go to the gym and do a hard work out. I like the taste of mnt house just cant seem to have the appetite. I havent gone on many extended trips mostly over nights and 2 dayers so it hasnt affected me too much yet. I will say my buddies and I did an experiment on hunting on empty stomachs. I could definitely tell an increase in all my senses, but it also makes for a terrible time to trophy hunt because you just want to fill your tag 

Yeah the only thing you see is a giant steak walking around. Been there, done that to the tune of one too many 2 points on the ground. 

[liljozie495]

a hands down great thread! 

by all means tho, whats a good pack to look into? im really itchin to do a high back country hunt here this or next year!... any help with figuring a good pack for rifle would be awesome!

[JPhelps]

Best Packs: kifaru, mystery ranch and stone glacier
Good Packs:badlands, eberlestock, tenzing (new frame is untested), Kuiu, sitka
I haven't owned all these packs but this is the consensus.  I would also snatch up a Dana Designs terraframe if it can be found lightly used under $250.
There are many other packs that will get It done (I used to hunt with the cabelas external frame and it worked just fine).

For food I pack at least 2 lbs of food a day and I still loose over one lb a day on average.  One an extended trip I will bonk bad on about day three without enough food (especially protein).  I try and pack lots of jerkey, pemmican bars (even though soy protein isn't good for guys), mountain house wraps as well as homemade dehydrated burger meals.

[viva_che1363]

too much good info, im tagging this ( then making a steak sandwich.)