D.I.Y. Backpacking Meals | Northville Placid Trail Series

**2021 UPDATE: I've removed a section of this video that showcased something unsafe to do for backpacking food preparation. I want to thank everyone who shared their concern, and I'm glad that I was able to make this change to prevent anyone from getting sick on the trail.
Let's talk about do-it-yourself backpacking meals! In this video I talk about why I decided to put together my own meals for my Northville Placid Trail thru-hike!
I hope you learn something new from this video, and I'm really excited to share my Northville-Placid Trail thru-hike with you all -- make sure you check back every Wednesday throughout August and September for my NPT series.
Please consider subscribing to the ADK Woods Walker channel for weekly videos of Adirondack adventures!
Don't forget to try and do something awesome every single day!
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[@stephenmcdonald2514]

You make organizing the chow seem almost as fun as eating it (and I'm a fat guy). Just a small pronunciation thing: Piseco, NY is pronounced pis-ee-co, not pis-ay-co. Thanks for the video!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thanks for the clarification on the pronunciation ... fair warning, I pronounced it wrong on every NPT video ;) Thanks for watching!

[@stephenmcdonald2514]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors Not too off though, especially when you consider the many times I've heard people ask how to get to "Pissco".

[@johnl.8616]

When making thr breakfast with the oatmeal try adding a scoop of vanilla protein. Adds flavor and a nice protein boost.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Great idea!

[@HunterTravels]

I will try that!

[@dajo2824]

Thanks.

[@AwakeLazarus]

Keep the potatoes in the original package, when you open one to use it put the second serving into a ziplock. You’ll only need one zip lock for all your potatoes for the whole trip.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Excellent idea! Thanks for sharing.

[@jonallenoutside]

The part where the potato powder was blowing in the wind reminded me of the scene from The Big Lebowski where they threw Donny's ashes over the cliff.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

LOL

[@chrisolson6629]

"Damnit Walter!" Lol

[@Sam-ny9tz]

Finally!!! Real Food On A Budget focusing on calories!! My Kind of Meal Plan for my pack. Thank You Kind Sir. May You and Yours Be Blessed 🙏❤🥰

[@Beavreader]

Thanks for the video. I'm looking forward to a couple long hikes this summer and a lot over the fall. This helps immensely with ideas for meal prep.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Glad it was helpful! I hope you have some great adventures! Thanks for watching!

[@miken7629]

That chicken starts going bad as soon as you open it. I would wait to open it up on the trail.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

You are not wrong! The chicken lasted until Day 7, then it went into the garbage. I look at it as a good learning opportunity ;) Thanks for watching!

[@elynbeth]

I was like, "What does he mean splitting up the chicken!?"

[@TheTrailDancer]

I was thinking the same thing... :)

[@darrenboorman4365]

I wouldn’t touch that chicken after more than 6 hours in a warm rucksack. Let alone 2-3 (or even 7) days

[@kennethclapp9713]

Walmart now has smaller packs like tuna

[@BackyardBiketours]

I got an ebike in January of this year and just came across bikepacking, while I have 7 months of research before and if I do it this, it is coming in handy so I bookmarked your page, thank you for sharing this information, much appreciated.

[@z2zAaronz2z]

Yoooo thank you for such an in depth vid man! Great ideas and even packaged it for the vid, highly appreciate this going on my first backpacking trip.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

I'm glad that you got some useful information from this. Thank you for watching!

[@watermelonhead6525]

Awesome video! Im going on a 10 day canoe trip with 5 other friends once i graduate highschool and im so glad I found this video! It helped me a lot create some meal ideas

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Fantastic! I'm glad that you could get some ideas from this. I highly recommend NOT doing what I did with the chicken - it doesn't last! Either leave it in the packages, or find another alternative. Good luck on your graduation and your trip! Thanks for watching!

[@mukkaar]

Freeze dried vegetables when bought separately are actually not that expensive. For example some peas or some other veggies are nice with meat and powdered potatoes. Freeze dried vegetables also keep almost all of the nutritional content so it's just amazing resource to have. It's just way to get something other than carbs, protein and processed stuff. And there's nothing added, it's just the fresh produce freeze dried. Freeze dried corn for example is amazing in any wraps you make, after re hydration.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Very good tips! Thanks for sharing!

[@trailtrashoutdoors8173]

Summer sausage is great for backpacking since it does not need to be refrigerated and lasts pretty long as far as calorie content goes. I also like almond butter or almond milk powder which you can make tons of different calorie rich meals with. I love the stuff! Normally I take those and kind bars for on the go.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Very true!

[@gloriselcordero3791]

Gave me some ideas I never even thought to think about! Thanks!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Glad I could help!

[@shirleyhall2716]

Love the video. I like the individual cups of peanut butter put into a zip lock with a wrap and a jelly or honey packet. The tuna and chicken salad packets are good on wraps for lunch too.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thank you!

[@ThatGuy-sc5rx]

Gotta say i loved the video and gave me some nice ideas that will definitely make my budget go further. Ill probably just use mountain house as a end of day special dinner. The prepackaging and organization down to calories totally satisfies my OCD lol Got a new subscriber, keep em coming !

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

The Mountain House (and similar brands) meals are not a bad choice - I find them decently flavorful, and big enough to satiate my hunger, so I don't think you'll go wrong going that route! Thanks for watching!

[@bkbland1626]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors I like to reuse the mtn house bags for other things. It's like a soft side bowl.

[@journeybrook9357]

You have me more ideals! Thanks. The Tuna I found it the hard way don't let heat/ hot days ruin your food. Place in your pack inside a cloth/ clothing like a tee. Place near your water or in-between. Never directly on sides or bottom/ top of pack. 3 packs of bad camping/ hike with over ,90 heat.Forgot to add I now place envelope tuna, chicken in zip lock bags I can use for other. stuff as needed

[@roberttrinies7698]

Try cous couscous, (be sure it's the instant type) rehydrates with hot or cold water).The parmessan flavor with chicken, or salmon packet is my favorite! 😋

[@ecttreker9816]

Thanks for making and sharing this.....awesome video.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thanks for watching!

[@kikilaruse187]

You can dehydrate ground beef, ground pork and ground chicken. If you don't have a dehydrator, you can just use your oven. = )

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Very good point! The trick with dehydrating your own meats is to make sure you get the leanest cuts you can - that way there's less fat that has the chance to spoil even after dehydration. Thanks for watching!

[@graceiovine3080]

ADK Woods Walker with dehydrating ground beef for instant the trick is to buy lean beef of course but before dehydrating it you must rinse it out with hot water throughly before hand. And to get the fat back carry a small tube of a healthy oil ie extra virgin olive oil to squeeze into your rehydrates meal.

[@bkbland1626]

@@graceiovine3080 I put a little olive oil in most things. It's easy and more filling.

[@IsThatAGarden]

one of the most helpful videos, thanks!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thank you for watching!

[@OldGoatintheWoods]

Good video showing how you prepped. Glad you noted (per the description note) do not split the chicken packets! My Red Flag went full mast when you did that. But, I bet you did get some funny looks as you videoed yourself shopping!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

LOL live and learn ;) The looks were definitely hilarious, for sure! Thanks for watching!

[@jwblaser]

Great video, thanks for posting it. It's always interesting to see what others do and I always learn something. My food for backpacking and canoe camping trips has always been supermarket food. The only time I used the freeze-dried meals was on a two-week backpacking trip in the backcountry of Denali National Park. I have a bunch of freeze dried meals that people have given me as gifts that are just sitting in a storage box. I never seem to reach for them when I putting the food together for a trip. I guess I should use them this coming season... Like you, my main reason for going this way is to save on the cost of food. It's not difficult for me because I eat simply so I can spend my time doing other things, rather than preparing meals. Strangely enough, I tend to eat less when I am in the outdoors, so I must always be attentive to not taking too much food. I agree that repackaging is a must to cut down on waste, but it also allows me to organize my food better. My food is organized by the day, which allows me to work from a single (one gallon) ziplock bag for each day of the trip. All the day bags contain breakfast, snacks, lunch and dinner for the day. Each day bag is numbered, so in the morning I can just pull the day bag out of the Ursak, get trail snacks for the day, later I pull lunch and finally dinner when I get in camp. The full day bags are stacked vertically in the Ursak, with the first day on top and the last on the bottom. After dinner, I compress/fold any small ziplock bags, put them in the empty day bag which goes into the bottom of the Ursak so I can reuse them on the next trip. With repackaging and reuse, I am able to get all of my garbage for a 6-8 day trip into a single one gallon ziplock bag. I like the Knorr side dishes; most of the cooking instructions are the same, but there are a few that are different, so with these I cut the instructions from the packaging and stick them in the day bag.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thanks for watching, John! A couple of years ago on a weekend backpacking trip to hit Gray, Skylight, and Marcy, I realized that I couldn't eat as much as I normally do for breakfast. I was sitting on Gray (the first summit of the day) feeling gross and unsure if I could continue on. After a bit of a rest, I was able to finish out the day, but I only nibbled on a few snacks until we returned to camp. From that trip on, my backpacking meals are smaller than my normal meals - especially breakfast! It was a very strange experience, and it's nice to know that others have similar situations.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

@@BackcountryPilgrim I like the thought that the body goes into "healthy mode" ... I guess if I didn't like beer, burgers, wings and pizza so much, I might be able to maintain that off the trail ;)

[@ZachBrimhall]

Awesome video and info. Thanks!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thanks for watching

[@SamwiseOutdoors]

Cool thought with the summer sausage, I'll have to try that next time!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thanks! Good luck!

[@angelashcroft1832]

I loved this video keep doing them thank you

[@bucky716]

Watching this again to get ideas. It seems like the space savings for meals like this when packed up vs how much space is taken up by dehydrated mountain house type meals is more valuable than the cost savings. Cost savings are obviously massive but they also take up a lot of space.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Solid point! Definitely helps to fit things more conveniently in the bear canister.

[@murphragous]

One thing i have noticed about eating oatmeal right out of the packet. The flavors will be stuck to the bottom and your first half of breakfast will be pretty boaring. Before you open the pack, break it up and shake it around to disperse the flavors. Or pour it into a quart sized freezer (the important part is freezer) ziplock and you have a bit more room to attack it and still no dishes. Just my opinion if it is worth anything to anyone.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Solid point about the oatmeal flavors -- I typically do the "break and shake" packet "flippy" move (think Polaroid picture development) before opening them, so I never really had the issue. Thanks for the suggestion and for watching!

[@cabe_bedlam]

If your happy to have it cold you can also do "overnight oats" just leave it to rehydrate in the freezer bag before bed and your GTG without having to boil up water in the morning. It'll plump up those raisins even more too!

[@trailtrashoutdoors8173]

New friends here from Trail Trash Outdoors! Been looking to do the same in my meals and this video will help alot with me making my decisions on what I would take! Thanks for sharing! Much love ✌ 💘 😊-TTO

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@mackjenkins7721]

Hello sir how you doing. This was a great video on how to pack Euro food for your hiking trip. Most people just talk and show the food in the package they do not show how to break it down into the bags. You went a step further and that is awesome. I just all the time bye like the house meals which is very expensive like you said. Easy $20 just for breakfast and a dinner meal and you figured for how many nights you going for if it's just the weekend that's like $60 just for a meal. Very expensive. This is some I need to start doing. Thank you so much for sharing this video.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Glad it was helpful - thank you!

[@our3acrehomestead]

Just a thought...If you have a seal-a-meal, you can reseal a lot of packages or potato pouches after you 1/2 it ( depends on the brand - or anything in the Mylar type bags) That way you save on a baggie and it has directions. You can also use the pouch to “cook” in. You might even be able to cut it in half and seal up them up and avoid the bags all together.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Fantastic idea! Thanks for sharing!

[@GemintheMud]

Really helpful - thank you! 😊

[@konagolden3397]

For a do it yourself meal, here's one ides: Dehydrate your own onion, red & green bell peppers, corn. Package it separately, with some cut up beef jerky and Ramen. Add any dried seasonings you like ( I like some ground Ginger and bring a couple packets of Soy Sauce, or some dried Thyme. I like to add a little water to the veggies & jerky in late afternoon. Just enough to help them re-hydrate, before I finish the days hike. You can substitute the Ramen with dehydrated mashed potatoes & some powdered brown gravy mix, layer it as a sort of Shepherds pie. You can substitute chicken and chicken gravy mix. Also, save money and buy the mashed potatoes in the large boxes...just measure out what you need.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Great ideas! Thank you for sharing!

[@konagolden3397]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors Thanks for taking the time to make & post your video. I appreciate it. Cheers!

[@pwesley5854]

You can make the Knorr in the pouch also. It will get hot but it works. Put boiling water in the bag and let it set for about 12 to 15 minutes and it's done.

[@Motorep146]

Great video! I use that chicken too and would be worried about splitting it up. Reading your comments below I see you found out how long it would keep. BTW, try Stovetop stuffing with the chicken sometime. That's my first dinner on the trail since I want to get through the chicken because it's so heavy.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Yea -- for my next backpacking trip, I have a freeze-dried chicken I'm going to use instead of the packets because I feel that there was too much in those packets for one person. I do like the idea of chicken and StoveTop, though - that sounds delicious! Thanks for watching!

[@HM-gk3rq]

We did butter chicken sauce with rice and the chicken. First night meal cuz chicken and sauce are heavy. Yum.

[@terryshrives8322]

I agree, the mountain House meals are way too expensive. They really capitalize on hikers. Sad really. Awesome video. Thanks for sharing, it really helped

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thanks Terry!

[@reddottx]

They wouldn’t be too bad if they were really 2 servings. But I’m not that big and I’m still snacking after eating one myself.

[@josesalinasjr7634]

I've always done done a very similar plan and portioned setup like this as well, also though I like to take a bag of flour for bread and rice as an extra filler if I decide to fish. Love the video buddy

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Rice and flour is a great idea, and something I have on canoe trips in case I somehow catch something. For my NPT trip, I decided not to bring my pole, so it wasn't even a thought this time. Thanks for watching!

[@webby459]

I hope this comment finds you on the trail. I can't imagine that the chicken won't be spoiled by the time you eat it, but maybe not. The oatmeal bags, not only can you 'cook' in the pack, but you can also cold soak them in the pack. I happen not to mind cold food, so I've come up with a repertoire of foods that can go either way. Ramen is good for this, the noodles themselves are more like freeze dried and rehydrate into pretty tender pasta with either hot or cold water. On the oatmeal, you can diy that also, quick oats (generic kind, not steel cut) cook or cold soak the same as the packets and you can choose your own additives, I like freeze dried fruits of which Aldi has an excellent variety. If the chicken does go off, you can find sources for freeze dried shelf stable meats, Dutchwear has all kinds. For veggie-vegan types, there's a very nice variety of stuff I can recommend too. Allllso, on the mac and cheese, not sure if you did this but you can add some powdered milk to cream it up a little. All the best!

[@webby459]

*dutchware, lol sorry!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

You were 100% correct... the chicken didn't make it longer than 7 days. Thankfully, I had other proteins that I could eat before/after meals. I'll have to check out Dutchware for my future trips!

[@webby459]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors people looking for protein or variety and don't eat or care about having meat can check out freeze dried pinto beans, freeze dried refried beans (Dutch has), standard small grain couscous (not pearl) and TVP. They are all stable, very very light, taste good (imo :) ) and rehydrate very well, including cold.

[@captaincake4331]

Great video! Thank you.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching!

[@ASTHECROWFLIESHIKING]

Nice choices. Good information. That will save some money✌️

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thanks! I will reiterate, do NOT take the Tyson Chicken out of the pouches - it starts to go bad and will not last too long. Just be careful ;)

[@ASTHECROWFLIESHIKING]

Appreciate it! Very good ideas and choices ✌️

[@davidbennett1585]

You did it the exact same way I did it back in the day hiking through the Sierras before I blew my knee out. BUT I always left room for trout. Never went a day without fresh protein

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

I love a fresh catch, but I'm terrible at catching fish ;)

[@nicolemayer1671]

Awe I love your cat!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

[@nerualrose]

I enjoyed ur video. Thanks for some great ideas...

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

I'm glad it helped! Thanks for watching!

[@robertalexander9931]

You can make a cozy of mylar bubble insulation (available at Lowes/Home Depot) and rehydrate the Knorr meals with hot water and put in the cozy. You can also throw in your chicken or tuna in to warm up. No clean up.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Good idea!

[@trailtrashoutdoors8173]

As long as you have the zip lock freezer bags you can boil your meals in camp inside those bags to warm them up 😃

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

That's what I do so I don't have to do dishes --- I'm lazy ;)

[@brianmincher716]

Great info, thx so much!!!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thanks for watching!

[@vanguardcycle]

Knorr sides cook perfectly fine in the foil lined bags. Add nestle nido to the ones that call for milk

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Great idea .... thanks!!

[@ALORDW]

webby459 has some great suggestions and I also feel like the chicken packaging once opened allows the meat to spoil. I think I remember that in viewing AT videos Frozen found out you can use the Knorr packages to rehydrate in. All of them I open have a foil like material inside. Great to see you using a bear can but I bet it adds a lot of weight when loaded. I am looking forward to your NPT hike and sending best wishes that you get to experience the entire trail.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Bear canister is ~2.5 pounds of hard plastic - a little heavy and slightly inconvenient for me, but better than the alternative. I do wish there was a way to encourage NYSDEC to investigate/evaluate the Ursack + Opsack combo that has been approved in some of the National Parks ... maybe someday!

[@konagolden3397]

Due to many state and parks regulations, you don't always have a choice on the bear cans. Beer cans, yes....just pack out the empties.

[@raunnorby5129]

I love that you shop at Aldi!!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Aldi is great for a lot of stuff! And they're owned by the same company as Trader Joe's ;)

[@raunnorby5129]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors I have been trying to incorporate my camping food into my regular shopping to lessen the financial impact of camping. Finding a lot of stuff that has 2022 use by dates!

[@erndogpeacemaker6534]

Thanks man🙏🏼

[@jessecrabtree7953]

You can add a little Nido/powder milk with your oatmeal/Knor for a little more flavor/calories.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Ooooh - great idea! Thanks for sharing!

[@gingertrine2912]

You might try dehydrating that chicken. Canned or packaged chicken does well that way- much safer and won’t spoil during your hike! Really light to carry too. Thanks for the video ideas. I like to pack my own meals and see what others do.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Dehydrated chicken is what's in the meals this year (and from now on). Learned my lesson ;)

[@BMad-we6qf]

I have a meat grinder, that attaches to the kitchen table, so I grind up raw chicken breasts, mix it with bread crumbs, cook it in some coconut oil to keep it from sticking to the pan and then dehydrate the cooked ground chicken. 50 grams per serving and it rehydrates well. Tasty too. A bit more work than dehydrating chicken packets, but is not stringy or tough like shredded chicken breasts.

[@thehikingrealtor6812]

Skippy sells individual peanut butter pouches that are amazing. That way no need to haul a jar of it.

[@frugalmum7943]

Try this sweet treat, cook short grain rice in coconut milk (from powder for lightweight option). Add raisins or any sweet dried berries/fruit of choice. Jam or honey also work. Simple, lightweight, shelf stable and inexpensive :) Dried cauliflower, pinch of curry powder to taste (high in anti inflammatory rich tummeric), chicken stock cube and coconut milk powder. Makes a hearty soup. Add flour and herbs of choice to make damper. "angel hair" spaghetti (very thin, cooks fast), pizza sauce sachet, powdered parm cheese. Cook pasta with stockcube of choice. Beef is fun.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Good ideas - thanks for sharing!

[@JfrancoisRicard]

Cooked rice.. shelf stable? This is news to me.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

I think the intention was to cook the rice on the trail and add the yummy stuff to it.

[@frugalmum7943]

@@JfrancoisRicard as guessed by ADK Woods Walker, the idea is to cook the rice on trail :)

[@corynardin]

Thanks for sharing.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

You're welcome!

[@jerrys88]

Not a hiker but watching these videos out of curiosity. Just a thought - personally I would have dumped all like food in a big bowl and then portioned out by scooping with measuring cup. I think that would be easier and more efficient. Great video, though.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

That's a really good thought - would have probably made things a little faster and more organized! Thanks for watching!

[@esthergerlitz2359]

I live in a country where we don’t have many options for groceries. I don’t think we have freeze dried meals either. And everything very expensive. So I’m watching a lot of these videos and this is very helpful thank you! I’m trying to get regular grocery store foods that will pack well

[@MickT]

How much water do you haul in with you or are there good sources of water along the trail? Nice video, thanks!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

So much of the Northville Placid Trail walks next to or crosses a decent water source every couple of miles. I believe Mark carried a bit more, but on average, each of us carried 2 liters of water, and we would just let the group know if we were running low to stop at the next good source to filter. Thank you for watching!

[@katherinenicholas7116]

Do you reheat the Knorr Pasta sides in the bag or a pot? Thinking of trying this out on my next trip. Maybe save a few bucks! Thx!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

I only boil water in the pot, and rehydrate in the bags, so I have less dishes/chores to do at the end of the day ;)

[@funkycoldmedina32]

I eat oatmeal cold! Thanks for the video

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

I can't do cold oatmeal LOL Thanks for watching!

[@outdoorjunkie2483]

Looks good man! I feel bad sometimes using all the baggies but I’m an earth lover all the rest of my time and I don’t like cleaning a pot or cut when in the trail. I also feel you serving sizes I make my own food bec. Mt. House 1 serving is too small but 2 severing is to much🙄. Ps have you tried bacon bits in your Mac and cheese I love it! I can’t do chicken on the trail I just don’t trust it. How did that work out? I’ve shipped my self tuna then made the baggie and that worked better then Pre making all of them. I guess that had to do with the seal.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thanks! I feel a little less bad about the baggies because I use them on trail for garbage (my own, and any I find), but I'm right there with you otherwise. As far as spicing up the mac n cheese, bacon bits is a great idea! I usually toss some jerky in and it works great but bacon is next level, for sure! In my latest video, I brought some bacon jerky with, so maybe that's the best of both worlds ... I'll have to try it out the season ;) Thanks for watching!

[@outdoorjunkie2483]

ADK Woods Walker you bet I’ll check out more of your videos too.

[@derikbagley2958]

Son it's a May 19th 2022 and I'm looking at bug out kits I like your video that's a good guideline for my food sources in the future thank you

[@hikertrash2956]

McDonald's jelly packs are perfect for pb&j meals, I make my sandwich and squeeze jelly as I make my meals

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Great idea! Thanks for the tip!

[@jackprice3364]

Good video. A little confused about spoilage. I’m sure you have that worked out

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Yea, the chicken won't last after you open the package ... Lesson learned and I've since made sure that is mentioned in other videos! Thanks for watching!

[@AeetosOutdoors]

This was a great video! I've never thought about making my own stuff (aside from buying a dehydrator I've yet to use). Great to see that everyday stuff at the grocery store can become hiking food! I'm actually eager to try some of this!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Awesome - I'm glad that you got some ideas! Having different food options makes backpacking a bit more accessible for more people! Thanks for watching!

[@AeetosOutdoors]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors I'm now watching the NPT series and searching for local multi day hikes. I'm in Tofino BC and I think the Juan De Fuca will be top of my list after all this!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Excellent!

[@BMad-we6qf]

I enjoy watching Kevin Outdoors, a Canadian hiker who makes terrific homemade dehydrated meals. My approach to date has been to dehydrated ingredients, ground chicken, peas, frozen spinach, pasta, corn, jarred spaghetti sauce, etc...and combine the dry ingredients into meals. The tricky part is the seasonings. That’s where dehydrating whole meals is easier. (Still dehydrate meat separately and add when you are packaging things up. Kevin goes with 50 grams for protein and 100 grams of ‘other’.)

[@susan3200]

Great vid

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thank you

[@samikejarvistx]

The chicken and tuna packages are shelf stable. Until you open them. They would need refrigeration to keep for days in that state.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

100% right ... lesson learned

[@_cameraboy]

That all fits in the bear canister? I'd like to see a video on that, lol.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

LOL! I only packed 3.5 days worth of food at a time, but I did have a lot more room. I think I could easily fit a week's worth of food without much issue, but the way resupplies were able to be worked out, I didn't need to carry that much food (weight) at a time ;) Thanks for watching!

[@snakeplisken2123]

I don’t separate by meal or day I just put all the potatoes in a bag all the pasta in a bag etc... and I pack a bunch of spam singles. I pack it all in paper bags inside a couple trash bags to keep it dry and use a gallon ziplock for trash. If you burn the paper bags at the end you walk out with practically no trash. I’ve gone with people that spend $30 a day on freeze dried meals and I spend about $20 for a week even with things like beef jerky and cheese.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

I like the idea of bulk loading the ingredients for meals and just taking out a serving when you eat. Very helpful! Thank you for sharing!

[@hremaddox]

You can cook knor sides in the bag.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Very true! I learned that this year myself. Thank you for sharing!

[@italianyourjourney1793]

Nice, where did you find the plastic closable bags?

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

The ziplocks are available in any of our local grocery stores.

[@zacharycbp]

Uhhhhhhhhhhh is this a serious question?

[@notquiteultralight1701]

Great info sir! Question. How and where do you stash a bear can? Just curious. Im a hanger so im always curious how the the canister and ursack people stash the comida. Thanks sir! Hotc

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

I follow the same guidelines as you do when you hang a bear bag - do the triangle with 200' between where you eat, where you sleep, and where you store "smelly" stuff. With the canister, I flip it upside and put it next to a tree or rock. You only need to make sure you aren't putting it near a cliff - in case an animal does try to play with it, you don't want it to roll off into oblivion ;)

[@daveevans7151]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors I added reflective tape to mine too in case I need to find it at night or a bear decides to move it for me ;)

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Bingo! heh

[@marylynndontchangename3461]

You could use the snack size zipper bags for some of your things. Less waste.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Good idea!

[@airwolf61970]

Next time add a little powdered gravy mix to your potato powder. It will give you flavor and salt. Chicken and potatoes just by itself seems bland. Also pick up some butter buds or powdered butter. You can add it to everything.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Excellent suggestions! Thanks

[@harleycoleman5199]

Usually with standard mac n cheese you have to drain the water from the noodles. How did you do that on trail? Just curious.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Very true -- on trail the mac n cheese was a bit soupy, but not too much. I've grown to appreciate the kind of mac n cheese that has the creamy cheese pouch ;)

[@earlelzy7243]

You could have used snack bags in your packing of smaller items of powder and pasta and snacks. Good job though.

[@rodneyvallette938]

One thing dried fruit or vegetable would be good to cut down the candy .

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

The M&Ms ends up being a nice pick-me-up treat, while I'm on the trail for days in end, but dried fruit is also good. To each their own ;)

[@Oldsparkey]

Instant Oatmeal I like to call Gag Meal. After a couple of days it's not that appealing anymore. I use the Old Fashion Oats for breakfast every day , either hot or cold. On the trial it's cold soaking them. I add some ( all to taste ) dark sugar , ground cinnamon , ground cloves and ground nutmeg. If you don't want to mix your own the already mixed combo is " All Spice ". To that I either add some dried cranberries , raisins or blueberries. I pack each days amount in zip lock snack bags and I can get 5 of them in one quart zip lock bag as extra protection for them. I cold soak it in a one pint Talenti Jelato jar overnight. Either with some dehydrated milk powder and water or just water. Give the jar a couple of good shakes to mix everything together and set it aside. Cleaning the jar is simple , put water in it , the lid on it and give it a shake. Then drink the water.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thanks for the solid recipe for some customizations on the Oats. I don't think I could eat oatmeal every day which is why I planned every other and poptarts in between. It worked well for me, but looking ahead to longer distance trails, I could see getting sick of that combo before the end ;) Thanks for watching!

[@Nasgareth]

Do you soak overnight for the dried fruit? I cold soak quick oats (not instant) without fruit in a few min.

[@bill84345]

Have you ever thought about on items that come in a nice pouch that are 2 meals to get a paper clamp and use one meal the use the clamp to seal the bag for the next meal. Saves bags and time with little negative effect.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Good suggestion! I didn't choose to use those backpacking meals for a couple of reasons - the biggest one, to me, is that the flavor and convenience isn't worth the cost. That's not the case for everyone, and as long as hikers are able to eat, I think everyone will be happy ;) Thanks for watching!

[@bill84345]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors I was talking about the one you were dividing in your video. Just make a meal and seal for the next meal, No need to split and use ziploc bags. Just clamp then seal with a good paper clamp. I agree about the Mountain House , not worth it, Love Knorr and other home brands.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Ahhh, that makes perfect sense. Good though!

[@jaycreature3893]

I enjoyed this video... I need to meal plan better... I came home with snacks galore... the video was fun until the chicken packet lol.... nice job :)

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thanks for watching!

[@jethrofiero4846]

12:28 how are you ensuring the chicken and tuna stay safe enough to eat once you've opened them? Especially the ones you are sending ahead for your resupply...those would have been waiting for 9 days already opened. New to this, thanks for input.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Hey Jethro, the packets are shelf stable until you open them. If you don't open them, they will last for a long time (there's an expiration date printed on the packets). This let's you have them waiting in your resupply without worrying if they spoiled. Good luck, and thanks for watching!

[@jethrofiero4846]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors ahh ok ty :)

[@chrisrobison6469]

My football coach back in the 80s would have us eat oatmeal with peanut butter in it to put on more weight!!

[@CharlesLockhart]

I do something pretty much identical for backpacking, and we often have a group of as many as eight people. We end up with a huge number of plastic bags used. Saw you had a comment earlier that you were looking at trying some sort of container approach, any wins there? I'd love to quit using ziplocs.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

I haven't found the perfect solution yet, but I did pick-up the following silicone reusable storage bags: amzn.to/3bUkmaK They are pretty heavy unfortunately, but they a.) are reusable, b.) easily resealable in case you don't eat all of your meal, and c.) can have boiling water in them without any issues.

[@CharlesLockhart]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors Awesome, thank you!

[@centralwashingtonmodernbus9456]

Use snack size baggies and save there too.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Excellent suggestion! Thank you for watching!

[@josepheller8395]

Ever thought about using a vacuum sealer for making those meals?

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Yea, a vacuum sealer is a great piece of equipment to have if someone is getting into making their own meals. I don't have one yet, but I'd like to get one soon! Thanks for watching!

[@Snitchols]

You mentioned the CL50. I didn't see a video on your site on that? Was that trip completed this year as well?

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

My buddy Mark and I (and his dog, Daisy) did the CL50 in June 2017. You can find the video (kzbin.info/www/bejne/kHiocqOvbZxqps0) on an old channel that I was doing content on before I moved to ADK Woods Walker.

[@susanmartin336]

Please help me. I subscribed but I can not find the “bell notification “ for new videos, etc. i have watched the NPT series a couple of times....totally addicted. Thank you so much for sharing

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thank you for your support and kind words! The little bell icon should be next to the "subscribe" button. If you press that button, you *should* get an email every time I upload a new video. Good luck!

[@mateusz3394]

Looking at the breakfast makes me wonder about sugar per ounce :)

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Maybe it's not for everyone, but Poptarts and oatmeal work for me.

[@mangethegamer]

Is "Summer Sausage" an American type of sausage or a brand? Is there another sausage that's close to it that I can use instead?

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

"Summer Sausage" is just a term that is used to describe any type of sausage that can be left unrefrigerated until it's opened. Typically it contains pork, beef and/or venison. You can also dry it like jerky or smoke it. Hopefully that helps. Thanks for watching!

[@petermccarthy9153]

Summer sausage is a dry smoky sausage common in America & Canada. Hungarian salami is a good substitute

[@stephenwarrington9719]

Great video bro!

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Appreciate it! Thanks for watching!

[@Jonsoh811]

I take the same approach with my long hikes. Although I only have a resupply every 10 to 14 days. So different ingredients are used.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

That's impressive! I'm not sure if I could fit 10-14 days of food into my bear canister LOL Thanks for watching!

[@andrewwolfe8742]

I like your breakfasts. Not that I'm a fan of oatmeal but because of what you're eating you need the fiber to push things through. For GI health I keep some probiotic packets or capsules to help. Just my opinion. Your GI is your fuel tank. Gotta keep fuel flowing and not clog up your exhaust. I'll agree about splitting up the meat packets. Not safe. Dehydrate or keep sealed.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thanks for watching!

[@nedVenturesOut]

Never used bear can. How do you carry that???

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

There are a couple ways to carry the bear can, but I typically stuff it into the middle of my pack - on top of my insulation, sleeping clothes, and hammock - so that it sits in the middle of my back. The rigid plastic does make it a little difficult sometimes, but with some finagling, you can get it set right. I've seen other backpackers strap the bear canister to either the bottom of their pack, or on the top - under the brain. I haven't done this myself, so I don't how comfortable it is

[@jefffaulkner4576]

Like what you're doing. But I'm wondering how much weight did you save?

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

I wasn't concerned with saving weight as much as getting the most calories per ounce while also saving some money. Thanks for watching!

[@jefffaulkner4576]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors Well you did stretch those dollars. In a way, I guess that's a weight lifted.

[@darrenboorman4365]

How do you stop the chicken spoiling? Surely more than 12 hours out a fridge in a warm rucksack it’s going to go off???

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Thankfully, the chicken lasted 6 days without refrigeration without me getting sick. Hind sight is 20/20 and now I know to never open the packs beforehand. Thanks for sending this comment, it reminded me that I needed to update the video description to let folks know that they shouldn't do what I did with the chicken!

[@joshualautenschlager3616]

Is that Market 40 in oxford ct?

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Nope, although it *is* very similarly named grocery store chain in my area of NY. Probably owned by the same family ;)

[@eprofessio]

Would it still be hiking if I have like a donkey and a wagon?

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

LOL, how else would you carry all of the cast iron pans? ;)

[@jackredd7088]

How do you make the noodles without milk

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

I just use boiling water, but you could get powdered milk and use that if you wanted. They're not as creamy with just water, but at the end of the day, it still tastes good (to me).

[@frugalmum7943]

Does this diet lead to constipation? (it's difficult to communicate tone via text, I'm not being cynical. I'm curious to know if this has side effects.)

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

No constipation for me, but that may be because I stay very well hydrated while I'm on the trail. It may not be the same for everyone though, so it's a good idea to try foods at home before bringing them out on a backpacking trip.

[@frugalmum7943]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors good advice :) thanks for the honest feedback 👍

[@webincomeincome8767]

Thx for the video but seems a pretty high carb count for my lifestyle. In my experience, Keto provides more energy and endurance. I’m 71 yrs young and packing 50# into the elk woods this fall.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

To each their own, but for folks that I backpack with and the miles we hike each day on our trips, the carbs work.

[@Sjackson2369]

I realize you got the pre packaged oatmeal, but is there a benefit to buying a box of oatmeal and make your own packages with a vacuum packer?

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Good question ... I hadn't even thought about that, but I presume it'd probably work out great!

[@Sjackson2369]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors from a cost standpoint it might work out, I don’t know how costly the bags are that you can reseal. I have been looking into dehydrating my own meals, even past just packaging the single ingredients

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

That's the way to do it (dehydrating your own)! I've done a bit of that myself in the last couple of years, and it's less expensive and tastes better!

[@Sjackson2369]

@@JayMorrisonOutdoors after a shower, a beer, and an epiphany, I came to this conclusion. I’m a single male, I’ll only eat what I need, but then I have leftovers. Turn the leftovers into backpacking meals. Boom. No food waste, and I’m always set for backpacking food.

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Precisely!