Backpacking Food Basics: DIY GIFT IDEA for the hiker that has everything

[@livingsimplytosimplylive6817]

I totally forgot to wish you and everyone here a very Merry Christmas

[@livingsimplytosimplylive6817]

Great gift idea. Thank you for the information and pasta tutorial.

[@backcountryfoodie]

You are so welcome!

[@billseay6399]

Hey Thanks Love it and merry Christmas

[@backcountryfoodie]

You're welcome. Happy holidays!🎄

[@Pdoja1990]

I love your videos, you’re the best! I’m a first responder who loves back packing. Your recipes and videos are great! Please keep up the good work 👍

[@backcountryfoodie]

Thanks so much!! 😊

[@queenanne94101]

Great idea! Love your videos, always so informative. 📚📓🎒🏕

[@backcountryfoodie]

Glad you like them! 🙂

[@HN76HikeSee]

Great tips and ideas, thanks for sharing.

[@backcountryfoodie]

You are so welcome!

[@debbierelph9715]

looking for a blow-up pad suggestion. I follow you for the food ideas, but I'm now looking for a sleeping pad. I'm 65, side sleeper and am currently using a form fold pad, I don't sleep well while backpacking, I'm thinking a blow-up pad might help.

[@backcountryfoodie]

Sleep is super important for my well being on trail! I, too, am a side sleeper and have used the Exped Winter sleep pad for several years now. It's overkill for most folks but I sleep really well and stay warm. It's also heavier that a lot of pads, but I'm willing to drop weight elsewhere to get a good night's sleep. Here's my affiliate link for the pad: bit.ly/33PokPP

[@sjvista]

Excellent video! Love all your content and your meals got us through the Colorado Trail last summer. Others were so excited when we shared what we had to eat from your recipes. Thanks and love from Colorado. Eric and Elizabeth

[@backcountryfoodie]

Awesome! Glad to hear the recipes worked well for your CT hike. I couldn't have hiked as far as I did without the meal replacement recipes. My appetite disappeared and never came back for +300 miles.

[@cheri7828]

Great idea!

[@backcountryfoodie]

Thanks! 🙂

[@bullwinkle734]

G'Day and Happy New Year! New subscriber. Have enjoyed/learned from your channel and recently have begun dehydrating backpacker meals. Realized I'd learned alot about drying, not so much about re-hydrating. Is there a video you've made or plan to make that explains how much water, how much time? Meals seem to alternate rubbery to soggy. Anyhow, thanks for the lessons to date.

[@backcountryfoodie]

Happy New Year to you, too! How much water to add and how long to rehydrate is ingredient dependent. Because of this there isn't one amount/time that I can recommend. Many folks add enough water to cover the food, but I've found that's either too much or not enough. For our recipes, I've specifically measured how much water is needed and list that on the recipe so that it's perfect every time. 🙂 As an example, here's one of my super simple breakfast recipes with the water listed in the instructions: backcountryfoodie.com/recipes/granola-with-milk-and-berries/ I can add a water/time video to the 2022 video calendar. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@mtadams2009]

Any suggestions on brand and model of dehydrator needed to dehydrate all my backpacking food. Thanks

[@backcountryfoodie]

I'm a huge fan of the Nesco Snackmaster. No unnecessary bells and whistles and it's a workhorse. I've used the same dehydrator for the last six years and it's still running strong. The Excalibur is a great machine but mine has been gathering dust for the last two years. The Nesco is easier to clean, more flexible (vary the number of trays per batch), and takes up less storage space. As long as the dehydrator has a temperature gauge, any dehydrator will do. Happy dehydrating! :)

[@mtadams2009]

@@backcountryfoodie Thanks so much, I will order it today and start dehydrating. To be honest I never even knew that pasta and rice could be dehydrated. I thought they already were. I could not be more wrong. I only thought about vegetables and meat. Thanks for teaching me this. Congratulations on your near completion of the CDT. That is very impressive. Take care

[@mjlcc55]

My biggest issue when dehydrating my own food is the rehydration process. I never know just how much water to add back in. Any tips?

[@backcountryfoodie]

It's certainly tricky because foods require different amounts of time and water to rehydrate. For example, pasta requires a LOT of water and time whereas freeze-dried fruit requires very little of each. Most blogs that I've read recommend adding water until the food is completely covered. I've found that adding water until just below the food level line works better. Our recipes specify how much water to add for this very reason. I've done the experimenting for you so that it rehydrates perfectly every time. Soupy meals are so disappointing at the end of a long day when you're hungry.