5 Simple Food Tricks to Lighten Your Load on Hikes

[@yanijones3334]

Thanks mowser, yani here. You've inspired us with some great ideas for the next family walk this summer.

[@mowsertas]

Great to hear it! Hope you guys enjoy the walk!

[@jsvmvp7740]

Dates are so underrated, I brought fancy dates to the overland track, they were like brownies so thick and sweet!

[@mowsertas]

Yes. Dates are definitely very good!

Plus 1 for dates

[@martinextejt3453]

just plain old organic ordinary dates work great too. Thanks for the reminder about wonderful dates. Humans have probably been eating them for millenniums.

[@walkyourdog6584]

Heavy tho

[@stellablue7609]

I absolutely love the way you say Tortillas...

[@CDAFishboy]

@@stellablue7609 You do know he pronounces tortillas wrong? Pronounced tortiyas

[@TheOctodread]

pack some spirits which can be dissolved in your hot tea for a warming dinner toast! 😄

[@clivedunning4317]

You are absolutely correct in saying sauces and herbs can jazz up a meal. In my "Old School" days everyone carried a small tin of curry powder, or mustard powder (Colemans). Nowadays , I use chilli flakes quite a lot, even in my morning porridge. Regarding reducing bulk, I can recommend "soup pasta" such as orzo if you like pasta, it looks like grains of rice but swells up to the size of bullets when cooked. The orzo takes up a quarter of the space of regular pasta. I enjoy your scientific approach to this subject. Happy Trails !

[@hjordis6817]

Thank's for inspiring videos and tips! We have more than enough food with 500-550 gr/person/day over the last years high mountain summer backpacking tours in swedish Lapland in The Artic. But we don't eat lunch - only rich snacks during day time when we walk. Yes, we too have ended up packing in the way you recommend. Trail-Mix here too. Eating mostly vegetarian diet at home, we always bring with us mini platic bags with dried veggies, dried sea weeds, dried fruits etc.. Also dried stripes of read meat - possible to eat as snacks.First now we have found plastic bags that can take boiling water, meaning we can take over the bought dinners in a less bulky plastic bags. Every gram counts on a 10-12 day tour especially as I am +75 with some body ailments. - Loving The Wilderness, being in contact with and loving my body - hornour the day form with no km chasing! Enjoying the moment in sun, wind or rain, keeping fit, resilience and not the least having a positive mind set is the key!

[@mowsertas]

Oh wow! That sounds amazing. Hope I am able to do the same when I reach that age. Inspirational! Keep it up!

[@tgeliot]

I started using this snack-size Ziploc bags years ago to carry my daily dose of trail mix. But I've learned to be careful when pulling them out of my bear vault in the morning, as several times ground squirrels have torn into them while I had my back turned.

[@mowsertas]

That's a good tip! Pesky ground squirrels 🐿️

[@amonster8mymother]

Im wondering how to carry the trail mix.

[@amonster8mymother]

MEC stopped carrying mountsin house eggs and bacon i cant stock up. 😢😢😢

[@fournierluc2205]

Very good video, I really appreciate that you have considered and discussed "real food" and not only pre-prepared meals and snacks that are ultra-processed. Trying to re-discover multi-day backpacking after many years but I have done a lot of ultra-cycling and used dried fruits and nuts extensively to fuel my rides with the occasional energy bars and electrolyte drinks that I found hard on my stomach.

[@mowsertas]

Love the ultra-cycling reference - it’s all about finding what works for you.

[@CDAFishboy]

I have 44 years of backpacking experience. California to Alaska and east to Wyoming and Alberta. All good info and tips. I however find tortillas too heavy. If anything tortillas and fresh cheese gets eaten the first night before I climb a major pass (over 11,000 feet) I figure 1 lb per day per person. That works fine on a 5-7 day trip. No way I could carry 26 days times 1.8 lbs per day. I also have to deal with possibly snow all summer and grizzlies and other wildlife thieves. I do come out craving for a pizza or 1/2 lb cheese burger. I am wondering did you carry 40lbs of food on that 26 day trip or have food shuttled in?

[@mowsertas]

We had a food drop after 13 days. Back in those days I was carrying pretty heavy food. These days for a similar trip I'd probably be at about 700g (1.5lbs) of food per day, maybe a little less. Luckily here we don't have to worry too much about wildlife! I definately know that craving feeling. Burger or pizza is always first on my list after a big hike.

[@brentthorp2383]

Hi, loving your site. Amazon do nothing for Tasmanian hiking, please recommend the specialty hiking stores for food, & gear.

[@mowsertas]

Thanks for watching! I'm glad you're enjoying the content. Locally in Tasmania I primarily source most gear from Aspire Adventure Equipment in Launceston as well as Paddy Pallin and Find your Feet both of which have stores in Launceston and Hobart. I primarily buy all my freeze dried meals from Aspire. Alternatively, I also purchase some stuff online from Australian Store Ultralight Hiker (Probably my favourite go to site) as well as Wild Earth. I do get a bit of food (snack bars etc) that I can't get in Tassie from Wild Earth.

[@Bikepacking]

I click the link to sign up for free meal but only got a email asking me to give me info

[@mowsertas]

Strange? Did you sign up a this link? www.blog.mowser.com.au/c/mowser-meal-planner After entering email you should be taken straight to meal planner download page?

[@amonster8mymother]

Where do i get dehydrated veggies??

[@mowsertas]

I make them myself in a dehydrator. Some available at supermarkets (peas etc). Plenty available online here in Australia. I have found some on Amazon in the past too. Also freeze dried options available.

[@stigfloberghagenphotography]

Great tips in this video 👍🙂

[@mowsertas]

Glad it was helpful!

[@stigfloberghagenphotography]

@mowsertas 👌 Cheers from Norway

[@1024Pete]

For sanitized protection, a product called HypoChlorous protects against bacteria and virus germs. Alcohol hand sanitizers do not protect against viruses. Thanks for the info. Very helpful. Be safe. Happy Trails!

[@mowsertas]

Thanks for the tip!

[@martinextejt3453]

Thanks, generally applicable to the bike-packing community also. Hauling around all types of unnecessary weight and volume stinks in bicycle panniers too.

[@alg193]

I got home from 8 days GOW and had 500g of waste packaging! Have to do more Bulk packing.

[@michaelmcphee2930]

This'll freak you all out. I'm about 20kg overweight, in my 70s in WA, and usually go for hikes around ten days duration on the BibbulmunTrack. Ten days of my food weighs 2.5kg. I usually bring home about 400 g of food. Normally, I don't eat any processed foods or snacks and live on two meals a day. Though on longer hikes, I have ALDI protein bars, coffee flavoured protein shakes and about 125g of my own home made beef jerky per day. Outlay is about $8/day. My approach is somewhat stoic. I drink about 3-4 litres while hiking. I never feel hungry. I don't have anything hot. No stove - no worries. My average speed, including stops, is generally around 4.25 kph.

[@thinkhelpservice]

your a machine mate! some of the best hiking out there right now on the Bib

[@mowsertas]

That’s amazing! Keep it up! Can’t wait to get over to do the Bibbulmun some day!

[@michaelmcphee2930]

@mowsertas let me know when you do and I'll do what I can to get you sorted out

[@wobblysauce]

Rolled Oats with dried fruit and nuts with water have been my breakfast basically every day for 10-20 years. Most of the time, when I ate my meal I would prep the next day when I was done. But now most days prep and come back in a few minutes. Never been a fan of Quick Oats as I always found them to be mushy.

[@amonster8mymother]

Ive got a gsi spice rocket?? How is that???

[@mowsertas]

awesome!

[@amonster8mymother]

@mowsertas ok houston we are go go for spice rocket!!!

[@tgeliot]

Thanks for the reminder to sanitize hands before eating, and not just after pooping. All too often I pull out my bag of trail mix and just dig right in with whatever filth is on my fingers 😮. Another KZbinr recommends leaving your toothbrush full length, and eschewing the practice of cutting off most of the handle, because a tiny handle means sticking your fingers into your mouth.

[@mowsertas]

I agree! That's a great point about the toothbrush. Gotta say I do love a full length toothbrush

[@mikepowers8607]

I saw in the video that your meal planner uses brand names in it. Given that, does your meal planner work outside of Australia? I'd like to try it next season here in the US. Also, how do you clean your cook pot/eating utensils on trail?

[@mowsertas]

The meal planner at this stage is fairly basic and it requires you to enter your own meals and the values from the product packaging into the data fields. So it isn't a problem to make it work no matter where you are from. You can add as many items as you like. Once you have all of your food items in, you can then plan for your trip.

[@mikepowers8607]

@@mowsertas thanks!

[@noeleneproud5334]

I have started mixing up breakfasts by using protein powder instead of powdered milk. Would love to know the route of 26 day walk, did you string some tracks together? Thanks for great video

[@mowsertas]

Great idea! We joined up a series of tracks in Tasmania’s South west and copped some awful weather most of the way. Farmhouse creek ➡️ eastern Arthur range ➡️ Arthur plains(had to bypass WAR)➡️ Port Davey Track➡️ South Coast ➡️ precipitous bluff ➡️ cockle creek

[@noeleneproud5334]

@ wow! What a trip, did you do a video for this epic?

[@amonster8mymother]

Whatshisface does a 7 day pcls pounch?? Have you seen that? Im scroung8ng for chorizo??

[@amonster8mymother]

Do you eat couscous?

[@mowsertas]

love a bit of cous cous!

[@amonster8mymother]

@mowsertas ok. I just got some here. What do you cook it with? Or what do you put in it? How do you cook it what do you out with it?

[@amonster8mymother]

@mowsertas also is that risotto?

[@456sallyjb]

@@amonster8mymother I mix dehydrated veggies and chicken to my couscous- along with some Parmesan cheese. I want to try chopping some beef jerky to see how it rehydrates w couscous and veggies!

[@amonster8mymother]

@456sallyjb dehydrates veggies? Where do I get that????🤔

[@gjcoop5625]

Another Ziploc bag fan here. I also weigh my food and can get away with about 750 g or so a day. Most I've carried is 21 days of food on a solo trip around Rakiura/Stewart Island in Kiwiland. I couldn't care less about variety, I just eat what I've packed. It's more important to take time when eating to notice where I am rather than multi-tasking. After reading the long lists of ingredients on commercial freeze-dried food I've moved to dehydrating my own. Easy to do in shallow trays in a fan-forced oven set at 50º C, so you just dehydrate it rather than continue to cook it. Do my best to avoid sugar spikes. Gotta say that some people's food choices I come across are plain unhealthy.

[@mowsertas]

Dehydrating is great. Something that I am starting to embrace more!

[@PrincePlanet-ee5hn]

tor tiller 😂

[@mowsertas]

😂

[@klarsen100]

@@mowsertas "Tor-TEE-ah"

For the upcoming trip, I’m adding dried meat. Considering couscous. Hard cheese, anyone tried?

[@mowsertas]

Yep I’ve used hard cheeses a lot and they do seem to last well. I have been able to find little 50gram packs that I can bring out at each lunch. So good

[@michaelbutler1557]

Yes. I use non-refrigerated 250 gm blocks of cheddar cheese, packaged cheese sticks, salami sticks. Couscous is very light weight, compact and cooks easily by just adding hot water and is easy to clean up.

@ Cheddar, huh. I’m in a developing country so not sure what is available. That should be though. For example, no freeze dried meals and I cannot get them shipped internationally either. Thanks for the tip.

[@walkyourdog6584]

Freeze dried very expensive. Instant oatmeal, powdered eggs, powdered peanutbutter, instant noodle soups. All work great and are lightweight.

[@walkyourdog6584]

I pre package everything in ziplock bags.

[@walkyourdog6584]

Trail mix is extremely heavy.

[@LuluTheCorgi]

A trick I found in a different video I think is very useful is going to a grocery store and just checking what is 400+/kcal per 100g, high protein is a good bonus I like my trips being very cheap so I never get any of the overpriced trekking food or ready meals, I just get stuff in local grocery stores Tho to be fair guess that's not an option when your in the wilderness a couple weeks! My trips usually aren't that long :p

[@amonster8mymother]

I think i should have about 1000 calories of trail mix per day.

[@amonster8mymother]

Grease is the word. 😅

[@woolleytom]

Please don’t stop throwing in the last minute bulky snacks. I understand the logic but they are so tasty

[@mowsertas]

You know me….

[@walkyourdog6584]

Tortillas do mold and are NOT lightweight.

[@mowsertas]

I've never had a problem with the type I use.

[@praktika1082]

Sorry ... Tor-tee-yahs.

[@georgeriddell9356]

Bacon and beans is all I need

[@amonster8mymother]

SCROGGIN???WTF!!!!

[@mowsertas]

sultanas, chocolate, raisins, orange peel, ginger, glucose, imagination, and nuts!

[@amonster8mymother]

@mowsertas Nuts eh?