| f the most important skills for a successful overnight | | | | an entire extended hike. But trail snacks are useful in |
| hike is packing food. Unless you know how to pack | | | | that they're easy to prepare, help to stave off hunger |
| properly, you can end up with not enough to eat, more | | | | until your next meal, and give you small pick-me-ups |
| weight in your backpack than you probably want, or a | | | | throughout the day during rests. Pack enough trail |
| difficult time with cooking every night of your hike.Of | | | | snacks to provide two small snacks per day. |
| course, packing food is only one of the skills you'll need | | | | Dehydrated Food |
| to be a successful hiker. | | | | Dehydrated food includes soups and stews. |
| Canned Food | | | | Dehydrated food is cheap, lightweight, and nutritious |
| Canned food includes vegetables and meats. Canned | | | | enough to keep you moving. Plan to pack at least two |
| food has the advantage of being non-perishable, but | | | | to four packets per day of travel, as well as enough |
| has the disadvantage of being both weighty and bulky, | | | | water to prepare your food at the beginning and end |
| which can contribute to problems when organizing | | | | of each hiking day. |
| your backpack. Plan to pack one large can or two | | | | What Not To Pack |
| smaller cans per day of travel. | | | | Don't pack anything perishable. This includes most |
| Trail Snacks | | | | meats, vegetables, breads, and dairy products. If you |
| Trail snacks include trail mixes, dried fruits, nuts, and | | | | must pack some perishable goods, try to eat them in |
| dried meat or jerky. As the name implies, trail snacks | | | | the first few days of hiking in order to prevent spoilage |
| shouldn't form a major part of your diet: they simply | | | | and to free up space in your pack. |
| don't have enough nutritional content to sustain you for | | | | |